Thursday, March 1, 2012

A Proper Send Off

My sister and her family just left the country and headed back to Cambodia.  They have an orphanage that they are operating there called Cosette's Hope Children's Home.  My mom and dad came up from NM, and we got together for a couple of dinners.  I was responsible for the Italian meal.

As I was planning the menu, my sister informed me that her husband has never been a pasta guy, but that maybe it was her sauce that he was not a fan of.  Well, I love a challenge, and started searching out a menu that might change his mind.

Thanks to Marie at Proud Italian Cook, I found an idea for a large pasta dish with roasted veggies.  When our two families get together it is a crowd, so the description is what caught my eye first.







This is a pic of the veg after it had been roasted.  Cauliflower; Carrots; Onions; Broccoli; Carrots; Red, Yellow and Orange Peppers: and Cherry Tomatoes roasted with Garlic and Olive Oil.
After the Rigatoni was cooked, I added it all together in one of those big catering pans, sprinkled some fresh grated Parm on it, and to the fridge it went.  

In my crockpot, I made a Pork Ragu from Michele Scicolone.  You can find her recipe in her book The Italian Slow Cooker (highly recommend!) or here. Like Giulianna, I too made a few changes here and there, but kept mostly to the recipe - because it is just that good!  Since I already had the Rigatoni, I didn't want to repeat it for the pork.  I wanted to make Polenta, but since my mission was to wow my brother-in-law, and the fact that my husband is not a huge fan, I decided to do Garlic, Parmesan, Mashed Potatoes.  

I roasted several heads of garlic in the oven while the veg was cooking, and boiled up 10 pounds of potatoes.   I didn't use a lot of cream or milk, but instead added olive oil to the potatoes.  Mixed with the parm, they were super creamy.  I put those in a big pan too, ready to be heated in the oven the next day.  Before heating them back up, I added a layer of parm to give them a delicious golden crust. (Later, as we were setting them on the counter, my sister informed me that her kids didn't like mashed potatoes.  Oh well, they'll keep)
Since my dad thinks that everything needs a side of spaghetti (even spaghetti!), I made some of that for him with my homemade sauce.  Add to that a large fresh salad and - Done!
My counter was beautiful with all the huge trays of food.  I am just sorry I didn't get pictures of it all.  But when you have 22 people wanting the food, they don't want to wait for the pictures.  

For dessert, I made Bocconcini con Crema (cream puffs) with chocolate and vanilla puddings inside.  The first batch I made, I didn't stir them long enough, and they were a little flat.  I really don't mind making them, but knowing how many I wanted to make (ended up with 72), and already with blisters on my hand, I switched to my hand held mixer with the small paddles attached.  They turned out exactly as I had planned - light and airy.   I used my small cookie scoop since we had so many little hands.  I thought it would be easier for them to handle and less chance of pudding on the floor! 



 After we were done and everyone was full, we had a few leftovers.  BUT hardly any of the potatoes.  My sister was stunned!  She couldn't believe how much her kids ate.  At one point, one of my nieces said, "Mom, can you cook like this?", and my sister answered, "No.  Sorry."  It was the best compliment I got that evening.  That, and watching the kids exit the kitchen and grab little bites of potatoes on their way.

As for my brother-in-law.  Well, he may not be a true convert, but I think I opened his eyes to Italian as being more then frozen meatballs in a jarred sauce.  ;)