Lets Eat Italian....

My wife is a member of a local moms group. It's called Long Beach Little Ones and ever since I hung up my hat at work, quite literally when Quinn was born a year ago I have had access to the groups message board also so I think that qualifies me as a member too. The group is there for many amazing reasons but one which I find really great is how meals and sometimes groceries are provided for families with new babies.

 Dates are chosen and everyone makes and delivers the food to the sleepless, un-showered zoned out set of parents. This can go on for weeks and It's a sign of true generosity. When Quinn was born the amount and quality of the meals we received were fantastic.

Tonight was our turn to return the favor to one of the families. I have had a big Italian thing going on in my head lately and not sure why. Before I moved to the U.S. I had never really eaten a lot of  Italian food, pizza yes, but not true thin crust with mushrooms, thyme and tallegio cheese type of pizza.

My plan for the family dinner was a simple one, keep it light and tasty and also easily transportable. This is what I came up with,

Caprese Salad - An all time favorite which is easy to make and tastes awesome with the basil and olive oil relationship, kinda like Romeo and Juliet.

Pasta Amatriciana -  Linguine with pancetta, onion and chopped tomatoes generously topped with pecorino romano.

Panna Cotta with vanilla and a blackberry sauce.

  

I don't have many mould options so I had top go with these little dishes from a lazy Susan ice cream sundae station.

The caprese only to be drizzled with olive oil upon delivery. Slice some tomatoes and mozzarella. Lay it out in a shingle with a little salt and pepper and chopped basil. Just before eating drizzle with some nice olive oil.

Saute 1/2 cup pancetta until crispy and then pull from the pan with a slotted spoon. Add half a sweet onion to the leftover oil and saute until soft. While the 1lb of pasta is boiling add 2 cups chopped tomato to the onions along with the pancetta. Drain pasta and then toss with the tomato mixture. Throw in a cup of pecorino romano and toss again. Top with more cheese and some black pepper.

Heat 4 cups heavy cream, 2 tsp of vanilla and 1/2 cup sugar until cream starts to steam. Meanwhile put 6 tbsp cold water into a large bowl. Add 2 envelopes of gelatin to the cold water and leave for 5 minutes. Then add the cream mixture to the gelatin and stir until all gelatin is dissolved. Pour into moulds and leave in the fridge for at least 4 hours, but longer is better. Make a berry sauce by sauteing 2 cups of blackberries with 1 tbsp of butter. Add 1/2 cup sugar and simmer until the berries are soft but not mushy

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The panna cotta set up well with the gelatin but another mould is needed for better presentation. This is a great base recipe and when I make it again I'll be sure to add a little something special.