Meatless Italian Monday

In these times of isolation we have been missing so many people. As we’re allowed to gather in small groups, we are trying to reconnect a little at a time. This week we invited Virginia and Marty to share an Italian inspired meatless Monday dinner.

We met our guests in the yard and brought out the bubbly and a selection of crostini.

One with grilled peaches and another with pea puree and balsamic pearls. a nice start to the night. It was so nice to catch up AND meet someone new. Grilled fruit is a good conversation starter.

Sometimes dinners seem to come together so well, that we’ve been asked if things ever go wrong. Tonight was one of those nights. When you are juggling 7 dishes, sometimes you can lose track, for a moment. This moment happened while the Involtini malanzane was in the oven. A call came from the kitchen that it was burnt! By turning them over, they were still salvageable, and quite frankly delicious, but it was a close call.

This was pared with green beans with hazelnuts, a farro salad with garden vegetables, grissini, and mushroom stuffed ravioli with tomato sauce. I think this was the last of the sauce from last year’s harvest.

The final dish is a bit of a show stopper and almost didn’t turn out, as it was stubborn and did not want to set, and heirloom tomato terrine.

As you can see it was another colourful flavourful feast, with sunny weather and good company. Just a joy to be able to eat outside with friends.