Italian Night

Our friend Gary owns the local gym we go to. We had him over for some authentic Italian cookin'. Everything worked out well. It took a few hours to prep everything and it was well worth it. Especially revisiting the pork the next day in some sandwiches.

Starter: Mussels in Spicy Tomato Sauce - Zuppa di Cozze

2 lb. mussels, soaked, scrubbed and de-bearded
2 garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 pinch red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup white wine
2 cans chopped tomatoes
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Place the mussels in cold water with some polenta thrown in for 30 minutes or so, to clean them. Drain and scrub them, pulling the beards out. Discard any that aren't shut tightly or won't shut when you whack them on the countertop.

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil, garlic, chilies and parsley over low heat until the garlic starts to go golden brown a little, about a minute. Pour in the wine and bring to a simmer. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes or so, until the sauce starts thickening, stirring occasionally.

Gently stir in the mussels and cover the pan, cooking for 5-10 minutes, or until the shells have opened. Discard any that don't open. Ladle into a bowl top with a little more chopped parsley (if desired) and serve hot with some crusty bread.

Main: Pork Loin in the Style of Porchetta - Arista alla Porchetta


4 lb. boneless pork loin roast, butterflied
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
½ cup olive oil
1 onion, medium, sliced thinly
1 fennel bulb, cored removed, sliced thinly, fronds reserved
2 lb. pork shoulder, ground
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
2 tablespoons rosemary, fresh, chopped
6 garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup bread crumbs, fresh
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4 red onion, peeled, cut in half
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Lay the pork loin out flat and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a large saute pan, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil over medium-high heat until smoking. Add the sliced onion and fennel and saute until softened and browning a little, about 10 minutes. Add the ground pork, fennel seeds, rosemary, garlic and 2 tablespoons of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pork is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a strainer to cool, allowing the fat to drip away.

Preheat the oven to 425F. Put the pork mixture (when cooled) into a bowl and add all but 1 tablespoon of the fennel fronds, the bread crumbs and eggs to the mixture and mix gently. Lay some butchers twine down (4 or 5 strings) and put the pork loin on it. Spread the pork mixture over the pork loin evenly. Roll it up jelly-roll style and tie tightly with the string. Put the red onion halves in a roasting tray with a drizzle of olive oil. Put the pork on top of the onions. Roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 135F. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes.

Slice the pork into 1-inch slices and drizzle with olive oil and fresh lemon juice. Serve with the onions and some fennel fronds.

Dessert: Italian Trifle (Sorry, no photo! We were too anxious to eat it)

3-¼ cup milk
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 vanilla bean, split, beans removed
7 egg yolks
½ cup flour
1 cup sugar
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
24 ladyfingers
¼ cup limoncello

1. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the milk and lemon zest. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean, and add the seeds and bean to the pan. Bring a very brisk simmer over medium-high heat; do not allow to boil.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the egg yolks, flour, and sugar and whisk until the mixture is pale yellow and forms a ribbon when the whisk is lifted from the bowl. Gradually pour half of the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return the mixture back to the saucepan along with the remaining milk and cook over high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the pastry cream coats the back ofthe spoon. Remove the vanilla bean. Pour half the cream into a stainless steel bowl and set in an ice bath to cool. Stir the cocoa and chocolate into the remaining pastry cream, making sure that the chocolate is com¬pletely melted. Then pour the chocolate cream into another bowl and set over an ice bath to
cool. Whisk the creams occasionally as they cool.

3. Split each ladyfinger in half. Sprinkle the cut sides with the liqueur. Place a layer of the soaked ladyfingers in a large glass serving bowl. Top with a layer of the vanilla pastry cream, another layer of ladyfingers, and a layer of the chocolate cream; repeat the layering until all ingredients are used. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.