I really enjoy eating at nice restaurants. Not because I don't enjoy cooking, but more to the point, I enjoy good food. I was working in a small Oregon town for a while and found myself hard pressed for someplace really good to eat. There were plenty of restaurants in town, just very few with food I would consider really delicious. This same situation can be found in many small towns all over America.
When I'm getting together with friends, or friend as the case my be, it's always nice to eat dinner at my house. I am then in control of the evening. No rushing to be in time for my reservation at the restaurant. We are able to enjoy whatever music we find enjoyable. There is no waiter hovering for his tip. I especially enjoy when the waiter wants to ask about the meal and my mouth if full of food.
There is nobody standing around waiting for my table. I know the food will be good because I know exactly what went into it. We can stay seated at the table for as long as we want or better yet, move the party into the living room. (Even better on a rainy night)
I thought it would be fun to pass along the makings of a truly great dinner, assuming Italian is a meal of choice. Whatever you do, don't cheapskate on the ingredients. Start with a nice green salad. Have perhaps two dressings available. Again, don't cheapskate. A bottle of nice wine is always good. Have your dealer assist you with the selection. Also, be sure to have coffee available. Perhaps more then one flavor. Now let's get to the heart of the situation.
Olive Garden Lasagna
Alfredo Sauce:
1/2 lb. sweet or salted butter
12 oz. heavy cream
Fresh ground white pepper
1 1/2 cups fresh Parmesan, grated
Ricotta Cheese Mix:
1 pint Ricotta cheese
2 oz. Romano, grated
3 oz. Mozzarella, shredded
2 tbls. green onions, sliced
2 teas. fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 teas. salt
1/8 teas. black pepper
1/4 teas. dried basil
1/4 teas. dried oregano
1 1/4 cups Alfredo sauce, cooled
Vegetable Mix:
4 cups broccoli florets
2 cups carrots, sliced 1/4"
4 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced 1/4"
2 cups red bell peppers, diced
1 cup green bell pepper, diced
1 cup yellow onion, diced
2 cups zucchini, sliced
Lasagna noodles
18 slices Mozzarella cheese, 1/2 oz. each
Lay out enough dry lasagna strips in a 9x13 pan to ensure you have enough to make 3 full layers, with very little overlap on each layer. Remove the dry strips and cook according to package instructions until barely "al dente" and drain.
ALFREDO SAUCE:
Heat water to a boil in the bottom of a double boiler. Add butter, cream and pepper to the top pot and heat until butter is completely melted, then stir in Parmesan until melted and blended. Remove top pot and set aside to cool. Divide the sauce into 2 equal portions. Refrigerate 1 portion for use later.
RICOTTA CHEESE MIX:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and blend thoroughly with a rubber spatula. Set aside at room temp.
VEGETABLES:
Combine all veggies and mix well.
ASSEMBLY:
Coat the bottom and sides of a 9x13 baking dish with vegetable spray. Lay out cooked lasagna strips (about 4) to cover entire bottom. Spread 1 1/4 c of the Ricotta mix evenly over the strips. Top with 8 c of veggie mix and spread out evenly. Lay out 9 of the mozzarella slices to cover the veggie layer. Repeat this layering. Top the second layer of mozzarella slices with lasagna strips and spread them evenly with 1 1/4 c ricotta cheese mix to finish.
COOKING:
Spray a sheet of foil with vegetable spray and cover the baking dish tightly with the foil, sprayed side down. Bake in a preheated 375F oven for about an hour or until the internal temp is 165F. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for a few minutes, covered, before cutting and serving. Immediately prior to serving, heat the reserved portion of Alfredo Sauce and ladle the hot sauce over each slice of lasagna as it is served.
An appetizer is always nice to get the evening started.
Olive Gardens Fried Mozzarella
1 pound block of mozzarella cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup corn starch
Slice the block of cheese lengthwise into about 1/2 inch sections. Cut each section in half.
Beat the eggs with water and set aside. Mix the bread crumbs, garlic, oregano, and basil and set aside. Blend the flour with corn starch and set aside.
Heat vegetable oil for deep frying to 350F. Dip cheese in flour then in egg wash and then coat with bread crumbs. Place carefully in hot oil and fry until golden brown. This should only take a matter of seconds, so you need to watch them closely. Drain on brown paper bags and serve with your favorite pasta sauce that has been warmed.
No truly great dinner is complete without a totally decadent dessert. Try this on for size.
Cracker Barrel Cherry Chocolate Cobbler
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cups butter
1 (6 oz.) pkg. Nestle's semi sweet chocolate morsels
1/4 cups milk
1 egg
1 (21 oz.) can cherry pie filling
1/2 cups nuts, finely chopped
Preheat oven to 350F. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter; cut with pastry blender until crumbs are size of large peas. Melt over hot (not boiling) water, Nestle's semi sweet chocolate morsels. Remove from heat and cool slightly at room temperature (about 5 minutes). Add milk and egg to melted chocolate and mix well. Blend chocolate into flour mixture. Spread cherry pie filling in bottom of 2 quart casserole. Drop chocolate batter randomly over cherries. Sprinkle with chopped nuts. Bake at 350 F for 40 45 minutes. Serve warm with heavy cream.
It is best to have several wheelbarrows available to transport you from the table to the couch. Also, have a prepared statement already written where-by you swear to go on a diet the very next day.
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