Kitchen 543 5 course meal for 4 people in 3 hours
Make a
Anthony ILacqua 1
Introduction
Five Courses for Four People in Three Hours I find family gatherings to be a strange mix of joy and stress. Generally speaking, family gatherings revolve around holidays and special events which in themselves are also on that same joy and stress continuum. There are some family members that I only see on holidays and special events. For the past several years, my wife and I host Christmas dinner at our house. We were not reluctant hosts, quite the opposite. When we decided that Christmas dinner would be our tradition, we decided to really make it our own. We elected not to cook the ubiquitous turkey and trimmings. I didn’t grow up with that holiday fare. I grew up eating a big seafood feast, which I think was my mother’s tradition. One of my biggest hang-ups with the holiday meal is the production of it, all that food in various stages of cooked, undercooked and overcooked, then brought to the table to cool off as prayers and toasts and passing of bowls happen. I cannot even count the number of big family meals that were cold by the time I got it onto my fork and then I felt obligated to eat too much. In short, it always seemed like a waste to me. When we began our Christmas dinners, we decided on courses. With separate plated courses, the food would be hot when it got to the table, and most importantly (if not selfishly) since I serve myself last, my food would be hot. Since courses are served at different times, each course can cook in its own turn to perfection. The last advantage, at least for our family; we develop, design and cook a different meal every Christmas. Part of the fascination with a coursed meal is the research of different menu items and the experimentation of cooking them. I start thinking about Christmas dinner in September and I try different recipes for months leading up to it. Whereas I have cooked these Christmas dinners for up to ten people, the menu on the following pages I cooked for only four during the Covid Christmas of 2020. There was no specific theme other than I worked around likes and dislikes of my guests. Anthony ILacqua, spring 2021
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Plan the Event.........................................................................................................4
Amuse Bouche: Muhamara on Socca.................................................................6 Salad: Classic Tableside Caeser..........................................................................8 Soup: Zuppa di Faragoi (Tuscan White Bean Soup)..................................... 10 Entree: Straccoto with mushroom barlotto and roasted cabbage............ 12
Contents
Opening Cocktail: The Negroni..........................................................................5
Dessert: Banana’s Foster................................................................................... 16 Appendix A: Meal prep, timing and tips....................................................... 18 Appendix B: The shopping list........................................................................ 19
Mise en place (MEEZ ahn plahs) is a French term for having all your ingredients measured, cut, peeled, sliced, grated, etc. before you start cooking. Pans are prepared. Mixing bowls, tools and equipment set out.
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Plan the Event
Two weeks before
• Create your guest list, making sure you have enough dishes to serve everyone. • Send out your invitations. • Think about the atmosphere and aesthetic you’d like for the evening.
One week before
• Pin down confirmations from guests and be sure to check on their dietary restrictions. • Plan your menu, keeping in mind what ingredients are in season and what can be prepared a day before the party. • Think about how you’ll want your dishes to look when served, and be sure to include any special tools, plates or garnishes you’ll need to create. • Pick up candles and any other décor (except flowers) you’ll want for the evening.
Two days before
• Pick up all the ingredients for the dinner. • Purchase wine and any other beverages you’ll be serving,. • Fill up your ice trays and pick up extra ice from the store if you’ll be making cocktails. • Make a playlist (or several).
The day before
• Prepare as much of the food as possible. • Clean up your home, especially areas where guests will be (the dining room, living room and bathroom) and be sure the trash and the dishwasher are empty for the next day. • Pick up flowers or other natural touches and put them in vases.
The day of
• Take it from pro chefs and prepare a mise en place, setting out all of the ingredients, sauces and garnishes you’ll need to finish your dishes around a counter area with a cutting board and good knives. Line up small bowls and fill them with everything you’ll need. • Prepare any last dishes. • Set up the table and any décor. All linens, table settings, glasses, place cards and candles should be laid out at this point.
Two hours before
• Arrange all the food you cooked previously on the counter and pull out any pots you’ll need to prepare them. • Put pitchers or bottles of water on the table. • Get dressed for the evening. • Light candles and put on your first playlist.
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Ingredients • 1 ounce gin • 1 ounce Campari • 1 ounce sweet vermouth • Garnish: orange peel
Method • Add the gin, Campari and sweet vermouth to a mixing glass filled with ice, and stir. • Strain into a rocks glass filled with large ice cubes. • Garnish with an orange peel.
Opening Cocktail
The Negroni
While the drink’s origins are unknown, the most widely reported account is that it was first mixed in Florence, Italy, in 1919, at Caffè Casoni (formerly Caffè Giacosa), on Via de’ Tornabuoni and now called Caffè Roberto Cavalli. Pascal Olivier Count de Negroni concocted it by asking the bartender, Fosco Scarselli, to strengthen his favorite cocktail, the Americano, by adding gin rather than the normal soda water.
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Amuse Bouche
Muhammara on Socca Ingredients (Muhammara) • 1 cup walnuts
• 40 minutes
Cook Time:
• 3 large red bell peppers
• 30 minutes
• ½ cup fine fresh breadcrumbs • 2 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses, plus more for drizzling • Kosher salt
Prep Time:
Cook Temp: • 350 degrees • and broil
Method • Preheat oven to 350°. Toast walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until golden brown and fragrant, 8–10 minutes. Let cool. Pick out a few walnuts for serving and coarsely chop; set aside. • Meanwhile, place a rack in upper third of oven and heat broiler. Broil bell peppers on a rimmed baking sheet, turning occasionally, until skins are charred and flesh is softened, 12–15 minutes. (Alternatively, you can char over a gas burner on medium-high, turning occasionally with tongs, 12–15 minutes.) • Transfer bell peppers to a medium bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap so that they steam, 10 minutes (this extends the cooking and also makes it easier to remove the skins). • Remove skins from bell peppers (it’s okay if some bits don’t come off); remove and discard ribs and seeds. Pulse bell peppers, breadcrumbs, oil, Aleppo-style pepper, tahini, lemon juice, paprika, toasted walnuts, and 2 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses in a food processor until mostly smooth; season muhammara with salt.
An amuse-bouche is a single, bite-sized hors d’œuvre. In French, “amuse bouche” means literally “it amuses the mouth.”
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Ingredients (Socca) • 1 cup chickpea flour • 1 cup water • 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan and drizzling • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Method • Prepare the chickpea batter. Whisk the chickpea flour, water, olive oil, and salt together in a medium bowl until smooth. Let rest for 30 minutes to give the flour time to absorb the water. • Preheat the oven and then the pan. Arrange an oven rack 6 inches below the broiler element and heat to 450°F. About 5 minutes before the batter is done resting, place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the and turn the oven to broil. • Add the batter to the prepared pan. Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven. Add about 1 teaspoon of oil, enough to coat the bottom of the pan when the pan is swirled. Pour the batter into the center of the pan. Tilt the pan so the batter coats the entire surface of the pan, if needed. • Broil the socca for 5 to 8 minutes. Broil until you see the top of the socca begin to blister and brown, 5 to 8 minutes. The socca should be fairly flexible in the middle but crispy on the edges. If the top is browning too quickly before the batter is fully set, move the skillet to a lower oven rack until done, when it’s golden brown. • Let cool, slightly and top with muhammara
Pair with a semi-dry cold white wine: Alsace Pinot Blanc or Grüner Veltliner.
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Caeser Salad Ingredients
Prep Time:
Croutons
Cook Time:
Salad
• 1 small loaf ciabatta bread, torn into 3/4-inch cubes • 1/2 cup olive oil • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 20 minutes • 10 minutes
Cook Temp: • 450 degrees
Dressing
• 1 large egg yolk • 2 fillets salted anchovy, rinsed • 1 head roasted garlic, cloves picked out • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan • 1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salad
• 4 heads baby romaine lettuce, trimmed and leaves removed
Method • For the croutons: Preheat a convection oven to 400 degrees F or a regular oven to 450 degrees F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. • Toss the bread in the oil, salt and pepper in a bowl. Spread on the lined sheet pan • and toast, turning the pan halfway through, until evenly golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the croutons to a bowl and toss with the Parmesan. Allow to cool. • For the dressing: Combine the egg yolk, anchovies, roasted garlic and salt in a large mixing bowl. Using the back of a spoon, mash the ingredients together to form a uniform paste. Add the mustard and Worcestershire and continue to blend until fully combined. Season with salt and pepper. Add the Parmesan and whisk together. Slowly add the olive oil while whisking to emulsify. Add the vinegar and lemon juice and whisk until combined. Adjust the consistency with up to 1/2 cup water if needed. Season to taste. • For the salad: Add the lettuce to the bowl with the dressing and toss lightly until coated. Arrange the lettuce on chilled salad plates. Garnish with the croutons and shaved Parmesan.
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Pair with a slightly chilled Pinot Noir.
The salad’s creation is generally attributed to restaurateur Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant who operated restaurants in Mexico and the United States.[2] His daughter Rosa recounted that her father invented the salad at his restaurant Caesar’s (at the Hotel Caesar in Tijuana, Mexico) when a Fourth of July rush in 1924 depleted the kitchen’s supplies.
Zuppa di Faragoi
(Tuscan White Bean Soup)
Soup
Ingredients • 3 tablespoons olive oil • 2 medium carrots, thickly sliced • 1 large onion, coarsely chopped • 1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped • 3 sprigs fresh oregano
Prep Time:
• 10 minutes
Cook Time: • 40 minutes
Cook Temp: • stovetop simmer
• 1/4 teaspoon salt • Black pepper, to taste • 2 (15 -ounce) cans cannellini beans or other small white beans, drained and rinsed • 5 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock • 4 cups baby kale or baby spinach, stems removed if tough • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, for garnish • Olive oil, to serve • Extra grated Parmesan, to serve
Method Cook the vegetables • In a soup pot, heat the olive oil. When it is hot, add the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, fresh oregano sprigs, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes until the vegetables look softened and the onions turn translucent. Prepare the beans • On a plate, mash 1/2 cup of the beans with a fork or potato masher. Add them to the vegetables in the pot. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Simmer the soup • Add the remaining beans to the pot and stir well. Stir in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, partially cover with the lid placed askew, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the carrots are tender and the liquid is flavorful. • Discard the oregano sprigs; the leaves will have fallen into the soup. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. • Add the kale or spinach to the pot and simmering for another 2 minutes, or just until the greens wilt.
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Pair with a Tuscan Sangiovese.
Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its influence on high culture. It is regarded as the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and has been home to many figures influential in the history of art and science, and contains well-known museums such as the Uffizi and the Palazzo Pitti.
Tuscans are known as “mangiafagioli” all over Italy. Mangiafagioli means “bean-eaters.”
Straccoto Ingredients
Entree
• 3 large cloves garlic, peeled • 1 (3-pound) rump or boneless chuck roast • 4 tablespoons olive oil • 1 pound onions, peeled and chopped • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped • 2 ribs celery, chopped
Prep Time:
• 10 minutes
Cook Time: • 3 hours
Cook Temp: • stovetop simmer
• ½ cup robust dry red wine • 1 cup seeded, chopped plum tomatoes or well-drained canned plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped • 1 tablespoon tomato paste • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley •
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method • Cut the garlic into thin slivers. Pierce the meat in many places with the point of a knife and insert the garlic slivers into the holes. • Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy 3- to 4-quart heatproof casserole. Add the meat and brown it well over medium heat. Remove it from the casserole. Add the remaining oil and the onions, carrots and celery. Saute them until moderately brown. • Stir in the wine and cook for a few minutes, scraping the casserole. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and basil. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and return the meat to the casserole. • Cover tightly and cook over very low heat for at least three hours, until the meat is very tender. Turn the meat a few times during cooking. • Remove the meat from the casserole. To serve immediately, skim the fat from the surface of the sauce, then puree the sauce in a food processor and reheat. Otherwise, refrigerate the meat and sauce overnight. Remove any congealed fat from the sauce and puree the sauce in a food processor. Reheat the meat in the sauce before serving.
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Pair with a Chianti Classico, Primativo or Zinfandel.
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Mushroom Barlotto Ingredients
Entree
• 3 tablespoons olive oil • 6 oz. pearl barley • 1 small onion, finely chopped • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped • 1 pint vegetble stock • 1 oz. butter
Prep Time:
• 10 minutes
Cook Time: • 50 minutes
Cook Temp: • stovetop simmer
• 8 oz. closed cup mushrooms,sliced • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley • Another 1 oz. butter
Method • In a large frying pan, heat the oil. • Add the barley and stir until it begins to turn a little golden - about 5 minutes. • Add the onion and the garlic and continue to fry for about 5-10 minutes, until the barley starts to brown. (Don’t let it get too dark or burn). • Add the stock and salt nd pepper to taste. • Bring to the boil, then simmer gently until nearly all the liquid is gone - about 45 minutes, possibly a little more. • Meanwhile, heat 1 oz. butter in a frying pan. • Add the mushrooms and fry for about 5 minutes. Season. • When the barley is about done, add the mushrooms and mix well together. • Remove the pan from the heat and cover with aluminium foil, pierced with a few holes, and leave it for about 15 minutes in order that the barley can swell and further absorb the liquid. • Put the pan back over the heat. • Add the parsley and tarragon and the other 1 oz. butter.
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Roasted Cabbage Ingredients • 1 pound red or green cabbage* (about 1 small cabbage or ½ medium) • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
Prep Time:
• 10 minutes
Cook Time: • 20 minutes
Cook Temp: • 450 degrees
Method • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up. • Slice the head of cabbage in half. Carefully cut out the white core, then place the cabbage with the flat side(s) face-down on the cutting board. Slice the cabbage into 1-inch wide columns and rows. Transfer the cabbage to the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil on top and sprinkle the salt all over. Gently stir to combine, until all of the cabbage is lightly coated. Spread the cabbage into an even layer across the pan. • Roast the cabbage in the preheated oven, tossing halfway, until tender and charred brown in spots, about 18 to 20 minutes.
Banana’s Foster Ingredients • 2 oz. (4 Tbs.) unsalted butter
Dessert
• 1 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon • 4 firm-ripe bananas, peeled, halved lengthwise, then halved crosswise • 1/4 cup amber rum, such as Old New Orleans or Goslings
Prep Time:
• 10 minutes
Cook Time: • 5 minutes
Cook Temp: • stovetop flambé
• 1 pint vanilla ice cream
Method • In a 12-inch skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon and cook until moist, about 1 minute. Put the banana quarters rounded side down in the pan. Cook until the bananas begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. • Turn the bananas onto their flat sides. Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the rum. Set the pan over high heat and carefully ignite the rum with a long match or grill lighter. Gently shake the pan until the flame subsides. Remove from the heat. • Place a generous scoop of ice cream in heatproof dessert bowls. Arrange 2 to 3 pieces of sautéed banana around each scoop of ice cream. Spoon on the sauce and serve immediately.
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Though many think the dish was created at the restaurant Brennan’s in New Orleans, Louisiana, it actually got its start a few years earlier in Owen Brennan’s Vieux Carré restaurant. In 1951, Ella Brennan and the restaurant’s chef Paul Blangé worked together to modify a dish made by Ella’s mother in the Brennan family home. At this time New Orleans was a major hub for the import of bananas from South America. It was named for Richard Foster, the chairman of the New Orleans Crime Commission and a friend of restaurant owner Owen Brennan.
Meal prep, timing and tips
Tips • Read through all the recipes first • Wash, cut and measure all ingredients first • Start cooking the things that take the longest first • Use a crocket pot to keep the soup warm • Meal prep and timing
3 hours before the first course is to be served • Cut all vegetables for the soup and straccoto • Start the straccoto as this will take at least three hours • Mix the chickpea flour and water for the socca and cover • Finish cutting all vegetables • Mix muhammara, cover and chill
1 hour before first course is to be served • Start soup • Wash, cut and dry romaine
Just before the first course • Cook the socca • Mix the Negroni • Have all ingredients for Caesar ready for table side prep • Start the risotto • Serve the meal
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Beverages
• 8 oz walnuts
• Campari
• 3 red bell peppers
• Gin
• Sweet vermouth • Pomegranate molasses (or sub equal parts honey and balsamic vinegar) • Amber rum such as old New Orleans or Goslings • 8 oz chickpea flour • Ciabatta
• Alsace Pinot Blanc or Grüner Veltliner
• Grated parmesan cheese
• Pinot Noir
• Eggs
• Sangiovese
• 2 oz canned anchovies
• Chianti Classico, Primativo or Zinfandel
• Garlic
• Cheap dry red wine for cooking
• Dijon mustard • Worcestershire sauce
The Shopping List
Food
• red wine vinegar • 3 lemons • Romaine lettuce • Carrots • Celery • Onions • Fresh oregano • 2 cans of cannellini beans • Vegetable stock • Bunch of kale or spinach • 3 lbs boneless beef rump or chuck • 1 lbs plum tomatoes • Fresh flat leaf parsley • Tomato paste • Pearl barley • Butter • 8 oz mushrooms • 1 lbs red or green cabbage • Brown sugar • Ground cinnamon • Four ripe bananas • 1 pint vanilla ice cream • One orange 19
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