Another Girl Dinner, Italian Style for your chill Sunday
Spending the weekend with girlfriends this summer or craving a way to treat yourself? Lisa's got you covered with her apericena (appetizers for dinner!) recipes.
Buongiorno Sunday Dinner Lovers!
On weekends in the summer, there is nothing I love more than, to quote Frances Mayes in Under the Tuscan Sun, “hang out at a bar I know conveniently located in my backyard.” My giardino, my garden (or, my piazza, as one of my friends called it who came over to aperitivo the other night) is my sanctuary, my nightclub, my trattoria, my everything. Here I am, a few years ago (before I was a blonde!) enjoying it -
Lisa in her backyard in 2018
I used to throw a large dinner party once a year in my backyard - I called it the Tuscan Dinner Party. You might remember seeing me serve a very large amount of pasta in a Parmigiano Reggiano wheel … yes - the backyard has seen many a festa! Not just the big Tuscan Dinner Party but also family backyard dinners on Sundays.
Lisa’s Pasta alla Trappanese served in a Parmigiano Reggiano wheel at her Tuscan Dinner Party in 2019
Lisa with her mother, brother, and children and friends at a backyard dinner party in 2016
Of course, as you’ve probably experienced, times change! Fast forward a few years and I’m a blonde (having just as much fun as a brunette, thank you very much!)! I’m also a quasi-empty nester with many women friends, and cousins, who seem to be in similar circumstances. As I like to joke, I have silver platters, glassware, and table settings for 24 that fit a life I no longer have- ha! My backyard is now a sanctuary for my girlfriends who come over, and for me, my daughter and my son, Bobby, who loves to walk around the yard and make sure everything is in order.
Necessity is the mother of invention and so, life may change but, with the change, comes an opportunity for new recipes and Sunday Dinner ideas….enter A Board, a Slab, and a Spritz!
As I mentioned in my last newsletter, having appetizers for dinner (or apericena in Italian) is somewhat of a tradition in Italy, especially for women who may find themselves out and about in the city late in the day, meeting each other without any need to get home soon! It’s a tradition my daughter and I have started in my backyard, and one you can celebrate too, especially if you are looking for a way to treat yourself by staying out of the kitchen! Just think of it as Girl Dinner, Italian Style.
Tutti a tavola, e buon appetito!
Lisa
The Signora Board
This board has some classic favorites - prosciutto di parma, mortadella, and salami, but it also has lots of fruit (dried and fresh) and nuts! I’ve called it the “Signora” (Lady!) board because it has elegant ingredients that are easy to eat. You can munch on almonds, eat a dried apricot, and delicately savor that prosciutto without ruining your Tom Ford lipstick!
Ingredients
Prosciutto di Parma
Mortadella
Salami
Manchego Cheese
Fontina Cheese with Herbs
Artichokes
Grapes
Dried Apricots
Dried Figs
Dates
Almonds
Crostini with Cream Cheese and Spicy Peach Jam
Crostini with Goat Cheese Balls
Directions
Arrange the ingredients artistically on a large board.
To make the crostini, slice a baguette or ciabatta and sprinkle extra virgin olive oil on each piece. Broil in the oven for 2-3 minutes. Spread cream cheese on each piece of toasted bread and place a small spoonful of your favorite spicy jam (mine is the Habanera Apricot Jam from Froehlich’s in Three Oaks, Michigan!).
For the crostini with goat cheese balls, take goat cheese in one bowl and, in a second bowl, place rosemary, thyme, sage, lemon zest and salt and pepper (as much as you desire). Roll the goat cheese into small balls and then roll them in the spice mixture. You can then place these balls on crostini directly, or artfully showcase them in a bowl and have your guests press them on their crostini individually!
The Tomato and Burrata Slab
Ingredients
1 package puff pastry
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
3-4 heirloom tomatoes, a variety of colors and sizes
1 ball of Burrata cheese
2 tablespoons basil pesto
Directions
Roll the two pieces of puff pastry out and seam them together so they fit a 9 x 13 jelly roll pan. Place the dough on a silpat. Cover the dough with the pesto, then the gruyere, then slices tomatoes. Fold up the edges to form a crust. Top with salt and pepper and Italian seasonings. Bake at 400 degrees F for 14-16 minutes. When cool, pull the Burrata apart with your fingers and place on top of the slab.
The Campari Spritz
From the official Campari website!
A Non-Alcoholic Spritz Option - the Ciao!
I recently discovered a fantastic San Pellegrino product - Ciao! It’s a sparkling water that is peach or blood orange or lime flavored (I’m not a fan of the black cherry flavor!). It’s excellent! Perfect to drink on its own as a non-alcoholic option instead of a Spritz. Just think of it as your Dry January version of a Bellini, or a Nohito, or a Virgin Mimosa! Here is a look at the official San Pellegrino website so you can see where to buy them!
“Another Simple Favor”? No, grazie! Lisa’s hot take on the movie….
The other night my daughter and I were craving views of Capri, so we decided to watch “Another Simple Favor” - it was a bomb! I was not a fan - too much vulgar language and too many Italian stereotypes (another mob wedding, really?). That having been said, the one good thing about this movie is that it showcases Elena Sofia Ricci, one of my favorite Italian actresses and the star of the detective series I casi di Teresa Battaglia to an American audience. So…you may survive watching “Another Simple Favor” until Elena Sofia Ricci and Blake Lively meet at the Trevi Fountain (spoiler alert!) but, instead of this film, watch Elena Sofia Ricci solve crimes in the Alps. Now that’s a mystery worth watching!
Love this newsletter? There are more recipes and fun to come this summer! Subscribe for more recipes, behind the scenes entertaining tips from Lisa and dolce vita fun! Con Amore, Lisa