This week has been a bit of a whirlwind, with rehearsals, our fall Pax Christi Chorale – Blest Pair of Sirens show, work and life. It is in these busy times, that we often need to pause and take stock, maybe over dinner. When we showed up for the rehearsal with the orchestra, for Sunday’s performance, our dear friend Lois stopped us on the way in. “I have something for you.” She reappeared with a bag with beautiful Sicilian eggplants and asked if we could make something out of them. The utter joy that Lois displayed, when she presented me with these gorgeous aubergine globes, that she procured from a farmer’s market, warmed my heart. The menu had been roughed out, but we do love a challenge. Shawn immediately thought of Eggplant Caviar, something I had never heard of. This should be interesting, especially with very little prep time.
So when life gives you Eggplants… Make Caviar!!!
With all of the hubbub, we kept the guest list at a minimum, with just our trio. We started with a dish that I have been wanting to try, but of course with a Shawny spin to it. Arancini stuffed with mozzarella.
Arancini are stuffed rice balls which are coated with breadcrumbs and fried. They are said to have originated in Sicily in the 10th century during Kalbib rule. Arancini are usually filled with ragù, cheese, tomato sauce, or peas. The name derives from their shape and color, which is reminiscent of an orange (the Italian word for orange is arancia, and arancina means “little orange”), although in eastern Sicily, arancini have a more conical shape. These look more pear shaped, so maybe they should be “Peracini”. Shawn’s twist was to use his now famous Lemon Risotto as the base.
For the main course, we went back to a few old favorites, that we knew we could pull off quickly, but added in our Eggplant Caviar. The reason that it is called caviar seems to be that the seeds of the eggplant resemble the texture of fish eggs. This creamy smoky eggplant puree is often used as a spread, but this time was stuffed into tomatoes and roasted.
Our main consisted of Veal Chops Milanese, Roasted Tomatoes Stuffed with Eggplant Caviar, and Parmesan Roasted Acorn Squash.
When we brought out the veal chops, we decided they should be called “Brontosaurus Chops”… these things were huge and we served the smallest 3!!!
For dessert, we had our favorite Caramel vanilla Budino, with Salted Caramel Sauce and biscotti. Creamy and delicious.
After dessert and tea, we had time for a quick chat, before rushing off to tackle some new music, for our Christmas concert. No one told me we would be singing Bach in German. After tonight, I realized that I have homework.
Anytime that someone gets excited about fresh ingredients and taking those ingredients and creating something new from them, is a very satisfying feeling. Now that this week’s blog is complete, we are already starting prep on next Monday’s menu. I might need to practice a little Spanish too… who knows.
Wise and well written as usual. It’s always good to plan ahead, but being able to improvise is just as important. Can’t wait for tomorrow evening!