This week we tackled Ciabatta, Trapani Style Rigatoni, Rocket & Parmesan Salad and Limoncello Kinda Trifle. We left out the Griddled Chicory Salad this week, not so much due to dislike for Chicory (although that was a part of it), but mostly because we were lined up to have a lot of food and not a lot of people to eat it. The meal this week is fairly sizeable and would easily feed six people, but with just a trio to get through all the goodies we felt it was a fair cut from the team.
But really, it ended up being a more relaxing challenge night because of the fact that I had so little to do with the meal. I got the opportunity to set the table the way I like, and pick out the serving plates and offer helpful hints now and then. I got to sit back and enjoy a drink and wait for my dinner to be cooked for me. It was actually really nice! I had a go at making the Ciabatta. The only problem was, there was no ciabatta to be found at any of our local shops. So we decided that rather than miss out entirely, we would just substitute the ciabatta with a nice crusty sour dough roughly sliced/torn up and seasoned with olive oil and dry thyme. And the result was delicious. While I was preparing this part of the meal it occured to me how simple it was to make, and I wondered why we didn't make our own garlic bread or bruschetta or breaded entrees or side dishes all the time. It is so easy and it makes all the difference to a meal.
I also took care of the salad, which was a tie with the bread for being the easiest thing to make. It was a simple as leaves in the bowl, quickly shaved parmesan over the top, a squeeze of lemon and a splash of olive oil. Simple, fast and amazing. I think this one is going to be making it onto the table a lot more often.
Dear Housemate took the reins on pasta and did an amazing job. For someone who is generally a little bit timid and conservative when it comes to cooking, and doesn't feel she has a natural affinity for cooking, she did really well. I hope this is the start of a lot more cooking adventures for her because its so much fun watching her realise that its not so scary afterall. The pasta came out great, it had just enough spice to give it a kick but enough other flavours from the basil and the tomato to make it feel substantial. This one is definitely going on the everyday menu! It was beyond easy to make, and it tasted awesome. The ingredients were not hard to find and were inexpensive.
And finally, the dessert. Not being a fan of trifle, I wasn't sure how this was going to go. I had a little bit of trouble finding what size dish to use, because the instruction in the book is a little unclear. I ended up transferring what I had into a smaller dish once I realised that I had overestimated the volume of the ingredients. Again, this dish was super easy to make and really inexpensive. The most expensive item was the Limoncello, and only because a) we didn't have any in our pantry, and b) Limoncello is not readily available in Australia, apparently. We only found one brand in the bottle shop we went to, but my understanding is that in Europe it is far more common and therefore much cheaper. But hey, now I have a bottle of Limoncello, if I ever need it again! The best part of the dessert was how yummy it looked - there was minimal effort and cost expended, but it looked like the tastiest dish ever and it came up really well.
So that concludes another week! I can't believe we're already almost a month into our little experiment. It feels like each week rolls around so quickly because there is so much fun in the planning and preparing for each meal. Deciding who to invite based on what we're serving, finding all the more interesting ingredients, relishing the fact that we get to eat fresh, exciting and new food every week - I don't know why I haven't done this with other cook books before. I can see this being something that goes on forever - at the end of every book I'll just find another and keep on cooking. Something about this whole experience has really inspired me, not just to cook but to write as well. So in short - it's all good.
Til next week - Bon Appetit!
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