Good Morning.
Herewith a second weekly menu. We begin the evening with a CAPTAIN'S TABLE.
1/2 ounce Campari
2 ounces gin
1 tsp. Grenadine
1 ounce orange juice
4 ounces ginger ale
Combine the ingredients in a tall glass over ice and stir. Serves one big captain or two mates.
Offer these folks a bowl of NUTS AND STICKS.
1 1/2 cup mixed nuts
3 cups shoestring potatoes from a can
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp. lemon pepper
1 tsp. dillweed
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic power
Dash of salt
Mix the nuts and sticks in a bowl. Pour the melted butter, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings over the mixture and toss
carefully. Spread on a baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 6 or 7 minutes. Stir once during the cooking. Remove
and let stand until cool. Place in an airtight container until you serve them.
On to the entree, SPAGHETTI WITH TOMATO-VODKA SAUCE.
1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
1 tsp. crushed dried red pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup vodka
1 1/2 cups Half and Half
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
16 ounces spaghetti
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, snipped into bits with a scissors
1 cup shredded Asiago cheese
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Saute the onion and red pepper in the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until the onion is translucent. Add the
vodka, turn the heat to low, and simmer for a few minutes. Increase the heat to medium, add the Half and Half, and cook until the mixture thickens a bit. Add the tomato sauce and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Remove sauce from heat. Cook the spaghetti according to package directions and drain in a colander. Bring the sauce to the simmer, stir in the pasta, prosciutto, most of the Asiago, parsley, and basil. Stir with a big spoon. Transfer to a large serving bowl, sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and serve to 6 people. If any are vegetarians, skip the prosciutto and substitute mushrooms or broccoli or something
you sauteed in a bit of butter before adding to the dish.
Set your table with some big napkins and a mess of candles. Tea candles are cheap and work well in anything made of glass, even old jelly jars. Spaghetti with vodka is still spaghetti, and your silver candleabras need to stay, old and tarnished, in the cupboard.
Serve the pasta with a MANDARIN ORANGE SALAD WITH TOASTED ALMONDS.
Take a salad bowl and throw in enough mixed greens for six people. Add a regular-sized can of mandarin oranges, drained, and a half cup of sliced or slivered almonds you sauteed for a minute or two in a little butter and cooled. Toss the salad with the following dressing:
1 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup granulated sugar
Juice of one-half lemon
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. Kosher salt
Mix the dressing well and use just enough to moisten the salad but not drown it. Serve on salad plates you remembered to chill in the fridge. Present it before the entree like the Americans, afterward like the Europeans, or with the meal if you wish, hence the need for separate, cold salad plates. Add some muffins or garlic bread and you're all set.
For dessert we offer RUM BAVARIAN.
1 1/2 tbsp. Knox gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup light rum
4 tbsp. bourbon
2 egg whites
2 8 oz. cartons of whipping cream
Garnish:
1 8 oz. carton whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla
Nutmeg
Soak the gelatin in cold water for 5 minutes. Dissolve this in the boiling water and stir until completely clear. Stir in 1/2 cup sugar, rum, and bourbon. Continue to stir until the sugar is dissolved. Strain and cool. When the mixture begins to thicken, beat with a wire whisk until frothy. Beat 2 egg whites until stiff and carefully fold into the gelatin mixture. Beat 2 cups of the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Add this carefully to the mixture, 2 tablespoons at a time, blending each addition thoroughly. Pour into individual dessert glasses, probably eight of them, and refrigerate for several hours For the garnish, whip the cream, sweetened with the sugar and vanilla. When ready to serve, top each dessert with a dollop of whipped cream and dust with just a titch of nutmeg. It is a strong spice, and a tiny bit goes a long way. Think egg nog.
Serve this dessert to people you love very dearly. It is not the easiest thing to make, but it is fabulous, just like the people you love very dearly even though they drive you bonkers.
Best regards,
Elisabeth
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