Friends That Like to Cook

It’s not often we find others that like to cook as much as we do. So when a coworker mentioned her passion for cooking I immediately suggested getting together to share a meal. We spent weeks hashing out just the right menu and just as much time tracking down the perfect ingredients. Courses were divided up and last minute changes were made; but this past weekend it all paid off. We met at Ann’s for what could best be described as a delicious feast.

John and I were in charge of appetizers and dessert. Ann and John (yes, two John’s) were in charge of the pasta and main course. Chris brought the drinks and intermezzo. We decided early on to do a caponata as one of the appetizers. I had seen an episode of Emeril Green where he did an Oven Roasted Eggplant Caponata and I was dying to try it.

The caponata was a blend of roasted eggplant, tomatoes, and red peppers mixed with kalamata olives, and capers all of which was marinated in a light vinaigrette. Served with some homemade bread it made a tasty appetizer. We also made some cherry tomatoes stuffed with ricotta blended with green olives and chopped garlic. Perfect bite sized treats.

The pasta was simple yet elegant; invoking a feeling of summertime with each bite. Grilled zucchini tossed with chopped fresh mint, just the right amount of ricotta salata and a drizzle of balsamic made it a very light and refreshing dish. This would also work nicely as a main course pasta.


We enjoyed some delicious lime basil sorbet from Sweet Republic in Scottsdale Arizona as our intermezzo.

Ann and John spent a lot of time preparing the Braised Pork Shoulder with Chestnuts, Olives and Herbs adapted from A16 in San Francisco; 3 days to be exact. I can attest that the end product was worth the effort. We were each served a bowl of tender succulent pork meat bathed in its own juices with olives and chestnuts alongside.

Dessert was another recipe from A16; Pistachio and Almond Cake with Orange Salad. I honestly can’t recommend this recipe. Although the end product tasted good there was definitely something wrong with the cooking directions. The recipe calls for 45 minutes in a 300 degree oven. 1 ½ hours later and the cake was still wet inside. Needless to say that by the time it got remotely close to being down the bottom layer had totally burnt.

At this point I was in a complete panic. What am I going to do with a burnt bottom cake? My husband keep telling me not to worry there is nothing that can’t be fixed. So with a huge kitchen knife he removed the bottom layer and really no-one was the wiser.

Everyone agreed the finished product was very good but I’m not sure I would risk trying it again.

All in all the dinner was a success!

***I'm submitting the Penne with Grilled Zucchini Ricotta Salata and Mint to Presto Pasta Nights hosted by Daphne of More Than Words. Stop by to check out the Round-up.