Company is Coming Menu Ideas

This week Mama Says is serving up menu and recipe ideas for dinner parties and special occasions (anniversary, Valentine’s, celebrations and causal gatherings). We’re thrilled to share several of our favorite recipes and menus so you can create your own sophisticated, delicious and easy- to-prepare special occasion meals.

Celebration Menu II

This special occasion dinner features fish with a delicious prepared tapenade, couscous, vegetables with a Mediterranean flair.

Il Primo “first course”: Moroccan Carrot Salad

Reprising a Mama Says recipe, Moroccan Carrot Salad, this dish can either be set out as an appetizer or served as part of the meal. This is a perfect make ahead dish and you can control the spiciness!

Il Secondi “main course”: Halibut with Bella Cucina Pesto (recipe below)

Halibut with Bella Cucina Artichoke Lemon Pesto.

Halibut with Bella Cucina Artichoke Lemon Pesto.

What could be easier than baking your favorite fish with a generous dollop of pesto. Simple. Tasty. Beautiful and healthy.

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray or parchment paper
• 5 oz fish fillet/guest (halibut, seabass, cod or other firm, mild white fish)
• Juice from one medium lemon
• Bella Cucina Pesto (Recommend either Mint Pistachio or Artichoke Lemon)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350/375 degrees.
2. Pat the fish dry and place on  a prepared baking sheet (cooking spray or parchment paper). Gently poke each fillet with a fork, drizzle with the fresh lemon juice and top with a generous tablespoon or two the Bella Cucina Pesto.  Spread the pesto with a knife. Bake for 20 - 30 minutes until done (will depend on the thickness of the fillets).

Seabass with Bella Cucina Mint Pistachio Pesto.

Seabass with Bella Cucina Mint Pistachio Pesto.

Il Controno “side dish”: Quinoa Salad

This Quinoa Salad with Moroccan spices and pistachios flows with the Mediterranean theme of the evening and is an updated twist on a starch. Serve along your favorite steamed or oven roasted vegetable.

Il Dolce “dessert”: Poached Pears

Group of four Bosc Pears on background

And to finish the meal, pears poached in wine - an easy and impressive dessert submitted by guest columnist Kitri  McGuire, Sokol Blosser Winery.

This menu follows the Mama Says mantra to use a combination of fresh ingredients and pantry staples to their fullest. For this company-worthy dinner many of the dishes can be made-ahead of time. The carrots can be made several days ahead and allowed to marinade. The quinoa (add the nuts just before serving) and the pears can be made a day ahead.

Photo Credit: BOSCPEARS © Winthrop Brookhouse | Dreamstime.com

Cheers! Enjoy your guests.

Recipes for Special Occasions

Is company coming? Are you making a dinner for a special occasion? Or a romantic dinner for two.  This week Mama Says is serving up some menu and recipe ideas for special meals and occasions (anniversary, Valentine’s, celebrations and gatherings of dear friends). We’re thrilled to share several of our favorite recipes and menus so you can create your own sophisticated, delicious and easy- to-prepare special occasion meals.

Celebration Menu

This special occasion dinner features risotto, trout salad, an oven roasted vegetable and finishes with rum cake.

Il Primo “first course”: Lemony Risotto with fresh vegetables

Early Spring Green Peas in Risotto with Lemon (Risi e Pisi).

Early Spring Green Peas in Risotto with Lemon (Risi e Pisi).

Based on a Mama Says recipe posted earlier this spring, Risotto with Peas and Lemon, for this meal substitute fresh sliced asparagus and portabella mushrooms for the spring peas. You can make this dish as your guests arrive.

Il Secondi “main course”: Smoked Trout Salad with Creamy Horseradish Dressing

Prepare as noted  on epicurious.com (link above). This recipe is also fabulous with heirloom lettuce or chopped Romain leaves. You can find smoked trout in most grocery stores, farmer’s markets, or online. In Atlanta we’re lucky to have access to Dianna’s Specialties - her smoked trout and salmon are divine; look for her booth at various ATL Farmer’s Markets. Assemble this dish earlier in the day by making the dressing and prepping the greens, and onion (slice the apple  just prior to serving) –refrigerate and store separately. Just before dinner toss the salad together and dress.  You can either serve the trout in wedges (as shown) or chop and mix with the salad assembly.

Il Controno “side dish”: Oven Roasted Beets

Wash beets, toss with EVOO, salt and pepper (to taste), roast at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until tender. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Il Dolce “dessert”: Rum Cake - based on the Bacardi Rum advertisement.

Yum. People will rave about this Rum Cake - it is divine. You can make it a day ahead. Serve it alone or with a side of fruit (pineapple, berries, etc.).

Keep it simple. Special occasion dinners are about spending time together and celebrating. This menu allows you to prepare many of the items ahead of time. As your guests arrive, invite them into the kitchen (they go there anyway!!) to  enjoy a sip of wine and talk while you finish the risotto - or ask them to stir the risotto while you toss the salad together.

Cheers! May we all have lots to celebrate in the years to come. Enjoy!

Quick and Delicious Cookie

Dessert is a challenge. Since so  many people are watching their waistline, cutting back on sugar and/or trying to eat healthier — serving a dessert that meets these criteria is a challenge. Thankfully my husband likes to chop fruit - it’s his time relax and join me in the kitchen. His fruit salads are a huge hit with family and friends — and healthy, too. So my task is to make a little something to accompany his fruit salad. Taking the lead from a chef friend who suggested that three bites of dessert is the ideal serving (unless you have a sweet tooth). I’ve been experimenting small bite desserts and have fallen in love with macaroons and this almond puff recipe. The ground almonds are heavenly. And three bites leaves you savoring the flavor without sacrificing your workout and waistline.

Almond-Lemon Macaroons (Almendrados)

Makes about 30 cookies

Plan ahead the dough needs to chill for 12 hours.

Ingredients

2 cups whole blanched almonds, plus about 30 for decoration
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
zest of one lemon

Preparation

1. In a food processor with a metal blade, finely grind two cups of almonds. Add 3/4 cup of sugar, the egg and lemon zest. Pulse to incorporate into a dough. Transfer the dough to a medium bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
2. Preheat over to 350 degrees. Prepare your baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Pinch off pieces of the chilled dough into pieces the size of a walnut and roll into balls. Roll the balls in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Place them on the prepared baking sheet. Gently press the decorative almond into the center and reshape if necessary. The recipe calls for pressing an almond point first into the top of each cookie, so that half the almond can be seen.  Arrange the cookies one inch apart on the baking sheet.
4. Note: I made my cookies a bit smaller and since they do not spread while baking was able to get all the cookies on a large cookie sheet.
5. Bake for between 8 and 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets. Don’t touch them until they’re cool. This makes them firm and crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

I found this recipe in the New York Times recipe archives when I was looking for Passover ideas.  The recipe is adapted from Dulce lo Vivas,” by Ana Bensadón (Ediciones Martínez Roca). This Spanish-language cookbook features classic Sefardi bakery items.

Do you have a go-to dessert?

Thank you for joining us in the kitchen!

Tuesday Tips: Cut the Salt Without Cutting the Taste

Last month (April, 2010) the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and The Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH)  published ‘Tasting Success with Cutting Salt.’ A joint white paper which includes 25 ideas and recommendations for both home cooks and professional chefs to reduce sodium intake while continuing to maximize the taste of food while limiting the intake of sodium.

Studies have shown that a 35 percent daily reduction in salt (from 3,400 mg to 2,300 mg) could save up to 90,000 lives and billions of dollars in health costs each year. Sodium causes high blood pressure, a disease that affects nine of every 10 Americans during their lifetime. Click here to read the full report.

Along with policy change recommendations, this initiative between the CIA and HSPH offers practical ideas, such as:

• Produce first: Fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables.
• Go nuts for healthy fats in the kitchen.
• Know your seasons, and, even better, your farmer.
• Sear, sauté, and roast to add flavor without adding salt
• Spice it up: Use fresh herbs and spices to build taste.

Practical and do-able suggestions for lowering sodium intake while enjoying the flavors of your food.

Sources: Harvard Medicine + Science and Culinary Institute of America

Photo Credit: SALT & PEPPER © Micha Fleuren | Dreamstime.com

Early Spring Green Pea Risotto with Lemon (Risi e Bisi)

Risotto in the pot. Stirring yields a rich and creamy treat.

Risotto has a reputation for being “difficult” to cook since it requires active cooking time - stirring. It’s time to rethink that label and try this classic and other-worldly dish. How difficult is stirring for 20 minutes? Not difficult. Risotto is worth the time (loving care) you put into the stirring. Pour yourself a glass of wine or an iced tea and enjoy the process. You’ll be delighted with the rich and creamy results.

This recipe for Risotto with Peas and Lemon is one of my favorites. It comes together quickly and requires basic ingredients which yield subtle and wonderful flavors.

Risotto with Peas and Lemon makes a wonderful side dish or entree.

Early Spring Green Peas from the Farmer’s Market.

Early Spring Green Pea Risotto with Lemon

Springtime, means fresh spring green peas. And there is no better way to showcase peas than in a delicately flavored risotto. This recipe makes a creamy, delicious dish that is ideal for a side dish or first course.  It contains less butter and cheese than other recipes without sacrificing the wonderful, creamy texture and rich taste of risotto. If fresh peas aren’t in season you can substitute frozen peas without adjusting the cooking times.

Serving suggestions: with a simply prepared fish and a green leafy salad.

Serves:  4 – 6 as a side dish

Active Cooking Time: 35 min

Freshly shell early spring green peas.

Ingredients

• 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 1 cup peas (fresh if available, frozen will work as well)
• 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided)
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation

1. Bring broth and water to a simmer in a small saucepan.
2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat, add shallots and sauté until translucent, 3 – 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, until soften and a pale golden. Add rice, stirring to coat.
3. Add ¼ cup (approximately 1 large ladle-full of broth to the rice mixture and allow to simmer while stirring constantly, until broth is absorbed. Continue simmering and adding hot broth mixture, about 1/4 cup at a time, stirring frequently and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until rice is just tender and creamy-looking but still al dente, about 20 minutes. (Reserve leftover broth mixture.)
4. Add peas and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes.
5. Stir in cheese, remaining butter, zest, and juice. Thin risotto with some of reserved broth mixture if desired and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm. Top with additional cheese if desired.

Early Spring Green Peas in Risotto with Lemon (Risi e Pisi).

Mama Says Note: Have you checked out the fabulous recipes at Food52? We’ve been enjoying their contests and reader submitted recipes ideas. Check them out…perhaps you’ll even find a recipe or two from the Mama Says team.

Recipe inspiration: Pea and Bacon Risotto, Gourmet | January 2009 by Ian Knauer. I’ve used the risotto technique but eliminated the bacon and added a shallot to showcase the peas, subtle lemon and nutty cheese flavors.

In good health and healthy meals.