Italian Night

This was very hard for me! I felt sooo much pressure to live up the previous cooking nights, but here it is:

Italian Sausage Cavatelli will be the main dish. It is a pasta dish (cavatelli) with a sausage mixture over it. I don't have a picture, but if you really want to see the recipe before you pick what you are going to bring let me know and I will post it.

So have at it. Drink, sides, maybe bread this time could be fun, dessert, etc.

My house, Tuesday July 29th 7:00. See you there.

So here is the line up for Tuesday:

April: Italian Sausage Cavatelli
Serin: Bread w/ dipping herbs/oils
Sarah: Dessert (fruity and creamy)
Amanda: Antipasto platter/salad
Diana: Italian Cream Sodas
Christy: Strawberry Spinach Salad

Italian Sausage Cavatelli

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. or 3 links sweet Italian Sausage
1/2 lb. or 2 cups dried Cavatelli or other small
shell-shaped Italian pasta
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch broccoli
1 1/4 cup low-salt chicken broth
1/4 cup raisins
1 tbls. unsalted butter
Parmesan cheese
Directions:
To cook sausage, squeeze from casings and saute in a heavy skillet or cast iron frying pan. Stir until no longer pink and sausage has broken down into small chunks. Remove with slotted spoon leaving juices in pan.
Cut broccoli into 1 inch pieces and saute in juices or drippings. Stir gently til it begins to brown. Add garlic and saute 1 minute more. Add broth and raisins and simmer until the broccoli is tender, about 3 minutes. Do not over cook.
Finally, add butter and stir to melt. Add, with sausage, to cooked cavatelli pasta and serve with parmesan cheese.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

1 large bag fresh spinach
as many strawberries as you like
bagged, sugared, sliced almonds (to sugar almonds, mix 2oz almonds with 3 tbsp sugar on medium heat, stir constantly until sugar dissolves and almonds are coated)
Dressing:
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 c white vinegar
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp Worcestershire's sauce
1 tbsp minced onion
Put all ingredients for dressing except olive oil in blender. Blend. Slowly pour in the olive oil until blended and thick. Chill for 1 hour before tossing
with the strawberries, spinach and almonds.

Italian Cream Sodas

4 oz Italian Syrup (any flavor you like but I used Raspberry)
4 oz Half and Half
10 oz Club Soda

Mix all ingredients together.
2 servings

Antipasto Salad

Put lots of yummy things on top of lettuce. Pour on dressing (or oil/vinegar). Our version had:

• Black forest ham, Sweet sopressata, Pepperoni
• Provolone cheese, Parrano cheese
• Marinated artichokes, Olives, Roasted red peppers, Pepperdews, Balsamic glazed cioppini onions
• Cucumbers, Grape tomatoes

Carrabas Italian Butter

1/8 t oregano
1/8 t basil
1/8 t rosemary
1/8 t salt
fresh ground pepper
dash of red pepper flakes
1 lg clove garlic (crushed)
3 T extra virgin olive oil

Serves about 2