"Buon Appetito" from Italy...and We Did!

by Jenny

Foodie Friday's country this week by chosen by our 8 year old, Gwyn. She picked Italy. Honestly, we have stayed away from this country's food because of our how much we already eat "Italian" food. Of course, through our research, we find out, we have been mistaken on our version of Italy, most of the time. We learned "The 10 most common errors in Italian Tradition which people around the world think are the true Italian style."
While we did learn a lot of differences between "Italian" and "Italian-American" the recipes choices are still up the eight year old. So no cod, octopus, lamb, or anything else that makes her say, "ewww" while we read through an enormous list of recipes. She picked recipes solely by their picture. (So, way to go, Pinterest, you have figured out how we all work!)
Here's Gwyn's menu for the night:

Appetizer~ Antipasto platter

First Course~ Spaghetti alla Gricia

Second Course~ Turkey Breast with Prosciutto and Fontina

all served with Herb & Garlic Focaccia

Dessert~ Jamie's Biscotti and coffee
 

 

We started with the biscotti. Gwyn chose Jamie's biscotti because, honestly, I gently "pushed" her that way. We had looked at a million different recipes and sites to find things she loved. We could've made cheesecake, tiramisu (although, we made a lovely version last week), or any number of Italian desserts but she couldn't make up her mind and it's been Christmas since I have had Jamie's biscotti so I "suggested" it. She loved it so there we go. I have always LOVED Jamie's biscotti. I think she may have hesitated a little to actually give it to me but like the awesome best friend she is, she passed it on. And because it is my dear friend's recipe, I will let her decide if she ever wants to share the love...I still think she could open a breakfast place with bagels & biscotti some day... Hey, there's her name, "Bagels & Biscotti"- love it.

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Then we got started on the Herb & Garlic Focaccia because it needed time to rise. It turned out amazing. Here's the recipe we followed...Herb Garlic Focaccia.  Ingredients: 1 cup warm milk
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp active dry yeast
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp mixed dry herbs (I used thyme & oregano)
1/2 tsp coarse pepper powder
1 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic
2 1/2 - 3 cups all purpose flour
For the topping:
2-3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp rosemary
1 tsp sea salt

When you follow her recipe, just remember to
brush it with olive oil at least once during the baking time because that is what prevents the cracks on the top. Gwyn had a good 'ol time punching it down and later poking dents in it. She did a good job on this beautiful bread! We served it with olive oil with seasonings sprinkled on top.

 

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Our son, Gabe, started the Turkey Breast with Prosciutto and Fontina. He got to use a meat tenderizer. 'Nough said. 

 


Ingredients: 

• 1 lb turkey breast
• 3 ½ oz Fontina cheese
• 2 ½ oz Prosciutto
• 1 ½ oz butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 egg
• 4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
• salt

With a meat tenderizer, make the slices of turkey thinner. Beat the egg, dip the turkey into it one at a time and then coat in bread crumbs. In a pan already over medium high heat, fry the slices of turkey in the oil and butter, until nicely golden. Remove and put in oven safe dish for next step. Lay on top of each of the turkey breasts a slice of cooked prosciutto (we fried them up in the skillet right after the turkey breast, they take just a second on each side). and one slice of the Fontina cheese. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees and serve as soon as the cheese has melted.
 

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Next, we prepped the Antipasto Platter. We used salami, black olives, Sicilian olives, mushrooms marinated with pesto sauce, cherry tomatoes, asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, and mozzarella done three ways. One with pesto sauce, the other with olive oil and oregano, rosemary, & thyme dried seasonings, and one with olive oil and garlic salt and red pepper flakes. They kids were not fond of the "fancy" olives but Gregg and I thoroughly enjoyed them.

 

 

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Last, we worked on the Spaghetti alla Gricia. It was easy to put together and quick.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound spaghetti
• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
• 10 ounces bacon, chopped
• red pepper flakes to taste
• 4-5 ounces grated Pecorino cheese
• (optional) a little pesto sauce to toss through

In a skillet, over medium heat, add olive oil. Once heated, add bacon and red pepper flakes. Cook until bacon is crisp, approximately 7-10 minutes. While cooking bacon, follow directions on package of spaghetti. Drain pasta when done, toss with bacon olive oil mixture and if using the pesto, add 4-5 tablespoons. Serve with grated Pecorino cheese.

 

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When we were researching, we read quite a bit of different information on their large dinners with multiple courses. We did not follow that tradition because the kids wanted to eat everything at once. And frankly, we didn't want to separately prepare each one between enjoying the others and wanted them all warm. Overall, we very much enjoyed our Italian adventure chosen by our 8 year old. They all tried new things. Some they loved, some they'll have to try again when they are older. This is homeschool at its finest; researching, geography, first hand experiences, and fun.
Now, for another cup of coffee and a delish biscotti, and maybe a good book.