Legend has it that in 1574 there was a glassmaker’s assistant in Milan whose nickname was Zaffereno (Saffron). He always mixed a bit of saffron into the colours for the stained glass to make it more vivid. The glassmaker used to joke that he’ll be putting it into risotto next. When the glassmaker’s daughter got married he did just that. The steaming pots of golden rice was a huge success with the guests and it became a classic Milanese dish.
Braciole (or involtini as it is known in Italy) are meat bundles with all kinds of delicious fillings.
Braciole is a beloved Sunday lunch in Italian American households. It is simmered for hours (often with meatballs and/or sausage) in a tomato sauce (called Sunday gravy).
All the recipes for fillings looked so delicious I could not pick just one. I decided to use 3 very different fillings – Braciole 3 Ways!
Lamb Kleftiko is a traditional Greek dish of lamb slowly cooked in parchment paper. The name originates from the word “Klepht” (meaning thief). Klephts were highwaymen who stole lambs and cooked it in sealed pits to avoid detection.
Avgolemono is an egg lemon sauce that I have wanted to make for ages. As this week was Greek date night, it was the perfect occasion to make a traditional Greek meatball soup that incorporates this sauce.
As we try to stick to a fairly low carb diet most of the time, I haven’t made fresh pasta for ages. This was a great excuse to make ravioli for date night.
As every date night is a special occasion I decided to push the boat out and make 3 different types of ravioli with 3 different sauces.
Veal & Spinach Ravioli in a Walnut Sauce, Ostrich & Pancetta Ravioli in a Porcini Sauce and Venison & Butternut Ravioli in a Sage Butter Sauce.
Sometimes the simplest food is the tastiest – Beef Espetada being a prime example. A dish from the island of Madeira, large chunks of beef are rubbed with garlic, salt and bay leaves. It is then skewered and cooked over an open fire.
I decided to make a bolognese sauce with some handmade pasta for date night. Probably not something Tim Noakes will be proud of, but there are only a few things better than homemade pasta and a good pasta sauce.
One of Belgium’s classic dishes is Moules Frites – mussels steamed in a white wine sauce with fries. Adrienne makes a great mussel potjie in a garlic cream sauce, so the challenge was on to see whether I could make a mussel dish that would measure up.
To celebrate the month of October I decided to have a German date night. German cuisine is renowned for their Wurst (sausages), Kartofelln (potatoes) and Sauerkraut (sour cabbage).
I wanted to redeem myself after overcooking the beef fillet at the girls’ lunch in June, so I decided to make Beef Wellington for date night. Keeping in line with the English theme, I made Haddock Fish Cakes for a starter and Lemon Posset for dessert.
