No one will be surprised, but I have been cooking for a crowd as of late. Many dinner parties at my table this season. Frankly, just the fact that I can gather friends at my table is reason enough to celebrate!
Some of the menus? Happy to share...
First up was a post-Thankgiving fêtê which started with Oysters from my pals David and Catherine, who shucked with glee, while I shook up cocktails. At the table, the first course was a Dayboat Lemon Sole Crudo with Fresh Chives and Toasted Pinenuts. That was followed by two lovely Buttermilk-Brined Chickens with Thyme under the skin, roasted atop slabs of Sweet Vidalia Onion. The glorious birds were served with a Chicory Salad in a Champagne-Shallot Vinaigrette, sliced Baguette from L'Appartement 4F, and softened French butter.
Dessert? So glad you asked...
--Lowcountry Peanut Pie - from a recipe in Garden & Gun - topped with fresh Whipped Cream.
The next dinner party was a collaboration with my friends Wendy and Mark - a Sicilian dinner. After some antipasti during cocktail hour, the two served up a Seafood Salad with Celery and Fennel. Then came a pasta course from yours truly - Rigatoni alla Norma...
...pasta tossed in a spicy tomato sauce with chunks of eggplant, oodles of fresh basil and a shower of shaved ricotta salata. My recipe combined one from Chef Sara Jenkins and some ideas from an article about this mainstay Italian dish in The Guardian.
This pasta elicited some serious oohs and aahs.
And, then there was dessert - a collaborative dessert. We made a Deconstructed Cannoli: scoops of my Ricotta Sorbet, each bowl graced with a sprinkle of chocolate flakes, crushed pistachio, chopped Luxardo cherries, and a glorious Vanilla Pizzelle Cookie from Wendy and Mark's kitchen. The cookie was joyfully plunked in the middle to resemble "Cosmo's Moon."
The following week, I went in a different direction - a distinctly New Orleans direction. I whipped up a Cajun/Creole feast for friends. It started with Shrimp Ravigote over Wedges of Iceberg. We then moved onto to steaming bowls of Chicken and Andouille Gumbo, with a smattering of heat from the combination of cayenne and Crystal.
It was lovely, but dessert was the real showstopper...
--Almond Croissant Bread Pudding, served warm.
Did I have one more dinner party in me before Christmas came barreling by?
Why, yes. And, it was quite the festive repast, if I do say so myself!
Jumbo sous-vided Shrimp Cocktail grabbed the spotlight during the cocktail hour. Seated, the spotlight moved over to a Wild Salmon Tartare...
...the gorgeous Toro-grade fish from Shipwreck Seafood Boutique and the recipe from Ottolenghi. Bite-sized chunks of glistening salmon were tossed with lemon, olive oil and shallots, topped with tarragon and chopped pistachio, and drizzled with brown butter with cumin seeds, served with wafer-thin slices of watermelon radish.
Oh, hell, yes!
The main was a Roast Pork Loin with Wild Fennel Pollen and a homemade Apple Chutney. Alongside, there was a Bitter Lettuce Salad and my go-to marriage of 4F Baguette with French butter.
Dessert was low-key - individual Chocolate Soufflés with Pistachio Gelato.
Jealous? Want to angle for an invite to my next get-together? Smart idea.
Meanwhile though, sharing my recipe for Rigatoni alla Norma, so you can taste a bit of Chez Vamp at your own table.
Rigatoni alla Norma
2 medium eggplants, cut into 3/4″ cubes
4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, minced
3/4 tsp. crushed red chile flakes
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28-oz.) can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, undrained and crushed by hand
1 lb. rigatoni
4 oz. ricotta salata, grated
1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn by hand
Kosher salt & black pepper
Sprinkle eggplant with salt (about 2 tsps.) and let sit in a colander for a half-hour. Squeeze out excess liquid out of the cubes with a dishtowel.
Set oven to 450 degrees. Put eggplant into a bowl and drizzle with 3 tbsp. oil. Toss to combine and season with salt and pepper. Transfer eggplant to 2 baking sheets and bake, turning occasionally, until soft and caramelized (about 20 minutes). Put aside.
Heat remaining oil in a large pot and saute onion until soft over a medium flame and then add garlic and chile flakes. Stir another 3 minutes and then add the tomatoes, crushing them a bit as they hit the pot. Add half the basil. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Cook down for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil rigatoni to al dente, following the manufacturer's instructions. Save a little of the starchy water if needed to help bind the sauce. Strain the pasta and toss into the tomato sauce along with the eggplant. Stir to combine.
Serve topped with the remaining fresh basil and the ricotta salata.
