THIS week I want to introduce a concept called the ‘supper club’. Supper clubs are fun and cool – they’re a great way to meet new mates and also a great excuse to get together and share some great food with some good friends. Basically a supper club is a collection of recipes thrown together, where food is the order of the night.
I want to keep this first supper club menu nice and simple, packed full of flavour and familiar to everyone. We will kick it off with an Italian feast (as requested by my good mate Big Phil Hemmings — a half Kiwi\Aussie).
Having spent a year working in the Marche region of Italy, I thought I’d share a few pointers to keep everyone happy.
The feast will feature three courses: starter — main — dessert.
First course will be a selection of two kinds of bruschetta. Main course is Big Phil’s favourite pasta dish – penne with king prawns, chili and tomato basil sauce. And to finish the night off is a simple crowd pleaser – the good old tiramisu. La dolce vita (the sweet life) indeed. Enjoy and happy cooking!
Chris’s 3 course Italian feast
Starters – Bruschetta’s
Classic tomato pesto
What you need:
6 slices of sour dough toasted
3 plum tomatoes chopped
Olive oil
Good quality pesto
Shaved Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
What to do:
Toast off the sour dough.
Add the tomatoes, olive oil, pesto and seasoning to the mixing bowl.
Mix well and top the sour dough with the tomato mixture.
Garnish with shaved Parmesan cheese.
Gorgonzola and truffle honey
What you need:
6 slices of toasted sour dough
200g of Italian Gorgonzola cheese or soft mild blue
4 tablespoons of honey
Few drops of truffle oil
What to do:
Place the cheese in a small bowl.
Mix well with a fork until the cheese is broken up.
Spread over the toast and flash under the grill.
Drizzle the honey over the warm bruscetta and a few drops of truffle oil (truffle oil can be found at good super markets and is a fantastic investment to the pantry).
Main – Penne pasta with king prawns, tomato and basil sauce
What you need:
1 packet of penne for 5 mates
3 small tins of whole peeled tomatoes
Pinch of dried chili
6 shell free king prawns
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 tsp of sugar
Fresh basil
What to do:
Place a large pot of salted water on the stove and bring to the boil.
In a frying pan, add a good splash of olive oil. Add the garlic and chili and prawns.
Sautee gently until the garlic becomes aromatic.
Add the tomatoes and turn down the heat to a gentle simmer.
Break up the tomatoes with a fork.
Add the pasta to the salty boiling water and stir so it won’t stick.
Continue to cook the sauce for 8-9 mins until the tomatoes have broken down.
Remove the pasta from the water after 9-10 mins and add to the sauce.
Cook the pasta and sauce together and add the basil at the last minute.
Take a large spoon and serve into bowl.
Add cracked pepper and a more basil if you are a fan.
Dolce – Tiramisu
What you need:
568ml pot double cream
250g tub mascarpone
75ml Marsalis
5 tbsp golden caster sugar
300ml strong coffee, made with 2 tbsp coffee granules and 300ml boiling water
175g pack sponge fingers
25g chunk dark chocolate
1tsp cocoa powder
What to do:
Put the cream, mascarpone, Marsala and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk until the cream and mascarpone have completely combined.
Get your serving dish ready. Put the coffee into a shallow dish and dip in a few sponge fingers at a time. Turning for a few secs until they are soft. Layer these into your dish until you have used half the biscuits, and then spread over half of the creamy mixture. Sprinkle shaved chocolate between each layer.
Cover and chill for a few hrs and dust with the remaining coco powder.