Tomorrow evening is my first Incurable Epicurean dinner. I am not sure how long the group has been together, but I am so happy to be able to join in. The group meets four times a year. Tomorrow’s menu is created around the kitchen of Marcella Hazan, to me, the Italian Julia Child.
The menu is as follows with the English names of the dishes:
MARCELLA CUCINA
Tuna Tonnato
Fava Bean Crostini
Pickled zucchini
Tomato polenta squares, tapenade
Porcini crostini
Eggplant cheese balls
*******
Baked Fish with Leeks and potatoes
Bell pepper and goat cheese pasta
Risotto, white wine, rosemary, and sage
Cauliflower, tomato, green olive salad
Artichoke, fava, pea, and romaine salad
Fennel, radicchio, Belgian endive salad
*******
Ancona orange cake
Panna cotta with hazelnuts
Yogurt and sambuca cake
Fruit in prosecco
Raisin polenta cookies
My dish is in the dessert course; the Ancona Orange Cake. I have made two of them, as we have about 45 in the group. I had everything I needed except the blood oranges. I also picked up a little bottle of Orangecello. I have never had it and thought I would give it a try.
The Incurable Epicurean group is an offshoot of the Missouri Mycological Society folks. The meals that I have shared with this group over the last year have always been memorable. We always bring our own place settings which for my husband and me entails appetizer plates, bowls for soup, dinner plates, utensils, wine and water glasses, napkins and so forth. The tables always look so unique and beautiful because everyone has different china, and sometimes unique little tablecloths or runners. The tables are set and look so homey and yet so classy! The food that everyone brings to the table is always thoughtfully prepared, always homemade and most of the time grown or foraged by the person that brought it. I suspect tomorrow evening’s Incurable Epicurean dinner will be equally, if not more so, impressive and fun as the ones I have shared over the last year.
I don’t know what the dates or the themes of the rest of our dinners will be. I am looking forward to meeting new people, tasting new dishes and sharing a great time with this group throughout the year. I am especially excited about tomorrow as we celebrate Marcella’s Kitchen and how she has inspired us and shared her rich Italian culture and cuisine.