An Italian Feast At Home

As you may know, we recently celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary.  Rather than head out to a restaurant we decided we would have some dear friends and family over and celebrate by having a dinner party at home.  I love cooking but did not relish the thought of spending most of the evening in the kitchen whilst everyone else had all the fun.  We decided to give Ezio from Italian Food Services a call to see what he could rustle up for us.  Well rustle he did!  He came back with a few different menus and we went with the one below.  Right on time a few hours before the guests arrived, Ezio and his helper arrived, arms laden with fantastic Italian ingredients that were the beginnings of our dinner.  I'd like to say I know exactly how he did it but to be honest, I just left them to it.  All he requested was what time we would like the first of our 4 courses.

Crescia al profumo di Maggiorana

Flat crispy bread with Gorgonzola cream, walnuts, honey, toasted marjoram.

Conchiglioni al ragu' di quaglia

Big pasta shells with a delicate quail and vegetables ragu'.

Spedino di maiale agli agrumi

Pink point roast pork with a gentle citrus fruits sauce and white pepper.

Dessert al Rosmarino

Olive oil and rosemary cake, vanilla Gelato, Amaretto di Saronno liquor.

$45,00 per person 

Ezio cooking up a storm

The quail for the Ragu

Ezio will come out and explain each dish as his helper serves.

Number 1.  The flat crispy bread with the gorgonzola cream.  Oh my, the cream and the walnuts not to mention the honey and marjoram made this an early favourite.

This was course 2.  The shells were stuffed with a quail and vegetable ragu that all sat atop a light béchamel sauce.  Divine.

Our main of pork.  The citrus sauce on this makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

I would have to say our desert took the cake.  Pun intended.  Rosemary and olive oil cake?  Seriously?  Sounds strange right?  It was AMAZING!  Ezio also decided to do olive oil ice-cream which also sounds, shall we say...different.  No kidding, it was one of the nicest deserts I have ever eaten.  Thanks Ezio!

A lot of the dishes that Ezio put together might not have necessarily been things I would order from a menu.  That's what I really like about it.  I trusted him and his judgement and he came through with flying colours.  I have no hesitation in recommending Italian Food Services for that special occasion when you want all the comforts of home but don't want to be stuck in the kitchen.  Vietnamese caterers are a dime a dozen in this town and it's fabulous to have an alternative.

web:            www.italianfoodservices.com

@:               ezio@italianfoodservices.com

italy:           +39  328  365  40  32

vietnam:     +84 (0) 128 6729 411

Birthday Celebrations on the Roof!

I recently celebrated my birthday in style on our brand new roof!  We had a few close friends over and did a sort of Italian themed night.

The recently renovated roof was ready and waiting for some fun.

Here is something novel....a photo of me!  Usually I am behind the lens.  Having a quiet cocktail before our guests arrive.

With the tooting of horns in the background the sun went down and we were ready for some fun...and some FOOD!

In going with the Italian theme we set up a projector and played old Italian movies in the background.  Roman Holiday anyone?

My wonderful husband and I living the dream in Ho Chi Minh City.

Meanwhile, back at the coalface, Ezio, from Italian Food Services (ezio@italianfoodservices.com or ph +84 0 128 6729411) was cooking up a storm.

Crostini al mascarpone e limone 

Home made mascarpone cheese, perfumed with lemon peel, pepper and fresh herbs.

Bocconcini di pane all'uvetta

Deep fried bread dumplings with raisins, pine nuts, herbs and spices.

The man himself.  Ezio is a joy to have in the kitchen.  While he was creating his culinary masterpieces he was also having fun with my kids in the kitchen.  I can highly recommend him to cater for you.  He is always on time, full of awesome recepies and a pleasure to deal with.

And what could be in these little delightful bowls?

Ta Da!!! 

Minestra maritata

Classic Napoli vegetables soup with crispy pancetta ham and pecorino cheese. Served with garlic crostini.

Closely followed by

Risotto all'Aceto Balsamico

Balsamic vinegar risotto with aromatized sausages and Parmesan cheese.

And lastly but by certainly no means least,

Spaghetti alla maggiorana

Spaghetti seasoned with a delicate ragú and perfumed with marjoram herb.

...and in what has become a bit of a tradition....the BEST Banoffee cake in the world courtesy of Jaspas.

So as the clock ticked over to the big day I became another year older and hopefully wiser.  Well, maybe not wiser.  If I was wiser I would not have had that last cocktail!

After the last of the guests had gone, Nick and I settled onto the couch with the streets finally silent below and finished off watching...what else...the Italian Job.  A birthday I will never forget.