Nona's Cucina Results

This past Sunday, I couldn’t resist playing Frank Sinatra in the background and putting breadsticks as my centerpieces! The best part was that you got an Italian meal without the pasta coma and regret that you are usually filled with afterwards.

Each dish actually made it onto my guest’s favorites (yahoo!)- the pizza being savory yet fresh, the stew being filling, and the lemon bread being a not-too-sweet dessert that could even work well as a breakfast treat.

{Table Setting}

{Forte style pizza- whole wheat crust}

This is the pizza straight out of the oven before I put the arugula and roasted red peppers on top. The pizza actually goes into the oven in 2 rounds- first with just the dough, sauce (in my case sun-dried tomato pesto) and cheese; and then a second time with the prosciutto on top.

{The croutons were a great way to sop up more of the sauce}

This stew was easy to make and most of the broth ingredients are ones that you usually have on hand. At first I though the red wine flavor was too overpowering, but after letting it simmer for a few hours the tartness was more subtle. Because scallops and shrimp cook so quickly, you just throw them in the pot 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

{The tart berries and bread made for a delectable combination}

This is a great make-ahead dessert if you don’t want to deal with baking the day of a party because it actually needs to sit one day before serving, otherwise the lemon flavor is too strong.