An Italian Dinner for Friends

Tuesday evening, we hosted two couples for dinner and had a delightful evening. Our guests were C & J, whom we had not seen for years, and who were in town for a short visit, and mutual friends J & M.

While C, J, and I had all served in the military, C, who served three tough Army tours in Vietnam, represents a very special type of patriot. His wife also dedicated her career to serving our country. They are both very special people.

Most of the dishes I prepared were ones that I had previously made. However, I tried one new one that we all really enjoyed. M brought a delicious tiramisu for dessert.

The dishes I prepared were:

Antipasti:
- Bruschetta/fettunta with tomato topping - from http://www.turismo.toscana.it/
- Crostini with goat cheese, fig jam, and prosciutto - from http://theitaliandishblog.com/imported-20090913150324/2010/4/20/crostini-with-prosciutto-goat-cheese-and-fig-jam.html This was the new dish, and it was fantastic.

First Course:
Sformato di Parmigiano e Prosciutto - custard with prosciutto, parmesan, and onion from http://www.italianchef.com/sformato.html This is a relatively easy dish. Most people like it, and it's a bit different.

Main Dish:
Arista alla Fiorentina - Florentine pork loin from http://www.tuscanrecipes.com/recipes/arista-fiorentina.html

Side Dish:
Carote in Stufato - stewed carrots with pancetta & onion from the Beautiful Tuscany cookbook. This dish is always popular. J, who is not a vegetable eater, even had some. This recipe can be found at http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/CAROTE-IN-STUFATO-BRAISED-CARROTS-1214933 I make two changes to this recipe. Instead of using 2 pounds of carrots, I use one pound. I also buy precut carrots.

C & J brought three bottles of wine:
- Two bottles of 2006 Squarcialupi La Castellina Chianti Classico Riserva. It is 90% sangiovese, 5% merlot, and 5% cabernet sauvignon. It was wonderful and perfect for the meal. Wine Spectator rates it at 92 points. See http://www.lacastellina.it/english/storia.html for a bit of interesting history about the Squarcialupi family.
- A bottle of Sexy Wine Bomb red wine. This was for laughs. We will try it soon.

J brought a bottle of Vecchia Cantina Chianti, a very pleasant Chianti. My wife and I had a delightful visit to the Vecchia Cantina winery near Montepulciano last fall.