Tonight, I had a chance to help make a delicious, simple Italian dinner with a friend from Italy! We started with preparing and cutting the vegetable: Butternut squash, pumpkin, onions, tomatoes.
I took upon the task of cutting the prosciutto into tiny cubes – Something I took great pride in doing well. The prosciutto was then cooked in simmering oil.
Next, I started taking the butternut squash slices, coating them in egg batter then loose bread crumbs…
The squash was then dropped into a small pot of boiling oil so that they could be fried until they turned golden brown. It tasted wonderful — The fried squash was tender, fresh, slightly sweet with a satisfying crunchy exterior.
My friend also prepared bruschetta: Cut up bread that was warmed up in the oven paired with diced tomato, onion and fresh basil leaves. While I loved the taste of basil, I would’ve liked a little more flavor to the sauce- Perhaps some more garlic, olive oil and vinegar.
The main course was pasta cooked perfectly al dente, filled with pumpkin and prosciutto and tasted absolutely delightful. Each bite was a burst of wonderful flavor, even without it being doused with sauce… I loved that the pasta was flavorful enough on its own, cooked in the juices of prosciutto and olive oil.
We ended the meal with some mashed pumpkin with onion. It had an enjoyable and unique taste to it. I had a great time learning how to prepare some classic Italian dishes and of course, eating our creations!
Dress, Dine & Sparkle 