St. Patrick's Day.....Trattoria Style

A trattoria is an Italian eating establishment. My meal brings together the best of both the Italian and the Irish.

Butter Lettuce Salad with Crispy Prosciutto, Oyster Mushroom Chips, Blue Cheese and Pears
Mini Irish Soda Bread
St. Patrick's Linguine
Irish Coffee Mousse

The salad was excellent however labor intensive. The prosciutto was cut in strips and sauteed crisp; drained on paper towels and tossed with a bit of red wine vinegar. The mushrooms where mixed with EVOO, red pepper flakes and salt. Baked in the oven until they were dry and crisp. The lettuce, blue cheese and pears were mixed with the prosciutto and mushroom chips and dressed with a bit of EVOO and red wine vinegar. A nice balance of sweet and tart. Will do this again.

The Irish soda bread is usually made in a large round loaf, but since it would take me a long time to eat the loaf, I made the dough into 10 small round loaves. I substituted dried cranberries for raisins (which I don't like except in oatmeal cookies) Now I have individual loaves in the freezer for another day.

The star of the show is the pasta dish. All the usual ingredients of a St. Paddy's Day meal in a different format. Sauteed diced carrots, cabbage, shallots, and garlic. Deglaze the pan with a bit of white wine and add chopped cooked corned beef. The 'gravy' is made of Dijon and whole grain mustard and a dollop of prepared horseradish stirred into a mixture of heavy cream and half and half. (Yes I can hear my arteries harden.) At the end a cup of shredded Irish white Cheddar cheese, and small frozen peas are added and then tossed with cooked linguine. A sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and the dish is complete. Very rich, but excellent. I may revisit this and use a white wine and broth base for the mustard's and horseradish. Should lighten it up considerably.

A couple of years ago I came across a Margarita Mousse recipe. Since a Margarita is not typically an Irish drink, I did some substituting. I used strong coffee and a bit of Irish Whiskey for the tequila and Triple Sec. This made up the custard base which is cooled and folded into whipped cream and egg whites. A very nice finish to a non-traditional St. Patrick's Day meal.

Whatever next week brings, it will be much lighter. Enjoy the nice weather and the return of the robins.