Skip to main content

Capodanno at La Balena - Cinghiale Caps and New Eats

We always celebrate with Italian bubbles. New Year's Eve 2015 was no exception. Here's my first flute of prosecco...


We love to end our year on a culinary high note. Feasting at La Balena definitely qualifies. So, we booked a table - for our Capodanno dinner - shortly after Anna, Emanuele, and Chef Brad opened their doors after their two week hiatus. Many of their new menu items reflects their recent trip to Italy. I'm jealous that they went to Italy, but my tastebuds are grateful. We also had lots of fun with their new cinghiale cap while we waited for our food.



We started with a trio of Bruschette. From left to right - burrata with sea salt and olio nuovo; cavolo nero and wild boar salumi; chicken liver toscano and gorgonzola.


This dish - Animelle - was a first for all of us. I've heard of sweetbreads, not be to confused with sweet breads, but I've never tried them. Sweetbreads are offal or organ meats. When I saw them on the menu last night, I couldn't resist trying Brad's creation. These were fried crisp and served with shaved fennel, kumquat marmellata, and a dusting of fennel pollen. It was phenomenal.


Another new dish was the Panzanella Toscana. Most panzanelle, mine included, is heavy on the bread. I love that Brad's version was centered more on the leeks, fennel, and radishes.


We shared an order of Polpo Grigliato, R's favorite, and followed it with D's absolute favorite: Pappardelle alla Erbe, pappardelle with a wild boar-pancetta sugo.


I always order the whole fish, Pesce Arrotso. I just can't resist. Last night's version was beautiful and delicious with holiday shades of green and red with fennel, arugula, and blood orange. It was gorgeously festive and equally delectable.


And, as if this wasn't enough deliciousness, Anna brought out the last Spumoni Bomba for D. It wasn't even on the menu. Look at his glee! Jake indulged in an affogato; R had a slice of cheesecake; and I ordered their raspberry panna cotta. That's definitely on my list to-do this year.


And I have to share a photo of our culinary hero. We were thrilled to be seated at the Chef's table last night; you can see straight into the kitchen and watch the magic for yourself.


Grazie mille a tutti e complimenti! Ci vediamo presto. 
Buon Anno!!!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce

Aloo Tiki {Pakistan}

To start off our Pakistani culinary adventure, I started us off with aloo tiki - potato cutlets. I'm always game for tasty street food. I found a couple of different recipes and incorporated those together for this version. Ingredients 6-8 small red potatoes, scrubbed 1 T cumin seeds 1 T fresh chopped parsley 1/2 t ground coriander 1 t minced garlic Procedure Boil the potatoes until they are tender. Drain and let cool. Mash the potatoes. Traditionally they are mashed without their skins. I left the skins on. In a small pan, toast the cumin seeds on high heat until the begin to give off an aroma and begin to darken. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate to keep them from cooking any more. Blend all of the spices into the mashed potatoes, then shape into small patties. If you wet your hands, the potato mixture won't stick to them. Heat a splash of oil in a large, flat-bottom pan. Dip each patty into beaten egg and carefully place in the oil. P

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir