Cinema, Cuisine and Cocktail : "Roman Holiday"

If you haven't watched the classic film, "Roman Holiday",what are you waiting for?!?! Funny, sweet, romantic, you will root for Gregory Peck & Audrey Hepburn, and you'll want to visit all of the places scene in the movie. Perhaps your first time watching the movie should be an event for all to enjoy, so I've put together an Italian feast that Princess Ann would've enjoyed during her stay!!

The Menu:
Stuffed Mushrooms
Italian Wedding Soup
Limoncello Gelato
Sangiovese

Stuffed Mushrooms

Recipe Courtesy of Italian Chef Blog

Ingredients:

24 (two 8 ounce packages) large white stuffing mushrooms
1 small yellow onion, diced
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmagiano-Reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Clean the mushrooms, then remove and finely chop the stems. Place 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion to the pan and sauté until onion is soft and translucent. Add the chopped mushroom stems and cook until tender, another 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Combine bread crumbs, Parmagiano-Reggiano cheese, parsley, minced garic, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium bowl. Add the cooked mushroom stems and onion and mix together well.

Stuff the mushrooms with the filling and place in an oiled baking pan. Drizzle the tops of the mushrooms with olive oil.

Place pan in oven and bake until the mushrooms are tender about 25-30 minutes and serve.

Italian Wedding Soup

Recipe Courtesy of Cooks.com

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. meat loaf mix (ground beef and pork)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. basil
1/4 c. milk

Combine the ingredients above. Form small 1/2 inch balls. Drop into boiling salted water or broth. Simmer for 10 minutes, remove with a straining spoon, place on paper towels to drain briefly, then refrigerate.

1 stewing chicken
1 onion, quartered
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 carrot, thickly sliced
2 stalks celery, with leaves, cut up
1/3 teaspoon oregano
4 peppercorns
2 tsp. salt
6 quarts water or broth

Simmer chicken with the remaining ingredients in the 6 quarts of water or chicken broth for about 2 1/2 hours or until tender. Remove skin and bones, cut up and refrigerate. Strain broth and return to pot.
Add 1 head escarole, torn into bite sized pieces, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, to taste. Simmer 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, break spaghetti into 4 inch long pieces and cook according to package directions; drain.

Add 1 1/2 cups prepared chicken and meatballs to broth. Simmer 10 minutes more. Serve with warm Italian bread.

Limoncello Gelato

Recipe Courtesy of Epicurious

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese*
4 coffee beans
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup limoncello or other lemon liqueur plus additional for serving

Directions:

Whisk first 6 ingredients in large saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Cook over medium-high heat until bubbles form at edges, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep 15 minutes.

Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and lemon juice in large bowl until thick and smooth. Slowly whisk warm cream mixture into yolk mixture. Return custard to same saucepan. Stir over medium heat until custard thickens enough to coat spoon and thermometer registers 180°F, about 6 minutes; do not boil. Pour custard into medium bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup limoncello. Chill custard until cold, stirring occasionally, at least 4 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.

Process custard in ice cream maker according to instructions. Transfer to container; cover and freeze up to 2 days. S coop gelato into glasses. Drizzle with additional limoncello and serve. * An Italian cream cheese; sold at many supermarkets and at Italian markets.