the hungry bambino: Guess who's coming to dinner? Plus, this week's menu

Guess who's coming to dinner? Plus, this week's menu

By Sarah Monday, July 13, 2009 dinner menus, farmers market, summer cooking, weekly menus

My sister Holley and brother-in-law Jason were in town this weekend for a visit. Since Holley is as obsessed with food as I am, we cooked up one heck of a feast on Saturday, taking most of our inspiration from Suzanne Goin’s fabulous cookbook, Sunday Suppers at Lucques. Not for the meek or mild, this cookbook is a challenging set of menus that make the most of each season’s bounty. We bought what was in season at the market and then looked to her cookbook to see what we could make. The only substitutions we needed were fennel for artichokes and strawberries for peaches. Not bad considering she is from L.A. and we're in Madison, WI.

Here’s our menu:
To start: Braised mustard greens bruschetta with fresh ricotta – this is a recipe Holley has created … goes perfect with a couple of IPAs (or so my brother-in-law tells me). I’ll share the recipe in an upcoming post.
First course: Curried pea soup with crème fraîche and mint
Second course: Grilled skirt steak with fennel and all-red potato hash, black-olive aioli and arugula
Dessert: Cornmeal shortcakes with strawberries, mint and crème fraîche
To drink: Mojitos and Taval Rosé

At the market
Basil
Beets
Carrots
Oak-leaf lettuce
Parsley
Raspberries
Red onions
Strawberries
Swiss chard
Baby zucchini

Menu: week of 12 July 2009
Sunday: Leftover lamb meatballs and spaghetti from dinner @ Lombardino’s
Monday: Leftover skirt steak with black-olive aioli, all-red potato and fennel hash; curried pea soup
Tuesday: Cumin-scented roasted beets and carrots with almond-chickpea hummus and whole-wheat naan
Wednesday: Homemade macaroni and cheese with sautéed Swiss chard
Thursday: Pizza with baby zucchini and goat cheese with a salad of baby greens

dinner menus, farmers market, summer cooking, weekly menus

About the Author

Sarah Klein

Author, cook, entertainer and world-class eater of delicious food, Sarah Klein began The Hungry Bambino as a way to capture her evolution as a mother and cook. Sarah's greatest passion is to cook for those she loves; so if you're invited to dinner, you know you're special. When Sarah's not cooking up a storm, she's managing a successful career, playing with her due bambini, rearranging the furniture in her house, or tackling a challenging trail run. She does this all with her partner in crime and best friend and favorite person to cook for: her husband, Chris, or Mr. Klein, as referred to on this blog.