Abbiamo Mangiare Con Amici Nel Poulsbo Fino Estate

On a fine end-of-summer evening we crossed the "pond" from Seattle to Pouslbo to have dinner with friends and current/former condo neighbors: Byron, Bonnie, Cody and Steve. I made an Italian dinner and Byron bought the wines to match. Steve and Cody furnished the most wonderful setting. We dined al fresco amongst their beautiful and prolific garden overlooking the Sound with Bainbridge Island, and Poulsbo in view. Before dinner, we strolled through their bucolic, rural neighborhood picking ripe blackberries and then returning to cherry-pick wild strawberries (white and red) which were the sweetest I've tasted, much sweeter than commercial berries, and several varieties of currents. Steve and Cody had already gathered the figs that I was pining for and around which this dinner really revolved. Figs were also featured in the antipasto.

The first course featured fresh figs from their yard, Parma prosiutto and Italian gorgonzola, dribbled with blackberry honey from the Market and fresh thyme. Second course was rabbit slow roasted with pancetta and first-of-the-season Chantrelles on a bed of parpadelle from Italy sprinkled with parmesan. Third course was heirloom tomatoes on arugula with garlic, parsley, basil and my preserved Moroccan lemons chopped fine and sprinkled on top with some EVOO and balsamic vinegar. Finally, we finished off the meal with my homemade Limoncello and a lemon Mascarpone cake, fresh whipped cream, topped with peaches, blueberries and blackberries gathered on a walk, different kinds of currents, and some old-fashioned strawberries from their garden macerated in a Spanish Vermouth.

Steve prepared the cardoons from his garden and the small, slips of cardoons left after peeling and blanching were not up to the task of batter and frying as my Italian grandmother often did. But we ate them and they were good. The parpadelle were incredibly delicious. I purchased the dry pasta that was handmade in Italian and a premium brand from DeLaurenti's. I was glad the cost was worth it as it surely was. The gorgonzola too was Italian and a dolce. The honey was from the Pike Place Market. I tasted several and landed on a beautiful handmade Blackberry honey as I knew it would go well with the cheese. The prosciutto was from Parma with a delicate, sweet flavor and not too salty. The figs were fresh but not from Steve's trees as those were not yet ripe but from a friend's. Steve knew I was looking forward to it and wasn't about to disappoint. For that I am grateful. The tomatoes were heirloom -- purple, red, orange -- and tasted like fresh picked. I ordered the rabbit in advance from Don & Joe's (also in the Market) and it was fresh and it must have been a pick one as the pieces were very meaty. It was one of the tastiest rabbits I've made. I used Italian marscapone and the cake turned out very much like a cheesecake. Finally, the limoncello was made from a basket of Meyer's lemons I purchased from Costco. In fact, I purchased two baskets and made lemon marmalade and salted Moroccan-style preserved lemons. What can I say, so many Meyer's lemons, well, it was an embarrassment of riches.

Primo

Fresh figs, gorgonzola cheese, thyme and honey

Prosciutto

Secondo

Rabbit with parpadelle

Fried  cardoons

Fino

Fresh tomatoes on a bed of arugula with garlic, basil and parsley in vinagrette

Dolce

Lemon Mascarpone Cheesecake with fresh peaches, blueberries, currents and strawberries in sweet Vermouth and topped with whipped cream

Handmade Limoncello with real Meyer's lemons

Coniglio con Parpadelle

Ingredients:
2 rabbits cut in pieces
3 shallots chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 lb pancetta in thin slices
1 lb fresh Chantrelles, washed and sliced
1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped fine
2-3 branches fresh rosemary
3/4 750 ml bottle white wine
dash of Balsamic vinegar
EVOO

Directions:
Dredge the pieces of rabbit in flour
Fry the rabbit with garlic in the olive oil in a heavy pan until golden brown on all sides
Splash with vinegar
Remove to roasting pan (with heavy lid)
Fry shallots, pancetta and parsley in the pan
When cooked remove to roasting pan topping the rabbit
Add wine and Chantrelles
Top with Rosemary branches
Cover and cook in low oven at 300-degrees for 2 1/2 hours (add additional wine if necessary)

Papardelle
Cook according to instructions on the package, when al dente, drain, add approximately 3 tbl of butter and freshly grated mix of Parmesan-Romano cheese.

Serve pasta on the plate, topped with the rabbit and generous amount of sauce and Chantrelles, more grated cheese and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

A fine selection of wines

The perfect setting

Bonnie and Byron

Me cutting pane in the kitchen

Al fresco dining -- the best end to summer