NJ SPICE

I forgot to add red pepper. And the only parsley I had was dried.

No matter, my impromptu dinner of linguine with clam sauce turned out just fine, thank you.  I realized I had all the makings for this in my cupboard: little cans of chopped and whole clams, and clam broth.  I sautéed garlic in olive oil first and added some white wine which I cooked down, before adding clam broth (which I also cooked down slightly) and clams.  Pasta in many forms is always on hand.

I almost always use dried pasta (De Cecco or Barilla Plus), preferring it to fresh for most dishes. But every now and then I pick up some fresh egg pasta at Lucy’s Ravioli Kitchen, and find it satisfying when I want a somewhat richer dish.  But this time the goal was to use up some of what was languishing in my cupboards, and the result was delicious, even reheated for lunch at work a day or two later.  The key for me in this dish is to use plenty of liquid in the sauce, so the pasta doesn’t absorb it all, even as leftovers.  I like my pasta dishes moist, not dry, although I am careful not to over sauce when I’m using tomatoes.  We American have a habit of drowning our spaghetti in tomato sauce, which is not at all the way it’s done in Italy.  Just like you shouldn’t overdress your salad.

When I attended a Suppers Program dinner for a recent recipe column, one of the dishes served that evening was delicious oven-fried eggplant.

Thinly sliced, it was drizzed with olive oil and baked at very high heat on shallow baking sheets.  Maybe it was flipped once, but thin as it was, might not have needed it.  The edges got nice and crispy, you definitely need the peel on for this dish (which I prefer anyway).

 At table, the eggplant was served with a little shredded Romano cheese (sheep milk), and it was fabulous.  So simple and so flavorful. Be sure to buy a good, preferably organic eggplant, and use good olive oil, even though you’re cooking with it.  The flavor really counts here.

Lots of wine tastings and dinners on the horizon -

At Princeton Corkscrew on Hulfish Street, there are regular tastings in the store from 5:00-8:00pm.  April 20 brings Matt Cline from Three Wine Company of California, in a tasting of three old vines wines, and on April 29 they welcome Michel Fonne from Domaine Michel Fonne, Grand Cru Alsace, with special guest Luc Luyckx from Belgium of Chateau Fontaynes, Cahors.

Explore Pinot Noirs From Around the World on April 28 at Restaurant One 53 in Rocky Hill.  Select hors d’oeuvres accompany this tasting, and I’ve noticed their tastings often sell out, since they only have room for 24.  For information visit www.one53nj.com, to reserve, call 609-921-0153.

Cool Vines pairs up with Camillo’s Café at the Princeton Shopping Center on May 4.  This dinner is comprised of five courses sourced from Abruzzo Italy (where my maternal grandfather was from!). The food will be paired with organic Jasci wines also from Abruzzo sourced by Sherbrooke Wines for CoolVines; a complete menu and on-line registration are available at www.coolvines.com.  CoolVines also has regular in-store wine tastings, so be sure to check out the schedule on their website.

Meanwhile, over at the bucolic Hopewell Valley Vineyards, the weekend brings regular entertainment, and on June 5 there’s a special cocktail party to benefit Pennington Autism Lifetime Services, with a raffle of a week in a villa in Tuscany.  Sweet!

Congratulations to Cooking Vacations on their fabulous cover story on the Amalfi coast, by Elizabeth Berg, in the new issue of National Geographic Traveler.

It was Cooking Vacations that arranged for my complimentary cooking lesson when I visited Italy with my nephew in 2006, which I wrote up for the Packet.  Just that one splendid evening at a wine estate in the hills outside Florence convinced me that these are the go-to people for Italian culinary vacations. They have relatonships with properties all over Italy, the scope of what they offer is broad and inspiring - even armchair travelers will be sorely tempted after browsing their website.  Hard to resist when they take care of everything!

Every month I get a tempting newsletter from Cooking Vacations owner Lauren Birmingham-Piscitelli.  The one from last November described her own October wedding in Positano, and the list of dishes served at the luncheon afterwards sent me into transports:

“After the Church celebration, everyone celebrated with pranza at La Taverna del Leone, where Chefs Philomena and Fortunata prepared an endless 9 course lunch. A Prosecco toast started off the festivity, followed by Mozzarella & cherry tomatoes on a skewer, delicate polenta squares baked with sugo, delicately fried alici & biancetti with lightly tossed with sea salt and served in paper cones-and that was just the aperitivo!

“First course included zucchini & melanzana stuffed with an olive, cheese, and bread, small size focaccio, zucchini flower bites, and more. Second course included hand-made ravioli Caprese - stuffed with organic Ricotta and basil. Third course Risotto pescatore. Fourth course, fresh caught Pezzonga, a delicate local white fish served with Julian-style vegetables. Fifth course, filetto grilled and served in a slow cooked Aglianico wine with a piping of potatoes. Sixth course semi-freddo and miniature cannoli.

“Then, seventh, Zia Domenica’s home made cookies and Capri dolci secci. And the cake! A pearl white wedding cake, layered with red fruits, sweet cream, and decorated with tiny pearls of almond paste and white roses. The evening ended with an assortment of café, grappa, Sambuca, limoncello and heart shape Majani chocolates. Buon Appetito!”

I want to go to there!