Book Club Eats

Last night, I had some of my closest friends over for our monthly book club meeting. I was the host, so I decided to whip up a little dinner to go with our discussion. Despite the official start of the fall season about a week ago, it's still around eighty degrees in Salt Lake City during the day. I wanted to serve a menu that was not too heavy, but would hit the spot. I started with on my favorite salads, that I discovered during a visit with the Romans in Richmond, Virgina. Denton Romans, award winning chef extraordinaire (recent winner of Ukrops recipe contest) displayed this beautiful Roman Summer Salad (courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis and Food Network.)  

I've now made this recipe multiple times and it is the perfect salad to serve at a dinner party. It combines delicate richness and depth of umami flavor through its fresh ingredients. I recommend mixing it up with some yellow tomatoes, which brings another layer of color to the dish. I also recommend getting someone to help you chop if you are creating a larger menu and starting the balsamic reduction as soon as possible, as it takes awhile to get to its necessary syrupy consistency, if you're working with a low-end stovetop like I am. 

1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup pitted green and black olives, halved
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
3 anchovy fillets, drained and chopped
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
8 fresh basil leaves, shredded
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound vine-ripened tomatoes (about 3 tomatoes)
Cook the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over low heat until thick, syrupy, and measuring 1/4 cup, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Combine the olives, parsley, anchovies, capers, garlic, basil, pepper, and olive oil in a small bowl and toss to combine.
To serve, slice the tomatoes into 1/4-inch thick rounds and place, slightly overlapping, on a serving plate. Spoon the olive and parsley mixture over the tomatoes. Drizzle the reduced balsamic over the salad and serve.

For the main course I created a baked penne with sauteed vegetables and chicken sausage in a Mornay sauce. This recipe is one of my own making, after trying out a lot of different professional's recipes.

2 tablespoons of flour

3 tablespoons of butter

2 1/2 cups of milk

1 cup Parmagianno Reggiano cheese, grated

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper or white pepper

red pepper flakes

2 cups mushrooms, sliced 

2 red bell peppers, diced

extra virgin olive oil

1 pound penne, cooked al dente

1 pound of Aidell's Roasted Garlic and Gruyere Cheese Chicken Sausuage, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. This is now a roux. Whisk in the milk, 1/2 cup at a time, creating a bechamel. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Cook, stirring constantly for 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in 1/2 cup of the grated cheese. This makes the sauce a mornay. Set this aside and keep warm. Be sure no to overcook the mornay sauce as you are working on other parts of the dish. 


In a medium saute pan, over medium heat, add about 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the sliced mushrooms and red peppers, when the oil is hot, but not yet popping. Season with kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, and red pepper flakes, to taste. Saute for about 4 minutes or until the ingredients are soft and your mushrooms have turned brown. 

Meanwhile put your sausage into a large saute pan for to warm and brown. Cut sausage into 1/4-inch pieces and brown. Set it aside. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine the pasta, sausage mixture and Mornay sauce. Mix well. Pour into a greased 2-quart oval baking dish or a 9x12 glass baking dish. Sprinkle the top with cheese and place in the oven on the top rack. Bake until the top is golden brown and bubbly, about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool slightly and serve!

(I apologize for the photo of my dish sitting in a 9 x 12 glassware, I wish it were in Le Creuset bakeware, if you do too...my birthday is December 11th.)

Dessert was a store-bought Marie Callendar's Chocolate Silk Pie, thawed, which was delicious...I can only do so much.