March 20, 2016

We met at Tonya's.  Deb was in New Zealand!!  The rest of the gals were present.

Mary started us off with a beautiful platter with cheeses, hummus, almonds and grapes.  All were delicious and it was a sophisticated display to get us started as we slaved away over the bolognese.   Ha!

Our second course was Angelica's Italian Romaine Salad.  It was dressed with a delicate lemon vinaigrette.  This was a very nice, simple salad that paired perfectly with the complex herb flavors of the main course.  All photographs but the cake were taken by Tonya with her new camera.  I love the sharp detail and she shall be deemed the new Gourmet Gals photographer!

Salad

1 large bunch or 2 small bunches romaine lettuce
1 small red onion

1 cup pitted Kalamata olives or pitted jumbo ripe olives
1 jar (6 oz) marinated artichoke hearts, undrained
1/2 cup seasoned croutons
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Lemon Vinaigrette

1 or 2 medium lemons
2 cloves garlic or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

For the main dish, Tonya picked Chicken Bolognese with Crispy Oregano.  I have never prepared bolognese and I was excited to try it - both cooking and eating!  I had just heard on the radio a recipe for turkey bolognese in reference to healthy, quick, flavorful, week night meals.  So apparently bolognese is all the rage these days.

This recipe featured ground chicken rather than turkey.  The combination of the fresh tarragon and diced tomatoes gave the dish a unique, complex flavor.  Be careful when "frying" the oregano garnish. Those damp little leaves like to pop!  Tonya squealed quite a few times during this step of the recipe.

We finished our meal with a cake, that while not Italian, was delicious.  Brown Sugar Pound cake was moist and sweet without being too sweet.  I used only half of the recipe for the brown sugar glaze because the sugar count was getting into the outrageous range.