FOODIE FRIDAY: For Friends....When in doubt, I do it all!

By Debbie Mitchell

This week's Foodie Friday posting is courtesy of Ms. Roopa Unnikrishnan.  When I invited Roopa to write it she bowled me over with topic options including an eclectic menu for a dinner party she was having for friends this week.  Once I saw the menu I told her to forget the post and invite me to dinner!  Okay, I was not invited to dinner but we are planing a pot luck meal with  foodie friends in the near future.  For now here is the list of dishes from what Roopa calls her "crazy dinner party and out-of-control menu!"  Enjoy!

Appetizers:

Prosciutto wrapped dates 

Deviled eggs with an eastern twist (with Wasabi sauce, mayo and extremely finely-sliced onions)

Sausages sauteed with onions

Baked white stuffer mushrooms with goat cheese (my preferred cheese being Cypress Grove PsycheDillic Chevre goat milk cheese)

Main course:

Broccoli rabe tossed with fried onions

Panko-encrusted Pork with a red wine wasabi sauce

Teriyaki and tomato baked salmon

Vegetable casserole

Mushroom risotto


Dessert:
Pineapple Upside Down Cake

By Roopa Unnikrishnan

I’m certainly a foodie, but even my inner foodie was on overdrive when I planned a dinner party for two couples who are great friends and mentors to the family. It was the four of them and the four of us…and they were outnumbered by the items on my menu. I’d say, don’t do it…except it was so much fun to see it all come together. The overall menu is below. I’ll share a few of the recipes today, and if you like, will share more in future blog posts. You can find other recipes on my blog.  
The three recipes I share today should be fine for a nice meal, and apart from marinading time takes less than an hour to prepare, if you can multi-task. Start by prepping the prosciutto-covered dates (5 minutes), then bake them and the marinaded pork (max of 30 minutes), Prep the onions and raab while the baking is done, and finish off with the pork and sauce (10 minutes.)

Prosciutto-wrapped dates

Broccoli rabe tossed with fried onions

Panko-encrusted Pork with a red wine wasabi sauce

Prosciutto-Wrapped Dates:

4 oz prosciutto (should give you 8 to 10 slices)

Medjool dates, as many as the number of slices of prosciutto you have
Wrap each date tightly with a prosciutto slice, making sure that one side has the date peeping out of it
Some people like to pack the date with goat cheese - I didn't since it would have worked against the simplicity and sophistication of the other two flavors you are working with
Arrange on a baking dish, making sure to spray lightly with oil
In an oven heated to 350 degrees, toast the dates for 10 minutes, turning half-way through the process
Serve warm!

Broccoli rabe tossed with fried onions:

One bunch of broccoli rabe, cleaned and cut so that the tops have about 2 inch stems on them
Two medium onions, sliced semi-thick
Salt to taste
Colander and a basin of water with ice

Bring a quart of water to a boil
Prep to blanch your rabe: This means having the ice water handy to ensure you stop the cooking very quickly
Drop the rabe into the boiling water and cook for 1 minute
Fish out the rabe and place them in a colander dipped into the icy cold water
In a pan, fry the onions till they are a nice translucent brown
Pat dry the rabe, then toss into the onions, and add about a teaspoon of salt to taste
Cook for about five minutes - you're done!

Panko-Crusted Pork:

2lb Berkshire Pork Medallion Roast
2 cups red wine, ideally with a fruity base
1/2 cup Hot Wasabi Sauce ( I by BookBinders' Hot Wasabi Sauce, but you should find a variety of options in your neighborhood grocery)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups Panko (again, available in the Asian food isle of most groceries these days)
Two eggs
Olive oil spray and non stick pan

Panko-Crusted Pork
Whip together 1 cup of red wine, and a quarter cup of wasabi sauce for a creamy mix
Marinade the whole roast in the wine-wasabi mix overnight - or as long as you can, but hopefully at least an hour
When you are ready to cook, start by heating the oven to 350 degrees
Roast the pork for half an hour, then take out to cook
There will be a small amount of juice that collects around the succulent roast- keep it aside for the sauce
Pat it dry, and slice into quarter-inch slices
Beat the eggs to act as a binding agent, and spread the Panko on a plate
Coat the pork roast slices with egg, then cover with Panko flakes
Heat a non-stick pan over a medium flame, and use a light coat of olive oil spray
Toast the pork slices till the Panko is a light brown and plate to serve

The Sauce
The sauce is very much in keeping with the marinade
In a saucepan heat the red wine till it starts to bubble, then pour in the remaining Wasabi sauce and whisk.  As the mixture starts to boil, whisk in the sugar, mixing well to ensure no caramelizing happens
Finally dribble in the juice from the bake and you're all set with a piquant sauce to go with your Panko pork

Roopa Unnikrishnan

Roopa, Managing Director, is Deputy –COO for BlackRock’s Global marketing and Communications Organization. She is responsible for strategic projects and organizational effectiveness. Prior to joining BlackRock, she was VP, Corporate Strategy and prior to that the Global Head of Pfizer's worldwide talent and organizational team for the Sales Organization. She also worked in other departments, including worldwide strategy and innovation.


Roopa also has a varied extracurricular life, being both a published poet and a world-class athlete in sports riflery. She has captained an Oxford University team and won many medals for her nation in the International arena. She holds degrees from the University of Madras and Oxford University. In her spare time, she blogs about food at RoopaRecipes.blogspot.com.
She lives in Manhattan with her husband, a professor and dean at Columbia University's Graduate school of Journalism; and their twins 

TV/Social Media Producer Debbie Mitchell is currently a member of the James Beard Broadcast and New Media Awards committee.  If you are a food blogger interested in television placement or connecting with brands follow Debbie Mitchell @TVProducerDeb or email Ready4Airtv@gmail.com .