Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello

Romance on a Shoestring

Michael shows a groom-to-be how to whip up an elegant meal for his intended as they save money for the big day. With recipes for Zucchini Saltimbocca , Stuffed Chicken Thighs w/Red Pepper Tomato Sauce over Fettucine, Hazelnut Semifreddo.

Holiday Cookie Exchange

Michael pulls out the Chiarello holiday favorites, and invites a few guests over to cook their Italian favorites. With recipes for Pastura, Turdilli & Chocolate Baci di Dama (Ladies Kisses)

Breakfast for Dinner

Today Michael's making a hearty Breakfast for any time of day With recipes for Potato Hash with Baked Eggs, Savory Fluffy Pancake with Fontina, Melon Fettuccini with sweet wine and fresh mint, Café Correcto - espresso with a 'pop" & Grand Mimosa

Pumpkin Picking Party

Our guests head to the pumpkin patch and pick some ripe ones, then they enjoy Michael's autumn feast of pumpkin delicacies with recipes for Pumpkin Pastina served in a Pumpkin, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds, Frisee Salad & Cranberry Vodka Cocktail

Wine Recommendation
2004 Trefethen Dry Reisling
2002 Hawk Crest Cabernet

Elegant Holiday Dinner

With recipes for Forever Roasted Lamb with Roasted Winter Vegetables, Risotto al Cabernet, Roasted Beet Onion and Orange Salad, and Peppermint Mock Misu, Michael is going to show you how to throw a dinner party full of elegance.

Gameplan
1 Day Before Party:

• Peel, dice and boil sweet potatoes for Roasted Vegetables. Trim, halve and blanch brussel sprouts. Drain, cool and store sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts in refrigerator overnight.


• For Roasted Beet Onion and Orange Salad. Wash, trim and roast beets. Trim pearl onions and toss with olive oil.


• Toast and grind spices for Fennel Spice Rub. Store overnight.


• Add pearl onions to beets in the oven and roast until both beets and onions are tender. Cool and store separately in refrigerator overnight.

Morning of the Party (At least 8 hours before meal is served):

• Peel and chop onions and herbs for Forever Roasted Lamb. Sauté onion herb mixture.


• Prepare lamb leg by slicing it open and laying it flat. Season the leg with salt and pepper and reserved Fennel Spice Rub. Stuff with half of the onion and herb mixture. Roll up and tie the leg. Season outside and roast with carrots and celery on low temp for 7 hours.


• Simmer brandy syrup and chop peppermint for Peppermint Mock-misu. Blend chocolate and ricotta filling. Assemble Mock-misu, cover and store in refrigerator until service.

One Hour before the Party:

• Cover lamb with remaining onion herb mixture and cover with foil. Roast lamb for an additional hour.


• Sauté onions and rice for Risotto al Cabernet and add the wine and the first ladle of stock. In another pan, sauté reserved brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes. Finish vegetables in oven and season with chopped herbs and garlic.


• Finish Risotto al Zinfandel with remaining broth, wine and cheese. Pour the risotto onto a platter and serve hot.


• Pull lamb from oven and serve on a platter with roasted vegetables.


• Assemble Roasted Beet, Onion and Orange Salad by peeling and dicing beets and plating them with oranges, roasted pearl onions, hazelnuts and vinaigrette.


• Serve the Peppermint Mock-misu for dessert.

Eat and Enjoy!

TV Dinner and a Movie

It's a quiet dinner at home, filled with some of your all-time favorite comfort foods and served TV dinner style! With Michael's recipes for Cup of Quick Minestrone , Turkey Polpettone Sandwich in Marinara, Parmesan Fries oven baked, Warm Bananas w/Brown Sugar & Bay leaf over Chocolate Cake

Gameplan
Day Before Party:

• Assemble and sauté soup (without pasta) for Super Quick Minestrone.


• Mix and simmer sauce (without sliced bananas) for Warm Bananas with Brown Sugar Sauce to top Chocolate Cake.


• Skim the simmering Minestrone and refrigerate it overnight.


• Remove Warm Bananas with Brown Sugar Sauce from the heat and refrigerate overnight.


• Prep, par-boil, drain, coat and refrigerate the potatoes for Parmesan Fries.


• Mix raw turkey with other ingredients and for Turkey Polpettone, refrigerate overnight.

One Hour Before Party:

• Boil Pasta for Super Quick Minestrone, remove from pot and cover with olive oil to keep moist until ready to add to soup.


• Put Super Quick Minestrone on the stove to get back up to a boil.


• Take Par boiled potato sticks and bake them in the oven to bake.


• Begin to sauté the turkey patties for the Polpettone, and place the marinara on the stove to heat to combine with sandwich.


• Grate parmesan and top baking fries in the oven for Parmesan fries, place them back in the oven to melt cheese.


• Flip the turkey patties to brown on the other side, then lift and put them in the heated marinara sauce. Top with extra mozzarella.


• Slice crostini bread and place sauteed patties from the sauce in the sandwich bread for serving.


• Pull fries form oven to cool.

As Guests Arrive:

• Add pasta to Super Quick Minestrone.


• Reheat and add bananas to Warm Bananas with Brown Sugar Sauce.


• Eat and enjoy, serving in TV Dinner trays if possible.

Eat and Enjoy!

Wine Recommendation
2001 Trefethen Merlot

Marrakech Nights

It's a trip to the Kasbah as Michael goes Moroccan with a party that just sounds exotic. With recipes for Tagine of Lamb Stracotto w/ Spring Onions, Ceci with sage & garlic,Couscous, Dates & figs for dessert with mint tea.

Gameplan
Day Before Party:

• Salt, stack and soak lemon slices for Preserved Lemon.


• Cut lamb and combine with herbs and oils and allow to marinate for Tagine of Lamb Stracatto with Spring Onions.


• Rinse and refrigerate Preserved Lemon slices overnight.


• Slice and par boil potatoes to go in the Tagine of Lamb Stracatto with Spring Onions.


• Slice and add carrots to onions and continue cooking for Tagine of Lamb Stracatto.


• Remove lamb pieces from marinade, and dredge in flour, sauté until brown for Tagine of Lamb Stracatto, then use oil from browned lamb to caramelize par boiled potatoes and carrots.


• Reduce wine and chicken broth for simmering sauce and combine in large pot for Tagine of Lamb Stracatto, place in oven to cook, clean and peel spring onions.


• Combine and prepare all ingredients for Ceci alla Siciliana and refrigerate overnight.


• Remove Tagine of Lamb Stracatto from oven and refrigerate overnight.

1 Hour Before Party:

• Boil water and add cous cous for Cous Cous with Preserved Lemon.


• Reheat Tagine of Lamb Stracatto, add cleaned and peeled spring onions.


• Prep and add cilantro and Preserved Lemon for Cous Cous with Preserved Lemon.

At the party:

• Grill bruschetta and cover with olive oil to serve with Ceci alla Siciliana.

Eat and Enjoy!

Wine Recommendation
Trefethen Double T 2002 Napa Valley Red
Ravenswood 2003 Vintners Blend Zinfandel

Venetian Tapas Cocktail Party

It's the Italian version of Spanish tapas-cicchetti. Throughout Venice you can find these cicchetti bars serving bite size appetizers. With recipes for Polenta Bites w/Caramelized Mushrooms, Pan Roasted Trout Bruschetta w/Chili Vinaigrette, Baked Clams w/ Prosciutto Bits & Bread Crumbs, Grilled Sweet Italian Sausages w/Basalmic Reduction.

Cubano Fiesta

Michael returns to his days in Miami for this inexpensive party full of hot and hearty Cuban favorites. With recipes for Ropa Vieja, Double Fried Plantains, Black Beans and cumin scented rice, Caipirinha

Gameplan
1 Day Before Party:

• Simmer steak and vegetables for Ropa Vieja.


• Soak and rinse black beans for Cuban Black Beans. Simmer beans with ham hock. Chop and sauté onion, garlic and chilies and blend with one half of cooked beans. Mash mixture, return to pot and cook.


• Remove steak from broth to cool. Strain broth and return to pot to simmer and reduce.


• Tear steak into bite-size strips.


• Chop and sauté onions, garlic and peppers for Ropa Vieja.


• Season black bean mixture.


• Dice tomatoes and add to Ropa Vieja mixture with reduced broth. Simmer mixture and finish with shredded meat and parsley. Cool and store in refrigerator overnight.


• Strain black beans, cool and store in refrigerator overnight.

1 Hour Before Party:

• Peel and slice plantains for Fried Plantains. Deep fry plantains, smash, and fry again. Season and keep warm.


• Sauté rice in cumin and butter for Cumin Scented Rice. Simmer rice mixture with lime juice and water. Keep warm.


• Reheat Ropa Vieja.


• Reheat Cuban Black Beans.

At the Party:

• Blend and serve Caipirinha Cocktails.


• Serve Ropa Vieja with Cuban Black Beans, Cumin Scented Rice and Fried Plantains.

Eat and Enjoy!

Pizza Power Match

It's Jan versus Michael again, and this time they are tackling the perfect pizza. With a little store bought dough and a lot of imagination, they are stepping in the ring to prove who has the knockout recipe for this traditional American favorite.

Happy Trails Birthday Party

Round up your doggies for a pony ride! Michael throws a children's birthday party with a western theme that any kid will love. With recipes for Mac and cheese "Lasagna style, BBQ Chicken "toes" on skewers & Cupcake club sandwich

Salad For Dinner

Michael takes everyone's favorite healthy side dish and makes it the main event. With recipes for Raw Corn, Arugula, Pecorino and Chicken Breast Salad, Warm Peach & Prosciutto Salad ,Very Green Broccoli Soup, Prosecco digestif, Peccorino w/Honey and Hazelnuts & an Old World Italian Fruit Bowl on Ice.

Country Thanksgiving

It's an American Thanksgiving tradition, country style. With recipes for Whole Roasted Turkey with Citrus Rosemary Salt, Roasted Winter Squash, and Autumn Panzanella

Gameplan
1 Day Before Party

• Peel and dice butternut squash and chop herbs for Roasted Butternut Squash.


• Blend and simmer brown butter sauce and toss with squash. Roast squash.


• Blend Citrus Rosemary Salt for Roasted Turkey. Store in a container overnight.


• Remove roasted squash from oven and and puree it. Cool, cover and refrigerate overnight.


• Dice bread, toss with brown butter and cheese and bake croutons for Autumn Panzanella Salad. Cool, cover and store overnight.

3 Hours Before Party:

• Season turkeys with olive oil and reserved Citrus Rosemary Salt. Roast turkeys. When finished, pull from oven and allow to rest before carving.


• Sauté onions and vinegar and puree for dressing for Autumn Panzanella Salad.


• Sauté mushrooms and thyme and add to Autumn Panzanella Salad.


• Reheat prepared Roasted Butternut Squash.


• Blend flour, butter and stock for gravy. Simmer a few minutes and serve warm with turkeys.


• Assemble and dress Autumn Panzanella Salad.

At the Party:

• Carve and serve turkeys with gravy.


• Serve Autumn Panzanella Salad and Roasted Butternut Squash.

Eat and Enjoy!

Wine Recommendation
2001 Trefethen Cabernet, Napa Valley
2001 Adler Fels Gewurztraminer, Russian River Valley