Recipe for a Romantic Italian Dinner

Light a few candles, pull out the pretty plates, crank some tunes, and get chopping: There’s no better way to reconnect after a long week than cooking a meal together.

by ,

This content was produced by Studio MSP in collaboration with A.G. Ferrari.

Start the evening by making coffee panna cotta—it can chill and set up while you prepare the rest of the meal. Then shake up and sip an Italian 75 cocktail while you put together—and devour—a simple antipasto of ricotta with figs and prosciutto.

Bucatini al Tonno comes together quickly into a marvelous tangle of salty olives and capers, sweet tomatoes, and fresh herbs. Pair it with a northern Italian red that stands up to but won’t overwhelm the bold sauce.

As the candles burn down, savor the panna cotta with espresso, biscotti, and sips of a medium-sweet Vin Santo.

Menu for Two

Sponsored by A.G. Ferrari

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Aperitivo: Italian 75

Antipasto: Ricotta with Warm Figs & Prosciutto

Pasta: Bucatini al Tonno; wine pairing: Casanova di Neri Rosso or similar

Dessert: Coffee Panna Cotta with Coffee Caramel, Espresso; wine pairing: Vin Santo

Recipes

Coffee Panna Cotta with Coffee Caramel

Serves 2

Note: Make the panna cotta first so it can chill while you prepare the rest of the dinner.

Serve the panna cotta with espresso, biscotti, and a medium-sweetness Vin Santo dessert wine.

  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin
  • 1/4 cup coarsely ground AG Ferrari Dark Roast Espresso beans
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • Pinch of sea salt

Garnish:

  • Coffee Caramel (recipe below)
  • Flaky salt (like Maldon)
  • AG Ferrari Tuscan Almond Biscotti
  • Espresso

Directions

Pour cream in a saucepan and sprinkle with gelatin. Let gelatin soften for 10 minutes at room temperature, then set cream over medium heat. Add coffee, sugar, and pinch of salt and heat until cream just begins to simmer, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let steep for 15 minutes.

Strain cream into two 8-ounce serving dishes (ramekins, wine glasses, or other pretty bowls). Cover dishes with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 1 hour (preferably more; can be made 2 days ahead).

To serve, spoon caramel sauce over cold panna cotta. Finish with a very light sprinkle of flaky salt. Serve with biscotti, espresso, and Vin Santo.

Coffee Caramel

  • 1/4 cup very strongly brewed AG Ferrari Espresso coffee
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced

Directions

Add coffee and sugar to a small saucepan. Set over medium heat and bring to a boil. Boil without stirring until syrup turns a deep amber, brushing down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water, about 10 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and stir in cream and butter (syrup will bubble up but keep stirring, the bubbles will dissipate). Return pan to heat and simmer until sauce is smooth. Cool.

Italian 75 Cocktail

Serves 2

Note: Sip while you prepare and enjoy the antipasto.

  • 2 ounces London dry gin (Plymouth)
  • 1 ounce honey syrup (recipe below)
  • 1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • Bitters
  • 4 mint leaves
  • AG Ferrari Prosecco

Combine gin, honey syrup, lemon juice, a few drops of bitters, and mint leaves with ice in a shaker. Shake then fine strain into 2 coupe glasses. Top each with 2-3 ounces of prosecco and serve immediately.

Honey Syrup

Makes 2 ounces

  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon water

Directions: Stir honey and water together in a liquid measuring cup.

Ricotta with Warm Figs & Prosciutto

Serves 2

Note: when the figs are done, you can leave the oven on and reuse the parchment-lined baking sheet to roast tomatoes for the pasta, below.

  • 6 fresh figs, halved through the stem
  • 3 thin slices prosciutto, cut the long way into 1/2-inch long strips
  • AG Ferrari No. 5 Lorenzo extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
  • 8 ounces whole milk ricotta (preferably hand-dipped, available in cheese shops and at cheese counters)
  • 2 teaspoons honey, warmed
  • AG Ferrari Tuscan sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

  • Toasted ciabatta
  • AG Ferrari Fennel Taralli Crackers
  • Olives

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Roll each fig half in a strip of prosciutto and place on the baking sheet as you go. Drizzle each fig with a bit of olive oil.

Bake figs for 10 minutes or until hot and prosciutto is crisping a bit.

While figs bake, spoon ricotta into a mound on a serving plate. Using the back of the spoon, press a depression into the center of the ricotta. Drizzle honey over the ricotta, then some of the olive oil into the depression. Sprinkle with salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

Arrange figs around ricotta and serve with toasted bread and crackers and olives.

Bucatini al Tonno

Serves 2

Note: you can use the parchment-lined baking sheet you used to make the figs, above, to roast the tomatoes. Serve a red wine from northern Italy (Piedmont or Alto Adige), like Casanova di Neri Rosso.

  • 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 3 tablespoons AG Ferrari No. 5 Lorenzo extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • Sea salt
  • 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
  • 1/4 cup white wine (you can use some of the prosecco, above)
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon minced kalamata olives (or AG Ferrari black olive spread)
  • 1 anchovy filet, minced
  • 1 tablespoon capers, drained and chopped
  • One 7-ounce can tuna in olive oil, drained and broken up into fine pieces with your hands
  • 5 ounces AG Ferrari bucatini
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 basil leaves, torn

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Add tomato halves to the baking sheet, cut side up. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast tomatoes for 15 minutes or until softened and warm. Remove pan from oven and set aside.

While tomatoes roast, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a 10-inch skillet and set over medium heat. When oil is hot, add garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté until fragrant but not browned, about 3 minutes.

Add wine and lemon to the pan, bring to a simmer, then add olives, anchovy, capers, tuna, and a sprinkle of salt and cook until heated through. Remove pan from heat and set pan aside.

Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta cooking water then drain the pasta. Return pasta to the pot and add tuna sauce, butter, parsley, tomatoes, a generous sprinkle of salt, several grinds of black pepper, and half of the cooking water. Toss until pasta is evenly coated with sauce, adding more water if needed.

Divide pasta among two bowls, garnish with basil, and serve immediately.

Mpls.St.Paul Daily Edit

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