summer italian

My inlaws are wonderful people. They are funny, generous and just generally great to be around. Many summer Sundays are spent at their home taking a dip in the pool and gathering around the table for grilled lamb chops, tomato salad, and local corn on the cob.

This week, we wanted to say thank you for everything they've done for us lately. We invited them over for an Italian summer meal...truly inspired from a number of Jamie Oliver cookbooks.

Fava been and fresh pea crostini
~Grill a dozen slices of baguette. Brush with a clove of garlic and drizzle with the best extra virgin olive oil on hand. Top with a puree of canned fava beans, freshly shucked green peas, parmesean cheese, salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.~

Peach, prosciutto (in this case, Serrano ham), fresh mozzarella, mint salad

Wild mushroom pappardelle

Our pasta needed a little extra "something", so I pulled out an amazing/outstanding/out-of this-freaking world extra virgin olive oil that our interior designer gave us. It's from a small property in France and is made by his friends. What I love about this olive oil is the pungency. It tastes like olives. And, it was the perfect complement to our meal.Buon appetito!

P.S. If you want my interior designer's name, you'll have to wait. Just a few more weeks, I hope.