On Saturday morning, I read a report about charity balls going
broke. I sifted through details about fancy events, held at top
hotels, that sometimes just break even.
On Saturday morning, I read a report about charity balls going broke. I sifted through details about fancy events, held at top hotels, that sometimes just break even. This year, many events in Silicon Valley and San Francisco were canceled due to a lack of interest and the high cost to organize them.
Then, about eight hours later, we attended an event that knocked our socks off with its simplicity – the Spring Lamb Barbecue hosted by La Filice Winery at Campo di Bocce in Los Gatos.
Tim Filice of Gilroy and Ed Filice of Paso Robles put their successful pet project – La Filice wines – to good use by throwing a benefit for the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford Children’s Hospital. They and their families partnered with the Albanese Family, owners of Campo di Bocce, and convinced a trio of Greeks from the San Jose Greek Community to barbeque a whole lamb and more.
We never sat down for dinner, tuxes and sequins would have been totally out of place, and rain flooded the bocce ball courts. There was no band, no live auction and few places to sit. So what did we do? Not much.
Except taste great wines, by La Filice and Bonterra Vineyards, and eat some of the best finger food I’ve ever tasted. As we stood at tall wooden tables at Campo di Bocce, staff members brought around lamb and Italian sausages and feta cheese turnovers. We nibbled on great cheese and fragrant olives that went perfectly with La Filice’s fruity 2001 Syrah.
The wonderful Greek chefs took the spring lamb off of the spit and cut it into chunks, encouraging us to take pieces right from their aluminum pans. Still later, waiters brought around tender lamb chops, black from a quick grilling and covered with garlic and citrus. We ate everything with our hands.
We did some other things normally considered geeky: we arrived at an early 5:30 and everyone wore preprinted name tags. But somehow it worked. We talked to people we didn’t know well, because we didn’t have to be embarrassed about not remembering their names. We met some new people. The crowd actually listened silently to a 10-minute speech by an impassioned volunteer, telling us about Ronald McDonald House and the families of sick children who are served by it.
The silent auction raised a few thousand dollars by the time we were sampling baklava and homemade biscotti, and we were back home in Gilroy by 10. If you’d like to go next year, get on the mailing list at www.lafilice.com. It was a simple and delicious evening – a true fun-raiser.
• Greek winner: This Greek Salad has a few twists. It calls for fennel and a marinated red onion. If you don’t like fennel, just leave it out and add a few more lettuce leaves. But do try it. It makes the salad special. It’s from Nigella Lawson.
The Ultimate Greek Salad
1 red onion
1 T. dried oregano
Black pepper
1 T. red wine vinegar
3/4 plus 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
5 good tomatoes
1 tsp. granulated sugar
Pinch of sea salt
1 large head romaine lettuce
1 bulb fennel
4 oz. (1/2 cup) pitted black olives
14 oz. feta cheese
Juice of half lemon
Peel and finely slice red onion lengthwise then sprinkle over oregano and pepper. Pour in vinegar and oil and toss well, cover with plastic wrap and leave to steep for a good 2 hours or more.
Cut the tomatoes into wedges (about 8 per tomato). Sprinkle the sugar and a pinch of salt over them and leave while you get on with the rest. Wash the lettuce, tear into big pieces and put into a large, wide salad bowl. Slice the fennel and add, then the olives and the feta, cut or crumbled into rough chunks, and toss well. Now add the tomatoes, the red onion in its marinade and the lemon juice. Toss gently but thoroughly, so that everything is well combined. Serves 6-8.
• Feta festive: These turnovers are made easy by the refrigerated dough. The recipe comes from a 1996 Bon Apetit. Serve with the above salad for an easy, light lunch menu.
Spinach and Feta Turnovers
2 large eggs
1 10-oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)
2 T. chopped fresh mint
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 10-oz. tube refrigerated pizza dough
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease heavy large baking sheet. Whisk eggs in large bowl to blend. Transfer 1 tablespoon beaten eggs to small bowl and reserve for glaze. Mix spinach, cheese, mint, garlic and pepper into remaining eggs in large bowl.
Unfold dough on prepared baking sheet. Gently stretch dough to 11-inch square. Cut dough into 4 equal squares. Spoon 1/4 of spinach filling (about 1/3 cup) into center of each dough square. Fold 1 corner of each square over filling to opposite corner, forming triangle. Press dough edges together tightly with fork to seal. Using sharp knife, cut 3 small slits in top of each turnover to allow steam to escape. Brush tops of turnovers with reserved egg glaze.
Bake turnovers until filling is cooked through and tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve warm. 2 Servings; can be doubled.
• Quick cake: Ashley Menger adapted this recipe from “The Fannie Farmer Baking Book” and submitted it to Gourmet magazine several years ago. She says it’s “easy and yummy.”
Quickest Chocolate Cake
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3 oz. fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cups strong brewed coffee
5 T. bourbon (preferably 80 proof)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Butter two round springform pans and line bottom of each with a round of wax paper. Butter paper and dust pans with flour, knocking out excess. Wrap bottom and 1 inch up side on outside of each springform pan with foil (to catch drips).
Melt chocolates and butter with coffee in a 4-quart saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat and cool 10 minutes. Beat in bourbon, eggs, and vanilla. Sift in flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt and stir until batter is smooth (batter will be thin).
Divide batter between springform pans (about 3 cups batter in each). Bake cakes in middle of oven 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until a tester inserted in centers comes out with crumbs adhering. Remove from oven and cool in pans on racks 20 minutes. Run a thin knife around edge of each pan, then remove sides. When cool, remove pan bottoms and wax paper.
Makes 2 small cakes (serves 12).
Notes from Jenny’s Kitchen
• If a cake is too delicate and crumbly to frost, freeze it for a few hours until solid, then frost it. Defrost before serving.
• Did you know … the ripening process stops when you refrigerate fruit.
• Store ripe peaches in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to five days. Better yet, eat immediately while they’re sweet, fragrant and semi-soft.
– Jenny Midtgaard
