Intimate Italian Dinner at Home

Whipped up a little Italian feast for a few friends. The main dish is inspired by Rigatoni Alfonso, my favorite menu item from a famous restaurant in Manila called Cibo. Wanted my friends here to at least get a glimpse of what all the fuss has been about. Also made a simple Alfredo sauce for some store-bought mushroom ravioli. Served those with toasted sourdough drizzled with oil, garlic and herbs, and some sliced mozzarella cheese with fresh basil. Everything went perfectly with a glass of Riesling.

After all the talking, laughing and eating, we realized that we kind of forgot to plan out dessert. Thankfully some of the best desserts are the ones that require minimal preparation. Melted a few different kinds of chocolate, brought out a pint of Haagen Dazs strawberry and some frozen strawberries, and finished everything off with a dollop of cream.. can you say heaven?

 

I add the fresh mozzarella and basil a few minutes before serving. The melted mozzarella makes all the difference to this sauce.

Scharffen Berger chocolate chunks, Hershey's Dark and Toll House Semi Sweet morsels all in one bowl.