Yesterday, I helped my brother-in-law Richard prepare a fancy mother’s
day dinner for Mom, my sister Eileen (mother of 2 little boys with a
third on the way) and Dad’s sister Autnie Beth, who has done so much
babysitting for two generations of deVillas that she counts as a mom.
Richard, whom I suspect is a frustrated restaurateur, planned and printed out menus while I played the role of dutiful sous-chef.
Dinner started with scallops on a bed of mâche with three dipping sauces:
- A raspberry sauce, garnished with fresh raspberries
- Balsamic raspberry vinaigrette
- Homemade mango relish (see the recipe below)
I prepared the mango relish and plated the appetizer; Richard
sautéed the scallops. The photo below shows the dishes just before we
put the scallops on top of the mâche:
We then moved to the main course, which consisted of:
- Grilled prime rib
- Risotto ai Quattro Formaggi
- Grilled red bell peppers
- Grilled asparagus
For wine, we had a viognier that Richard picked out. It was really good, and I’ll have to bug him for the name.
For dessert, a tarte (whose name also escapes me) from Richard’s and Eileen’s favourite patisserie and caffes lattes which my nephews Aidan and Nicholas made (with a little assitance from Eileen).
After dessert, I called Wendy’s mom, because she is, as far as I’m concerned, my mom too.
It was an absolutely delicious meal. I’d like to thank Richard for
planning the whole thing and inviting me to join in and to congratulate
Mom, Eileen, Auntie Beth and Wendy’s mom — happy mother’s day, ladies!
Mango Relish Recipe
This recipe is simple, but labour intensive. The ingredients are:
- 3 mangoes, ripe but firm
- 1 large vidalia onion
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Chop the mangoes as finely as you can without their turning into
mush. Chop the onion finely. Blend the chopped mangoes, chopped onion,
vinegar and olive together and let the mixture site in the refigerator
for at least an hour. The longer the relish has time to sit, the better
it tastes.
We served this with sauteed scallops, but it should be equally at home
with any seafood, chicken, pork or if you’re a vegetarian, grilled
eggplant, portobello mushroom or squash. As with any recipe, the better
and fresher your ingredients, the better this will taste. I got French
wine vinegar from a gourmet food shop (Max’s Market on Bloor Street,
just west of Runnymede), the oil was a good brand from Richard and
Eileen’s pantry and the mangoes and onion came from store that
specialized in fruits and vegetables.
Bon appetit!
