Italian Night With the Gastronati

Now I'm sure you have all been waiting on the edge of your seats for the details of Italian night with the Gastronati. It was delicioso! But first let me update you on the Gastronati itself.

Some of you may have noticed that our food club's name has gone through many incarnations. As our group of budding food aficionados' search for a collective identity, there have been growing pains: The Saturday Night BeFOODies was a bit too beFOODled-centric, the beFOODies a touch too casual, the Royal Society of the Gastronomy was too academic, and the Church of Gastrology much too evocative of the mad Scientologists (that was the point, but if people had taken this reference seriously we would have been mortified). But at long last we have word-smithed our final title - the Gastronati, S's idea! S is also doing up a logo for this very Illuminati-inspired identity - stay tuned for the unveiling in a future post.

Clockwise from top left, we've got the veal stew with cipollini onions that S and I brought; a delicious and elaborate pork braciole from Italian Cooking and Living, which is pork tenderloin rolled around caramelized onions and other goodies, made by Peanut Butter and Jelly; and Italian sausage and mushroom risotto from Simply Recipes, and an insalata Caprese soused with a little splash of balsamic vinegar reduction made by Squeaky and Calimocho, who hosted the evening at their amazing apartment.