In The KitcheN

Join us for a Tuscan Dinner with paired Italian wines on March 29, 2008 at 6:30 P.M.

At Amici, we are getting ready for another wonderful regional Italian dinner.  This time we will serve typical dishes from the Tuscany region of Italy, paired with Italian wines, some from, of course, Tuscany including Sangiovese, Chianti and a Super Tuscan.

Tuscan food is generally quite simple.  However, the freshness and distinct flavors of the ingredients are unforgettable.

Our dinner will start with, what else? crostini on Tuscan style bread of course.  An assortment of toppings will include: porcini mushrooms, and the most traditional, chicken liver.

We will then serve ReNero Pecorino “sheep’s milk” cheese drizzled with honey, the way we had it in a small trattoria somewhere in the hilltops of Tuscany, accompanied with prosciutto, braseola and spressata, which will be paired with a lovely Sangiovese wine.

The next course is a hearty soup made with vegetables, cannellini beans and Tuscan bread, called “Ribollita,”  which literally means “re-boiled.”  We picked this soup in place of pasta, because it is so traditional, yet not commonly served in the United States.

A salad of arugula, radicchio and endive will be a light refreshing break before the main course, which will be steak...

Florence is known for its “Bisteccha alla Fiorentina.”  Although we won’t be cooking over a wood fire, we will try our best to grill it just right.  Our steak will be sliced and drizzled with hot oil with rosemary and sage, and served with wild mushrooms and roasted potatoes.  It doesn’t get much simpler than that.  The wine that Tony, our wine expert, has chosen to accompany the steak is a Super Tuscan.

Dessert will be a unique treat made with chestnuts, so plentiful in the Tuscan region of Italy, served with a dessert wine from Sicily.

We hope you can join us.

Benedetta & Vito

Amici Italian Restaurant

St. Augustine, Florida

904-461-0102