On a weekend where we had already gathered for a casual help-yourself breakfast, been out for a dim sum lunch and had plans to celebrate a monumental birthday in the evening at a cocktail party reception, we decided to assemble for a supper of salad at a neighbourhood restaurant.  We have dined at Ferraro many times over the years that Bro D has lived in midtown Toronto and we have visited and stayed with him.

All the ingredients that are assembled into salads, pastas and pizzas are hand-made on premise with a light tough.  Their tomato sauces as I recalled and then tasted again that evening allowed the fresh tomato taste to shine through,  without masses of garlic and/or herbs.

There was no tomato sauce on our salads, but one member of our group couldn’t resist his favourite item on the menu and ordered the Pescatore Spaghetti.  This is how I got to sample the delightful sauce that I remembered.  Pescatore means fish and this dish was chock full of mussels, calamari and shrimp.

When Bro D drops in for a quick salad dinner, they often select the Griglia con Pollo.  We are crazy for grilled red peppers and zucchini that provides the base of the salad. The addition of chicken tossed in balsamic vinaigrette with more dressing on the mixed greens provides deep and pungent flavours.

Montagna is another of their favourite.  Black olives, roasted red peppers & feta cheese are also tossed in balsamic vinaigrette before being laid a top of more mixed greens.

I knew that the Eggplant & Arugula would be my favourite taste of the evening as soon as I spotted it listed in chalk on the black board and my hunch was right.  The thinly sliced, crispy breaded and lightly fried eggplant was a delight when complemented by freshly sliced tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella.  The dish was a bit like Eggplant Parmigiana meets Caprese Salad.  I was in heaven.

Kath’s quote: “When I was alone, I lived on eggplant, the stove top cook’s strongest ally…. “-Laurie Colwin

Love-that is all.

Share on Facebook