Columbus Foodie

One of the great things about eating local is that it doesn’t always need to be a major production – we have tons of locally produced convenience items. For this week’s edition of One Local Summer, by pairing convenience items with a salad made with romaine from my garden, we had a nice, filling and delicious Italian feast.

Thick and Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing
recipe courtesy Recipezaar

2 ounces anchovy fillet (1 small can or about 12 fillets)
8 cloves garlic
1 egg
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup mayonnaise

Place all except oil and mayonnaise in food processor or blender and process until smooth. While processor is running add oil VERY SLOWLY and process until thick and creamy (about 4-5 minutes). Pour into bowl and add 1/4 cup of mayonnaise and blend thoroughly with a fork. Taste and adjust seasonings to your taste (sometimes I like to add a couple more tablespoons of Parmesan cheese). Cover and chill until ready to use.

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For the main course, we took some meatballs (which are made fresh twice a week) and sausage from Mr. Meatball, and simmered it in a jar of Carfagna’s sauce. We let it simmer for a couple of hours, and the sauce flavored the meat and vice versa. We served it with a mix of cheese and meat ravioli from Mr. Meatballs, sprinkled with a touch of Parmesan cheese. Easily the best ravioli we’ve had outside of New Jersey.

The Italian bread came from one of my recent discoveries, Auddino’s Italian Bakery on Clara Ave, right off of 11th St. exit of I-71. More about that discovery later. And on it, I put garlic spread from Mr. Meatball.

Local Items:
Romaine lettuce – from my garden
Egg for dressing – 2 Silos (Mt. Gilead, OH)
Cheese and meat ravioli – Mr. Meatball (Columbus, OH)
Meatballs and Sausage – Mr. Meatball (Columbus, OH)
Spaghetti Sauce – Carfagna’s (Columbus, OH)
Italian Bread – Auddino’s Italian Bakery (Columbus, OH)