She loves my Greek salad so that's a win.
She is allergic to shrimp.
She just got her oven fixed so I was thinking about a whole roasted chicken and homemade lasagna.
My grandmother was Sicilian so you know about that with all of the seafood courses for Christmas. Seafood is bountiful and cheap down there. Forget about finding a whole rib roast, whole duck/goose or bone in ham.
I was thinking about doing a whole roasted fish, something like snapper stuffed with limes and herbs. Lemons are hard to find down there and are crazy expensive. I bought a small grill the last time I was there so I could also do a whole grilled fish instead.
Instead of the whole fish I was thinking about a Mediterranean fish stew that I do which is really good. Kind of a hybrid between bouillabase and cioppino. It's easy.
Italian sausages with grilled red peppers (marinated afterward with good olive oil and garlic)?
I make a killer risotto but I don't know if I can find the correct Arborio rice down there. I would have to smuggle in my hand picked Persian saffron 😆
I do a very slow poached whole octopus in olive oil (like 2 or 3 hours depending on size) and then finished on the grill, which is fantastic. Absolutely needs fresh lemon.
I can't get too fancy because people's palettes are very basic; i.e. asparagus won't fly.
I also like to keep things simple with things we can put in the oven or sit on the stove. I don't like this last minute rush of trying to get everything on the table. I like it to be casual and served in courses if I can
Still contemplating and thinking out loud here! 🤔 😆