Ciao Italia Live!

This past weekend I was lucky enough to be invited as a guest on Mary Ann Esposito‘s PBS show, Ciao Italia, which was going to be taped in front of a Live audience at The Mohegan Sun Hotel and Casino in Uncasville, Ct. Miggy and I drove up on Friday afternoon, as we were to meet Mary Ann and her team for dinner at Jasper White’s, Jasper’s Summer Shack at The Mohegan Sun (I’m a huge fan of Jasper’s…I’ve been to the one in Boston, as well as this one).

Jasper sent over a varity of appetizers which we made short order of, including a raw platter, ceviches, and fried smelts…everything was absolutely delicious and pristinely fresh. The entrees did not fail to delight, either. We actually had four people in our party buy Jasper’s signature Pan Roasted Lobster, which is entirely finger licking good. I cannot get enough of this dish.

I got a side of Brazilian collard greens that were tender crisp with a hint of heat that I can easily get addicted to. Paul Lally, producer of Mary Ann’s show, and easily one of the nicest people I have ever met ordered the Crab Cakes which were served with some lovely baked beans.

Donna Soares, Mary Ann’s Culinary Producer had the Fried Scallop Platter
a she very much enjoyed the dinner. The last of our party ordered a silky Shrimp Gumbo that was the perfect comfort food to ward off winter’s chill.

The next morning’s call time was early so we all retired a bit early, with the anticipation of a full day ahead of us. Mary Ann and I were both doing versions of stuffed peppers, and quite frankly, we had way too much fun taping the shows (we did two of the same show).

Mary Ann cooked her mom’s recipe for Upside Down Stuffed Peppers,

while I prepared Chiles Rellenos, or Stuffed Poblano Peppers, which were batter dipped, fried, and baked with cheese.

Of course, the tapings would not have gone as smoothly as they did without the tireless efforts of Donna Soares and Jennifer Chase-Esposito, Mary Ann’s culinary team, and her wonderful production company. A million thanks to all of them for making this a seamless operation!

Jennifer, mary Ann, Daisy and Donna

Here’s the link to Mary Ann’s site, and recipes for both dishes:

http://www.ciaoitalia.com/maryannanddasiymartinez.html