I couldn't wait until Christmas because I had to pick up one of my 3 gifts last weekend and needed to use it soon after I picked it up. My Secret Santa contacted me as they realized that we had a similar passion in cooking and wine, so asked me a few more questions that lead to their very generous gifts!
Part 1 - asked me the kind of wine I enjoy and shortly after told me to pick up 3 bottles of red at an LCBO near me. Very clear instructions - don't drink it yet, wait for part 2 and 3! This was harder than you'd imagine!
Part 2 - asked me to go pick up some lamb merguez sausage from my regular butcher here in Toronto in Kensington Market. Picked it up last weekend but knew I'd have to use them soon-ish.
Part 3 - grabbed all of the ingredients in the recipe that was typed out and sent to me by Secret Santa, which also came with a gift card from my neighborhood Loblaws.
Had a date over, she brought over some oysters which we (I) shucked. There was too much of the sausage for the pizza, so I used the rest for a fusilli pasta salad (with some of the olives from Secret Santa, basil, chives, parsley, yellow and orange peppers, sun dried tomatoes, olive oil).
Star of the night though was making pizza myself for the first time. Very fun to make and came out AMAZING. Eggplant, kale, olives, lamb merguez sausage meat balls, fresh mozzarella, manchego cheese shavings on top after. Paired amazingly with the recommended wine, the Carmenere from Chile. Was so good, me and my date finished the bottle and opened and had some of the Pasqua Passimento, which was also great!
Thank you, Lumby Lager! I had so much fun on this adventure and I have saved these wines now to my list to buy regularly!! Thanks to you I also successfully made pizza on my first try! Only thing I would do differently next time is use less of the mozzarella cheese lol. I did not follow your instructions which said I wouldn't need that much of the fresh mozzarella because I love cheese and ended up putting too much LOL. Was still awesome, just very filling hahhaa.
Thanks again Lumby Lager! So amazingly generous of you. Merry Christmas! Photos in spoilers below!