Italian meal ideas ?

Question

I am cooking a 3 course meal for friends and thought i would cook italian, does anyone have any ideas or recipes they could recommend ?

ideally i don't want to spend lots of time away from my guests so a main course that could be done in the oven would be ideal.

many thanks in advance x

Answer 1

Scroll down this screen for several oven Italian meals:

http://www.cooks.com/rec/search?q=oven+I...

Answer 2

italian rotini cheese

2 cups uncooked rotini pasta (6 oz)

1 cup milk

1 container (10 oz) refrigerated Alfredo sauce

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

2 cups shredded provolone cheese (8 oz)

2 medium tomatoes, chopped (1 1/2 cups)

1 tablespoon Progresso® Italian style bread crumbs

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease 2-quart casserole. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.

2. In medium bowl, stir milk into Alfredo sauce; stir in 2 tablespoons basil, the cheese and 1 cup of the tomatoes. Pour mixture into casserole. Sprinkle with remaining tomatoes.

3. Bake uncovered 30 to 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly. In small bowl, mix bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon basil; sprinkle over top

Answer 3

This is perfect for you. Just put it in the oven and enjoy yourself. Eat with a green salad. http://www.tuscany.net/recipes/lasagne.h...

Answer 4

Start with Bruschetta:  Rub garlic over slices of ciabatta loaf, toast lightly then top with fresh chopped tomato, olive oil, garlic, black pepper and lots of fresh basil.

I would probably do a risotto for main:  Dice onion, cook with chopped chicken breast and some mixed mushrooms - the more varied the better. Make a pint of chicken stock. Add to the pan the risotto (arborio) rice and slowly add in the stock bit by bit whilst stiring.  Add perhaps a bit of white wine and cream.  Finish with some black pepper and lots of Parmesan over the top.  Serve with a side salad drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

For afters maybe a tirmasu.  I'd buy it from a nice deli or shop.  Marks & Sparks do a great one.

Answer 5

Sensation Salad

1/2 to 3/4 lb. of finely ground Peccorino Romano cheese

1 pt. olive oil

Juice of 3 lemons

4 tsp. balsamic vinegar

6 cloves of garlic pressed with pulp and all juice

Very cold iceberg lettuce, romaine and mixed baby greens

Blend all ingredients together by hand. Toss greens together to mix well. Add dressing and toss gently to coat each leaf of greens. Salt and pepper (fresh ground) to taste. Serve on cold plates. This dressing will keep in refrigerator for an extremely long time.

--The Advocate newspaper

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Ultimate Lasagna

2 pound dried lasagna noodles

Extra-virgin olive oil

2 pounds ground beef

2 pound ground Italian sausage

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, sliced

3 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon chopped oregano leaves

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups red wine

2 (28-oze) cans tomatoes (recommended: San Marzano)

3 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 quarts ricotta cheese, (2 containers)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded

Grated Parmesan and mozzarella, for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook the lasagna noodles in plenty of boiling salted water until pliable and barely tender, about 10 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking. Drain the noodles thoroughly and coat with olive oil to keep them moist and easy to work with.

Coat a large skillet with olive oil, add beef and sausage and brown until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. In a food processor, combine the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, basil, parsley, an oregano. Process until pureed, add to the pan with the ground meat and stir to combine. Stir in the flour. Add the wine and cook until it has reduced by half. Stir in the tomatoes and add the heavy cream and the cinnamon.

In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta and the parmesan. Stir in the eggs and season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the lasagna: Coat the bottom of a deep 13 by 9-inch pan with olive oil. Arrange 4 noodles lengthwise in a slightly overlapping layer on the sauce. Then, line each end of the pan with a lasagna noodle. This forms a collar that holds in the corners. Dollop 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the pasta, spread to the edges with a spatula. Spread 1/2 of the meat mixture over the ricotta. Sprinkle 1/2 of the mozzarella on top of the ricotta. Top with a ladle full of sauce, spread evenly. Repeat with the next layer of noodles, ricotta, sauce, and cheeses. Top last layer with noodles, sauce, shredded mozzarella and Parmesan. Tap the pan to force out air bubbles. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven. Let lasagna rest for 30 minutes so the noodles will settle and cut easily. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.

--Tyler Florence

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Penne with 5 Cheeses

Kosher salt

2 C. heavy cream

1 C. crushed tomatoes in thick tomato puree

1/2 c freshly grated Pecorino Romano (1 1/2 oz.)

1/2 c. shredded imported Italian fontina (1 1/2 oz.)

1/4 c. crumbled Italian Gorgonzola (1 1/2 oz.)

2 tablespoons ricotta cheese

1/4 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced

6 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 pound imported penne rigate pasta

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Bring 5 quarts of salted water to a boil in a stockpot.

Combine all the ingredients except the penne and butter in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.

Drop the penne into the boiling water and parboil for 4 minutes. Drain well in a colander and add to the ingredients in the mixing bowl, tossing to combine. Divide the pasta mixture among 6 shallow ceramic gratin dishes (1 1/2 to 2 c. capacity) Dot with the butter and bake until bubbly brown on top, 7 to 10 minutes.

--Ina Garten

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Tiramisu

6 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature

¼ cup sugar

½ cup good dark rum, divided

1½ cups brewed espresso, divided

16 - 17 oz. mascarpone cheese

30 Italian ladyfingers, or savoiardi**

Bittersweet chocolate, shaved or grated

Confectioners' sugar, optional

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on high speed for about 5 minutes, or until very thick and light yellow. Lower the speed to medium and add 1/4 cup rum, 1/4 cup espresso, and the mascarpone. Whisk until smooth.

Combine the remaining 1/4 cup rum and 1 1/4 cups espresso in a shallow bowl. Dip 1 side of each ladyfinger in the espresso/rum mixture and line the bottom of a 9 by 12 by 2-inch dish. Pour half the espresso cream mixture evenly on top. Dip 1 side of the remaining ladyfingers in the espresso/rum mixture and place them in a second layer in the dish. Pour the rest of the espresso cream over the top. Smooth the top and cover with plastic wrap. Refrig

Answer 6

Antipasto platter or brushetta for appetizers

Caprese Salad

Lasagna

Tiramisu or zabaglione (or find a GOOD gelato with biscotti & espresso)

Answer 7

A really really easy little pasta dish (and I'm Italian...) goes as follows:

Sautee garlic, olive oil (enough to create a sauce), tomotoes (either canned or fresh diced), and parsley in one pan and toss with pasta.  Sprinkle with a little garlic salt and serve with an herb-y chicken if you like.  Bruschetta goes really well with this, too.  

It's easy, relatively inexpensive, and everyone loves it.  Trust me!

Answer 8

If you want to have extra help.  We just tried Tesco's Finest Spinach and Ricotta canneloni - they were great.  They come without a sauce; so, I made my my own and pored it over the top. Covered with foil.  Then put some grated parmesean cheese on top and serve with roasted peppers and garlic mushrooms.  Garlic bread too if hungry!  

Answer 9

cannelloni's all round.  

Answer 10

A pretty bowl of homemade Italian meatballs with  homemmade sauce some  nice Italian sausages  with fried peppers and onions on a platter  a nice steaming bowl of pasta  a beautiful bowl of fresh salad green,  with tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, maybe a bit of red onion and/or some shredded  carrot for color   hot garlic bread    maybe even a nice bottle of vino    for dessert  maybe some  chocloate orange biscotti  and some vanilla ice cream and a brewed  pot of coffee while everyone sits around and enjoys  good conversation after a great relaxing meal . Simple but elegant.  

Answer 11

You can't go wrong with spaghetti bolognaise. x)

Answer 12

It's got to be bolognaise...A good recipe will tell you to cook it slowly for at least two hours which will leave plenty of time to chat to your guests.

How about crostini for starters.  Slice some french bread (about 1cm thick) brush with melted butter and put in oven for 10 mins until golden.  Put some gorgonzola on top and put back in for 2 mins.. mmmm.. lovely.

I'm not too hot on italian desserts, but if anything it would have to be tiramasu.

Answer 13

Mozzarella, Avocado and tomato (Tricolore) to start

Wild mushroom and garlic Rissotto

and Tiramasu to finish!!  

Answer 14

Lasagna, Spaghetti, white creamy alfredo pasta.

Answer 15

Antipasto..a platter of italian meats,cheese, vegetables either marinated in olive oil and herbs or served with a drizzle of olive oil and herbs, olives, baby clams and cherry tomatoes cut in half and drizzled with more oil and herbs or a dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar (two parts oil to one part vinegar with or without a pinch of herbs, just shake together and pour over just before serving..wine and chunks of bread complete this and keep you with your guests while it is being eaten. if you use seperate platters for the meats and the vegetables then you won't have to worry about vegetarians or even vegans.

Lasagna.plenty of recipes around, you can make both meat and vegetarian if you want and they can be in the oven during the first course; make sure that you have a couple of small bowls of grated parmesan cheese on the table when you serve them.

inish up with a tiramisu..either made or bought, and then cups of italian coffee with almond biscuits or glasses of liquer.

There are hundreds of other things you could chose but these are the simplest for a good result and,as you say, a means of not spending half the evening in the kitchen.