dinner party?

Question

i'm going to a casual dinner party and everyone is to bring a dish,, whether it be a dessert, appetizer, etc, whatever. the theme is Italian.
Any suggestions on something a little different?
Thanks

Answer 1

Ciao! I'm Italian and I would like to help you.. Can I?
Appetizers+ main disch and two desserts:
The most traditional way for starting a meal according to the Italian style is serving a dish full of salami, prosciutto, coppa, mortadella. You can accompany them with a variety of vegetables in oil, quail eggs and, naturally, a good bread.
Or you can make Bruschette.
1. Bruschetta con olio
4 slices Italian loaf (200 g - 7 oz)
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper, if liked
Clean the garlic cloves.
Toast both sides of the bread slices, lightly.
Rub a cut clove of garlic on one side of each slice and sprinkle with salt and pepper, if liked. Brush with the olive oil.
Serve warm.
2. Bruschetta con pomodoro
4 slices Italian loaf (200 g - 7 oz)
2 fresh ripe tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper, if liked
Wash the tomatoes and boil them for 1 minute; in this way you can peel them easily. Peel them, remove their seeds and chop. Drain them very well in order to eliminate their juice. Clean the cloves of garlic.
Toast both sides of the bread lightly.
On one side of each slice, rub a cut clove of garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper, if liked. Arrange the chopped tomatoes. Brush with the olive oil.
Serve warm.
3. Crostone with parma ham, tomatoes, mozzarella

Bucatini alla amatriciana

400 g (14 oz) bucatini
100 g (3 1/2 oz) pork cheek or pancetta or bacon
6 fresh and ripe tomatoes, cubed
1 fresh young onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
45 g (1 1/2 oz) grated sharp Roman Pecorino
cheese
Chilli, if you like
Salt

The sauce can be made with pork cheek, guanciale in Italian, (it's very difficult to find it) or pancetta (it resembles a salami-shaped roll of bacon with a higher proportion of lean to fat; it's a cold meats in Italian delicatessens) or unsmoked slab bacon.
Cut pancetta or bacon into 1/2 by 1in strips. Cook it together with oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat; stir frequently. Keep on cooking until pancetta becomes crisp and lightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add onion and chilli to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is soft. Mix in tomatoes and their liquid. Season to taste with salt and cook over a gentle heat for 10-15 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened. Some minutes before the end of cooking mix pancetta into the sauce.
Meanwhile, cook bucatini in a large kettle of boiling salted water according to the package directions. Drain well and dress with the sauce. Serve with grated sharp Roman Pecorino cheese.
Serve immediately

COFFEE AND HAZELNUT CAKE (TORTA DI CAFFE' E NOCCIOLE)

3 eggs
150 g / 5.3 oz sugar
100 g / 3.5 oz sour cream
75 g / 2.6 oz butter, melted
300 g / 10.6 oz flour
100 g / 3.5 oz hazelnuts, chopped
75 ml / 2.5 fl oz very strong espresso coffee
1 1/2 baking powder

Whisk eggs and sugar for a couple of minutes before adding the sour cream and the melted butter. Whisk and stir well until it's all smooth.
Add coffee and hazelnuts, mix it well and then sift the flour and the baking powder into the batter and stir. Pour the batter into a baking tin, I used a 21 cm / 8.2 inch one, and bake it in a pre-heated oven (175° C/ 347° F) for 25-30 minutes.


Of course you can make the classic TIRAMISù
400 g (14 oz) sponge biscuits (lady-
fingers)
500 g (1,1 lb) mascarpone cheese
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
250 g (8 1/2 oz) icing sugar
300 ml (10 fl oz - 1 1/4 C) strong coffee
20 g (3/4 oz) powdered bitter cocoa
Prepare the mascarpone cream. Beat the eggs, egg yolks and icing sugar for a long time until you have a foamy mixture. You can also use an electric whisk. Add the mascarpone cheese with circular movements from the bottom upwards, using a wooden spoon.
Arrange half the biscuits on the bottom of a rectangular deep dish. Brush them with strong coffee without sugar, cover with half the mascarpone cream and level the surface. Add a second layer of biscuits, brush them with the remaining coffee and cover with the remaining mascarpone cream. Level the surface and sprinkle with the powdered bitter cocoa. Let the cocoa pass through a strainer.
Chill until serve

Answer 2

If you can get a joint of veal - about 2 - 3 pounds - and have the time, try Vitello Tonnato (veal in tuna sauce - sounds strange, tastes wonderful).

Make several deep but narrow slits in the veal and insert anchovies - the kind that come in tins - one tin of anchovies should do for a joint that size. Re-tie the joint if necesssary so that it's rolled up like a door-stop, and then simmer it in a good chicken stock to which you've added onions, carrots, and the standard range of stewing vegetables (no turnips of swedes, though). Simmer until cooked, remove, and cool.

Then you make a light mayonnaise and gradually beat in tinned drained tuna flakes until it tastes good. (I'm a guess-work cook but you could look up a recipe). If you want to cheat with a ready-made mayonnaise, thin it with some of the cooking stock.

Then you finely slice the veal and arrange it on an oval dish; pour the tuna dressing over and garnish with lemon slices and capers. It's really delicious and although it takes time to make it's not terribly fiddly.

Enjoy!

Answer 3

If you want to make an Italian dessert, I suggest Tiramisu. Sadly, I used to work at Olive Garden and we had something called an Italian Margarita so, you could ways make drinks. The Italian Margarita consisted of orange juice, marg mix, tequila, triple sec, and amaretto (the italian ingredient). Also, a good appetizer is bruschetta. You could slice some ciabatta bread and make a bruschetta dip (diced tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, balsalmic vinegar, and basil). It is delicious. Good luck and have fun!

Answer 4

Giada De Laurentis on Food Network really does do wonderful Italian recipes. Generally easy, simple, and look delicious. You'll find many ideas and recipes at foodnetwork.com.

One of my favorites, and one I've actually made, is store bought ravioli, deep fried to a golden brown, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. Serve as is or with some jarred marinara as a dipping sauce.

Answer 5

Here is an easy one. Get some goat cheese, plain I would say, and spread it out over a pretty plate and then pour some store bought pesto in the middles, and surround with some little store bought garlic toasts or bagle chips for people to spread the combo on. Good luck!

Answer 6

This is a little different- looks yummy!
Tortellini Kabobs
-Made with packaged tortellini, red peppers, black olives and smoked mozzarella in a savory marinade.

Ingredients:
• 1 16 oz package prepared tortellini
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 Tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 medium red peppers cut into 24 cubes
• 48 black pitted olives
• 1 pound smoked mozzarella cut into 48 cubes
• 24 small skewers
Method:
Prepare tortellini according to package directions. Drain and set aside. In a medium size mixing bowl combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, dried basil, crushed red pepper, black pepper and salt. Mix until well-combined. Add tortellini, cubed red peppers, olives and cheese. Marinate for 3-6 hours. To prepare the skewers, add an olive, a cheese cube, a cubed red pepper, a tortellini, another cheese cube and another olive. Repeat until you've made 24 skewers.

Answer 7

Try this appetizer from the Food Networks Giada De Laurentis, it looks easy and delicious.
Go to:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_36095,00.html

Answer 8

as the appetizer you could do parmesan chicken fingers, buffalo wings, potato skins, sandwiches, crispy lasagana rolls,

Answer 9

IF AN APPETIZER , TAPANADE WITH ASSORTED VEGGIES, AND CRUSTINI, AND OLD FASION EGGPLANT PARMESAIN CASEROLE, AND DESSERT, CHOCOLATE ICECREAM WITH FRANGELICO LIQUER

Answer 10

everyone will go for something different. go pizza. its easy, quick and averyone loves pizza