menu consultation please..... I'm having about 8 or more over next saturday and

R

randi

Well-known member
going Italian, I know, you're all surprised smileys/smile.gif

menu so far:

starting with the bacon and leek flan, individual servings. roasted olives, probably the lavendar blossoms with truffle oil.

ceasar salad

2 different types of Italian sauage (made them yesterday)

sauteed onions

rigatoni (I have oven roasted tomatoes in the freezer and I'm going to make a sauce)

bread

Rao's Cheesecake

here goes the Italian thing... (have no idea where it comes from cause I have absolutely no Italian in me) should I make another dish?

and the salad, should I go with a classic Italian of greens with EVOO & red wine vinegar?

I also want to be able enjoy my company. the flans can be paritally made on friday and put together in the afternoon on sat. sausage cooked before everyone arrives and kept warm, same with the onions. salad is easy and dessert will be made friday and maybe the sauce too. if I do it right, I'll just have to boil water and throw in the pasta.

thanks guys

 
The menu looks wonderful. My vote for the salad would be for a classic Italian of greens with...

EVOO, balsamic vinegar and croutons, instead of the Ceasar Salad. Did you really make your own sausage? Wow! It sounds like a fabulous menu and party!

 
Your menu sounds smashing as is. If I were to add something it might be Popcorn Cauliflower

or Ina Gartens's broccoli with garlic. Have fun.

 
Randi, sounds great! I wouldn't add another thing.

But I would keep the casear salad, even though it isn't Italian, because I love casear salad! I'm the same way (it's also a German thing). I always think I'm not going to have enough food. And I always have enough left over to feed another dozen or so. LOL I am my grandmother's grandson in that regard (except for a big dinner, she would have enough left over for 2 dozen ; ).

What times dindin????

 
How about a second pasta sauce without meat in case someone doesn't want sausage? Or just keep aside

some of the sauce you're already making before adding the sausage?

 
I would leave the dinner as it is, too. Maybe anitpasti beforehand? It could be all veggies...

roasted red peppers, or you could grill those colorful mini-peppers, marinated artichokes and mushrooms, and I've used the popcorn caulifower on an antipasti tray as well.

A few cured meats and maybe some mozzarella would be nice, but not so much so as to detract from your sausage.

 
Your menu is great! Normally the pasta served before the sausage, then salad---either salad. Lots..

of wine makes it really Italian---I don't believe you have no Italian blood in you. It must have rubbed off somewhere.

 
Randi sounds lovely!

The only thing I can think of to add would be a sauteed escarole in olive oil w/garlic and red pepper. This could be made in advance, and then just a quick sautee before serving. Sprinkled w/ a little parmesian.
Have a great time!

 
It sounds fantastic, but where are the anchovies? (smile) Really, it sounds excellent as is,

Perhaps a non-meat sauce also, clam sauce? That is just my personal favorite. Either white or red clam sauce, yum!

 
thanks for the input and suggestions, darlins....

first, I discovered this summer that I don't like cauliflower, I used to... go figure. sauteed greens sound good too. we can't get escarole here so I use mixed greens when I do that. I probably won't do them for sat's dinner to keep my load light so I can enjoy copious amounts of wine as suggested by Charlie, whata guy! "-)) thanks for the reminder of broccoli with garlic, it's one of my favs.

I also like the addition of roasted peppers. The sauce I'm making is meat free, roasted tomatoes and garlic and I'll add some herbs to the sauce too. the sausage are "stand alone" and just fryed or broiled. onions are side dish. marinated veggies with the flan and olives would be super. usually, I make the orange and onion salad with EVOO and salt when I serve a "heavy" meal.

and yes, I made my own sausage cause you can't get the good Italian sausage that I'm used to here. 4 1/2 hours of cranking out sausage yesterday. I have a freezer full but there are a couple of other sausage recipes I want to make too. I just won't get so carried away with making so much at one time. of course, if I fess up..... first sausage recipe has red wine. never put into your pot what you wouldn't pour into your glass, so we had to taste it. the second recipe has white wine..... gotta taste that too. open bottles... can't waste.... and one girfriend brought a bottle of bubbly.... I didn't realize how tired I was from all the work until this morning..... that's my story and I'm sticking to it! LOL

 
I've been totally seduced by Italians since as long as I can remember...

the big warm families, the wonderful foods that come out of those kitchens, three or four generations of women cooking together, the Sunday dinners.... oh, I was smitten by my late teens.

Io ti adoro tutti Italiano!

spelling my not be correct but you know the words smileys/smile.gif

 
You know, those Romans sure got around back in the day. You may be more Italian than you think!

 
Here's one to try next time you grind (that doesn't sound right) REC: Italian Sausage with cheese

Homemade Italian Sausage

Recipe By :Michael Lomonaco

5 pounds pork shoulder
1 cup cold water
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
1/2 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 pound hog sausage casing

Trim the meat of all gristle but remember to not trim too much fat as the mixture should be approximately 80 percent lean to 20 percent fat. Cut the meat into chunks and pass through a meat grinder using the largest die. Pass the meat through again, this time using the medium die. Pass the sausage meat through one more time on this medium die. In a large bowl mix the ground meat with the water, salt, pepper, fennel seed, cheese and parsley. Wash the casing well under cold running water and allow water to run through the casing so that any holes may be detected. Fit the grinder with the sausage stuffing attachment and place the casing over the stuffing tube by feeding it on and bunching it up on the tube.Place the meat in the hopper on top and begin to push the sausage meat down into the hopper so that it begins to feed into the casing. As the meat feeds into the casing, allow the casing to slide into your open hand. Catch the stuffed sausage as it comes out of the machine. Go at a slow and steady pace so that the sausage is fully, evenly, stuffed and without air pockets. To make individual links, twist the sausage every few inches as it is stuffed and let the finished ring of sausage lay on the work space as you finish the process. Continue until the meat is finished. Keep refrigerated and use with in one week or freeze for later use.


Yield:
"5 pounds"

 
Now that I've dried my eyes...lol...a question about the sausage.

Can I use pork butt or is shoulder better?

 
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