Dinner help needed

[crazycanuck]

Hey,

I bought a pasta maker today to save me from going insane when i make pasta from scratch. *phew*

Anywho, what i'd like to ask..We have good friends coming over for dinner later this week & I want to do an Italian themed dinner. Any ideas for really yummy but not too frightening in terms of super duper rich or fattening?

I think i'm mainly looking for a nice entree, something to go with the pasta & whatever else I should serve. Ian will be matching the wine to the food.

I'm new to cooking for friends & want to ensure I don't burn down my house...

[deeaimond]

pasta sauce? at the italian restaurant where i used to work there was this brilliant pasta dish, it was caramelized onions, sausage meat (seasoned but not int he casing), panfried and tossed with the pasta, cooked with olive oil of course. brought out the full flavour of the pasta. makes me drool just thinking of it.

[alpinerabbit]

uhmm... saltinbocca alla romana comes to mind. That's small veal escalopes with a piece of parma ham and a sage leaf pinned on top. would go nicely with noodles & a light sauce (although usually risotto is served with it). I sometimes just toss chopped cherry tomatoes, basil and olive oil with my spaghetti. Bit of salt and pepper of course. Or add some lemon oil, too.

Bruschette with raw chopped tomato/onion/basil on top for starters. Very light.

as a dessert, I just made zabaione with my mom a while ago. That's egg yolks, sugar and white wine whipped up together in a bain marie until "set". Some recipes call for Marsala (a sweet wine) but we found it's "too much". We did add some vanilla, and served it over strawberries. satisfying as tirami su but not as horribly fattening. You gotta have some fat.

Can you tell I'm hungry ? And I had leftover lasagna for lunch - a big serving.

[spokewench]

pasta sauce? at the italian restaurant where i used to work there was this brilliant pasta dish, it was caramelized onions, sausage meat (seasoned but not int he casing), panfried and tossed with the pasta, cooked with olive oil of course. brought out the full flavour of the pasta. makes me drool just thinking of it.

I make a very similar pasta to this; it is super easy and super yummy.

I used Italian Hot sausage, removed from the casing and crumbled up like hamburger meat. sauteed in olive oil in pan. add, sweet onions not diced, but long (red are good for color); red bell pepper sliced; a few sun dried tomatoes; and some edamame beans for green color and wonderful nutrition. Boil the pasta you want to use. when the pasta is ready, mix the pan of yummies with the pasta, add some lovely parmesan salt and pepper and serve with extra parm cheese at the table. - a salad and toasted bread and you are set.

[papaver]

as a starter: very simple but extremely delicious.

Fresh Cantaloupe with parma ham.

Just slice the cantaloupe in into 8 wedges, dress with thinly sliced parma ham, serve with a salad of ruccola with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

[indigoiis]

I make what I like to call "stovetop lasagna". It is a winner every time.

Sautee garlic, onion in a little olive oil in a cast iron frying pan (if you want to brown in the oven; if not, a wok is fine.)

Add artichoke hearts, mushrooms (if desired) fresh basil, a pinch of rosemary, parsley. Stir.

Add fresh spinach, chopped kale, or other greens. Stir til tender.

Add one can chopped tomatos

Add cooked pasta of any shape or size - I like mixing bow tie with ravioli or tortellini

Add 1 cup of ricotta cheese. Stir just to blend.

Cover with breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese, and a little shredded mozzerella. Brown in oven 10 mins. at 375 if you used a cast iron pan.

Serve with a big tossed salad (EASY!) and garlic bread.

[Reesha]

I would do Farfalle alla Carbonara with smoked salmon!

It's a *little* rich, but in terms of creaminess it has a very light texture! Plus, it's probably one of the easiest meals I make.

This is enough for about 4 avg size portions when I make it which works if you're doing salad, starter and dessert with it.

You'll need:
1 lb farfalle
4 oz smoked salmon
1 egg
2 oz (1/4 cup) cream
4 oz parmesan or pecorino finely grated
fresh parsley, chopped
fresh peas, blanched (they taste sweeter when fresh, but frozen work too... just thaw them out)

While the water is boiling for the pasta, whisk together the egg, the cream and 2 oz of the cheese in a large bowl (large enough for the entire pot of pasta). Set aside, and slice the smoked salmon however you like to. I've sliced it like fettucine and I've sliced it into squares... both work! Chop the parsley finely. When the pasta has been cooked al dente, drain and then quickly pour into the bowl with the egg and cheese mixture. Toss it around so the mixture coats the pasta. The hot pasta will then 'cook' the egg causing the sauce to thicken slightly. In this recipe there is *just* enough sauce to lightly coat each bowtie. It makes it incredibly light tasting! I then mix in the parsley and peas and the smoked salmon last. Serve with fresh ground pepper and the remaining cheese!

Also, for dessert I like to make a fresh raspberry/blackberry tiramisu. I soak the lady fingers in chambord! If I can't find lady fingers, angel food cake works nicely as well, but then I drizzle the chambord. It's rich, but not heavy.

If that's too rich, I highly recommend Ciao Bella's Blackberry Cabernet sorbet Soooo delicious, and scoop and serve!