Having friends for dinner

Glowing

Hi there,

I'm having 2 friends over for dinner after work tomorrow. I'm a reasonably okay cook, like to experiment but would like to try something new this time round (that is unlikely to go wrong first time!)

I'd like something that doesn't require my full attention in the kitchen - something along the lines of a pasta sauce or an oven-y thing. Something that would be nice with a glass of wine - unfortunately it can't be salmon. Boo hoo!

Any suggestions? I was thinking of meatballs in a home made tomato sauce - are there any tried and trusted recipes out there?

Thanks!!!

Ronan H

Good choice... Do everyone a favour though and do the meatballs yourself too, get nice mince and some onions and herbs and youre laughing. It will make a huge difference doing it from scratch. You can also make the meatballs in advance saving you time in the kitchen when the guests are in.

How about Bruschetta (spelling?) for a starter? Goes down a bomb with meatballs to follow...

Marvellous, i think ill call round myself .

Scratch Head

copacetic

ahh, over for dinner. not for dinner, i thought we were breaking new ground in the recipe forum for a minute there..

copacetic

but seriously, don't bother doing the meatballs yourself. get some nice chunky gourmet sausages and pull the meat out to make the meatballs...

Glowing

Haha! I guess Meatballs are like small homemade burgers? (well the ingredients anyway!) - so breadcrumbs, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, egg to bind? Something like that?

How about the sauce?

Oh and I love brushetta! Not too sure how to make it though ... My poor basil plant will be naked!

Ronan H

copacetic wrote:

ahh, over for dinner. not for dinner, i thought we were breaking new ground in the recipe forum for a minute there..

Wheres that Chianti!

Darwin

Two quick ideas:
1) Sheperds pie, make the dish before the dinner party arrive so all you have to do is heat it in the oven for 20 mins or so to brown the potato topping.
2) Pasta with 'Sacla italian spicy pepper and tomato sauce' - the best tasting pasta sauce IMHO - you'll probably require 2 jars as they are small. Cook a pack of Tesco finest sausages (sundried tomato and rosemary flavour), chop 'em up and add to the pasta sauce. I also chop up and add some cooked red and yellow peppers. Garnish with herbs de provence (spelling?), available from Lidl. Easy to make in 20 minutes and totally delish!

Glowing

copacetic wrote:

ahh, over for dinner. not for dinner, i thought we were breaking new ground in the recipe forum for a minute there..

... gives 'meatballs' a whole new meaning! :eek:

Ronan H

Darwin wrote:

Two quick ideas:
1) Sheperds pie, make the dish before the dinner party arrive so all you have to do is heat it in the oven for 20 mins or so to brown the potato topping.

That will work with a nice Lasagne too...

Cheese Head

Glowing

All these tips are great, thanks!

I do my best to avoid jars, but that one you suggested Darwin, with the sausages sounds fab!

I used to (try) make Lasagne all the time, but I got fed up with the differing results each time, and the watery stuff I always got at the bottom of the dish! Sigh! You really can't beat a good lasagne though, if you can make it properly!

bonkey

Glowing wrote:

Any suggestions? I was thinking of meatballs in a home made tomato sauce - are there any tried and trusted recipes out there?

Here's my wife's tomato sauce recipe if you decide to go this route.

I'd agree with the "make the meatballs yourself" line of reasoning. Mince, onions, herbs (to taste, but don't clash with the tomato sauce) , garlic, an egg (to bind it all) and some breadcrumbs (up to 1/2 the volume of mince) and you're laughing. Some wholegrain mustard could work well in there too.

As referenced on the recipe for the tomato sauce, Picata or Stuffed peppers could be worth trying.

Ronan H

Glowing wrote:

Oh and I love brushetta! Not too sure how to make it though ... My poor basil plant will be naked!

Buy the lovely bread, the name of it has totally gone out of my head... Slice it up and brown it a tiny bit in the grill...

Chop up cherry tomatos and put them in a bowl on the table. Also have a shallow bowl of salt and some peeled garlic cloves cut in half.

Serve the bread and drizzle some olive oil on it. Then people can decide if they want garlic, salt or both. If both its lovely to rub the garlic in the salt and then rub the clove on your oiled bread. Then lash on some chopped tomatoes and sprinkle with freshly chopped basil (it will go manky if its left chopped for any length of time).

This is an unusual way of serving it but its great for getting people interacting with the food. If this is too awkward just do the whole lot yourself and serve it complete...

Tomato Head

PS: Someone please drop in the name of the bread, my minds gone blank on it...

bonkey

Ciabatta, at a guess

Ronan H

:rolleyes: Duh! Thats the one...

Thank you!

Dope Head

Davidth88

Hi,

My first rule if I am cooking for someone is don't do something for the first time .

Anyway how about a paella , you don't have to have fish in there just chicken or chirozo

( Yes I know my spelling is terrible ).

The Hill Billy

Jamie Oliver has a fantastic recipe for tomato sauce (in the original Naked Chef book I think).

Davidth88

Jamie Oliver has a fantastic recipe for tomato sauce (in the original Naked Chef book I think).

If that's his spag bol with 3 types of tomato ( tinned/fresh and sundried ) and bacon in there , yes it's fantastic , let it cook for as looooooong as you can .

The Hill Billy

Davidth88 wrote:

If that's his spag bol with 3 types of tomato ( tinned/fresh and sundried ) and bacon in there , yes it's fantastic , let it cook for as looooooong as you can .

I was thinking of a more basic one with rosemary, balsamic, garlic, etc. A kind of generic tomato sauce for any dish that requires one. It's at the back of the book IIRC.

Glowing

Well I'm back - that was some dose of food poisoning!

Well only joking about that - made some lovely Italian meatballs last night. Mince, onion, fresh parsley, parmesan, thyme and salt and pepper.

I didn't have the patience to follow a recipe for the tomato sauce, so I threw 2 tins of chopped tomatoes in a pot, added salt, fresh basil, parsley and thyme, and a good spoon of paprika. It really wasn't bad for a throw-together!

That served on wholewheat pasta and fresh parmesan made for a lovely meal!

Thanks for all the tips guys, will definately look up Jamie Olivers recipe ...

By the way - do you think its worth paying the extra for better quality tins of chopped tomatoes? I usualy buy the generic tesco ones for 41c, but you can pay up to 1.60 for a tin of Roma ones .. does it make a difference?

bonkey

Glowing wrote:

By the way - do you think its worth paying the extra for better quality tins of chopped tomatoes? I usualy buy the generic tesco ones for 41c, but you can pay up to 1.60 for a tin of Roma ones .. does it make a difference?

Personally, no, but then I tend to use fresh tomatoes (which are an entirely different beast here in Switzerland to what you get in Ireland).

My recommendation would be to try it and see. If you notice a difference, and you think its work the 4x increase in price, then go for it.

Glowing

bonkey wrote:

Personally, no, but then I tend to use fresh tomatoes (which are an entirely different beast here in Switzerland to what you get in Ireland).

So, they actually have a taste then? :rolleyes:

bonkey

Indeed they do. There's also different types!!!

Davidth88

By the way - do you think its worth paying the extra for better quality tins of chopped tomatoes? I usualy buy the generic tesco ones for 41c, but you can pay up to 1.60 for a tin of Roma ones .. does it make a difference?

No...... I have tried I see no diference , anyway you cook them down anyway. Its the same with tinned kidney beans, branded ones are 3 times the price , I can't tell the difference .

Glowing

bonkey wrote:

Indeed they do. There's also different types!!!

Sorry for keeping you waiting, had to pick myself off the floor .........

schmel22

Hill Billy wrote: »

Jamie Oliver has a fantastic recipe for tomato sauce (in the original Naked Chef book I think).

Hi!

Please can anyone help!!!!!!
I have a group of people for dinner,who all love Jamies/my meatballs,tomatoe sauce and pastea. The recipe is from The Naked Chef,but my book is in transit from overseas. Does anyone know of a link to it or even the recipe?

HELP!!!!

M

John Mason

get as many tomatoes as you can, different types, cherry, vine, plum, yellow etc. - freah ones.

place them in a roasting tray, over with olive oil, garlic and fresh rosemary. Roast for about an hour and then push through a sieve volva - the perfect tomato sauce

or else just buy Jamie's book

schmel22

tasty thanks!

Have the book already its just that its over the atlantic as we speak :rolleyes:

xfirefishx

I do think there is a different flavour and richness in various tins of chopped tomatoes. However, if you are just cooking for yourself and not for something special, the cheaper chopped tomatoes are fine. You can add your own flavour (or even a squirt of tomato puree). But I do think some of the more expensive ones, such as Napoletiana (or however it is spelt) - their plum tomatoes are so rich and lovely!

Personally when I'm making a tomato based dish now, I tend to just use fresh tomatoes, with chopped herbs, garlic and chilli. Add some water, let it cook down til the tomatoes are soft and chunky - add tomato puree and it's lovely. But using a tin is pretty much the same!

axer

xfirefishx wrote: »

Personally when I'm making a tomato based dish now, I tend to just use fresh tomatoes, with chopped herbs, garlic and chilli. Add some water, let it cook down til the tomatoes are soft and chunky - add tomato puree and it's lovely. But using a tin is pretty much the same!

From what I know the problem with fresh tomatoes is that they had to ripen in transit whereas tinned tomatoes can ripen on the vine before being picked and tinned.

John Mason

once you start making your own sauces with fresh tomatoes you will never go back to the icky jars again