Dinner Party-I am an eejit

gaeilgegrinds1

Ok so firstly, I'm not sure is this is the right place so apologies if not. Secondly, I am an eejit.
I'll make it brief, was in Dunnes shopping today, pushing the wee man about, all happy with myself that for once I was organised and all was going well. Next thing bump into an old school friend, she's having an awful time of it, husband has left her etc...
Next thing I offer to have her for dinner, in mine...I love cooking, don't get me wrong but for fun, not for others! Next thing...'Will I ask so-and-so?' 'Sure why not, I'll ask so-and-so...'
I've 6 confirmed. I'm not looking for show but rather something tasty that proves I can cook reasonably well, that does not take too much time just beforehand. Ideally something I can prepare beforehand and just pull out of the oven. I was thinking on-pot chicken that is tasty or maybe something Italian? I'm at a loss. Rachel Allen is my saviour so something by her I might handle.
Last but not least, again, I'm an eejit! One baby down, another to go, a husband-to-be who works 110 hours a week, wedding to plan and now this...will I ever learn (probably not?!!)

The Hill Billy

A one-pot chicken wouldn't go very far for 6 guests. I'd opt for a hearty stew maybe. You can prepare it the day before & reheat (adds depth of flavour too). Maybe go for shin of beef on the bone with red wine?

You could skip starters & just put out some 'nibbles' to go with a glass of wine while you chat & catch up. And for afters - crackers/water biscuits & a couple of nice cheeses.

barbiegirl

There are loads of easy dishes.
1. 2 Pork fillets, wrap them in parma ham (though I have used streaky Rashers too), then wrap in puff pastry (I use frozen stuff), then bake for 40 minutes, leave to stand for 10, and it's perfect with roasties potatoes and veg, and either apple sauce or gravy.
2. In a dish that will go from hob to oven, fry off some chorizo (2-3), onions (2-3), garlic (2-3), red chilli (1 small one chopped) then add some chicken pieces (breast or thigh on the bone a piece each)with skin on, and brown them, add 2 tines of tomatoes and two tins tomatoe puree, some itailian herbs, and put in the oven at 180 for about 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through, add some stones olives, put back in oven for 10 minutes. Serve with spicy wedges (2 potatoes each, chopped into wedges, put in bowl and mix in olive oil, 2 teaspoons of paprika and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper) put in the top of the oven with chicken dish 20 minutes before serving) and sour cream and green salad.

For desert put orange segments into individual ramekins, or one big oven proof dish, top with equal quatities of natural yogurt and creme fraiche, just before you want to serve sprinkle soft brown sugar over the top and throw it under the grill until the sugar starts to brown and bubble, whip it out and serve it. Really simple and really easy :-)

ivy tilsley

Hey gaelige, you're not an eejit, you're generous and spontaneous

So, don’t panic first off. Here are some tips that have worked for me:

On the day, if you don’t need to prep any food on your table, set it. Polish your glasses, cutlery, set out candles, etc. That way you won’t get caught out trying to set up when people are arriving.

If you have flowers in a vase near the door (not too strong a fragrance) it’ll make a good first impression. Tesco roses are only €3.

Anything you can prep in advance will make life easier: soup for starter, slow roasts/stew/casserole. Def not the time to try homemade ravioli. I recently did a slow pork shoulder ragu, it took about 4 hours in the oven, easiest thing in the world. Pork is your friend.

Prepare a large plate of antipasti for starters and cover it. It’s usually served at room temp, so you can pop it on the table shortly before they arrive. If you use nice olive oil and vinegar, then they get that initial good impression before everyone gets drunk anyway.

The last dinner I did was for 5 people, I did the herby pork meatballs from page 144 of Rachel Allen’s Home Cooking. I adapted (and scaled up) the recipe to suit me. I was able to do a lot of it earlier that day so there was no last minute freaking out.

I would also serve something like an easy salad with a really nice olive, dressed at the last minute, and homemade garlic pizza.

You can buy decent desserts in. Like a collections of pastries from somewhere like Fallon & Byrne.

Hope some of that is helpful. Watch out for fridge clutter when you’re getting ready. Would love to hear how it goes for you. Best of luck.

John_Mc

You really can't go wrong with a curry. Make the paste from scratch using your food processor and it'll really impress.

For starters, do a chicken satay - extremely simple and can be done in advance

gaeilgegrinds1

I made the Spinach and Ricotta Raviolli today and it is unreal. It's from Rachel Allen's book. Doesn't look great once served but it is amazing! I'm interested in the curry recipe...made one before with coconut milk that I liked but what spices do you use? I've calmed down a bit now, the house is spick and span so fingers crossed!

John_Mc

gaeilgegrinds1 wrote: »

I made the Spinach and Ricotta Raviolli today and it is unreal. It's from Rachel Allen's book. Doesn't look great once served but it is amazing! I'm interested in the curry recipe...made one before with coconut milk that I liked but what spices do you use? I've calmed down a bit now, the house is spick and span so fingers crossed!

I've made green and red thai curries, and Panang Beef. All very very tasty and very easy to do.

John Mason

do a mexican feast with loads of bits and people can help themselves

salsa, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, refried beans, etc

cook some chicken in mexican spices

nachos etc.

really simple, we do it all the time and there is very little effort required:)

gaeilgegrinds1

That is actually a really good idea. I'm thinking of an Italian theme cos I love Italian food and we all went to Italy on an exchange in fifth year...nostalgic perhaps? Maybe sad? Who cares really. So mozz and tomato salad for starters, yummy spinach and ricotta mains and then some Italian dessert?