Last night was a big night with Johnny turning 40! Our friend Beth suggested an 'Italian Bistro' theme.We loved the idea and K ( the party planner) ran with it. After trips to a few Goodwill's and various 2nd hand stores we were able to get some excellent items for the party. We were having 15 guests plus K and me. Our biggest sit down dinner to date. Our house is not that large so we had to move some furniture, borrow some chairs and a card table to accommodate everyone.
Our living room was transformed into the Bistro we envisioned:
We decided on the following menu:
antipasti platter
Caesar salad
garlic bread
spaghetti and meatballs
birthday cake w/ice cream
pots de creme
A couple of neighbors volunteered to make the salad, the bread, and bring the birthday cake. This left the spaghetti, meatballs and antipasti platter for me and K. With a party this big we needed good planning and execution to pull it off.
Wednesday -
Marinara sauce
Friday -
meatballs
roasted peppers
The roasted peppers (prepared by K) turned out to be a bit harder then expected. The recipe was "easy" according to the directions. After roasting, K had a tough time peeling off the skin. So back into the broiler to roast a bit more. She had a little more success the 2nd time but she decided to leave the cooking to me in the future and stick with the planning and decorating. In K's words "This is stupid".
On Saturday we put the antipasti platter together, finished the set up and decorations and put the sauce on the stove to heat up. This was 3 1/2 hours until serving time. As we looked at the pot of sauce, panic set in and we were sure we would not have enough. I Googled 'how much sauce per person' and the results were grim. We might run short so K made the call - More Sauce!!
Now the sauce needs to cook for 2 1/2 - 3 hours so we had not time to spare. Working together we chopped, minced and sauteed and got the pot on the stove in record time. In the end it was one of the 'Best Parties Ever' and we are looking forward to November Birthdays!
Enjoy!
antipasti platter
ingredients:
assorted meats -
manchego cheese
roasted pepper salad with kalamata olives
olives
bagette
ingredients:
Extra-virgin olive oil 1 large onion, 1/4-inch dice
Salt
2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
Pinch crushed red pepper
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground pork
2 large eggs
1 cup grated Parmigiano
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup water
Directions
Coat a large saute pan with olive oil, add the onions and bring to a medium-high heat. Season the onions generously with salt and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes. The onions should be very soft and aromatic but have no color. Add the garlic and the crushed red pepper and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool.
In a large bowl combine the meats, eggs, Parmigiano, parsley and bread crumbs. It works well to squish the mixture with your hands. Add the onion mixture and season generously with salt and squish some more. Add the water and do 1 final really good squish. The mixture should be quite wet. Test the seasoning of the mix by making a mini hamburger size patty and cooking it. The mixture should taste really good! If it doesn't it is probably missing salt. Add more. Add more anyway.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Shape the meat into desired size. Some people like 'em big some people like 'em small. I prefer meatballs slightly larger than a golf ball. Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake them in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked all the way through. If using right away, add them to your big pot of marinara sauce. If not using right away, they can be frozen for later use. Serve with pasta and sauce or just eat them straight out of the pot! YUM!
marinara sauce
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 pound diced pancetta
2 large Spanish onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice
Kosher salt
4 large garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
4 (28-ounce) cans Italian plum San Marzano tomatoes
Coat a large saucepot with olive oil and add the pancetta. Bring the pot to a medium-high heat and cook the pancetta for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onions, season generously with salt and stir to coat with olive oil.
1/4 pound diced pancetta
2 large Spanish onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice
Kosher salt
4 large garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
4 (28-ounce) cans Italian plum San Marzano tomatoes
Coat a large saucepot with olive oil and add the pancetta. Bring the pot to a medium-high heat and cook the pancetta for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onions, season generously with salt and stir to coat with olive oil.
Cook the onions for 6 to 7 minutes stirring frequently. The onions should become very soft and aromatic but have no color. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes stirring frequently.
Pass the tomatoes through the food mill. Be sure to pass all of the pulp through the holes leaving only the stems and the seeds, and be sure to scrape the pulp off of the bottom of the food mill. That's all of the big money stuff! Add the tomatoes to the pot and rinse out 1 of the empty tomato cans with water and add that water to the pot (about 2 to 3 cups). Season generously with salt and TASTE IT!!!! Tomatoes take a lot of salt. Season in baby steps and taste every step of the way. Cook the sauce for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally and tasting frequently.
Fun had by all!
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