What's your favorite recipe for entertaining people?

[Stephane]

Do you have a favorite recipe for entertaining say a group ranging from 4-8 people?

Something you tend to do more often than not?

I don't want to drool at the description, I want the recipe!

Mine own, later.

[silverwhisper]

oo...i'm not the cook in my household. but i too am curious to see the responses!

[COTSBOE]

Here's a very simple dish that I make whenever we've got guests visiting. I like it because it's just as good cold as it is hot; and can be easily adjusted to accomodate however many people are there. It's relatively light and refreshing, so you don't get that overfull weighed down feeling. We generally reserve it for the summer months because it's better to use fresh ingredients.

Ingredients (for about four people)

1lb linguine or fresh pasta (I've found that capellini does not work well)
1lb mussels, pre-steamed and removed from shells
2 lemons
1 cup or so of double cream
1/2 cup of grappa (I usually just eyeball this)
Fresh basil


Preparation

Grate the rind of one of the lemons. Remove the seeds and dice the fruit pulp. Squeeze juice from the second lemon.

Put the cream, lemon pulp and grappa into a pan and heat gently.

Simmer until the sauce thickens. Cook the pasta.

Remove the sauce from the heat and slowly add the lemon juice.

Return to heat and cook for a few minutes while stirring. Add the mussels and heat for another minute.

Tear basil and add to sauce. Add grated lemon rind, stir well and pour over the drained pasta.

Mix the sauce into the pasta, garnish with lemon rind and basil, and serve.

[marmalade]

I have several recipes that I cycle through depending on mood and how much time I have.

Good old spaghetti with meatballs is always appreciated by the old gaming crew.

Meatballs & Sauce (for 6-8 people)

Meatballs: 20 lime-size meatballs
1 ½ lb ground round (~15% fat)
¾ lb lean ground pork
½ cup onion/garlic saute, cooled (see below)
¼ cup bread crumbs
2 Tb grated parmesan cheese
½ + ts herbs (basil/oregano/rosemary/thyme/fennel/whatever)
½ ts salt
¼ + ts black pepper (add cayenne for spicy meatballs)
1 lg egg

Sauce:
84 oz crushed or diced tomatoes (3 big cans – Contadina preferred)
3 cup diced yellow onion
2 Tb minced garlic
3 Tb extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ ts basil
½ ts thyme
½ ts sage
1 big bay leaf
2 ea sprigs fresh rosemary (or ½ ts ground)
½ ts black pepper
?? ts salt (depends on saltiness of canned tomatoes)

In a BIG pot, saute onions in olive oil over med-high heat until translucent and starting to brown. Don’t walk away. Add minced garlic, and stir for 1 minute. Remove some onion/garlic for the meatballs. Quickly add tomatoes to the remaining onion/garlic in the pot so it doesn’t burn. Stir and heat to a simmer until meatballs ready.

Combine bread crumbs, parmesan, and seasonings in a small bowl. Put your ground meat and cooled onions in a big bowl. Use a knife to break the meat into egg-size lumps, distributing the pork in with the beef. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture over the meat, and toss to cover. Add the egg (you can pre-beat it if you want) and squish it all up with your hands. Euw! Knead like bread a few times to get everything homogeneously mixed. Turn the heat up on the sauce so it is boiling moderately. Form a lime-sized meatball, and drop it into the sauce. Continue until all the meatball mix is used up. Alternatively, you can form all the meatballs and brown them in a pan (or bake them for 30 minutes) before adding them to the sauce. This produces a slightly more photogenic product and pre-cooks off some of the fat.

Once your raw meatballs are in the pot, give them a quick stir, and poke them under the sauce. Boil the sauce for 10 minutes, and then reduce the heat to a quiet simmer. Cover the pot and go away for 1 hour. You can check the sauce occasionally to make sure it’s not simmering too vigorously, but don’t be tempted to stir up the meatballs. This will prevent the fat from coming to the surface. After an hour, remove the pot from the heat, and skim off some fat. You need some fat for good flavor so don’t remove it all. Then add all your seasonings. If you add them with the meatballs, you’ll end up skimming them off with the fat. Simmer for another hour or more, stirring as often as you like. If your sauce is too thin, you can add tomato paste, or just cock the lid to let steam escape while you cook. Adjust seasonings as you go.

If you don’t have all the meatball ingredients above, or prefer meatballs with the texture of a hamburger, or are feeling lazy, you can just ball up some ground beef/salt/pepper and dump it in the sauce because whatever the sauce touches will taste great.

[Wook]

John Barleycorn.

[Stephane]

I have two that I prefer above the others, but I haven't had the chance to really try new recipes.

Which I choose will depend on whether I want to spend time entertaining or not.

Here's the easy recipe that requires little attention:
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Arrosto d'agnello con erbe e aglio (fancy italian for roast lamb with herbs).
Serves 4-6 and could serve more depending on the sides you accompany this with.

Ingredients:
3lb leg of lamb
3-4 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in half
2 sprigs of fresh sage of a ping of dried sage leaves
2 sprigs fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried rosemary leaves
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
Salt/pepper
3/4 cup of dry white wine

1- Cut any excess fat from the lamb. Rub with olive oil. Using a sharp knife, make small cuts just under the skin all around the meat. Insert the garlic pieces in some of the cuts and a few of the fresh herbs in the others (if using dried herb, sprinkle them over the surface of the meat).

2- Rub the remaining fresh herbs all over the lamb and allow it to stand in a cool place for at least 2 hours before cooking. Preheat over to 375F.

3- Place the lamb in a baking pan, surrounded by the herbs. Pour on the 2 tbps of oil. Season. Place in the oven and roast for 35 minutes basting occasionally.

4- Pour the wine over the lamb. Roast for 15 minutes more or until the meat is cooked. Remove the lamb to a heated serving dish. Tilt the pan, spooning off the fat on the surface. Strain the pan juices into a gravy boat. Slice the meat and server with the sauce passed separately.
__________________________________________________ ________________________________________

My notes:
1- Use fresh herbs if you can. I've done both, there's no comparison. That part doesn't usually take more than 15 minutes to do.

3- I rarely add the 2 tbps of oil. The rubbing is usually enough.

4- The wine really gives a nice taste. I've done it with red too (when I forgot that I was out of white). Not quite as good. A nice dry white is good.

I'll usually serve with salad and small potatoes. I'll alternatively put the potatoes in the pan with the roast, or I'll make boiled potatoes. I tend to prefer the boiled potatoes as they are a nice neutral taste to clean your palate between lamb bites.

[Zayda]

Honestly, for me it depends on the occasion for the entertainment and the time of year. Having said that, here are a few recipes:


Tiger-Crying Grilled Beef


¼ cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 1 ¼-pound flank steak

Dipping Sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 fresh Thai chilies, seeded and chopped
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons nuoc mam (fish sauce)
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon brown sugar

1. Prepare grill.

2. Combine soy sauce and brow sugar in a shallow dish, stirring to dissolve sugar.

3. Add flank steak, turning to coat both sides. Set aside.

4. To make dipping sauce, puree all ingredients in blender until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl.

5. Grill flank steak over medium hot coals, 6 minutes per side for medium-rare. (Or grill to preferred doneness.)

6. Transfer to cutting board; let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak into think slices. Drizzle with dipping sauce.



Shrimp, Corn, and Goat-Cheese Pasta Salad

1 lb. large shrimp, cleaned and deveined.
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups fresh corn kernels
1 large grape tomato, halved
4 oz. orzo (small, rice-shaped pasta)
2 cups torn butter lettuce
2 oz. soft, mild goat cheese, crumbled
½ cup fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus wedges for garnish

1. Rinse and pat shrimp dry.

2. Heat 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking.

3. Cook shrimp, stirring, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes.

4. Transfer shrimp to a bowl.

5. Wipe skillet clean and add remaining 1 ½ tablespoons oil.

6. Cook corn with tomatoes, stirring until just tender, about 3 minutes.

7. Add corn mixture to bowl, salt and pepper to taste and let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, 20 to 25 minutes.

8. Cook pasta in a 4-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente, about 8 minutes.

9. Drain past well in a fine sieve and add to the bowl with the remaining ingredients, tossing to combine.

10. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with lime wedges.


Blue Cheese Cranberry Crumble

Crumbled Blue Cheese
Dried Cranberries
Chopped Walnuts or Pecans
Olive oil

Combine the blue cheese, dried cranberries and the chopped walnuts with a small amount of olive oil.

Serve with toast, crackers, or sliced apples.



I have a ton more. I can't find my fruit dip recipe, atm. But it's one of two fruit dip recipes that I use for almost every entertaining occasion.

[marmalade]

Remove the sauce from the heat and slowly add the lemon juice.If you heat milk and add lemon juice, you get cheese curds. The Indians call it paneer.

I wonder what keeps the cream from turning into cheese? It sounds tasty, by the way.

Arrosto d'agnello con erbe e aglio (fancy italian for roast lamb with herbs).My uncle makes something similar on the grill, but without the wine. I made it once and it turned out pretty good. You start with a deboned leg of lamb, all spread out, which is then smeared with liberal amounts of minced garlic and fresh basil (and salt/pepper). The whole thing is rolled up and put in the fridge to marinate for several to many hours. Then you unroll it and grill to your liking.

[Paulypalooza]

Form a lime-sized meatball, and drop it into the sauce.

Finnally somebody who knows how to cook meatballs. Ask any true Italian and they will tell you that you never pan fry or bake meatballs.

[marmalade]

I thought I did it that way because there's less cleanup.

Now I know the subversive power of genes!

:D

[Stephane]

My uncle makes something similar on the grill, but without the wine. I made it once and it turned out pretty good. You start with a deboned leg of lamb, all spread out, which is then smeared with liberal amounts of minced garlic and fresh basil (and salt/pepper). The whole thing is rolled up and put in the fridge to marinate for several to many hours. Then you unroll it and grill to your liking.

Nice. I might just try that.

I like lamb. It's a different taste than the usual fare for most people while not being too weird. I like the fact that I'm not slaving over the stove for most of the time before dinner too. I can get most of the side dishes done ahead of time and the meat goes in and has little supervision in the hour before eating.