One of the most important rules to remember: Keep it simple.
By Associated Press
Published August 20, 2003
CONCORD, N.H. - When it comes to easy, inexpensive entertaining, it's hard to beat rustic Italian cooking.
This is where simple ingredients such as pasta, sundried tomatoes and fresh basil shine effortlessly. Taste buds are tantalized more by vibrant ingredients than time-consuming techniques.
My wife and I entertain at least once a week, often at the end of long workdays. That's why we place a premium on easy preparation that leaves us with more time and energy to enjoy our guests.
We recently had six friends over on a Tuesday evening, giving us about an hour from the time we got home until the first arrivals. Dinner doesn't need to be on the table by then, but I like to have it well under way.
The following meal plan feeds eight, for a total cost of about $50, not including wine. This dinner does best with a lush Chianti, which need not cost a fortune. Many good bottles can be had for under $10.
Start with appetizers. Try as you might to divert traffic elsewhere, everyone will end up in the kitchen. Surrender to this and be sure to keep your guests munching. But if my attention is on dinner, I don't have time to make fancy appetizers.
So, keep it simple. We pile small slices of fresh bread on a plate around a mound of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 3/4 pound) that has been broken into bite-size chunks. This cheese is so tangy that a little goes far.
For those who don't do dairy, we also set out a couple of saucers of extra-virgin olive oil for dipping the bread. We like to sprinkle a bit of salt in one and some freshly ground black pepper in the other.
For the meal, I think in threes: a bread, a salad and a main dish. I time things so that all are on the table at once.
For the salad, buy about 1/2 pound of mixed greens. Arrange these in a large salad bowl. Soak 1/2 cup of golden raisins in warm water until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain and scatter over the salad.
Using a vegetable peeler, shave a carrot over the salad. Dice several scallions (whites and greens) and add those. In a skillet, dry-roast 1 cup of walnut pieces over a low flame until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Let cool and add to salad.
For a dressing, offer extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar at the table; or combine 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/8 cup cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons all-fruit strawberry jam, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in a blender and emulsify. Toss with the salad just before serving.
For bread, crostini are the way to go. These crunchy rounds are easy, tasty and satisfying. Buy a fresh baguette (about 11/2 feet long) and slice it into thin rounds. Arrange the rounds on a baking sheet, then drizzle with olive oil.
Bake the rounds at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes, or until just crunchy. Top each piece with diced tomato that has been tossed with balsamic vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, salt and ground black pepper.
For the main dish, consider an amazingly easy, rustic pasta.
Among the many beauties of pasta is its price. For this dinner, I bought 2 pounds of good-quality dry linguini for $2 at my grocer.
Try pasta with garlic, oil and hot red pepper from Jo Bettoja's In a Roman Kitchen (Wiley, $34.95), which can be prepared in about 15 minutes. To jazz it up, just before serving add 1 cup of diced sundried tomatoes (oil-packed variety) or fresh basil leaves.
For dessert, we diverge from the Italian theme.
My wife discovered a wonderful recipe for roasted bananas in the September 1997 issue of Cooking Light. This meal is that it can be pulled together in under an hour. Both recipes have been adjusted to feed eight.
Pasta With Garlic, Oil and Hot Red Pepper
2 pounds spaghetti or linguini
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 dried peperoncini, or crushed red pepper flakes to taste
5 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a skillet large enough to accommodate the pasta. Add the garlic and peperoncini or crushed red pepper flakes and cook over a medium flame until the garlic begins to brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.
When the pasta is ready, drain it and add it to the skillet. Mix thoroughly while adding the parsley. Serve at once.
Combine the brown sugar, lemon juice, melted margarine and cinnamon in a bowl, and set aside.
Peel the bananas and cut them in half lengthwise. Place banana halves, cut sides up, on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray or lightly brushed with oil. Bake the bananas for 4 minutes.
Drizzle sugar mixture evenly over banana halves, and sprinkle with toasted walnuts. Bake for an additional 3 minutes. Cut each banana piece into thirds crosswise. Serve bananas with frozen yogurt. Drizzle with any remaining sugar mixture.
Makes 8 servings (serving size 4 banana pieces and 1/4 cup frozen yogurt).
