Dinner party menu (aka do I HAVE to have a salad ?)

I'm throwing a dinner party for 6 friends this Saturday. The menu will be Italian, which, while I definitely need to 'branch out' so to speak, it's what I'm most familiar with.

When I was talking w/ my mom on Saturday, she was aghast when I said I wasn't planning on serving a salad. Here's the probable menu (most everything from 'Molto Italiano' by Mario Batali):

Antipasti

Assorted olives marinated in orange juice with oregano and fennel
Cipolle al Aceto - onions with balsamic glaze (may buy some Aceto Tradizionale)
Prociutto di Parma with melon - probably a cliché, but I'm trying to minimize the actual cooking I need to do

Primo

Pansotti con salsa di Noci - Pansotti/ravioli with zucchini and walnut sauce

Secundo

Arista alla Porchetta - roasted pork loin butterflied & filled with stuffing of ground pork, fennel, garlic, onion, bread crumbs with red onion

Contorno

Asparagi alla Gremolata - asparagus (should be coming into season) with citrus, parsley and garlic

Dolci

Almond & Orange biscotti (some dipped in chocolate)
Chocolate & Orange gelato (still debating whether to try my own)

Vino/spirits

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (with dinner)
Limoncello
the usual - vodka, gin, beer, etc..

I think I should pretty much be able to prepare everything in advance, with only cooking I'll really have to do is dropping the pasta and doing the asparagus. It kinda stinks to spend the whole time in the kitchen after guests arrive.

So here's the 1,000,000 lira question: Should I have a salad and/or have another side ? I'm not a big salad guy but a friend made a really good one a few weeks ago so I could get the recipe. I suppose it would be more "normal" for some people but hey, I'm not a normal guy

Opinions ? Suggestions ? Admonitions ?

Grazi !

I think you need to learn not to tell Mom everything.

No salad. Besides, it's still too early for really good spring greens.

Mike G wrote:I think you need to learn not to tell Mom everything.

And stop taking what she says to heart.

If your Mom is anything like my Mom, she has fairly old-fashioned, if that's the right word, maybe rigid, or outdated, definitely uniform (follow me?) ideas about entertaining. She would probably agree with your Mom that you would need to serve a "tossed" salad. Even though at most occasions, her salad was not touched. This is woman who, after all, thinks White Zinfandel is a universal wine for all generations (thank God I finally broke her of that habit, although I think she now believes that Pinot Grigio is).

I guess my point is, that may for certain generations, there were sort of hard and fast rules, that are not so followed these days.

I entertain people relatively often, and I don't think I've served a salad (for no particular reason) and I don't think I offended anyone. I haven't served White Zinfandel either.

I should add that your menu looks great. I would also serve some vin santo for dipping with the biscotti.

Umm...you left out the address in your post.
Oh, and what time should we arrive...

tem,

I think I should pretty much be able to prepare everything in advance, with only cooking I'll really have to do is dropping the pasta and doing the asparagus. It kinda stinks to spend the whole time in the kitchen after guests arrive.

For me, it depends on who the guests are... ... Sometimes it's good to have a place to hide...

Since you're using Italian names for the courses I thought it might be worthwhile to point out that the pork is a secondo and that the pasta is a primo.

With regard to the salad, in the context of a thoroughly Italian meal, I would be inclined to have one of some sort and, preferably, after the secondo. On the other hand, if your guests aren't necessarily of that mindset and you aren't, then the question to me is one of balance and whether your meal has a reasonable and sufficient amount of vegetable matter in it. If you're happy with the balance, then the matter is decided. But in any event, I don't think the salad police, as Emeril might say, will come and drag you off if you don't have a salad.

It sounds like it will be a very nice meal.

Buon appetito,
Antonius

Antonius wrote:
Since you're using Italian names for the courses I thought it might be worthwhile to point out that the pork is a secondo and that the pasta is a primo.

got it

tem,

Please post some pics if you have a chance to take them (and your guests don't think it too odd for someone to be photographing the food)...



Antonius

While I love salad, I think that since you are serving something green (zucchini in the pasta and asparagus) no one is going to miss the salad. The menu you have chosen sounds very inviting, and I'm sure your guests will feel treated to a special dinner. One word of advice from an occasionally over-organized and over-confident hostess. Don't get ahead of yourself and drape the prosciutto over the melon too early. The last time I served this dish, I didn't realize that the prosciutto would turn to glop if not laid over the melon immediately before serving. ':oops:'

Josephine wrote:Don't get ahead of yourself and drape the prosciutto over the melon too early. The last time I served this dish, I didn't realize that the prosciutto would turn to glop if not laid over the melon immediately before serving. ':oops:'

Good advice. I find that the prosciutto and melon will last together for no more than an hour, refrigerated, prior to serving before the salt in the proscuitto breaks down the melon.

Josephine wrote: One word of advice from an occasionally over-organized and over-confident hostess. Don't get ahead of yourself and drape the prosciutto over the melon too early. The last time I served this dish, I didn't realize that the prosciutto would turn to glop if not laid over the melon immediately before serving. ':oops:'

duly noted ! Thanks !

Barring a disaster, photos will of couse be forthcoming. Gelato & biscotti construction commences tomorrow night

Still debating the salad/2nd contorno conundrum.

soooo ... I'm considering the following as a 2nd side dish.

Radicchio with guanciale and rosemary

or

Roasted potatoes with garlic cloves

I think the radicchio is a bit more of a spring/summer flavor (?) and I think the slight bitterness would be a nice contrast. But, do I risk over-porking people w/ the guanciale ? Can you ever have enough pork ?

The potatoes would be more straightforward but I think they might be a bit too starchy and heavy for a springtime meal.

Any other suggestions ?

Also, bought some Aceto Tradizionale at Sam's tonight for the low low price of $85 But dang, it's remarkable.

When I lived in Rome I very often had roasted potatoes served with veal or pork - makes me nostalgic. I wonder if its a bit more rustic than the rest of your menu though. Although I think the whole point of the salad discussion was that the so-called "rules" are really, when it comes down to it, just suggestions. My other thought is that since you've planned a primi as well as contorni and antipasti the potatoes might be unneccessary. [/i]

Sooooo .... the party came and went. Everything went great, but here's the recap.

the hits:

- chocolate gelato -- can't really go wrong w/ this along w/ fresh whipped cream
- ravioli -- despite the problems, the chili flakes in the filling provided a very nice kick.
- the balsamic glazed onions

the misses:

- the olive salad. I think no one wanted to deal w/ the pits. Why bother w/ olives w/ pits anyways ? Is it like how cooking fish on the bone tastes better than filets ?
- the pork was a tad dry as a couple people showed up late and I had to keep it warm in the oven for a little while. It was definitely still edible, but not as juicy as I would have hoped.

the "what I'd do over next time":

First, my "cooking in advance" plan consisted only of cooking the biscotti on Friday night. I then went out until about 01:30 -- not a good idea So, Saturday I get on the road for errands at about 11 -- Target, Stanley's, Graziano's, Bari and then Paulina Market. Preliminary estimates figured this to take about 2 hrs. Ya think ? Nope. Didn't get home and cooking until about 3 and I was totally rushed. By the time my first guests arrived, I was still rolling out pasta and hadn't done anything to get set up, which was even more annoying. At this point, I had bagged the idea of cooking the radicchio. What I should have done is do a LOT more on Thursday/Friday. Could have cooked the filling for both the pork roast & ravioli and filled/frozen the ravioli, which would have been about 90% of the actual cooking. Anyways, that's a lesson for next time.

There were also a couple nitpicks/changes I had to make with the recipes. There was *no* way 2lbs of ground pork along with a whole onion and fennel bulb were going to fit into the roast, even if it were butterflied to a .25" thick. I think I used maybe 1/3 of it. Also, the ravioli recipe said to make 3" rounds and then fill and fold in half. But, this seemed to make them much too small for the light pasta course I wanted without having to make 5-6 per person. So, I ended up using a bit more filling and using 2 pieces of pasta to make a more traditional ravioli. No big deal, but everyone then only got 2 or 3. I also kinda spaced and forgot to throw a some of the filling in the pan as I finished it but the walnut & breadcrumb "sauce" was still very good.

Overall, it was a great time with friends, just as a dinner party should be ANYhow, here's the pics.

biscotti



cooking the gelato custard



ready to go into the freezer



pasta filling & pasta





balsamic glazed onions



pork roasts ready to go in the oven



plated (could have definitely used another side dish)



the party (that's me on the far left)



the aftermath