I come to your house mid week for a dinner party

[JuliaPargetter]

What do you cook?

Looking for ideas! No chilli hot food and not too meaty, please!

Lasagne, jacket potatoes, garlic bread
OR
Been goulash - done in slow cooker with rice

Followed by either lemon meringue pie or a cheesecake depending on how much time I'd got...

Hugh FW's roasted tomato risotto with mozzarella, rocket salad.

A midweek dinner party?!?! What kind of madness is this?!

YUM!

Carbonara - THIS recipe is ace.

@PigglyWigglyOhYeahHere, have a 🥇for the most tenuous link in Mumsnet history!

I love to cook and to feed my friendsnice food. Some of us do. You don’t have to.

If it's mid-week I'd be going for easy but still tasty.

Starters would likely just be nibbles. Olives, crisps, dips, bread with oil and balsamic.

Main of walnut and sage buttered pasta because it normally goes down well but is ready in under 15 minutes and I always have the ingredients in the house (walnuts, pasta, butter, dried sage, garlic, lemon).

Dessert either a cheese board or Eton mess made with shop bought meringues and fresh berries.

I've always got wine, tea and decent coffee in the house so you'll be fine there!

If you’re turning up last minute, it would probably be quiche Lorraine, carbonara or a twice baked cheese soufflé and salad followed by The Ivy’s iced berries because I would usually have the ingredients to rustle those up in the fridge and freezer.

If I know you are coming, I would chose a menu based on my guests’ tastes that I could preprepare. Unfortunately, most of my easy to cook mid week repertoire is either meaty or spicy though 😂 A mezze is always an easy option.

It’s British asparagus and early rhubarb season so I would probably serve those. Maybe asparagus with Hollandaise sauce or wrapped in pancetta as a starter. Lightly poached rhubarb with homemade ice cream or panacotta, rhubarb and custard Eton mess, or a crumble if the weather is wintery. Fresh pumpkin and sage ravioli drizzled with olive oil and chopped walnuts or crispy onions or garlic butter fried breadcrumbs or pancetta crumbs (if you aren’t having that in the starter) is a quick and easy main. Poached salmon with a warm Puy lentil salad or potato salad maybe. Chestnut and mushroom nut roast if you want something more hearty. A rack of salt marsh lamb with gratin dauphinois would be my choice on a looking forward to spring but still too cold to give up on comfort food menu but you don’t want meaty 😂

I am a big fan of chicken thigh so something like this

www.dunnesstoresgrocery.com/recipes/braised-spring-chicken-potato-casserole

Mushroom risotto, takes about 20 minutes and can be meat free though I like to pan fry steak, cut into strips and serve on top with pan fried cherry tomatoes on the vine

Midweek? Argh, why?
Rotisserie chicken from the supermarket hot counter, potato dauphinoise and a mixed salad.
Nice ice cream or cheese if you want them to stick around.

Creamy Tarragon Chicken with white rice and Petit Pois
then home made dulce de leche ice cream

Tarragon goes so well with chicken. We had Chantenay carrots last night cooked in the oven (foil parcel) with orange juice and tarragon. Lovely.

This thread has just reminded me of Delia’s chicken with sherry and tarragon that I used to make all the time! We’re having it at the weekend now…

Jamie Oliver has a lovely recipe for a leek and artichoke lasagne which is great to make in advance and reheat on the night, if you have any vegetarians.

I am a massive fan of the Bridget Jones Salmon recipe from Ottolenghi, but I sub the fresh lemon for chopped preserved lemon. Serve with garlic and rosemary baby roast potatoes and slow roasted cherry tomatoes on the vine. So easy but really impressive and delicious.

https://nourishedbynic.com/greek-inspired-baked-chicken-with-feta/

Even i can make it and it isn't much trouble. I sear the chicken first though.

Mwambe

Curry

Halloumi Taziki flatbreads with roasted Mediterranean veg

miso aubergine tacos

tofu in satay sauce with sticky rice

truffle mushroom and leek risotto

I'd prob nip to COOK and buy a roasted vegetable lasagne, bung it in a dish and pass it off as my own .... with a salad and garlic bread.

Their veggie lasagne is amazing, better than the meat one.

A MID WEEK dinner party?

What hell is this?

Chicken and Halloumi tray bake (also good without the chicken). It’s a tin or two of cherry toms, onion, garlic, peppers and courgettes, mushrooms all roughly chopped and put into a baking dish/tray. Drizzle of olive oil, mixed herbs, few splashes of balsamic vinegar, bit of paprika, a teaspoon of sugar and add sliced raw chicken breast if using. Stir so it’s all coated in oil/the other flavours - add some chilli flakes if you like, or sweet chilli sauce.

Roast for about 20 mins and then add chopped halloumi for the last 10 mins.

Serve with a dollop of homous and/or aioli on top and have it with garlic or crusty bread/ sliced pittas and some salad. Also nice with sweet potato fries.

Veggie or meat sausages make a good alternative to the chicken, as do shop bought falafels.

Timings and temp (I go for gas mark 6) will vary depending on size you cut things but usually ready in 40 mins max.
including prep.

Can also be cooked all together in one of those roasting bags with the sachets of herbs.

It’s REALLY tasty and seems more trouble than it actually is!

A curry of some sort
Rice or dhal
Shop bought fruit pie n cream/ice cream and berries

I love how Carbonara is described as a classic as if it is centuries old. It was invented in 1944 and should be made with bacon and milk.

Milk? Most Italians and properly authentic Italian restaurants will baulk at the idea that carbonara has cream in it, insisting it should only be bacon (or guanciale to be more precise but pancetta will suffice) eggs and parmesan.