Looking for inspiration for dinner for a girl's night please!

[Buda]

Having 6 friends over for dinner next week. Looking for nice easy prepare ahead meal.

Thinking smoked salmon pate for starter with some other nice nibbles to be eaten with some nice prosecco.

Main course - have no idea.

Dessert - have a nice recipe for a ginger cheesecake I have been wanting to try so might do that with some strawberries.

So ideas for a nice easy main course would be lovely - thank you!

When me and my girly mates meet up we have started having cheese fondue with lots of lovely dunky bits. Generally we will have nice sausages, fresh bread, mushrooms, roasted peppers, chicken breast, all chopped up ready to dunk.
Its great fun sitting arond the table having a gossip and picking over a couple of glasses of wine.

Really, really slow cooked pork is lovely. 6-24 hours, depending on which recipe you use. Can serve w noodles if a spicy version, or baps and bbq sauce, or salad.

If you ditch the salmon pate starter, smoked salmon risotto always looks impressive, but is very little work. Served with a nice green salad.

Nice ideas thank you.

Fondue could be fun although I don't have a fondue set.

The slow-cooked pork sounds fab but the cuts of pork available here are different to uk (am in Budapest) and I wouldn't have a clue what to buy.

Risotto - I love but wanted something that I can make ahead of time really.

Sorry! I know I'm a fussy cow!

What about burritos if you want something to make ahead of time? You can do all the prep, make them up, then just throw them in the oven when everyone arrives?

A lasagne/canneloni would do the same. Or roast medditerranean veg pasta bake.

I had 5 girls over for lunch a few weeks ago - made a tomato and courgette tart on a puff pastry base. We actually assembled the tart together once they came over so everyone got their own section of the tart that they had made and we had all cooked it "together" (though I pre-sliced the veg, grated the cheese and par-baked the tart base in advance) - then it went in the oven for 30 min while we had drinks. A good way to break the ice as not everyone knew each other. Tacos or sushi or anything else you can make together is good for this too.

If you just want to kick back when they arrive, what about a tagine, a curry, a bouillabaisse, a beef stew or some other slow cook stew-y thing which can just sit in the oven until you serve? Curry, rice and a homemade cucumber raita would be very English

Alternatively, here are two lovely recipes for chicken thighs that are great made in advance, and serve really well with a wild rice pilaf and a green salad:

• Chicken Marbella (don't be put off by the naff 1970s name, this is an ABSOLUTE classic and tastes as nice at room temp as it does hot out of the oven)
• Spicy Lemongrass Chicken (a Vietnamese braised chicken dish, very easy, just throw it all in a pot and simmer and you can adjust the chilis if you don't like it too spicy)

Buda - shoulder is best. If you cook it really really slowly using a rack over a roasting tin then the fat runs off.