Ideas for what to feed Italian relatives?

[IHeartKingThistle]

We've been to stay with them and they just eat beautifully. I cook a lot and from scratch but a lot of my food is Mexican, Asian, and Italian! I'm going to do a roast of course with crumble and custard. And full English one morning. And we'll probably get fish and chips one night. But I'm stuck for ideas apart from that. What would you make?

Salmon, buttered new potatoes and fresh asparagus.

This is perfect!

We did this for brunch yesterday and it was gorgeous and very easy, although we cheated with the hollandaise and bought it
www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/asparagus-farinata-with-trout-poached-egg-and-hollandaise/amp/

Have a look through the meal planning thread for inspiration.

Donna hay does great recipes with a bit of a twist that you might like.

Chicken with tarragon cream sauce, served with fresh peas baby leeks & new potatoes.
Maybe something Greek, spanakopita or moussaka?
Strawberries and cream, rhubarb fool, Eton mess, Lemon meringue tart for summertime puddings?

One thing I would definitely NOT cook for them is Italian food...
I would make your favourite Mexican and Asian stuff, something that's worked well for you in the past and you don't have to worry it's going to go wrong. I love things like fajitas for a casual family dinner and everyone getting to put their own together and getting stuck in. Or a big pot of chilli with tortilla chips and sour cream and all the toppings. Or a biryani with raita and a chopped salad on the side.

I’d cook a curry and Mexican, not Italian

a really top notch ploughman’s lunch for well lunch.
a curry!

Depending on how much they get out, they might not like anything spicy. I'll never forget living in an eco community in the Apennines 30 years ago. It was about 95% Italian, and one day a visiting English guy made curry for everyone. The place did have a weird fucked up dynamic, but the amount of abuse these Italian hippies hurled at him for "trying to poison them" was insane.

Agree with anything but Italian!

What about a bbq one evening? Another one I do regularly for guests is a ham with bread and lots of salads.

Also...what would I make?? Depends on what they're like. If they're the kind of nonni who take pasta in their suitcases abroad (does anyone still do that?!), you might as well make whatever you like, they're not going to like any of it.

Hopefully they're more adventurous/ open minded than that though!

Italians only eat Italian food.

Or sushi if they have to 😂

I live in Italy so have obviously taken Italian relatives, DH, in-laws etc to my family in the UK.

I'd say with traditional English dishes and flavours, they're fine. They've always liked fish and chips, a roast etc. (British meat is generally better quality and tastier- to do with the grass etc plus the fact Italians tend to eat their animals very young- the lamb is called "milk lamb" because it's still suckling its mother etc. )
Most fish- salmon, trout, mackerel etc. I'd avoid shellfish.
Lots of cheeses.

I saw some very trendy Italian food bloggers recently who were very taken with English pies.

Ooh loads of good ideas, thank you!

I'm definitely not cooking Italian!

My Italian in-laws were impressed by my Mexican and Asian recipes as they'd never had them before. Fresh Scottish salmon went down well. As did Welsh lamb as it's much more delicate than what they eat in Italy.

I would do them a spaghetti carbonara but use bacon and put some mushrooms and peas in it. Insist everyone calls it a carbonara.

I'd do spring lamb chops (on a BBQ if the weather is nice) with lovely dressed green salad and dauphinois potatoes (or pommes Anna).

I'd also make something like potted shrimp and/or crab for lunch with some fresh crusty sourdough (again with a nice salad with a lemon vinaigrette).

I'd probably bake a ham as well.

Useful for all sorts of things (in sandwiches, in an omelette, with a ploughman's for lunch).

Everyone knows it’s not a carbonara without cream.

What about eggs Benedict for brunch (eggs royale with smoked salmon).

A simple favourite of mine as a starter is runny boiled eggs with asparagus to dip into the yolk - delicious!!!

Or if like me you have loads of those glass Gu pots what about baked eggs for brunch. Easy to make in big batches.

You can add ham/salmon/mushrooms/asparagus. Just put in your filling in the bottom. Crack in an egg and top with a little cream and some parmigiana if you want. Bake in a bain Marie - serve with nice bread. Worth getting really good quality eggs for.

Why can't you serve them Mexican and Asian food if that's what you like to cook?

Everyone knows it’s not a carbonara without cream

Carbonara (authentic) does not have cream - its a sin.

The skill of the recipe is the amalgamation of the rendered fat (from guanciale not pancetta), pasta water, egg and parmigiana into a rich "creamy" sauce.

I wouldnt do any spicy food for people before first checking they are ok with it.

Do they like their own food or want to try English food?

I'd imagine sticking to a lot of meat and tomato based dishes

I have hosted lots of Italian students - they all seem to have really enjoyed clotted cream - on scones but also on waffles. They also enjoyed Eton mess.

Most were very happy to eat Mexican and Asian food as it's different from what they have at home .

When cooking Italian good for them they were insistent on using Italian pasta, Italian tomatoes etc..