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?

The poster is being sarcastic.

Mexican and Asian!

Sorry the sarcasm went right passed me 😂
Faster than I can enthusiastically eat a plate of traditional carbonara!

Sausages and mash?
Toad in the hole?
Cottage/shepherd's pie?
Chicken pie?
Lamb hotpot?
Welsh cawl?
Quiche?

Cornish pasties!

I would do them a MN approved spag bol made with peppers, sweetcorn, worcestershire sauce and a crumbled oxo cube.

Y'know, for the craic like.

Sausage & Bean casserole with crusty bread.

Yay to a lovely quiche!

I do a nice one with red peppers and goats cheese.

I'm going to have to make that soon now I've thought about it!

had to link this 😂

Or cook a chicken that will last for the entirety of the visit for every meal for everyone

Whenever my auntie comes over from Naples she loves to get an English Chinese takeaway

Not relatives, but when we lived there did host Italian friends. And talk about food a lot.

I found Moroccan dishes work well. Harissa has similar enough flavours to Sicilian cuisine. And couscous is a good shout if you’re avoiding pasta!!

We took this to a party:

Roasted Vegetable Couscous Salad with Harissa Style Dressing

One couple we knew in Rome travelled a lot and loved many cuisines and cooked us paella. But that’s the only time we didn’t have Italian food at someone’s house.

A pp mentioned sushi. Japanese food is really popular now, one friend’s brother says he prefers Japanese restaurants to Italian ones now 😯. But curries aren’t getting the love yet. Or maybe that’s changed in the cities, mostly visit the mountains. The spice mix in curry is just too unfamiliar and the rice isn’t risotto rice etc

Hope it goes well with your guests

I’m interested to know (and sorry to the OP for the possible slight derailment), why it is that in the UK & Ireland we eat all manner of food, but in Italy they haven’t ventured to other food cultures. (I should add I have Italian in -laws who have very, very limited palates)

Sorry mean to say, if anyone happens to know the answer! Is it just that Italian food is so delicious there’s no need to bring in others?

This
they hate spicy! In a curry way I mean, not an arrabbiata way

This
they hate spicy! In a curry way I mean, not an arrabbiata way

Yes this!

Wasn’t sure how much to say about curry in my post but I have heard a LOT of negativity about it. One Italian friend’s niece visited London with her parents as a child and only remembers the terrible curry smell from a restaurant next to their hotel.

I always speak up for curry in these situations

@anotherscroller that was in reply to your post, sorry, tried to quote but it work as intended

I have Italian rellies. Noodles bars and sushi are very popular in italy now so that would probably be a safe bet. I've found roasts go down well and particularly lamb in any form as it's quite uncommon there.

I dunno, I wouldn't worry about it. I've known some people from other cultures serve up some right slop.

Just have what you normally do op.

The Uk is an international island, a brilliant mish mash of cultures that has amalgamated and become one! Curry is just as British now as it is Asian after all ☺️

Italy is not an international island, and while it's an an amazing place and they food is to die for.... they are certainly very proud of it.

Italian people are very impressed with multi-layer cakes.
So Coffee and Walnut, BFG, a high fluffy Victoria Sponge. Anything you’d find in a coffee shop.
And a cheeseboard with creamy hard cheeses like Wensleydale or a dry Stilton.

(DH is Italian and he loves Marmite, black pudding, Cumberland sausages, fruit cake, good fish and chips, porridge and bitter marmalade. Hates rice pudding, Heinz beans, Gregg’s and anything “Italian Style”.)

We have Italian friends yes to huge slabs of meat, especially barbecued. They love English puddings, also Yorkies. Fish goes down well here, but we live by the sea.

I'm English but find Indian food too spicy. Except for kormas. A nice creamy, fruity veg korma with trimmings is delicious and very mild.

Yes to all of this

'bulked out' with lentils or possibly baked beans?