Dinner Party ideas?!

slonik

Hi,
I've found some great inspiration in the recipies on this site and made lots of yummy cheap meals. But this weekend we've got some family members coming round for a meal this weekend and I want to impress them but can't afford to splash out too much at the supermarket.
My aunt is a bit of a foodie and I don't think she'd think too much of my corned beef hash (yummy though it is), or other similar budget meals that I've been making.
So I would be really grateful for any ideas on entertaining money-saving-style!

(PS Sorry if this is the wrong thread but I wasn't sure where else to post.)

Debt_Free_Chick

How many courses?

slonik

well, in the interests of money saving (and laziness!) I think we can safely skip the starter. Should probably do something for pudding, though I've never been much good at making cakes...
But most of all I am interested in inspiration for the main course.

Galtizz

This could be a good cheap starter, if you use a cheap filling

r.mac wrote:

why not try stuffed peppers as a starter.

One red peper per person, slice off the top (neatly) and reserve. Scoop out the seeds and make a mixture to fill the space left.

fillings to try;
mince/lentils/rice/chilli powder
cheese/breadcrumbs/cottage cheese/herbs
rics/nuts/sultanas/herbs/paprika

Basically anything goes, but cook the filling first if it contains 'raw ingredients', then fill the pepper, pop the top back on and place in an ovenproof dish. Cook in the oven for 30 mins or so, until the peppers are soft and starting to brown. Everything can be assembled in advance and the fillings can be adapted to be as cheap or as expensive as you feel. If the peppers are large, serve them with salad and garlic bread as a main course.

Or how about HM soup to start
Or potato skins (bake, cut in 1/2 scoop out most of the insides put in a bowl and mix with mince/chilli/cheese/soft cheese and chives etc. put back into potato skins)
Or tomato/ mozarella bake, slice beef tomatos and mozarella (about 50p from Lidl) arange on plate in a big circle alternating tom, cheese, tom, chees etc. bung in the micro for 1 min or so (don't let cheese melt, just so it's soft) serve with a drizzle of flavoured olive oil (or chopped basil and olive oil)

Galtizz

slonik wrote:

well, in the interests of money saving (and laziness!) I think we can safely skip the starter.

Oh b*gger, we cross posted I'll think of some mains now.

Queenie

You can still cook an impressive meal on a tight budget.

Slow cooked brisket cooked in red wine (cheap red wine!) was the first meal I ever cooked to impress after I was married.

Starter was stuffed lemon (basically lemons stuffed with tuna!)

For dessert I made a sponge cake in a fluted tin, spooned a miniature bottle of brandy over it, smothered in whipped cream and decorated it with grapes!

Coq Au Vin (chicken in white wine) was very much a meal to impress in the 70's preceeded by a prawn cocktail and a chocolate mousse for dessert.

In the 80's my XMIL belonged to a Singles Club and they would have Meal Safari's (a starter at one house, main at another, dessert with party at the 3rd). She would always cook a roast and that was very much appreciated by everyone.

If I could give you *one* piece of advice from my experiences, it would be:

Only cook what *you* feel confident and competent cooking!

If you're planning on trying out a new recipe, a trial run is the best bet. If you have a basic recipe that you are confident with, simply look for ways to dress it up a bit, ie. instead of milk, use cream, instead of chicken pieces, get chicken breast - that sort of thing.

Good luck

Debt_Free_Chick

bummer.... I was going to suggest Soup for a starter ...

Main course
Just about anything home-made

Beef en daube
Lamb Shanks
Coq au vin

Steak & Kidney pie - or a variation e.g. Steak & Mushroom with Guinness
Cottage Pie (beef)
Shepherd's Pie (lamb)
Posh Toad in the Hole (honest!)

Roasted Monkfish with smashed potatoes & watercress (Rick Stein)
Salmon en Croute
(These are only money saving if you are near the coast and have a fishing fleet locally, or a very good fish market like Birmingham - where, roughly, do you live?)

Rosti Fishcakes (Delia)
You can do this with tinned salmon. The Lidl one is excellent for this. Rosti is Swiss grated potato - can you grate Swiss style
Smoked salmon lasagne with spinach (Delia)
Money saving if you use Lidl smoked salmon.

Do any of these appeal? I don't want to post recipes for all of them - would take forever! But need a feel for what sounds good to you.

And is it a "grand dinner party" or a cosy family supper?

Go on ... gimme a clue. I guarantee I'll come up with something )

Debt_Free_Chick

Seriously, I would consider Soup as a starter and either skip pud or make a good old fashioned rice pudding or bread & butter pud with home made custard for dessert. These cost peanuts!

Galtizz

How about sticking to something simple that you have tried before like toad in the hole with salsa. I have tried this before and it is easy to make. You can even make the salsa the night or morning before so all you have to worry about when the pressure is on is making toad in the hole.

slonik

Wow thank you! I wasn't expecting so many responses and so quick too!
I am most intrigued about the stuffed lemons, Queenie!!! Do you have a recipe??! Have never thought of stuffing lemons before.....
Debt Free Chick - I would love to have your recipes for salmon rosti and also one for coq au vin.
And I love the bread and butter pudding idea - think that was one of the first dishes I ever cooked when I was a kid! Haven't had it for years and we do have lots of oldish bread to use up.
It will be a Saturday lunch - not too grand but not too cosy either (I'll be on my best behaviour!).
As Queenie rightly suggested, it's probably not a time to experiment too much so I think I'll steer well clear of toad in the hole which I have never been able to get right yet (as I said, I am not very good at baking stuff).
Thank you all again - hopefully other money savers can find some great stuff here for their dinner/lunch parties too!

Debt_Free_Chick

Salmon Rosti Fishcakes
From Saint Delia of course

Don't use fresh salmon. Tinned actually produces better fishcakes. Buy the tinned salmon from Lidl. This is excellent ... it's a piece of poached salmon in a tin (natch!) and nothing like "pink" or "red" salmon that we had as kids. The tin is shallow and longish .. not like a tin of tuna. I buy the one that's just "naturel", they also do other variations (can't remember) but I guess they would be fine, too.

To serve 4 as a Main Course
350g salmon
225g firm fleshed potatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
1 tablespoon capers, drained & roughly chopped (or use good quality gherkins)
2 tablespoons lime juice
pinch of cayenne pepper (or paprika, or small amount of chilli powder)
salt
oil - groundnut is best

Wash pots. Boil (skins on) for about 10 mins

Chop salmon - with tinned, just gently use a fork to break it up, until fairly fine

Put salmon in bowl, with capers, lime juice & chopped coriander. Mix, season with salt & cayenne.

Don't let pots go beyond 10 mins - you want them very firm in the middle... almost raw. After 10 mins, drain them and allow them to cool until you can handle them. I put on a pair of clean rubber gloves to pick them up. And then rub off the skin.

Take pots and grate them. If you have one of those tall graters, use the coarsest side. You want large flakes of pots.

Mix the grated pots with the salmon mixture, gently.

Take a small handful of the mix and gently slap it into a cake. Press gently, but leave any ragged bits of potato that stick out - these look quite pretty, when cooked.

Make more cakes by repeating the above.

You should get 12 cakes from this mixture ... or 8 larger ones.

Heat oil in pan until really hot. Add fish cakes. Fry for 3 mins on each side until golden. Use a fish slice to gently press the top of the cake down onto the surface of the pan, then immediately turn over.

Drain on kitchen paper & serve.

Alternatively, you can put them on a piece of Bake-O-Glide and put them at the top of a hot oven. This does away with the frying bit and should save on the oil aroma in the house!

You can prepare the cakes in advance, then put them in the fridge until needed. I've made them a day in advance with no ill-effects.

Serve as soon as they are ready, and sprinkle some chopped coriander on top.

Serve with any fresh made salsa.

They should only take about 20 mins to prepare and less than 10 mins to cook & serve. So, prepare them in advance and then do all other stuff. Start to cook them about 10 mins before you need to serve.

Once cooked, they will keep in a low oven for 10-15 mins, so if you do a starter, you can eat that whilst they are kept warm.

Hope this is OK ...