Dinner Party ideas?!

carolinosourus

This is one of my favourite dishes, I've had a lot of success with it when I've had people round for dinner. It does have Thai fish sauce in but you could either leave it, use soy sauce instead out or you can get a veggie/vegan version from certain healthfood shops or online. It tastes beautiful and the aubergine is melt-in-the-mouth delicious.

Or you could go Italian and have bruschetta and a pasta feast. I find the BBC Good Food website to be really helpful when I'm looking for recipes.

Nottoobadyet

Oh, my specialty! Colliewobble has some great suggestions, here are a few more:

Just a few ideas:
1. Mushroom Risotto with a side of green salad, perhaps with an HM vinaigrette? Yum yum yum.
2. My (American) mum's eggplant Parmesan! Quick, easy, foolproof and so good even the non-meat eaters at the table will ask for more! Recipe:
2 Aubergines
eggs
oil for frying
breadcrumbs
lots of grated Motsorella cheese
jars of tomato sauce - store brand is fine but I'd use a step up from basic

slice the aubergines thinly and coat in egg white and breadcrumbs, then fry in oil. Continue and put aside to drain on paper towels. Layer in a baking tray, first aubergine slices, then tomato sauce, then cheese. Repeat until you've run out of aubergine slices, then put in the oven for about 20 minute as the cheese melts through. Sounds like a student recipe - and is! - but it is so finger licking good that after eating it in our student days I still get requests for it whenever people come by!

3. Hearty soup such as butternut squash or pumpkin with hearty bread

4. Frittata with potato, tomato, spinach and egg. Looks very impressive and is easy, PM me if you'd like the recipie.

By far the best cookbook I have bought is a tiny little one called Vegetarian Feasts (think I got in Robert Dayas) which has great recipes for actual meals, rather than the glorified side dishes that other veg books seem to be full of!

Best of luck, pop back in to let us know how it went

lickylonglips

Nottoobadyet wrote: »

Oh, my specialty! Colliewobble has some great suggestions, here are a few more:

Just a few ideas:
1. Mushroom Risotto with a side of green salad, perhaps with an HM vinaigrette? Yum yum yum.
2. My (American) mum's eggplant Parmesan! Quick, easy, foolproof and so good even the non-meat eaters at the table will ask for more! Recipe:
2 Aubergines
eggs
oil for frying
breadcrumbs
lots of grated Motsorella cheese
jars of tomato sauce - store brand is fine but I'd use a step up from basic

slice the aubergines thinly and coat in egg white and breadcrumbs, then fry in oil. Continue and put aside to drain on paper towels. Layer in a baking tray, first aubergine slices, then tomato sauce, then cheese. Repeat until you've run out of aubergine slices, then put in the oven for about 20 minute as the cheese melts through. Sounds like a student recipe - and is! - but it is so finger licking good that after eating it in our student days I still get requests for it whenever people come by!

3. Hearty soup such as butternut squash or pumpkin with hearty bread

4. Frittata with potato, tomato, spinach and egg. Looks very impressive and is easy, PM me if you'd like the recipie.

By far the best cookbook I have bought is a tiny little one called Vegetarian Feasts (think I got in Robert Dayas) which has great recipes for actual meals, rather than the glorified side dishes that other veg books seem to be full of!

Best of luck, pop back in to let us know how it went

Your eggplant parmesan doesn't actually use parmesan, then, but rather mozzarella??

zippychick

Hi Jammy, just thought I would link you to the Complete Vegetarian Collection for further ideas!:j

Hope that helps:D

lostinrates

I'd probably do a spread of different mediiteranian dishes....slightly less common place than curry or Italian, and exciting flavours. The iman Fainted is one of my favourites, and deliciuos sour/sweet courgeets with pine kernals, perhaps some falafel, houmous, cous cous, easy flat breads, cous cous, some olives on the table there will be loads of recipes around. Nigella lawson has a lovely turkish delight syllabub which wuld make a lovely supper.

That kind of relaxed food puts less strain on you two...you can have an awful lot done well before they arrive...in the morning even.

Nottoobadyet

lickylonglips wrote: »

Your eggplant parmesan doesn't actually use parmesan, then, but rather mozzarella??

Yeah, not sure why its called parmesan, but thats what my mum calls it :-)

Anyway most parmesan cheese isnt veggie - so if you are going to use it double check that it has the V symbol!

belfastgirl23

I think the parmesan is better known as 'parmigiana' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmigiana I've made this for a crowd - it's filling, looks really impressive, and best of all can be assembled the night before and then just cooked for your special occasion. Would recommend it. Proper wintery food as well.

twinkle_star_2

Delia's parsnip and cheese roulade looks pretty impressive for most veggies. Recipe is here.

Or, I love doing Jamie's cauliflower and broccoli stuffed canneloni (recipe here). I'm vegan so I do it without the creamy cheesey top and it's still absolutely yummy.

jammy26

wow you lot are amazing my mouth is watering just reading this thread!

Nottoobadyet

belfastgirl23 wrote: »

I think the parmesan is better known as 'parmigiana' I've made this for a crowd - it's filling, looks really impressive, and best of all can be assembled the night before and then just cooked for your special occasion. Would recommend it. Proper wintery food as well.

:rotfl:Yep, thats it! I guess we've been mispronouncing it all these years...

Definetly great for a crowd, and if you dont have the numbers it makes great packed lunches for the rest of the week...