Italian Potluck Parties by Ruth Paget
Potluck parties where a host will provide a main dish and invited guests will provide side dishes and drinks keep costs down on entertaining, especially during times of economic crisis.
Main dishes do not have to be expensive, but they should be plentiful. Some good potluck party main dishes include:
-pasta with warm sauces
-risottos
-warm lentil bean salads
-soups served in mugs, so people have less of a chance of spilling on clothes or carpets
Hosts should do the main dish, because people do not always show up at parties.
For potluck parties with an Italian theme, I like to use the classic and easy recipes in Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes by Giada De Laurentiis. What is great about this book is that you can find youtube videos about how to make these dishes from the De Laurentiis’ Food Network show.
I think the following recipes work well for Italian potlucks:
-white bean dip with pita chips – for this recipe, you can blend olive oil, oregano, salt, pepper, cooked cannellini beans, parsley, lemon juice, and crushed garlic together. This room-temperature dip is served with pita chips that you can buy at Target.
-clams oreganata – clams in this recipe are broiled with a bread crumb mixture made with olive oil, oregano, parsley, mint, salt, and pepper. If you like champagne or prosecco, this is a relatively inexpensive seafood dish for New Year’s Day.
-caprese Salad – a tasty mix of mozzarella cheese, tomato slices, and torn basil with a lemon-olive oil dressing from the Isle of Capri
-antipasti platter – a selection of Italian salami, coppa, and prosciutto along with cubes of fontina cheese and crackers of toast points. Olives and toothpick spears of roasted red pepper preserved in olive oil can also be part of an antipasti platter.
-prosciutto antipasti are always welcome with champagne or prosecco – prosciutto wrapped breadsticks, roasted asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, and prosciutto purses, prosciutto wrapped around melon slices -
Other great potluck party recipes include:
-roasted bell pepper salad
-vodka-marinara pasta sauce
-turkey meatballs in tomato sauce
-polenta (boiled cornmeal) with gorgonzola cheese -mushroom risotto
-rice-stuffed baked tomatoes
The ingredients for these dishes have become readily available in supermarkets, making Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis a great buy for organizing parties or weekday entertaining for young professionals.
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
