Family Dinner For Mothers Day In Italy

Asked by apesch. Answered on 5th May 2016

Full question

After more than a year I'll be back in my hometown in Italy and I'd like to prepare a good and easy menu for Mother's Day with recipes from Nigellissima books. It will be easy to find all the ingredients! The crowd of 10 people counts 3 children and a pregnant woman. Yes, another baby is arriving! So which menu to prepare for a tasty family dinner menu following the classic Italian path of primo, secondo, and dolce? Which alternative? I can't wait for your suggestions!

Our answer

In Europe, Australia and the US Mother's Day occurs at a different time to the UK and in many countries it occurs in early May (though not always). This year it is Sunday, May 8th 2016. Nigella's book NIGELLISSIMA contains recipes that are inspired by Italy and some are excellent for feeding a crowd. Often antipasti is served first, but rather than having a formal first course you may prefer to opt for some finger foods to go with drinks while people arrive. Parmesan Shortbreads can be made a day in advance and stored overnight in an airtight container. For the first, primo, course pasta is usually served and Nigellissima has a whole chapter devoted to pasta and sauces but Pasta With Courgettes is a light spring sauce and you can use water and a squeeze of lemon juice if it is not possible to use wine or vermouth. The recipe serves 2, but as a primo course it would stretch to 4 and is easy to scale up for larger numbers. The Sicilian Pasta With Tomatoes, Garlic & Almonds is another option and the sauce is simply blitzed in a food processor in moments. This recipe serves 6 but would serve 12 as a primo course.

For a large gathering a roast as the second course is both low maintenance and impressive and you may like to try the Butterflied Leg Of lamb With Bay Leaves And Balsamic Vinegar which roasts the lamb to a rosy pink, or you can rest the lamb for 30 minutes if you prefer lamb slightly better done. Chicken With Tarrgaon Salsa Verde is also easy to cook for larger numbers. For the sweet dolce Nigella's One-Step No-Churn Coffee Ice Cream is an immensely popular recipe (you can omit the liqueur from the recipe). You may also like to try the Nutella Cheesecake, which is easy to make in advance and gives pleasure to all age groups.