Don’t worry if you find yourself tasked with hosting a dinner for business colleagues. Take a deep breath and embrace the opportunity to impress with an elegant, yet effortlessly prepared Italian menu. This selection of dishes transcends the usual Italian offerings, highlighting a blend of creativity and sophistication while featuring premium Italian ingredients. Prepare to delight your guests with a dining experience that combines authentic flavours, beautiful presentation, and an inviting ambience, all sure to leave a lasting impression.
Primi Piatti - First course
Timballini con cipolle di Tropea e provolone - Little Onion Tart with Provolone
Ingredients for 6 people
300 g Carnaroli or Vialone Nano rice; 2 small Tropea onions; 200 g provolone cheese; 750 ml vegetable broth; 90 g butter; 8 tablespoons breadcrumbs; 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; Salt; pepper
Preparation
Heat the vegetable broth and chop the provolone cheese. Finely chop the Tropea onions with a knife and sauté them thoroughly in 30g of butter. Cook the onions until they are tender but not browned, then add the rice and toast it for 2 minutes. Gradually add one ladle of vegetable broth to the rice, continue to cook and add more broth as needed. Cook the rice until it is al dente. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in 30g of butter and the chopped provolone cheese. Grease the ramekins thoroughly with the remaining butter and sprinkle a little breadcrumb inside each one. Fill the ramekins with the prepared rice mixture, pressing it down and levelling the surface. Sprinkle additional breadcrumbs on top and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Bake the timbales in a preheated oven at 200°C (390°F) for about 20 minutes, or until they are golden brown and gratinated. Let them cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing them from the paper cups and serving.
Riso con tonno, pesto e mozzarella di bufala - Black rice with tuna and pesto
Ingredients for four people
250g Venere rice; 120g tuna belly in oil; 2 cloves of garlic; 4 tablespoons Ligurian pesto; 200g buffalo mozzarella; Grated zest of 1 citron; 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; Salt; Pepper
Preparation
Cook the rice in a large pot of boiling salted water for about 40 minutes. Once cooked, drain the rice and set it aside. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan and add the crushed garlic cloves. Sauté the garlic for a few minutes, taking care not to let it burn. Drain the oil from the tuna belly and use a fork to mash it, breaking up the fillets (the belly is a premium cut of tuna, so the fillets are firm and compact). Add the mashed tuna to the pan with the garlic and oil, allowing it to cook for a few minutes before discarding the garlic. Next, add the drained rice to the pan with the tuna. Season with salt and pepper, then turn off the heat. Stir in the fresh pesto and grated citron zest, reserving a small amount of zest for garnish. To serve, use a round or square pastry cutter to plate the rice. Top it with hand-torn buffalo mozzarella. Drizzle with the remaining oil, garnish with the reserved citron zest, and finish with freshly ground black pepper.
Secondo Piatti
Cotoletta di cervo in manto di frutta secca con tortino di patate, marmellata e capuccio rosso stufato - Venison Cutlet with Potato cake
Ingredients for 1 person(s)
1 venison cutlet; 1 herb oil, thyme, garlic, juniper, bay leaves, leek; 1 flour; 1 egg; 1 parmesan cheese to taste; 1 dried fruit mix; 1 clarified butter; 1 salt;
1 red cabbage; 1 onion; 1 Lagrein wine; 1 cranberry; 1 grated golden apple; 1 potato and panna cotta millefeuille
Preparation
Take a 180g bone-in venison cutlet that is vacuum-packed with herb oil, thyme, crushed garlic, juniper, and bay leaves. Cook the cutlet for one hour at 51°C (120°F) in a steam oven. Once cooked, remove the cutlet from the vacuum bag and dry it with paper towels. Season it with salt, then dredge it in flour, followed by beaten egg, and finally coat it with a mix of roughly chopped nuts—walnuts, hazelnuts, and almonds—processed in a food processor. Fry the cutlet in clarified butter at a temperature of 180-190°C (350-375°F) until it is golden brown, which should take about 2 minutes.Serve the cutlet as escalopes to showcase the pink color of the medium-rare meat. Accompany it with venison demi-glace and a side of red cabbage stewed with onion, Lagrein wine, cranberries, and grated Golden Delicious apples. Additionally, serve with a potato mille-feuille alongside baked panna cotta, seasoned with Parmesan, leeks, and herbs.
Astice al burro glassato con contorno di spaghettoni mantecati in bisque - Spaghetti with Lobster
Ingredients for 4 people
200g spaghetti; 1 lobster; 10 red shrimp; 100g butter; Fresh thyme, fresh marjoram, fresh basil to taste; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
To prepare the dish, start by cooking the lobster in boiling water for about 2 minutes. Immediately transfer the lobster to a bowl of ice water to cool it down quickly. Once cooled, remove the lobster head while leaving the tail intact. Next, clean the shrimp. To make the stock, place the shrimp heads and the lobster head in a pot, add a generous amount of ice, and cook over very low heat for about 1 hour. While the stock is simmering, cook the spaghetti in the pot using the shellfish stock as the broth, treating it like risotto—stirring frequently until the pasta is al dente. Once the spaghetti is cooked, stir in chilled butter and a few fresh basil leaves. Meanwhile, clean the lobster tail and roast it in a pan for a few minutes. Add butter, a little oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and fresh marjoram for flavour. Serve the roasted lobster, cooked in butter and herbs, alongside the creamy spaghetti. Enjoy your meal!
The ultimate side dish: Fagottini di cavolo nero con mozzarella e noci
Ingredients for 4 people
100g black cabbage; 100g light mozzarella; 40g shelled walnuts; Salt to taste
Preparation
Wash the cavolo nero leaves and boil them in salted water for 5 minutes. Drain the leaves and rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking process. Carefully open the cavolo nero leaves and, using a sharp knife, remove the tough central rib. Pat, the leaves dry. Coarsely chop the mozzarella and walnuts. Stack the cavolo nero leaves to form 8 rectangles. Arrange the chopped mozzarella and walnuts on each rectangle, then fold the leaves to seal them like parcels. Serve immediately.
Dolci
Gelato al cioccolato e brownie
Ingredients for 4 people
Dark chocolate 240 g; Milk 250 ml; Fresh cream 250 ml; Sugar 240 g; Eggs 4; Egg yolks 3; Butter 120 g; Flour 130 g; Natural vanilla extract; Salt
Preparation Brownie Recipe:
Prepare the Brownie: Cut the butter and 120g of chocolate into small pieces. Melt them together in a double boiler, stirring occasionally. Allow the mixture to cool. In a separate bowl, beat 4 eggs with a pinch of salt. Then, add 160g of sugar, a tablespoon of vanilla extract, and the cooled butter and chocolate mixture. Mix until smooth, and then gently fold in the sifted flour. Bake the Brownie: Pour the brownie mixture into a 20cm square pan lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for 20-25 minutes. Once baked, unmold the brownie, let it cool, then cover and refrigerate.
Ice Cream Recipe: Prepare the Ice Cream: Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan. Heat the mixture until it is almost boiling, then remove it from the heat. Add 120g of chopped chocolate and stir until melted. Allow the mixture to cool.
- In a separate bowl, beat 3 egg yolks with a pinch of salt and 80g of sugar until the mixture becomes pale. Combine this with the cooled chocolate mixture and mix well. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. Combine Brownie and Ice Cream: Cut 4 squares from the cooled brownie and place them in the freezer. Crumble the remaining brownie and mix it with the prepared ice cream. Transfer this mixture to the freezer for at least 2 hours. To serve, place a large scoop of the ice cream over the brownie squares. Enjoy!
Tortino di semola e ricotta con frutti di bosco - Semolina Tart with berries
Ingredients for 4 people
La Molisana Durum Wheat Semolina 125 g; Whole milk 500 ml; Fresh ricotta 175 g; Eggs 3; Sugar 150 g; Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon; Butter 1 knob; Salt to taste.
Preparation
In a saucepan, combine the milk, salt, and butter. Gradually add the semolina while stirring constantly. Bring the mixture to a boil, and continue to stir. Once the durum wheat semolina is cooked and the milk is fully absorbed, allow the mixture to cool.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with sugar. Then, add the grated lemon zest and the softened ricotta, ensuring there are no lumps. Gently fold this mixture into the cooled semolina, being careful not to deflate it. Finally, fold in the beaten egg whites. Pour the combined mixture into nine greased and floured individual moulds. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for at least 20 minutes. Once the tarts have cooled, serve them with berries and a dusting of powdered sugar.
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