Tuesday 30 December 2008

Buon Anno! (Happy New Year)

DESPITE battling a runny nose, sore throat and a head that feels like it's full of cotton wool, I am planning a feast for eight tomorrow night (New Year's Eve).
It's a family party with people of all ages so I'm playing it safe and serving up some please-all Italian food.
We'd originally planned a strictly Italian menu, but with the volume of Christmas leftovers in the flat, we've decided to improvise rather than buy more food.
Santa brought me more olive oil than I know what to do with, so we'll be starting with some fresh bread and dipping oils.
Main course, I am keeping it cheap and easy with beef meatballs and rigatoni for the carnivores and spaghetti al pomodoro for the veggies. I say spaghetti, it'll have to be tagitelle as my mum says spaghetti reminds her of worms.
I'll serve a tray of roast vegetables, and salads of rocket and Parmesan and tomato and mozzarella, strewn with toasted pine nuts.
Dessert was originally going to be panettone bread and butter, but since we don't have any panettone I am using up the sticky gingerbread in the freezer and serving it warm with toffee sauce and cream. About as Italian as a Pizza Hut, but yummy none the less.
We also have a chocolate yule log to offer as an alternative. The other half has pledged to make some mint Bailey's ice cream to go with it, using our new Magimax icecream maker, which we found in our joint present stocking (although I am secretly heartbroken that he may get to use it first).
And as for petit fours, we have homemade mince pies and mini chocolate and cranberry muffins ready to go.
Blowing my nose into a screwed up tissue, I realise I am exhausted just writing about the planned menu. I hope I can pull it off, otherwise we'll be ordering in pizzas. I am sure no one would mind. I'll let you know how it goes...
What are your plans for New Year's Eve? Is it a chance for a final blow-out before the start of 2009?

2 comments:

Jim said...

Now that sounded really nice Emily, except I think I have your cold.

My mother Danish and we all went round for smorgasbord and then to the pub, that wasn't so nice, way too crowded. I think they overdo this ticket only thing and sell far to many.

Happy New year.

Emily said...

Oh Jim. I gave in to the flu and spent New Year's Eve on my mum's sofa, eating cottage pie and watching rubbish television... Will have to celebrate Chinese New Year instead!

Your New Year sounds great, sorry to hear the pub wasn't as good as the grub.

Look forward to sharing more food experiences with you in 2009.

Get well soon

Emily