Still don’t have a New Year’s Eve dinner party menu planned? Don’t stress. Just keep reading.
If anyone knows how to cater for a hungry crowd, it’s the Italians. With mouthwatering antipasti morsels to after dinner dolce-licious treats, they’ve got meal planning down pat. If you’ve only got a handful of guests over for a quiet soiree, choose 2 courses to prepare beforehand for minimal stress. But if you’re hosting the party to end all parties, Flavio Carnevale of Popolo Sydney’s impressive recipes will satisfy even the hungriest of guests. Buon appetito!
Indulge in Flavio’s top tips for an Italian NYE Dinner:
- Any dinner party for Italians is at least 4 courses. The fun is to feed your guests a well thought out array of flavour from the moment they arrive until they leave – no matter how late it is!
- Aperitivi: Offer guests on arrival an aperitivi beverage like an Aperol Spritz (mixture of Aperol & Prosecco sparkling wine) with nibbles of olives marinated in orange & lemon peel, marinated anchovies bruschetta
- Antipasti: Light entrees such as meat or fish carpaccio, prosciutto, burrata will start the night off right. Serve with white wines like Falanghina & Vermentino.
- Pasta: The star! Every Italian I grew up with in Italy, male or female, can cook pasta like a chef. Opt for vegetarian so it’s lighter before the main.
- Secondi: My signature Summer dinner party at home? A massive platter of mixed grill seafood – scampi, king prawns, marinated cuttlefish, calamari, swordfish. Serve with red or white wines such as Etna Rosso or Etna Bianco.
- Insalata: Always accompany the meal with a selection of Sicilian salad including fresh orange segments, fennel, green olives and vincotto
- Dolce: Keep it simple & light. Friends often bring gelato & a tray of mixed biscotti to enjoy with espresso, later followed by Amaro. Any type of digestivo you can get your hands is a great addition to the night. Pour on ice with a slice of orange or lemon.
ANTIPASTI
Tuna Loin Carloforte Style Pesto – A light, gluten-free option
Serves 4
Ingredients
600gr yellow fin tuna loin, unsliced (ideally sashimi grade)
Bunch of thyme, finely chopped
Bunch of Italian parsley, finely chopped
Salt & pepper
Extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
Pesto
2 medium red capsicums
100gr pecorino finely grated
20gr black olives finely chopped (minced)
2 anchovies
Handful raw almond flakes
1 semi dried tomato
20 basil leaves
Handful parsley leaves
Tsp dried oregano
Half tsp salt
Pinch dried chilli
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
Method
Pesto
- Wash & dry capsicum, cut in quarters, clean out inside (remove seeds), grill skin side down or roast in oven.
- Once cooked to soft texture, leave to cool for 5-10mins, remove the skin & discard. Dry them & cut into small cubes.
- Wash basil & parsley, add herbs & capsicum to mixer bowl pecorino, black olives, anchovies, semi dried tomato, almond flakes, chilli then blend.
- Add evoo 1 tbsp at a time then add salt.
Tuna
- Rub salt & pepper all around tuna loin.
- In a warm pan add 2 tbsp evoo to heat first, place whole tuna loin in pan & sear on all sides until lightly browned then remove.
- Combine the parsley & thyme on a tray, then roll the tuna loin in the herbs til covered entirely.
- Wrap in plastic cling & make into a tight sausage shape by twisting the plastic ends.
- Let it rest in fridge for 1.5hours min to allow herb flavour to infuse.
- To serve – smear pesto thickly onto dinner plates, remove tuna from fridge & plastic, leave for 10minutes to room temperature.
- Slice tuna 1cm thick & place on top of pesto, garnish with raw almond flakes, pinch of salt & drizzle of evoo.
PRIMI
Spaghetti scampi & zucchini flower
Serves 4
Ingredients
360gr of spaghetti
12 scampi
12 zucchini flowers
1 clove of garlic
1 chilli
2 anchovies fillets
Extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
1 onion
1 carrot
1 celery stick
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
Method
- Clean the scampi & do not throw away the shells. Keep 4 scampi whole for garnish.
- In a medium sized pot, pour some evoo & add the onion, carrot & celery thinly sliced. Let braise for a few minutes. Add the tomato paste then the scampi shells & let them cook till all the liquid is dry.
- Fill that same pot with water & boil for an hour.
- Then in a pan put the chopped garlic, chilli, anchovies, evoo & prepare the base for the spaghetti.
- Add 2 ladles of stock previously prepared into the pan, a pinch of salt & let reduce, strain the spaghetti into the pan, add the scampi cut in small pieces & the zucchini flowers. When the spaghetti almost absorbs the stock, turn off the fire, add a spoon of evoo & stir.
SECONDI
Slow Roasted Lamb with Sautéed Artichokes & Mint – A Popolo Sydney Signature Dish
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 boneless lamb shoulder (about 1kg)
40 gm pecorino pepato, finely grated
1 cup (loosely packed) mint, coarsely torn
40 ml olive oil
2 carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
1 litre(4 cups) vegetable stock
400 ml red wine (*see note)
Sautéed artichokes
8 globe artichokes
60ml extra-virgin olive oil1onion, thinly sliced
750ml vegetable stock
1 cup (loosely packed) mint, coarsely torn
Method
- Preheat oven to 160C. Place lamb skin-side down on a work surface, scatter with pecorino & mint, season to taste, roll lengthways, tie at intervals with kitchen string & set aside.
- Heat oil in a casserole over medium heat, add carrot & onion, stir occasionally until golden (5-6 minutes), add stock & wine, bring to the simmer, add lamb, cover, transfer to oven & cook until lamb is fork-tender (2-3 hours). Set aside to rest (5 minutes), remove string & thickly slice.
- Meanwhile, for sautéed artichokes, peel back tough outer leaves from artichokes & trim tops (discard). Remove choke with a teaspoon (discard), trim stems to 4cm lengths, & peel stems with a vegetable peeler until you reach the tender white part.
- Thinly slice artichokes, place in a bowl of acidulated water & set aside.
- Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, add onion & stir occasionally until tender (6-7 minutes). Add artichoke & stock, cover with a round of baking paper, reduce heat to low & simmer until tender (15-20 minutes).
- Season to taste, scatter with mint & serve with slow-roasted lamb.
*Note: We use Barolo, a DOCG wine made from nebbiolo in Piedmont. If it’s unavailable, substitute another full-bodied red wine.
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