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Article: The Perfect Italian Dinner Party

The Perfect Italian Dinner Party

The Perfect Italian Dinner Party

Everything You Need to Throw the Perfect Italian Dinner

- Entertaining and cooking Made Easy with Chef Libero Complete Dinner Party Menus -

Want to throw a knockout dinner party your friends will talk about for months?

The evening's ambiance and the chemistry among guests are important, but nothing trumps the food and drinks you serve. So why not please everyone's palate with an Italian-inspired feast?

Take a vacation to the romantic Florence and Chianti hills for just one night—at your own table and surrounded by your best friends. We tapped superchef Libero Saraceni to create a delectable menu with his famous Tuscan dishes—his "I Tre Pini" in Villa Alinari and "Villa Machiavelli" restaurants are solely devoted to the region's cuisine, and it's a culinary vocabulary that continues to fascinate guests from many years.

From typical crostini to a sweet dessert topped with our famous wine jellies, Libero's parade of dinner delights evokes the typical aromas and flavors of a magical night in Tuscan paradise as clever styling ideas inspire la “dolce vita” from the moment your feast begins.

Below tips and recipes to use your ITALIAN DINNER PARTY gift box like a pro!

SET THE ATMOSPHERE

Entertaining at home is a great way to catch up with friends and family and share some fantastic food. 

You don’t have interruptions from waiter service, you can control the menu and the serving time, and you don’t need to rush!  And you can be as loud as you want, walk around, change seats and catch up with everyone.  All advantages of entertaining at home!

Here is home entertaining made easy with Chef Libero complete dinner party menus… and his recipes!

SEND AN ELEGANT INVITE

A digital or paper note with a scarlet border (free/digital invite: paperlesspost.com) conjures the rich hue often linked with Tuscan hospitality.

SET THE SCENE

A classic Italian feast works well for sit-down, more formal dinner parties. The setup encourages guests to sit, eat and talk to those seated nearby, rather than mill about mingling and sampling at casual food stations.

But you can mix and made the evening vibrant planning a Buffet style service for Aperitivo and Antipasto, a Family style for pasta and main course and a plated service for dessert!  

There are 5 courses for a formal, Italian meal for a festive occasion. Our Italian dinner party includes all of these courses! … but don’t worry, we made it easy with Chef Libero gourmet products and recipes!

1. APERITIVO 

Want to welcome your friends in style? Pop up a chilled bottle of BLUMOND! Thanks to Saraceni Wines, there's no need to wander Italy's cobbled streets to find an authentic Italian aperitivo. Serve it simply on its own or use it to create unique and original cocktails.

It is designed to stimulate the palate in readiness for the food to follow and it is often served with light nibbles such as olives.

2. ANTIPASTI - WHIP UP A TASTY ITALIAN CLASSIC

Crostini and italian antipasti… what a delicious way to start! Create a beautiful Antipasto Platter assembling an assortment of crostini, fried polenta, pecorino cheese board with sweet jellies and the traditional tuscan bread soups for an elegant, colorful and no-cook Italian appetizer in minutes.

They are usually cold or room temperature but may also be warm. You can combine the Aperitivo and Antipasto and serve all at the same time planning it for a Buffet or Family-style service as well.

    1. Italian CrostiniGet the recipe here.
    2. Italian Cheese Board with sweet jellyGet the recipe here.
    3. Fried Polenta with sausages and saffron sauceGet the recipe here.
    4. Pappa al pomodoro with mozzarella cream and sundries tomatoes - Get the recipe here.
    5. Summer Ribollita - Get the recipe here.

WINE PAIRING - Volare and Prosecco

3. PRIMO - PREPARE A DELICIOUS PASTA DISH

What's better than pasta for dinner? A bunch of different pastas! It is usually a bis (2 different kind of pasta and sauces), so you can glad your guests with one vegetarian and one more substantial meat base pasta. Our luxurious bis for you is:

    1. Spaghetti (or ravioli) with truffle sauce - Get the recipe here.
    2. Linguine with sausages and saffron ragù - Get the recipe here.

WINE PAIRING - Libero Chianti

4. SECONDO (MAIN COURSE) - FIRE UP THE GRILL

Summer may be slowly coming to an end, but there’s still plenty of time to fire up the grill for one last hurrah. This yummy steak tagliata in “Florentine style” be the perfect app to kick off your meal, not least because the recipe only requires few ingredients. Get the recipe here.

Usually in Italy main course may be more than 1 type of meat or dish, so we suggest to prepare our delicious crockpot BBQ meatballs to accompany the grilled steak.

    1. Tagliata steak with rucola and balsamic glaze - Get the recipe here.
    2. Crockpot BBQ meatballs - Get the recipe here.

WINE PAIRING - Libero Toscana IGT

5. DOLCE - SERVE A SWEET DESSERT EVERYONE WILL LOVE

Italian desserts are luscious and our dinner party will feature a dessert that all your guest will love. This is one of Libero's favorite desserts from our family recipes: Panna cotta with Fragolino jelly.

The subtle sweetness of the panna cotta pairs perfectly with the strawberry taste, which adds pleasing hints of citrus. Best of all, this rich and creamy taste is surprisingly light, so feel free to help yourself to a second slice.

    1. Panna cotta with Splendia jelly - Get the recipe here.

WINE PAIRING - Splendia Fragolino

…but italian style is not only about food and wine, it is mainly hospitality and enjoy every moment, so...

SEND YOUR FRIENDS HOME WITH A YUMMY TREAT

Send friends on their way with a tasty and elegant jar from one of Chef Libero Gourmet products. Tie each gift with a tag bidding your guests “buona notte”.

Now that you have a handful of creative yet practical ways to throw a real Italian dinner party, all you need is a bag full of Chef Libero gourmet jars to get started, Saraceni Wines in your cellar and some friends to join you! Ciao!

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