Varmint

Egad, do you have any idea of how impossible this meal would be if only eGulleteers were invited? Everyone would demand to take control of the kitchen. That's why I ensure that most people don't have a ton of cooking experience! Thanks for the wine suggestions, Katie. I've gone through a couple of cases of Primitivo, so that's something with which I'm very familiar. As far as Bin 604 is concerned, I assume that you'll be acting as my guide?

Grilled pizzas are a lot of fun, and we've done that for smaller dinner parties. I did grilled prawns with rosemary branches in 2001, served with a sun-dried tomato risotto, and they were a big hit. Keep the ideas coming, folks. This is great!!

No apology necessary. I adore figs, but I'm currently in mourning as we lost our best producing fig tree in an ice storm this past winter. I use them as much as I can, and have often incorporated them in various dishes. I made lots of fig gelato last summer. Mmmmmmmmmmm.

Camille, thanks for all your suggestions. I'll spend some time with the linked sites.

Thanks for the suggestions. Figs aren't in season until later in the summer. I am thinking along the lines of a hearty meat dish this year. I've shied away from it in the past, but I think it's time to be brave! I'm not too worried about it being too hot for soup, as we DO have air conditioning here!

We can get good fish, but we can't be guaranteed about what's in on a particular day -- it's all based on what the boats brought in. Antipasti has generally been stand-up food to go with a couple of lighter wines before we sit down. I do know Carolina Wine Co. and its owner, Chrish Peel. He's a former lawyer! I've traditionally worked with another merchant, simply because of longstanding friendships (and the fact it's 2 minutes from my house), but Chrish is also a client from time to time!

I'm in Raleigh, NC, but the dinner is not until mid-June. I just got budgetary approval to repeat this event, and since it was fresh on my mind, I wanted to solicit guidance from the board. We don't have anything confining our menu. We have traditionally favored seafood, but we can do fish and meat. As far as sourcing ingredients is concerned, starting this far in advance will help me locate what I need. Thanks for y'all's help.

Thanks, Nick, but the purpose of my post was not because I was looking for knives. I, like Fat Guy, use only two knives, some kitchen shears, and that's it. I posted the Amazon link only if there were people out there who were looking for a set of decent knives, as the price is quite good.

Craig- I'd love to hear specific dishes from Sicily, as my familiarity is more on the north. I don't necessarily want the dishes prepared in advance; instead, I'm trying to get everyone involved in the cooking/assembly stages and then the plating. This dinner is for our summer clerks, and it puts people in situations that are a bit different than what you see at a typical dinner party. Vengroff- Catch me a wild boar, and I'm there.

The thing is, most of those knives aren't particularly useful. I would much rather have a 10" chef's, 3.5" parer, scissors, and steel than all those pieces. Since I rarely see 10" anything as part of a set, the whole set concept doesn't appeal to me -- just as it winds up not being a good value with most cookware sets, because the stockpot is never big enough, etc. But you KNOW what you want and what you like. That's not the case for many people (although we could probably exclude 90% of the eGullet membership). Anyhow, for someone who's still learning about knives and who's looking to get a bunch of decent knives at a price that can't be beat, that's the purpose of the set.

Extremely tall centerpieces or candles that obstruct your view across the table. Booths that are too far from/too close to the table (which inevitably can't be moved). Booths with cloth covering that make sliding into absolutely impossible.

Er, Stone? Gnocchi is a bit of a bitch to make; however, I can imagine getting the dough prepared in advance and having 5 people roll the gnocchi along the tines of a fork. That might work, Brig. Thanks.

For the past 3 years, I have hosted for our law firm an interactive Italian dinner party in which every attendee must get involved in the cooking/preparation of at least one dish. I set the menu, prep most of the food, and provide general oversight for the meal. We typically have 20 to 30 people attend. Every dish is plated. We serve inexpensive wines that are paired with each dish. I throw some of the standard Italian conformities out the window. For example, I generally serve a salad early in the meal. I don't strive for authenticity all the time. I even offer cappuccino (egad) after dinner. I'm looking for new ideas that can be easily assembled but are somewhat different from what I've done in prior years. Here's my menus from the last 3 dinners (excuse any horrific misuse of Italian): 2002 Antipasti White Bean, Tomato & Basil Bruschetta Smoked and Fresh Mozzarella and Pesto Bruschetta Vino Rosso: N.V. Tre Uve Vino Bianco: 2001 Bidoli Pinot Grigio Insalata Mixed Green Salad with Marinated Goat Cheese, Caramelized Onions and Cracklings of Prosciutto di Parma 2000 Tiamo Pinot Grigio/Garganega Primi Shrimp-Filled Mushroom Caps with a Shallot & Balsamic Vinegar Reduction 1998 Vietti Dolcetto D’Alba Secondi Slow Roasted Copper River Salmon with Chianti Risotto and Braised Baby Spinach 1997 Sensi Chianti Riserva Dolci Ciambela with Minted Berry Compote N.V. Stefano Farina Bianco Della Rosa 2001 ANTIPASTI Prosciutto di Parma with Local Melon Beef Carpaccio with Lemon, Capers and Parmigiano-Reggiano 1995 Melini Chianti Classico Riserva (Tuscany) 1999 Leverano Rosato (Apulia) PRIMI Sun-Dried Tomato Risotto with Grilled Prawns 1998 Pescorari Pinot Grigio (Friuli) SECONDI Roasted Breast of Muscovy Duck with Wild Mushroom, Arugula and Chianti Ragout Soft Polenta with Pecorino Romano and Chives 1995 Fontanavecchia Aglianico del Taburno Riserva (Basilicata) INSALATA Mixed Greens with Fennel, Gorgonzola, and Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette 1998 Borgo Sauvignon blanc (Friuli) DOLCI Fresh Fruit Crostata with Whipped Lemon Marscapone NV Mondoro Asti (Piedmont) 2000 -- I don't have a wine listing ANTIPASTI Rosemary and Cheese Focaccia Herbed Cannelini Bean Puree’ Antipasti Selection of Vegetables, Cured Sausage and Salami, and Olives INSALATA Seared Sea Scallop Salad with roasted Tomato & Garlic Vinaigrette PRIMI Homemade Tagliatelle with Wild Mushroom, Pancetta & White Truffle Oil SECONDI Swordfish Sardinian Style Spinach, Escarole and Basil Saute with Toasted Pine Nuts and Garlic DOLCI Florentine Schiacciata with Crema Pasticcera and Blood Orange Gelato So, can we come up with an eGullet composed menu for our dinner this summer? When the dinner occurs this summer, I'll be sure to post pictures. This event usually occurs in June or July, but I just learned today that I get to do it again! Any suggestions would be appreciated!

For those of you who may be interested in some decent, affordable knives, Amazon has a sale on its forged (not stamped) Sabatier knives: Click for the Knives For $120, you get a set of six knives (8-inch chef's, 8-inch slicer, 6-inch utility, 5-1/2-inch tomato, 4- and 3-1/2-inch parers), a mezzaluna, scissors, steel, and storage block. Also, if you act today, Amazon will throw in a set of cheap ass Sabatier steak knives. Wait, there's more! Use coupon code MAPAMEXCARDS to save $10. I've never used these knives before, but the discussions on this site have led me to believe that the Sabatier stamped knives are pieces of crap, but there's some decent value with the forged ones.

I also don't think it necessary to use sea salt in the water, as the flavors are not discernable (to me, at least) in the final product regardless of the type of salt I use.

And I generally scrape out the gills anyhow.

Or he's expecting Steve to establish the trend.

Then what does that make Pokey? Why do you think his name was "Pokey"?

Time to get a head count on these two different events. Please let me know, by either posting here or by PM, if you plan on attending the Afghan meal at the Helmand. I need to book reservations this week. Please let vengroff know if you would like tickets (and how many) to the Orioles game.

I had never even heard of sea beans, but when I was shopping in the neighborhood Whole Foods, here in Raleigh, North Carolina, there they were (right next to the fiddleheads!). Here's a picture: I took a bite of them raw, and I truly could taste the sea -- they had a slight flavor of fish, but it was mostly a fairly complex salty flavor. I stirred them into the risotto right before the condementi, barely cooking them through.

Roast chicken with fresh thyme, Maple View Dairy butter, and lotsa garlic Jim Dixon's roasted beets Sea bean risotto If you have never had sea beans before, they're quite amazing. I almost consider them to be the vegetable version of caviar -- a great bite of sea salt flavor. They were perfect in the risotto.

. . . waiting for Suvir . . . Seriously, I'd really like to hear Suvir's input on this thread, as his knowledge of Indian food is unquestionable. I'm not sure whose position this supports, but if I'm not mistaken, isn't Indian food primarily a creation of the home kitchen that has only recently been transformed into restaurant fare? Whereas French food has long been prepared for restaurants, and before that, the aristocracy? Just a mindless comment without much of a point, but it may have some relevance in this discussion. I'll go back to my work now, please.

One thing that drives me crazy (in a good way) is that you really can't wash the smokey aroma from your hands -- it's kind of like onions or garlic. Anyhow, I find myself scratching my upper lip, and I start salivating, thinking about the smoked meat. Must have more. Mongo needs smoked meat now!

Way to go, Kathi! Gotta give some love to the locals!!!