Hosting a Romantic Italian Dinner Party

A dear friend and I recently hosted an intimate Italian-inspired dinner party for a group of our girlfriends, and the whole thing happened so smoothly that I thought I'd share my tips and takeaways here.

The idea for this soirée came about through a conversation with my cohost where she expressed how much she loves party planning and decorating, and wants to do more of it. As someone who focuses mostly on food and forgets about details like setting the table, I thought the two of us could make some serious magic happen if we teamed up on a dinner party. And i was right!

The Theme

We decided on "Italian Romance" as our theme. We envisioned flickering candles, cozy, hearty food, and lots of red wine. We took a trip to the thrift store a few weeks before the event to pick up some bits and pieces. We managed to find beautiful vintage wine and martini glasses, tableware, lovely white napkins with embroidered flowers and a gold scalloped trim, and a nice, neutral tablecloth. My friend also sourced some lovely silk ribbons, pillar candles, and candle holders to decorate the table. We had the menus printed on 5x7 card stock so everyone could take one home as a keepsake.

Preparing for our Guests to Arrive

On the big day, I started cooking early in the morning, as many of the main dishes were make-ahead friendly. I made a lot of the sauces and prepped everything in advance, so in the hour before our friends arrived, I was mostly just firing things in the oven and putting cold items on plates and platters. While I focused on the final food touches, my co-host turned my humble dining room into a dreamy, space. The eclectic collection of glasses and tableware went perfectly with a few tasteful bows and plenty of candles. Delicate floral arrangements with eucalyptus and straw flowers made the room feel so romantic.

The Menu

Keeping our Italian romance theme in mind, we wanted a menu that would be classic and comforting, especially since the dinner party was in February and it was cold out side! It was important to me that I got to enjoy the party and not be chained to the kitchen the whole time. To achieve this, I made sure there was a good mix of make-ahead, slow-cooked things, as well as cold items that don’t need any last-minute attention.

Cocktail Hour: 5-6 PM

Dirty martinis (with non-alcoholic option)

The classic dirty martini is one of my all-time favorite cocktails. For a 0% option, I infused some potato cooking water with a few peppercorns and chili flakes. I wished I had added a lemon peel, but I’ll have to do that next time. The chilled potato water just gets shaken with a splash of olive juice and poured over an olive into a martini class. It’s surprisingly good! And the starchy water even creates a slightly foamy top.

Prawns with basil mayo

Cooking the prawns: I brought a large pot of water up to a boil, added the juice of a couple of lemons, two bay leaves, and a hefty pinch of salt. I added the previously frozen, defrosted prawns to the water, then turned off the heat, covered the pot with a lid, and let the prawns poach gently for 3 minutes before draining and rinsing. These were kept chilled in the fridge all day.

Basil mayo: I started by making homemade mayo (not necessary, but easy enough to do). I added the mayo, lots of fresh basil, a small amount of fresh parsley, the zest and juice of a lemon, and a good pinch of salt to a blender, and blended until I reached the desired texture. This can be made up to a couple of days in advance.

Homemade focaccia with balsamic vinegar and olive oil

I used this sourdough method, and this conventional yeast method to make two different types of focaccia. We only needed one loaf in the end, but I was keen to experiment. I baked these early in the afternoon so they were ready well in advance, but still warm.

Warm olives

Nothing fancy here, I just mixed a couple of different olive varieties together in a bowl, drizzled some olive oil over the top, and microwaved them for 45 seconds or so before serving. If you want to get fancy, you can warm them gently in a small pot, and add citrus zest and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme.

First Course: 6:15-6:45 PM

Spicy ‘nduja pasta

I used fileja pasta which is traditional in Calabria where ‘nduja comes from. I didn’t stick to any one recipe, but got the general inspiration from This Italian Kitchen. The ‘nduja itself was a gift from Bella ‘Nduja, a company based in Seattle. If you live in the United States, experts say this is the only brand worth buying!

Calabrian red wine

We thought this was a perfect pairing to complement our Calabrian spicy ‘nduja pasta.

Main Course: 6:45 PM - Whenever

Slow-cooked beef with rosemary over creamy polenta

The morning of the party, I seared simmering steaks in a small amount of oil until they formed a nice golden crust, and transferred them to a slow cooker. I added sliced onions to the pan, and sautéed them for a couple of minutes before adding a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste to the onions, and deglazing the pan with red wine.

I added the onions, wine, more wine, and beef broth to the beef in the slow cooker (just enough to almost cover the meat), and threw in a couple of bay leaves and a peeled carrot (left whole) for sweetness. I set this to cook for 6 hours on high, so it had a long time to get really tender, and to make my house smell really good. Right before the guests arrived, I shredded the beef with two forks, and mashed the carrot into the stew, which added some nice body.

For the polenta, I decided to experiment by using my rice cooker. It worked like a dream! I put 1 part coarse cornmeal, 4 parts chicken stock, and a few pinches of salt into the rice cooker, and cooked it on the porridge setting. Just before we were ready to plate up, I whisked in some butter and parmesan cheese. The polenta came out perfectly. Read more about this method, as well as the Instant Pot and stovetop methods for cooking polenta here.

Roasted vegetables with red pepper sauce

The day before the party, I made the red pepper sauce by blending jarred roasted red peppers with oil-packed sundried tomatoes, fresh garlic, salt, and a squeeze of honey for balance.

I quartered and boiled some nugget potatoes (saving the cooking water for my 0% martini mix), and allowed them to cool completely before transferring them to the fridge until I was ready for them. I also cut a few zucchini into large chunks and set them aside. About halfway through cocktail hour, I spread the potatoes and zucchini out on a baking sheet, tossed them in a bit of olive oil, salt, and dried oregano, and roasted them at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.

When it was time to serve, comma, I spooned the sauce all over a giant platter. and piled the potatoes and zucchini on top.

Braised cabbage with olive-anchovy vinaigrette

The day before the party, I made a quick olive, an anchovy vinaigrette by blending anchovy stuffed olives, as well as a few extra anchovies with a squeeze of lemon and a little bit of olive oil in a food processor. That made a nice chunky relish like texture, which I set aside in the fridge.

For the cabbage, I cut a green cabbage into wedges, arranged the wedges in the bottom of a casserole dish, and poured about 1 inch of chicken broth into the dish. I covered that with a bit of foil and cooked it in a 350° oven for a good hour. This ensured that the cabbage got really nice and soft and that the chicken stock reduced slightly and made everything really nice and juicy.

Just before serving. I took off the tinfoil and put the cabbage into the oven at 450 for 5-10 minutes to get a little bit of crispy brown edges on the cabbage. For serving, we arranged the cabbage on a platter and spooned the olive and anchovy vinaigrette on top.

Fresh salad with local greens, apples, pecorino cheese, and toasted walnuts

The salad was really simple. I bought a bag of local mixed greens and washed them well in advance. When it was time to eat, I sliced up a couple of apples, threw on some toasted walnuts, shaved a little bit of pecorino on top and drizzled balsamic vinegar and olive oil over the whole thing. So refreshing next to all the hearty dishes.

Barolo

I’ve always wanted to buy a bottle of Barolo and this seemed like a perfect excuse. The beefy wine went so well with the hearty braised beef and wintery veggies.

Dessert: Later

Store-bought Italian cookies

To make life really easy I picked up an assortment of Italian cookies and biscuits from my grocery store. The ladyfingers were especially good dipped into coffee.

Digestifs

There’s something special about pulling the fancy bottles out of the liquor cabinet. We had an assortment of Montenegro, Cynar, and Averna, all of which were lovely.

Key Tips for Success

If you’re planning a dinner party of your own, and maybe you’re not yet a seasoned pro, here are some tips that are likely to help!

Smart Planning:

• Choose dishes that don’t require constant attention, or last-minute attention.
• Make sauces and prep veggies in advance.
• Use helpful tools like the slow cooker and the rice cooker where possible.

Good Collaboration:

• Divide responsibilities based on strengths. For example, one person can focus on food, the other on ambiance.

Strategic Shortcuts:

• Don’t be afraid to use store-bought items when it makes sense.
• Break the evening into manageable segments.

10 out of 10 would recommend!

This romantic Italian-inspired dinner party was such a hit, and super enjoyable to put together. The food tasted good, the mood was on point, and everyone was relaxed and happy. I’m looking forward to the next one already. I’d love to hear about any upcoming dinner parties you’re planning!