Stuffy small talk style dinner parties are nobody’s bag, but a table full of your mates + free flowing booze + yum food is always a winner. When pre-payday restrictions hit, gather four of your nearest and dearest for a night of gourmet gossiping by forcing your most kitchen-savvy pal to make this bargainous three courser without bothering your overdraft. If you have a whip round you can probably even scrape enough together for a few bottles of fizz if its on offer…
What you need
From the shop:
Arborio rice £1.10
Tinned tomatoes 39p
Mozzarella 43p
Onion 16p
700g pork belly £5
Readymade polenta 79p
Basil (from garden)
Aubergine 50p
Ice cream 90p
From the store cupboard:
Sugar
Egg if you have one
Capers
Lemon juice
Breadcrumbs
Coffee
Chilli powder / fresh chilli
Your fave liqueur / spirit
Parmesan if you have it
Garlic
Oil
Starter: Aracini Arrabbiata
These little fried risotto balls are a hit with everyone ever. If you’ve got leftover risotto from dinner in the week then all the better, but otherwise make a quick risotto up using ½ tin tomatoes, garlic and lots of chilli. Let cool and then form balls around small nubs of mozzarella – buy the cheapest you can as it's being fried anyway. Roll each formed ball in either water or a whisked egg mixture and then roll in polenta or breadcrumbs. Fry in groundnut oil carefully until golden. Serve on a bed of any greenery you have and perhaps some grated cheese on top.
Main: Confit Pork Belly on Caponata
Pork belly is super cheap to buy, and confiting it means its always going to taste delicious. Do so by seasoning it with whatever Italian style flavours you have around (I used fennel seeds) and plenty of salt and pepper. Place in a roasting dish with plenty of olive oil and leave it to do its thing at about 140C for a few hours. Caponata is a Sicilian aubergine stew made by slowly sauteeing off diced onion, aubergine and capers then adding the rest of your tinned tomatoes, garlic and a pinch of sugar. I served the pork in handy slices on top of the caponata and grilled some readymade polenta to go with it.
Pudding: Boozy Affogato
This one kills two birds with one stone and is a legitimate Italian pudding, ok?, just in case anyone challenges you. Make up some espressos, spike with your favourite booze (Amaretto or Whiskey come highly recommended) and plop in a scoop of cheapo gelato. If you’re feeling arty you can put something like a single square of dark choc (mine was the new Salted Lindt stuff natch) on top.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.