Italian Pasta Party

Setting the Scene

Celebrate the wonderful fresh flavors of spring in the casual comfort of your home.  After the long months of winter’s hearty fare and as our tables turn to spring, invite friends over to enjoy the awakening flavors of the new season.  Springtime with its promise of the coming warm weather is the perfect time to bring traditional Italian flavors together.  The aroma of the food cooking will be irresistible.  Plan a party whose theme is centered on enjoying one of the most passionately loved foods on the Italian menu – pasta!

The dishes are simple to prepare with a variety of textures and flavors, and beautifully presented paired with the sunny, fresh colors of the season.   The buffet-style table creates a relaxed yet festive environment and gives way to lively conversation.

In Italy, cuisine is very seasonal incorporating fresh, local ingredients as they become available throughout the year.  One of the most splendid aspects of Italian cuisine is its diversity.  This diversity is based on geographic differences in climate and landscape.  Each region has its own locally grown produce and livestock which inspire the locals to create rich and unique speciality dishes.  Authentic Italian cuisine is traditionally uncomplicated yet flavorful and distinctive.  It is no wonder that pasta, with its simple deliciousness, is the cornerstone of food culture throughout all of Italy.   

We have selected four diverse culinary regions of Italy to highlight at our Italian Pasta Party:  Campania is known for its excellent vegetables and fruit due to the rich volcanic soil of nearby Mt. Vesuvius and its ideal growing climate.  Pasta is a staple here and vegetable pasta dishes are a culinary tradition.  Campania also produces excellent fresh mozzarella di bufalo, creamy ricotta cheese and an abundance of lemons used to make the delicious limoncello liqueur.  Emilia-Romagna is known as the "food valley" of Italy.  This region produces some of Italy's best known foods such as Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, Prosciutto di Parma, fine balsamic vinegars, fine cured meats and dairy products, and is famous for its Lasagne Bolognese.  Puglia with its long summers and fertile soil, grows everything in abundance.  Vegetables are an important part of this region's cuisine as well.  A vast amount of durum wheat is grown in Puglia which is used throughout Italy to prepare pasta.  Sicilia cuisine is based on simple ingredients embellished with rich local flavors.  This region is covered with hills and mountains ideal for growing, herbs, olives and grapes for making wine.  Pasta is a favorite food in Sicilia dressed with rich flavorful sauces or paired with local vegetables or fresh fish.  Sweets are famous in Sicilia and gelato is a local specialty.  

Begin the new spring season with the rich, fresh pleasures of Italian cuisine.


Pasta Party - Setting Scene1

Tabletop: Fresh tones of sage greens and muted yellows set the stage for our Springtime get together.

Use clean, fresh white dinner plates and pasta bowls for a variety of different pasta shapes.

Wrap utensils in coordinating linen napkins and place in a simple ceramic vase or container for guests to easily grab their food and enjoy.

Simple clear glass wine glasses can be place on a straw tray on the buffet or at your designated bar area. Other barware needed for your drinks are flutes and double-old fashions and water glasses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pasta Party - Setting Scene Decor  

Décor:  Keep the décor clean and simple.

Use a variety of serving pieces, footed and non-footed, and interesting pedastals to create dimension and interest to your buffet table.

Ensure that you have a designated serving piece for each of the pasta dishes (ie the long cuts require a pasta fork, the lasagne requires a spatula of some kind and the short cuts require your standard serving spoons).

Create colorful notecards that have the name of the recipe in both Italian and English and the region that the recipe originated from, to help guide your guests through the menu and also provide a little Italian cuisine 101. 

 

 

 

Pasta Party - Setting Scene Mood

Mood:  Music, lighting and florals are easy ways to set the fun mood of your party.

Your music selection should be upbeat and fun. Contemporary Italian artists like Tiziano Ferro, Eros Ramazotti or Nek can be fun.

Lighting for any entertaining event is important.  Integrate delicately designed votive holders to your tabletop and bar area to set the mood – we selected ones that looked like they were wrapped in handmade paper – to set the mood for an evening soiree.

Spring florals are fresh and simple – daffodils are the perfect choice to enhance our color palette to kick off the season. Place daffodils in a sleak, rectangular, thin glass vase (like the one we found at Pottery Barn), fill with polished stones and water for an urban arrangement.



 


Pasta Party Favors

Favors:  If your budget allows, create a nice takeaway for your dinner party guests. What better gift for your guests to remind them of your pasta party than an Italian pasta kit.  Create pretty boxes that match your color scheme and fill with recipe cards of the various recipes served, a box of Barilla pasta, a pocket guide of Italy and fresh Italian spices.

Pasta Party - Setting Scene ElementFun

Element of Fun:  Before dinner gets started, to get guests mingling, try playing a game created in honor of your dinner party theme ---- pasta!  There are so many different pasta shapes and names, you’ll be amazed at how many you know or don’t know.  Create a simple, inexpensive “Name That Pasta ” game.

 

Pasta Party - SettingScene -Location

Location: To create a more casual party, host your dinner party in the kitchen around an island – it’s a perfect place for mingling and to whet your guests’ appetite as they smell the wonderful aromas from these fragrant dishes!



 Italian Pasta Party   
Overview|Setting the Scene |To Do/Shopping List |Il Menu |Bevande|Element of Fun