Entertaining at Home Pasta Party

Menu:
• Red Zinfandel
• Garlic-Infused Caesar Salad
• Mama’s Italian Wedding Soup
• Shrimp with Penne Pasta
• Roasted Chicken with Pesto Cream
• Double Chocolate Walnut Biscotti

Party Strategy:
• Invitations: Deliver a box or jar filled
with colorful pasta. Tie with ribbon and
attach a card with all the details.
• Don’t worry if the plates for each course
are different –
it just makes things more interesting.
• Place five pieces of uncooked bowtie
pasta at each place setting; invite guests
to rate each course from one to five
bowties. Most will be gracious and generous!
• Soup can be made 2-3 days ahead.
Biscotti can be made day before. Other
dishes need to be made
morning or afternoon of dinner for best

Theme and Motivation: A Pasta Party with “Pasta-bilities” Serving Tips:
• Garlic-Infused Caesar Salad: Italian
Stitch Large Serving Bowl (YES! Chocolate
brown does go with red and white!)
• Mama’s Italian Wedding Soup: Italian
Stitch Primi Serving Set
• Shrimp with Penne Pasta: Pasta Perfect
Large Serving Bowl
• Roasted Chicken with Pesto Cream: Italian
Stitch Serving Bowls
• Double Chocolate Walnut Biscotti: Italian
Stitch Rectangular Platter
• Steaming cups of espresso in our Italian
Stitch Espresso Set is the perfect way to
end the evening.

Table Tips:
• Consider a red and white checkered
tablecloth with our Fiona tableware
highlighted.
• Go all the way with dripping candles
in chianti bottles.
• Using the Gramercy Triple Snack Set,
serve freshly grated parmesan, freshly
grated Romano and coarse sea salt for
the table.
• Have Frank Sinatra songs playing in the
background.
• Centerpiece of traditional Italian ingredients
such as fresh herbs, eggplant, onions,
garlic, tomatoes and red, yellow and
green peppers.

Red Zinfandel
• Invite guests and couples to each bring
their favorite bottle of red zinfandel to
the party.
• Serve in our Tuscan Goblets.

Garlic-Infused Caesar Salad
1 tbsp. dark brown mustard
1, 2-oz. tin anchovy fillets packed in oil
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Juice of one lemon (two tbsp.)
¼ C red wine vinegar
¼ C balsamic vinegar
½ C garlic-infused olive oil
6 C Romaine lettuce leaves,
washed, dried, torn
Freshly ground pepper to taste
½ C grated parmesan cheese
1 C seasoned croutons
1. Use a wooden spoon to smash the anchovies,
mustard and Worcestershire into a paste.
2. Stir in lemon juice; whisk in vinegars and
olive oil until mixture is smooth.
3. Toss the lettuce into the dressing.
4. Season with pepper. Add cheese and croutons
and toss again. Serve in Italian Stitch
Large Serving Bowl.
Serves 4

Roasted Chicken with Pesto Cream
1-3 lb. fryer chicken
½ C pesto
1 quart heavy cream
¼ C parmesan cheese
¼ C Romano cheese
2 lbs. angel hair pasta
Toasted pine nuts
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper to taste
1. Rinse outside and inside of chicken; pat
dry and season inside with salt and pepper.
Place half of lemon and five
cloves of garlic inside cavity.
2. Truss chicken and roast in Roaster with
Rack at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.
When done (160 degrees), let cool,
then pick meat, discarding the skin,
into bite-sized pieces.
3. In a large pot, place cream and put over
medium heat. Reduce cream by ¼.
While cream is reducing, put another
large pot on high with salted water to boil
to cook pasta in.
4. Add pesto and cheeses to cream; whisk
until melted. Add picked chicken and
season with salt and pepper.
5. Place cooked pasta in Italian Stitch
Large Serving Bowl; add sauce and stir.
Place in individual bowls, top with extra
sauce. Garnish with pine nuts and basil.
Serves 8

Double Chocolate Walnut Biscotti
½ C shortening, room temperature
2/3 C dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
½ C chocolate syrup
2 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 C walnuts, chopped
1 6-oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips,
1 C
1. Using an electric mixer, beat the shortening
and brown sugar together until well combined.
2. Add eggs one at a time, continue beating.
3. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, chopped
nuts and chocolate chips to combine.
4. Divide dough in half and form two
long loaves, about two inches in
diameter.
5. Place loaves on lightly greased
cookie sheet; flatten the loaves
slightly.
6. Bake at 350 degrees 18-20 minutes
or until firm; cool slightly.
7. Cut each loaf into ¾-inch slices.
Place cut side down on cookie
sheet; bake additional 10 minutes.
Yield 2 dozen

Shrimp with Penne Pasta
40 Shrimp (31/35 per pound size)
peeled & de-veined
1 C tomato sauce
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 small green pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp. capers
3 tbsp. calamata olives, pitted and sliced
1 lemon, zested
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
½ C white wine
1 C shrimp stock
2 lbs. penne pasta
1 tsp. kosher salt; pepper to taste
1. Fill 4-Quart Stockpot with Lid with water
and place on high heat.
2. Place olive oil in 12-inch Saute Pan with
Lid on
medium heat. Add onion, cook until soft;
add bell
pepper and garlic, cook one minute.
3. When water boils, add penne and 1 tbsp.
salt. Cook until al dente, about 10 minutes.
4. Add shrimp to sauté pan and deglaze with
white wine and remaining ingredients.
5. Drain cooked pasta and pour shrimp
mixture over. Place in Large Pasta Perfect
Bowl and top with fresh parsley.
Serves 8

Mama’s Italian Wedding Soup
1 lb. extra-lean ground beef
2 eggs, beaten
¼ C dried bread crumbs
2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. dried basil
3 tbsp. minced onion
2 ½ quarts chicken broth
2 C spinach, packed, rinsed and thinly sliced
1 C seashell pasta
¾ C diced carrots
1. In medium bowl, combine the beef, egg,
bread crumbs, cheese, basil and onion. Shape
mixture into ¾ inch balls and set aside.
2. In 4-quart Stockpot with Lid, heat
chicken broth to boiling. Stir in the
spinach, pasta, carrots and meatballs.
Return to boil. Reduce heat to medium.
3. Cook, stirring frequently, at a slow
boil for 10 minutes or until pasta is al
dente, and meatballs are no longer
pink inside.
4. Serve hot with parmesan cheese
sprinkled on top.
Serves 10