dinner party starter

These light Italian dumplings, made from fine semolina, ricotta and nutmeg, make an elegant dinner party starter

Ricotta gnudi with sage butter

ricotta (we used Galbani)

nutmeg

fine semolina or semolina flour

butter

sage leaves

pine nuts

rocket & red onion salad

Line a sieve with a piece of muslin or a new J-cloth and place over a bowl. Tip the ricotta into the cloth, gently gather up the ends and secure with an elastic band. Leave the ricotta to drain for 4 hrs.

Transfer the drained ricotta to a clean bowl. Beat in the hard cheese, egg yolk, a good grating of nutmeg, then season well. Tip the semolina into a baking dish or large plastic container. Wet your hands, dip them in the semolina and, working quickly, scoop 1 heaped tsp of the ricotta mix into your hands and gently roll into a ball (don&rsquo;t worry if it&rsquo;s not perfect). Place the ball in the semolina dish and roll around so that it is totally covered. Pick it up and roll between the palms of your hands to create a smooth ball, then pop back into the semolina. Continue with the rest of the mixture. You should make about 24 balls. Once all the balls are formed and are sitting in the semolina, cover loosely with baking parchment (not cling film), put the dish in the fridge and leave to chill for at least 12 hrs, although 24 hrs is better &ndash; this is so the balls of ricotta form a skin around the outside.

When ready to serve, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Turn down to a simmer and lower in half the gnudi. Cook gently for 2-3 mins &ndash; they&rsquo;re ready when they float to the top &ndash; then scoop out with a slotted spoon and transfer to a sieve. Repeat with the remaining gnudi. Slowly melt the butter in a small frying pan. Add the sage leaves, making sure they don&rsquo;t overlap, and let them sizzle until crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper. If the butter has turned a nutty brown, remove from the heat; if not, continue to bubble until lightly browned. Divide the gnudi between warmed plates, drizzle over the browned butter, top with the sage and pine nuts, and serve with grated cheese, black pepper and a rocket &amp; red onion salad.

A smooth, blended vegetable soup with blue cheese that's as good for a comforting meal as it is for a dinner party starter

Broccoli & stilton soup

tbsp rapeseed oil

onion, finely chopped

celery,

leek, sliced

potato,

salt chicken or vegetable stock

broccoli,

stilton, or other blue cheese, crumbled

Heat 2 tbsp rapeseed oil in a large saucepan and then add 1 finely chopped onion. Cook on a medium heat until soft. Add a splash of water if the onion starts to catch.

Add 1 sliced celery stick, 1 sliced leek, 1 diced medium potato and a knob of butter. Stir until melted, then cover with a lid. Allow to sweat for 5 minutes then remove the lid.

Pour in 1l of chicken or vegetable stock and add any chunky bits of stalk from 1 head of broccoli. Cook for 10-15 minutes until all the vegetables are soft.

Add the rest of the roughly chopped broccoli and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Carefully transfer to a blender and blitz until smooth.

Stir in 140g crumbled stilton, allowing a few lumps to remain. Season with black pepper and serve.

Top buttery puff pastry with caramelised onions and melted cheese for a festive buffet or dinner party winner that you can make ahead and freeze

Roast sweet potato & onion tart with goat’s cheese

olive oil

red onions,

tbsp red wine vinegar

cranberry sauce

1kg sweet potatoes,

tsp chilli flakes

puff pastry

goat's cheese

egg,

thyme sprigs, to serve

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and cook the onions over a low heat for 20-25 mins or until well softened and lightly browned. Add the vinegar and cranberry sauce, and simmer for 5-10 mins more, stirring until almost all the liquid has disappeared. Leave to cool.

Meanwhile, put the sweet potatoes in a bowl and toss with the remaining oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and the chilli flakes. Arrange on a baking tray and cook for 20 mins, turning halfway, until softened and lightly browned. Leave to cool.

Reduce oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line two large baking trays with baking parchment and unroll the pastry sheets on top – trimming the edges neatly at this point will encourage a good rise. Leaving a 2cm gap around the edge, spread the onions over the pastry, then top with the sweet potatoes and goat’s cheese. Brush the beaten egg around the border of the pastry and bake in the oven for 35-40 mins or until the pastry is golden and crisp, swapping the shelves after 20 mins.

Scatter over the thyme, then cut each tart into quarters (or smaller pieces if serving more). Serve with a large leafy salad.

I like the way this dish can be eaten as a starter or part of an antipasti table, and even more as a main course, sprinkled with some ricotta salata (the deliciously salted, dried kind) or crumbled feta, or as an accompaniment to meat and fish.

Each serving provides 140kcal, 1g protein, 3g carbohydrate (of which 3g sugars), 13g fat (of which 2g saturates), 2.5g fibre and 0.8g salt.

Baby aubergines with oregano and red onions

baby aubergines

oregano

red onion,

tsp sea salt flakes salt

garlic,

1½ tbsp cold water

I like the way this dish can be eaten as a starter or part of an antipasti table, and even more as a main course, sprinkled with some ricotta salata (the deliciously salted, dried kind) or crumbled feta, or as an accompaniment to meat and fish.

Baby aubergines with oregano and red onion

This is best served as a starter. Sucking the sweet sauce off the juicy crustaceans is an experience to be savoured, never hurried. Shelled and unshelled prawns are both fine to use. Serve with a green salad and hunks of crusty bread.

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Ricotta gnudi with sage butter

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Top 5 dinner party starter recipes from across the web

The most viewed dinner party starter recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Ricotta gnudi with sage butter

Broccoli & stilton soup

Roast sweet potato & onion tart wit...

Baby aubergines with oregano and re...

Whisky and chilli tiger prawns

The most viewed dinner party starter recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine