Although Italy is well out of the World Cup – Mama Mia – feeling a bit blue about that, there is nothing that quite hits the taste buds like a heart warming, filling pasta!! So here, is Part III of my Top Tips for Entertaining Big Crowds. Now, I must admit, my Burger Table and Fajita and Taco Table ideas are definitely better suited to a bunch of bulky, hustling, football mad men. However, if Italian footballers can quite happily feed their fabulous physiques with pasta, so can a bunch of regular Joes!!!!
This Make Your Own Pasta Table is quite a chic little number. It’s also great when you have a bunch of girlfriends around for a quiet evening. My trick to keeping the sauces warm is to use my fondue pots. These keep the sauces bubbling away and it is quite important to have the sauce hot. If you don’t have fondue pots, just use a simple heating tray or, if your friends are very much at home at yours, then keep these bubbling away on the stove. Keep your pasta as warm as you can in a hotpot. All you need for your Italiano Special are the following…

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One pot of freshly made tomato sauce

One pot of freshly made cheese bechamel sauce

A bowl of fresh Parmesan shavings

A bowl of baby spinach

A bowl of lightly fried garlic mushrooms

A bowl of sundried tomatoes

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A bowl of black olives

A bowl of freshly sliced green chillies in oil

A bowl of freshly sliced bottled artichokes in oil

A small bowl of chilli flakes, salt, black pepper and spanish paprika

A bottle of truffle oil (reserved for your very best of friends of course!)

To serve this all with

3 types of pasta – Fusili, Penne and Linguine are some of my favourites, cooked, drained and tossed in olive oil

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A large bowl of rucola and parmesan salad

Hot garlic breads fresh out of the oven.

Garlic Bread

This is rustic comfort food that brings together a gourmet feasting table without all the stress. Please let me know if you did try any of my three Make Your Own Feast Ideas and please do send us some photos for the blog!!!!!