MORE PLEASE - PEOPLE DROPPING IN

Sausages with Farro, Spring Greens and Romesco, Trofie alla Genovese and a Lazy Caesar

Hello all my sweet More Please subscribers! Thank you as always for supporting The Dinner Party, none of this would be possible without you!! The Dinner Party turned 2 on April the 4th, which, in the fog of moving house I completely forgot about. I will definitely find a way to celebrate with some fun recipes later this month, but for now I will leave you with today’s episode which is all about what to cook when people announce they are dropping in.

One of the periods you go through when you move house, after the “dust-filled-chaos” phase, the “I-can’t-find-anything-phase” and the “I-don’t-even-notice-the-boxes-now” phase is the “would-love-to-pop-round-and-see-the-house” phase. It’s always lush getting to show your new place to people, but it can often leave you a little in the lurch with an accompanying meal. So I wanted to share with you 3 dishes today that I think are perfect for this kind of situation - special enough that they feel worthy of the occasion but simple enough that you aren’t tearing your hair out.

First up it’s Sausages with Farro, Spring Greens and Romesco, where the sausages, farro and greens are all braised together in wine and stock and served with punchy, sharp romesco sauce. It’s such a delicious, hearty weeknight dinner and perfect ticking away on the stove while you show people around. It would also make a great little meal prep sitch for a week of lunches.

Then we have Trofie alla Genovese. This is the traditional dish of pasta, potatoes and green beans cooked together and tossed in rich, fresh pesto which originated in Genoa. The potatoes and beans make this seem like more than the sum of its parts, and everyone knows fresh pesto is one of the best and easiest pasta sauces. This dish is an excellent way to feed a crowd quickly and effectively.

Finally, the dish I made my first houseguest in my new home is one of my old favourites, Lazy Caesar. A heaping platter of crunchy leaves, creamy, fiery dressing, fudgy eggs, anchovies and parmesan are served with crisp, garlic rubbed toasts. It’s incredibly easy to put together, yet somehow feels chic, decadent and grown up.