It’s easy to spend a small fortune at a good Italian grocery shop. Between the sweet desserts, handmade cheeses, preserved meats and freshly baked bread, you can find just about anything you might need for a traditional Italian meal.

Unfortunately, unless you are independently wealthy, it’s unlikely that you will be able to afford to always purchase every ingredient. The trick is to know which items are worth spending money and which of the items can be made at home for relatively little money and a reasonable amount of effort. Knowing this will permit you to serve an impressive meal to your guests without blowing your budget.

Antipasti

There are several charcuterie cookbooks that have been published in the last few years. Following these recipes will transform relatively inexpensive cuts of meat into delicately flavored cured meats. Duck breast prosciutto, beef brasaola and pork sausage are three examples of relatively simple choices.

Presenting the meat in an attractive way is easy if you invest in a quality food slicer to do the slicing for you.  Alternate rows of meat with sliced Italian cheeses and ripe fruit. Serve these with freshly baked ciabatta bread or Italian water crackers.  If you are not familiar with ciabatta bread talk to your baker or do some reading on wikipedia.

Primo

The first course in an Italian meal is generally either pasta, risotto or polenta, depending on the region in Italy. Polenta can be purchased precooked, but is an inexpensive grain that can be cooked easily at home. Remembering to stir constantly is key for avoiding lumps.

Serve the polenta on a large platter and garnish with sweet cultured butter and shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and grilled, sliced zucchini, red and yellow bell peppers and red onions. Pass additional cheese when serving.

Secondo

This course of the Italian meal is generally a meat or seafood dish. It is served alongside the contorno, or vegetable side dishes. Splurging on some locally caught seafood would be appropriate. Preparing whole lobster fra diavolo, lobster cooked in a spicy tomato sauce, will impress your guests.

Traditionally, the sauce is reserved and served over pasta as a primo. Most Americans prefer different flavors for each course, so make sure to save the leftover sauce for yourself to use another day. It’s too good to waste!

The complexity of the seafood dish can be balanced out with a simple salad as a side dish, as long as you make sure to use high quality, fresh produce. Toss the vegetables with a small amount of light dressing to keep from overpowering the flavor of the produce.

Dolce

After such a flavorful meal, it isn’t necessary to have a large, rich dessert. The ideal dessert is a fruit gelato. Fruit, selected at the peak of ripeness, is pureed until smooth and blended with milk, sugar and other flavorings.  Use a good  quality gelato maker to freeze the mixture quickly, ensuring a rich, smooth texture.

Do not attempt to use an American ice cream maker for gelato. The resulting ice cream will have too much air beaten into the mixture. The slower freezing time will cause larger ice crystals, making the mouth feel less smooth and creamy.

Digestivo e Caffè

A formal Italian meal will be followed by liqueurs and espresso. Purchasing espresso beans, grinding at home and brewing in a moka pot will guarantee the freshest possible drink. This should be served very hot in small cups.

Limoncello is one popular after dinner drink that is easily made at home. Carefully remove all of the zest (colored part of the peel) from organically grown lemons, making sure to avoid the bitter white pith. Soak these pieces of lemon peel in a bottle of vodka at room temperature.

After four days, simmer white sugar and water to make a simple syrup. Cool to room temperature. Mix with the vodka and lemon peels and let sit for a fifth day. Strain through a fine mesh filter and bottle for storage.

As you can see, it’s possible to create an authentic formal Italian meal without spending prohibitively large amounts of money, as long as you’re willing to make some of the food yourself at home. Buon appetito!

This article was contributed by Liz Krause who enjoys a good Italian meal - especially when prepared by her husband! She shares on her website personal recipes and stories and also shares reviews on various appliances used in Italian cooking - such a meat grinder review for those who want to start making homemade Italian sausage or organic meatballs. She is a true believer that the best Italian recipes are ones which are simple and use fresh ingredients!