Alright, let me tell you about the main course situation for that party I threw last month. It’s always a bit of a puzzle, right? You want something hearty, something folks will actually enjoy, but you also don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen the whole time. I learned that the hard way years ago.
So, this time, I decided early on I needed dishes I could mostly prep beforehand. Less fuss when people are actually arriving. I settled on two crowd-pleasers: a big, comforting lasagna and some slow-cooker pulled pork. Can’t go wrong with those, usually.
Getting Started: The Prep Work
First, the lasagna. I grabbed all the bits I needed: ground beef, onions, garlic, canned tomatoes (the good Italian ones, makes a difference, I reckon), lasagna sheets (the no-boil kind, saves a step), ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. Oh, and some basic herbs like oregano and basil.
- I started by chopping the onions and garlic. Pretty standard stuff.
- Then, I browned the beef in a big pot. Drained off the fat – important step, don’t want it swimming.
- Tossed in the onions and garlic, cooked ’em till soft.
- Poured in the tomatoes, added the herbs, salt, pepper. Let that bubble away gently for a good while, maybe 45 minutes? Just to let the flavours get friendly.
- While that was simmering, I mixed the ricotta with an egg and some salt and pepper. Easy.
- I also made a quick white sauce, you know, the béchamel. Just butter, flour, milk. Stirred till it was thick enough. Some people skip this, but I like it.
Next up, the pulled pork. This one is even easier, just takes time.
- I got myself a decent-sized pork shoulder.
- Made a rub. Didn’t measure exactly, just mixed paprika, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and a bit of cayenne for a tiny kick.
- Rubbed that all over the pork, getting into all the nooks.
- Plopped it into my slow cooker. Added some sliced onions underneath and maybe half a cup of chicken broth. Lid on.
- Set it to low and just let it go. Think it was cooking for about 8 hours. The smell in the house was fantastic towards the end.
Putting It All Together
Okay, back to the lasagna. Once the meat sauce was ready, it was assembly time. I got out my biggest baking dish.
Layering went like this: meat sauce on the bottom, then pasta sheets, then the ricotta mixture, then béchamel, then mozzarella. Repeated that a couple of times. Finished with meat sauce, béchamel, and a good layer of mozzarella and parmesan on top.
Covered it with foil and stuck it in the fridge. That was Saturday morning. The party was Saturday evening.
A couple of hours before the party, I pulled the pork shoulder out of the slow cooker. It basically fell apart. I shredded it all using two forks – took a few minutes but weirdly satisfying. Skimmed the fat off the juices left in the cooker, then mixed some of those juices back into the shredded pork along with a generous amount of my favourite barbecue sauce. Put the shredded pork back into the slow cooker on the ‘keep warm’ setting.
Serving It Up
About an hour before I expected guests, I put the lasagna (still covered in foil) into a preheated oven. Took the foil off for the last 20 minutes or so to get the top nice and brown and bubbly. Let it rest for a good 15 minutes before cutting – crucial step, stops it from falling apart into a sloppy mess.
When guests arrived, I had the warm pulled pork ready in the slow cooker, a big stack of soft buns next to it, and the lasagna resting on the counter, smelling incredible.
It worked out great. People could serve themselves the pulled pork sandwiches, and I just had to slice up the lasagna. Minimal fuss during the actual party. Both dishes went down really well. Having those main courses sorted ahead of time really let me relax and actually talk to my friends. Definitely doing the make-ahead thing again next time.
