Pasta and beef on menu for Italy state dinner

WASHINGTON (AP) — Beef is back on the menu for Tuesday's White House state dinner for Italy, likely the final one for President Barack Obama.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and his wife, Agnese Landini, will get a helping of pasta, too, stuffed with sweet potato puree and topped with browned butter.

President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, are also serving a roasted butternut squash salad. Pinwheels of stuffed beef are the main course.

The pastry chef is preparing a green apple crostata, or Italian tart, for dessert.

The first lady's office announced last week that celebrity chef Mario Batali is helping prepare the meal, and that Grammy Award-winning singer Gwen Stefani will perform after dinner.

Dinner will be held in a tent on the South Lawn.