I had eleven people to dinner this past week on Wednesday. In some ways I’m still recovering from it. No matter. Alice Waters says, in her book The Art of Simple Food, that we should try to avoid eating alone. I eat alone quite a bit, unfortunately, and it’s always challenging to figure out what to cook or what to eat.
But thanks to last weeks’ experiments in cooking, there was incredibly good food to serve them. Gordon writes about the disgusting food of the ancients when he works magic… but I served up a broad smorgasbord of food designed to be edible, beautiful, green for the season, and designed to appeal to different parts of the tongue.
We had the following
- salad with homemade vinaigrette
- spinach spaghetti with pesto sauce
- cucubmer salad with yogurt sauce
- sautéed zucchini with herbes de provence
- broccoli with spicy-ish salsa
- Tuscan-style bread with sweet butter
- Roasted lemon chicken (not shown)
- Strawberries dipped in chocolate for dessert
- mead that I made myself
It was a feast for the eyes, the heart, the mind. The last guests didn’t leave until after midnight, and the dinner started at a quarter to six. I feel like it was was one of the best such occasions I’ve pulled together in years, and a lot of it, I think, is owed to the fact that I’ve been practicing my cooking skills.
Tremendous — I feel as though I was one of your guests! I also really enjoyed Gordon’s article, so thanks for that link.
Robert, if you’re ever going to be in Connecticut on or near one of the equinoxes, solstices, or cross-quarter days, send me a message — you’re ever invited.
I do not often get that far north. But if I do, I’ll be there will bells on, and I’ll bring a case of wine for my host!