My pal Jeff will not eat anything that has, or has had, a face. After a couple of years of threatening him with dinner I finally made good on it, and it's probably the first time that I have entertained with a completely vegetarian meal. Last night, I raided Deborah Madison's book and made baked ziti with mushrooms, leeks and sharp cheddar cheese. I think it turned out just fine. Jeff brought along a bottle of Belvedere Vodka, which is made in Poland where the first written mention of Vodka, in any language, dates from 1405. We all sipped dirty martinis made from this bottle, a drop of Noilly Prat, the French vermouth, and two spoonfuls per glass of olive juice from the jar with accompanying olives - I prefer unpitted Niçoises but this time we had many large Spanish ones stuffed with pimentos.I was able to find fresh figs at Gelson's and snapped them up for dessert. I adapted Madison's carmelized fig recipe by toasting pine nuts when I was making the ziti, and reserving. I made the dish fresh and after we had eaten the ziti and salad course. I sliced the length of each fig in two and after semi heating some turbinado sugar with a spooning of lemon juice in a fry pan I turned them and turned them over a medium heat, particular to coat the open flesh side the most. I turned the flame off and gently combined the pine nuts in the pan with the figs. I put the glazed and glistening combination into bowls leaving the extra sugar behind in the pan (to help avoid possible premature death). I finished it with a little ribboned fresh mint on top and a thin slice of mildly salty Gorgonzola to the side of each serving, a wonderful contrast to the creamy sweetness of the luscious figs. If I had had a pear or two I would have added them sliced and uncooked to provide a little of their own delicate texture and natural, subtle liquid for the sauce. In all this took not more than ten minutes to make.
Jeff is a marvelous raconteur and a sterling character with a wide open heart. Neighbor Shauna stopped in at 11pm and between them they entertained us with their chatter until 1am. It was a very good evening indeed. Now I have to fit in that bit of beauty sleep I lost as a result, or is it gone forever?
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4 comments:
How much does the addition of good company factor into the success of your meals?
In reading this blig, I gather that it's imperative to a truly fabulous dish!
Anonymous- you are absolutely right even if the meal itself isn't a success it's usually the most treasured ingredient. Nothing more miserable than eating alone, I think, and the best meals are always a social event. Cooking for someone, eating with someone, in or out, is a warm affair. I feel honored when someone cooks even the simplest dishes for me, and the best conversations are those around a nicely set table. I suppose it's something of a ritual that everyone can share in as we all have to eat!
I don't intend this to be a recipe blog per se but more a reflection on what happens when we wine and dine, albeit in my own locale, because it can be a richly rewarding touchstone that brings together the best things in life. A social meal is a sensual experience , not least because we all share the flavors and aromas, but also because we all bring our lives to the table no matter what role we play in the there and then. And, personally I am fascinated by the lives and characters of the people I break bread with as much as, or more than the food.
I, too, have a friend named Jeff, who loves his vodka and also has an abhorence of consuming flesh, even that derived from sea creatures. But I like the challenge. I particularly like to approach dishes that seem to have meat as an essential component, the challenge being what to substitute for the meat. I've been aided immensely in these endeavors by "The Greens Cookbook", published by the enduring Bay Area vegetarian restaurant, Greens (it's in the Fort Mason area), a cookbook I would recommend to everybody, especially those who are suspicious of vegetarian cuisine and its capacity to be tasty. One of my favorite dishes is spaghetti carbonara, an essential component being pancetta, or in my white trash version, good old bacon (with an emphasis on the good; my favorite commercial bacon is the meat counter product available at Von's - it's apple smoked, thick, delicious, and reasonably priced). But no pig meat allowed when Jeff comes round, so what's the cook to do? One should remember that equally important to this extremely simple dish (it's basically spaghetti with a creamy sauce of eggs, parmesan and pepper, with the bacon added as a flavor component and for a little "crunch") is the sauce itself. Instead of rendering the bacon
and using part of the drippings to complete the final dish, I sautee coarsely chopped garlic in good olive oil to the golden stage, and set aside. When my spaghetti is cooked, I tip the hot, drained noodles into the garlic and oil, immediately add the sauce, and stir to coat everything (reserve a bit of the spaghetti water if you need to loosen the dish). It's important that you do this off heat. People these days have a phobic fear of salmonella via eggs, which is largely unwarranted. I've made this dish dozens of times, both meaty and non, and have suffered no consequences. Trying to make this work by doing it on heat generally results in spaghetti and cheesey scrambled eggs, not my idea of "sauce". It must be creamy in texture, the "cooking" being done by the heat of the noodle. Add a sprinkling of bread crumbs toasted with a little parmesan before serving, a lot of freshly ground black pepper, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. And no guilt due to the consumption of nitrates, animal fat or the unintentional participation in the slaughter of creatures "with faces". As with all cuisine, it will only be as good as its components, so use the best.
With your vegetarian pal Jeff in mind, I am wondering if there are foods that you as a guest or host will not eat or serve.
Anyhthing make you say "ick?"
For instance, what are your thoughts about farmed sea food from China?
Any worries or second thoughts?
Do you trust that seafood has been inspected and is safe to eat?
What if anything won't you eat and how would you handle being served an "absolutely not " food as a guest?
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