Now.
I used to freak out.
A complicated menu would be planned, I would promptly freak out and start resenting the occasion, my children and their wicked ways and my husband's inability to read my mind.
Feeling the need to summon up the "spirit of the Blitz", I would press on yelling instructions, putting out fires, marshalling children into work teams, wearing an industrial grade apron, wooden spoon in one hand, phone in the other as I yelled down the line to Dave who'd been given the thankless task of shopping for supplies.
"Did you get the Brie? No, not that one...do you want them to think we're complete cheap-skates....the King Island!"
"No not Camembert.....of course there's a difference....I'm not sure what it is...just get the Brie!!"
Luckily, for all concerned, I've changed my scary, image-conscious ways in recent years.
I've now come up with a few Meredy-proof menus that mean that I can feed the hordes without scarring the children for life or ruining my marriage.
Just as importantly, I now feel far more comfortable inviting people over at the drop of a hat and I hope that because of this, our family has become more hospitable.
Did you know that according to the roots of the word "hospitality" in Greek, the emphasis is actually on "welcoming strangers" into your home? Not just people you feel comfortable with?
Isn't that challenging? This is something that we're working on, as a family, looking outside of our immediate friendship groups and being aware of some people that perhaps are new to the school or church or local neighbourhood. Change is awkward sometimes isn't it? This is why I love the reliability of this menu. I only want to be out of my comfort zone in so many areas at once.
I've got a few more menus to share.
This is just one that I took photos of recently.
Easiest vegetable dish in the world.....Ratatouille.
{The kids call it Rat-and-Patootie....from the movie}
This is just as it's starting to cook.
The most important things you need to know about ratatouille:
1. take some time to slowly saute the onions - about ten minutes. This removes all trace of bitterness.
2. don't stew the vegies...stop cooking while they've still got a wee bit of crunch in them.
They'll continue to soften once the heat is off anyway.
3. Finish with fresh parsley. It really is worth the bother.
This is finished and I'm just about to add the fresh parsley and put the whole pot on the table as is.
If you think this isn't posh enough, try calling it "Cucina Rustica".
{I saw that on a sign in a kitchen photographed for magazine once and I found it hilariously, ironically pretentious.
Or was it "Rustica Cucina"....I am not to be trusted, my Italian is appalling.
And you might want to get it correct before announcing it to your guests.}
I find cooking meat for hordes of people fraught with danger.
I'm always afraid because of the quantities, that I'll undercook it.
Instead, we buy these butterflied chickens and they cook quickly and evenly.
They're also easy to pull apart and arrange on a big white platter.
I really should have taken a photo, but I was busy chatting (as usual).
Our guests might also have found it disturbing if I starting taking photos of their food.
Easy peasy roast potatoes.
Boil some new potatoes in a big pot until they're half-cooked.
Remove from the pot and slather with olive oil, sea salt and dried (or fresh) rosemary.
Toss it thoroughly and then put them in baking trays to cook for about 30 minutes.
The kitchen will smell amazing and the potatoes will always be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Hurrah!
These are just about to go in the oven.
Once ready, I put these on the table next to the chicken and the ratatouille.
That's it.
Enough food to feed an army.
And who doesn't love roast potatoes and roast chicken?
As a host, there is nothing more satisfying than seeing your guests, plates piled high with food and attacking it with gusto.
The added benefit is that because it's been relatively pressure-free, you can actually enjoy your guest's company and not feel on the brink of exhaustion from culinary callisthenics.
Perhaps the most sure-fire way to connect with your guests in a memorable way is to provide simple, hearty food and then LISTEN to them and their stories. Hopefully, our friends, new and old, leave our house feeling well-fed, well-watered and well-known.
We've got great friends who rang up one night, out of the blue and said,
"We've got a huge plate of creme caramel....we're coming over. You provide the spoons and the coffee."
We ate it straight off the plate.
Memorable.
It's summer here at the moment, so after a fairly substantial lunch, something light is in order.
Rockmelon and greek yoghurt with honey stirred through.
If it was winter, I'd serve ice cream with wicked caramel sauce.....but that's another recipe for another post.
RATATOUILLE
To feed 8+ as a side dish:
couple of good lugs of olive oil
2 onions (Spanish or brown), sliced.
1-2 cloves garlic (your preference)
1 red capsicum (red pepper) cut roughly into large chunks.
2 zucchini, cut into chunks
1 eggplant, cubed
3 or 4 golden squash, cut into chunks (optional)
2 x 400g tins of good quality diced tomatoes
1 cup of chicken stock
season with salt and pepper.
handful of fresh parsley to garnish.
Saute onions & garlic in olive oil for 5 - 10 minutes on low heat.
Add capsicum, zucchini, eggplant, squash and coat with onion/garlic mix. Keep tossing and stirring over medium heat for a couple of minutes until you feel the oil has soaked in nicely.
Then add diced tomatoes and chicken stock. Simmer on low heat until vegetables are al dente.
Finish by garnishing with parsley.
(N.B.: I know some like to salt and drain their eggplant, but I truly haven't noticed a difference. This could be because I didn't want to find a difference and therefore save myself the bother, but I think I was being honest with myself.)
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