Menu Planning

Right, it's BookClub night tomorrow night and I'll be cooking. Are the MN Foodies up for a challenge?

Ten of us, in the evening. It's summery (still) and there are a few criteria.
1. I'll have about an hour between getting home and Bookclubbers arriving but I'll have lots of time in the morning.
2. Light main/savoury course and dessert
3. No nuts

Suggestions please... ideas are fine, I don't need recipes unless you've something really wonderful up your sleeve.

Are any/all of them veggies/vegans/Jews/Muslim?

Nope, Nope, Nope and Nope

Kate P wrote:

Nope, Nope, Nope and Nope

And are you any of the above?

Nope

Kate P wrote:

Nope

Grand so, for big groups that(in your case especially) easy to prepare for, your only man is lasagne. It's the ultimate food for catering. Easy to make for lots of people and yet very filling as a proper dinner. Accompany that with a big bowl of mixed salad and things like coleslaw, potato salad and garlic bread and you're there!

What would you suggest for dessert?

Lasagne is probably a bit too filling - but you've got me thinking of meatballs... Hmmm.

Kate P wrote:

What would you suggest for dessert?

Lasagne is probably a bit too filling - but you've got me thinking of meatballs... Hmmm.

Well, you could bulk up on lighter veg like celery, carrot and suchlike to make it less meaty(ie, better).

Dessert, I like lots of things for dessert.

How about this?

Chocolate is always good.

Kate P wrote:

What would you suggest for dessert?

What's your budget?

Selection of fruits - blueberries, raspberries, banana, strawberries, kiwi - mmmmmmmm - all fecked into a bowl with some nice vanilla ice cream and some expensive (€4.50) maple syrup. Mmmmmm.

With some aerosol cream on top - mmmm.

Chocolate trifle in principle is a very good idea - and these people are major dessert eaters - so a heavy dessert means a lesser savoury. Or else a trifle that's made on chocolate sponge rather than brownies (she says, turning on the oven in preparation - thank you AT)

The last time we had two desserts - I'd made a strawberry sponge and someone else brought raspberry and apple traybake which we had with custard.

Kate P wrote:

Chocolate trifle in principle is a very good idea - and these people are major dessert eaters - so a heavy dessert means a lesser savoury. Or else a trifle that's made on chocolate sponge rather than brownies (she says, turning on the oven in preparation - thank you AT)

You're welcome Kate P, glad to be of help! If none of that works out, chocolate Rice Krispie buns with a nice cup of tea are equally satisfactory imho.

As I said, chocolate is always good.

Quote :

Selection of fruits - blueberries, raspberries, banana, strawberries, kiwi - mmmmmmmm - all fecked into a bowl with some nice vanilla ice cream and some expensive (€4.50) maple syrup. Mmmmmm.

Agree with all the Mmmmms there, Audi.

Quote :

With some aerosol cream on top - mmmm.

Except that one.

Last time I cooked for a crowd I did a Hungarian Goulash. Was very yummy.

I like the dessert outlined above. But I agree, spare the aerosol cream.

Or just go for what I'm having in my avatar - crocodile!

I was wondering when you'd tell us what exactly that was - I didn't like to ask.

But now that you mention it - what part, exactly of said crocodile (which I probably won't be able to source in Cowen country until after tomorrow and we all become important)?

Kate P wrote:

But now that you mention it - what part, exactly of said crocodile (which I probably won't be able to source in Cowen country until after tomorrow and we all become important)?

You live in Cowen Country!?

Kate P wrote:

I was wondering when you'd tell us what exactly that was - I didn't like to ask.

But now that you mention it - what part, exactly of said crocodile (which I probably won't be able to source in Cowen country until after tomorrow and we all become important)?

Not too sure really. It was described as a crocodile steak if I remember correctly. It was in a restaurant in Nairobi, which is apparently in the top 50 restaurants in the world. I haven't frequented any other ones on the list so I couldn't comment in that regard. Anyway it was an all you can eat situation, you had a flag on the middle of your table and they came around offering you different cuts of meat continuously until you lowered your flag in surrender. There was also various sauces and an abundance of salad. We ate Beef, Chicken, Pork, Lamb, Buffalo, Zebra, Ostrich, Camel and Crocodile. Then got onto a BA plane, a couple of glasses of wine and woke up in London. Couldn't recommend it more.

They sell crocodile in Terenure by the way. But we're not allowed buy it, my mother worries about the carbon footprint.

Indeed I do. And I lived here too when it was Parlon Country!

You seem surprised - there are a few of us, you know.

My ancestors hail from Offaly.

Kate P wrote:

Indeed I do. And I lived here too when it was Parlon Country!

You seem surprised - there are a few of us, you know.

I know that. I suppose I should present you with a baton. As a Dub, I have been in the Taoiseach's domain up until now. Use it well. Use it wisely.



It has a good bit of mileage since it's been used to beat a good few uppity Corkonians in place for the last 11 years.

Kate my receipe for dessert is not going to be used by you because you will have to have shown them that you will have had worked hard so you will have to have prepared a good slogging dessert like BlackForest Gateaux or sweated over Tiramisu for whose cheese you will have to declare that you will have milked the goat yourself nearly. But give them that simple dessert coated in a light bit of ice cream with some maple syrup and their bowels will thank you for it after, I can tell you.

Here's a receipe for main course that is another frugal one but when people eat it they wonder how they hadn't been eating it forever. Do you know puy lentils and how to cook them? Make a stew of puy lentils and the root veggies that Ard Taoiseach was talking about especially celery but carrots and even a few small spuds but the crowning ingredient besides the lentils is spicy chorizo. O GOD! Dice it up and put it in at the beginning as the lentils are stewing for their forty five minutes - you can even add a bit more spice by adding some chillis ... It's a receipe I learned from Discovery History where one guy was researching the stuff Roman soldiers ate as they campaigned across Europe. When you think about it it's very transportable food for armies - dried lentils and meat and get some local veggies on the way. It will look stingy but your guests will love you for it in secret.

I've cooked this for a lot of people and only weirdos don't like it.

Auditor #9 wrote:

Here's a receipe for main course that is another frugal one but when people eat it they wonder how they hadn't been eating it forever. Do you know puy lentils and how to cook them? Make a stew of puy lentils and the root veggies that Ard Taoiseach was talking about especially celery but carrots and even a few small spuds but the crowning ingredient besides the lentils is spicy chorizo. O GOD! Dice it up and put it in at the beginning as the lentils are stewing for their forty five minutes - you can even add a bit more spice by adding some chillis ... It's a receipe I learned from Discovery History where one guy was researching the stuff Roman soldiers ate as they campaigned across Europe. When you think about it it's very transportable food for armies - dried lentils and meat and get some local veggies on the way. It will look stingy but your guests will love you for it in secret.

Roman food? That could be served with watered wine and it'd be proper tasty. Ave, Auditor #9!

Quote :

Kate my receipe for dessert is not going to be used by you because you will have to have shown them that you will have had worked hard so you will have to have prepared a good slogging dessert like BlackForest Gateaux or sweated over Tiramisu for whose cheese you will have to declare that you will have milked the goat yourself nearly. But give them that simple dessert coated in a light bit of ice cream with some maple syrup and their bowels will thank you for it after, I can tell you.

Your dessert won't work for a couple of reasons. Firstly I brought a dessert of strawberries to the home of some of the bookclubbers on Saturday night - I can't give them the same again.
Secondly, I like the opportunity to bake/make something nice once in a while - and I make a fruit smoothie for breakfast every morning now that summer is here (but no kiwi - smoothies don't like kiwi).
Thirdly, I don't (knowingly) eat anything processed - so the aerosol cream is out.

And the chocolate sponge is now in the oven so I'm committed to chocolate trifle - I'll keep you a piece.

The other, however, sounds really good and worth playing around with. It seems like the kind of thing that's better the day after? That's my experience with lentil stews etc. Do you throw in a glug of wine?

Kate P wrote:

And the chocolate sponge is now in the oven so I'm committed to chocolate trifle - I'll keep you a piece.

Good stuff.

No, no wine in the lentils i'm afraid - wine with tomato dishes.

I usually do - with Beluga lentils though - it ends up like a thick black soupy, yummy delectation that you can taste in the back of your teeth and end up not bothering to put in the fridge so that you can eat a spoonful every time you pass by.

Hmmm. And I can do that now and have some spicy sausage with it tomorrow....