We have people coming for dinner or Saturday. With us that means
1 doesn’t eat meat
1 doesn’t eat fish
1 doesn’t eat vegetables other than potato and tomato
1 doesn’t eat cheese
2 don’t like spicy food
2 don-t like hot (chilli) food.
We have previously done pizzas, pasta with three sauces, multiple tagines/casseroles and that sort of thing. Which we could of course repeat, but nice to do something different.
Other factor is that it’s a gîte changeover day so everything needs to be prepared on Friday as will have no time at all on Sat. And ideally not three different meals.
I wouldn’t even attempt to do “a” main course but rather do a buffet / selection and let people choose from the dishes on offer. Some kind of stuffed rolled meat you can cook the day before and then slice on the day - I always do chicken breast stuffed with prunes wrapped in bacon slices. Some form of spicy taginey type of stew based on chickpeas - again prepare the day before and just heat up, serve with couscous.
Mixture of cold starters (that some can eat as a main course if they want - sliced melon drizzled with a syrup made with fresh ginger (which can be made day before), aubergine fritters, (make day before), courgettes fried and then soaked in balsamic vinegar and mint (make day before) thin sliced carrots cooked day before in orange and sprinkled with fresh coriander on the day.
Peel potatoes day before and soak overnight and use them any which way - or chuck frozen ones in the oven on the day.
Hope this helps.
A big vegetable lasagne premade then just heated in oven Sat, with 3 choices of protein? Plus a couscous dish heavy on different veg. Cauliflower steaks?
Horrific, unlucky you - Flippantly I’d suggest that if you were in S Africa, you could offer everyone spicy and not so spicy mopane worms, which of course might equally repulse everyone.
More seriously, this isn’t a total suggestion but could go down well with everyone (just don’t tell your French friends that it’s an American recipe and don’t mention the chevre - they won’t spot it).
If you’ve a prob with the paywall, let me know and I’ll send the recipe in another format
I’d also suggest a tabouleh with lots of lemon, mint and parsley - and in addition do some grilled meat - minced lamb kofta kebabs and some cabillaud, espadon or thon chunks from the plancha or a hot cast iron frying pan , or even better ( a bigger cast iron gallete pan. Green tabasco, garlic and chilli and some spring onions? Some flatbreads would obviate the need to cook starch, and I’d probably offer a raitha.
Naaa, they are adorable apart from not being adventurous foodies.
So worms are out, as even the obligate carnivore would struggle. They are staying with us, so the following night it is traditional that they’ll do a bbq, which rules that out. Buffets alway strike me as an amazing amount of work, but we might have to head there.p as can’t really do the same meal I’ve done x times for them.
And definitely the alcohol, crisps and ketchup, maybe a peanut for extra protein.
I agree. Couldn’t be arsed to mess around like that. I was brought up to either eat whats put in front of you or go without and I still do that. People are too darned finicky these days unless of course, they have a serious health problem when you try to provide something alternative, but ordinarily I would have done a dinetoire and not a full on meal.
Our visitors seem such a mixed bag and sometimes someone has an allergy… who knows, we certainly don’t until the last minute (not often, but often enough … aargh)
Freestyle buffet works for us… a good selection, very simply/basically prepared… thus allowing folk to really pick and choose and fine-tune their meal.
When using motorways, I would choose the non-stop buffet option instead of the standard menu; (entrée, plat, fromage, dessert). I loved filling my plate, again and again… from the wonderful selection on offer.
I completely understand when people have food allergies and should be catered for but think those who choose not to eat certain foods as a personal life style choice should go hungry if they dont like what is put in front of them.
Maybe I am lucky as will eat almost anything which probably stems from childhood, no choice but to eat what was put in front of me or go hungry.
1 doesn’t eat meat
1 doesn’t eat fish
1 doesn’t eat vegetables other than potato and tomato
1 doesn’t eat cheese
2 don’t like spicy food
2 don-t like hot (chilli) food.
Faced with the situation, I’d keep it very simple.
I’d do different types of lasagnes with / without cheese with / without meat etc Either with pasta and or with aubergines. Prep and cook the day before and pop in the oven just before you sit back and enjoy your aperitif with the guests.
I have a lazy option which is what I do for any big gathering and do eg hummus, lentil salad, kidney bean and red pepper mash, fishy dip, Baba ghannouj, green salad, avocado salad, endive salad, a good cheese board, possibly add in some ginger and tamari chicken legs, or charcuterie as well. Pavlova for pudding and/or evil little squares of black chocolate cake (Suzy Palatin’s recipe).
It isn’t a big deal to do and there’s usually enough choice even for the picky/allergic etc.
