I really miss hosting elaborate dinner parties: planning something ambitious and delicious, and sharing it with others, taking joy in their pleasure, and in our togetherness. Dinner parties were one of my favorite things in graduate school. Not infrequently, I would get inspired on a Friday afternoon send a blanket invitation for Saturday. It was not unusual to get 10 RSVPs on 24 hours notice.
Folks came for the food, of course, but graduate school could be grindingly lonely. Much of the work was solitary, with payoff far in the future. I know I wasn't alone in hunger for camaraderie as much as for dinner. In another strange parallel to aspects of life in the pandemic, days could be largely unscheduled; time was interchangeable. It was a perfect storm for long, lingering evenings filled with good conversation and raucous laughter. Sunday night "family dinner" with roommates and good friends was an even lower-key version; usually potluck, sharing food and company, a way to mark that the weekend was over and we were starting another week.
Our life in DC is rich in different ways. It's far less lonely, and on a daily basis, I have a greater sense of purpose. But man, I miss those dinner parties. People are so busy-- jobs with actual responsibility, partners, kids. When you work all day, errands need to get done at some point, and weekends go by in a flash. We are lucky to have wonderful friends, including many stellar dining partners. But more often or not, it's in restaurants, in twos or fours. Big dinner parties are far rarer, even without quarantine.
I somehow missed this lovely essay by Samin Nosrat in NYT, about the joy of a good dinner party. Had I caught it, I would have been down for her virtual dinner party, The Big Lasagna. "What if," she writes, "we all come together, light the candles, use the good china, for a meal of good food, good wine and wonderful company, in the only way we can right now?" I love the idea of cooking (separately) and sharing a meal with great company. Is anyone interested? If so, let's pick a recipe and do it! Maybe you'll even meet some new friends!
DINNERS
Shrimp and Grits
When it came time for grocery shopping last week, I left Thursday's plan blank. We have enough grains and proteins in stock that I could take a quick spin through the pantry and freezer and come up with something. Lo and behold--we had everything on hand to riff some Shrimp and Grits! While no-fuss grits lazily bubbled on the stove, I rendered a couple of slices of bacon, chopped. I cooked shrimp in the bacon grease, and removed both bacon and shrimp to the side as soon as as the shrimp was just opaque. To the hot pan, I added:
1/2 onion, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced (and finished!)
3 cloves of garlic, minced.
Once onion was translucent, I stirred in1 Tbsp tomato paste, and cooked for a minute or two. Added:
1 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp hot smoked paprika
Stirred until the flour was distributed and the raw edge cooked off. Added:
1 cup diced tomatoes, with juice
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
The roux thickened into a nice sauce, but needed a little more spice. I slowly added a bit of cajun seasoning (it's salty!), then decided it needed more veggies. In went some frozen okra. A little more broth. And 1 Tbsp sour cream, because I didn't have any cream cream. Finally, I stirred the shrimp back in to warm and finish cooking, adjusted the seasoning one more time, stirred in some thinly sliced green onion. After plating, garnished with parsley. What a delicious meal, from the pantry, in 30 minutes.
Chickpeas and Kale
Day 62 was repeat of Day 26, sans mushrooms. Because we were.
Indian Tacos
Tuesday, the leftovers from Sunday were wonderful wrapped in toasty flour tortillas. Samosa filling (not fried this time), Amba sauce, and mint chutney in one. Chana masala and a quick raita (yogurt, cumin, cilantro, lemon, salt) in another. Very satisfying!
Folks came for the food, of course, but graduate school could be grindingly lonely. Much of the work was solitary, with payoff far in the future. I know I wasn't alone in hunger for camaraderie as much as for dinner. In another strange parallel to aspects of life in the pandemic, days could be largely unscheduled; time was interchangeable. It was a perfect storm for long, lingering evenings filled with good conversation and raucous laughter. Sunday night "family dinner" with roommates and good friends was an even lower-key version; usually potluck, sharing food and company, a way to mark that the weekend was over and we were starting another week.
Our life in DC is rich in different ways. It's far less lonely, and on a daily basis, I have a greater sense of purpose. But man, I miss those dinner parties. People are so busy-- jobs with actual responsibility, partners, kids. When you work all day, errands need to get done at some point, and weekends go by in a flash. We are lucky to have wonderful friends, including many stellar dining partners. But more often or not, it's in restaurants, in twos or fours. Big dinner parties are far rarer, even without quarantine.
I somehow missed this lovely essay by Samin Nosrat in NYT, about the joy of a good dinner party. Had I caught it, I would have been down for her virtual dinner party, The Big Lasagna. "What if," she writes, "we all come together, light the candles, use the good china, for a meal of good food, good wine and wonderful company, in the only way we can right now?" I love the idea of cooking (separately) and sharing a meal with great company. Is anyone interested? If so, let's pick a recipe and do it! Maybe you'll even meet some new friends!
DINNERS
Shrimp and Grits
When it came time for grocery shopping last week, I left Thursday's plan blank. We have enough grains and proteins in stock that I could take a quick spin through the pantry and freezer and come up with something. Lo and behold--we had everything on hand to riff some Shrimp and Grits! While no-fuss grits lazily bubbled on the stove, I rendered a couple of slices of bacon, chopped. I cooked shrimp in the bacon grease, and removed both bacon and shrimp to the side as soon as as the shrimp was just opaque. To the hot pan, I added:
1/2 onion, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced (and finished!)
3 cloves of garlic, minced.
Once onion was translucent, I stirred in1 Tbsp tomato paste, and cooked for a minute or two. Added:
1 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp hot smoked paprika
Stirred until the flour was distributed and the raw edge cooked off. Added:
1 cup diced tomatoes, with juice
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
The roux thickened into a nice sauce, but needed a little more spice. I slowly added a bit of cajun seasoning (it's salty!), then decided it needed more veggies. In went some frozen okra. A little more broth. And 1 Tbsp sour cream, because I didn't have any cream cream. Finally, I stirred the shrimp back in to warm and finish cooking, adjusted the seasoning one more time, stirred in some thinly sliced green onion. After plating, garnished with parsley. What a delicious meal, from the pantry, in 30 minutes.
Chickpeas and Kale
Day 62 was repeat of Day 26, sans mushrooms. Because we were.
Indian Tacos
Tuesday, the leftovers from Sunday were wonderful wrapped in toasty flour tortillas. Samosa filling (not fried this time), Amba sauce, and mint chutney in one. Chana masala and a quick raita (yogurt, cumin, cilantro, lemon, salt) in another. Very satisfying!
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