Cooking for friends: keeping it doable and downsizing

I am not an organised person – the Diva says that’s like saying a lion is not really a vegetarian, which I think is uncalled for: there are probably plenty of vegetarian lions out there, they just don’t post on instagram. 

However, organised or not, I love cooking for friends, but in order to keep downsizing momentum and have supper on the table within spitting distance of suppertime – and not in time for brunch the following day –  I have a few guidelines that really help.

Courses

There is a place for formal courses – preferably somewhere with an enormous separate kitchen filled with skivvies, and a dining room with a footman behind every chair to keep things running smoothly – but I often prefer to put lots of lovely things on the table and let people eat them in whatever order they like.

Especially on the footman’s day off.

‍

Salads as Starters

If I am ignoring my excellent advice above, salads make great starters.  The Swiss – and the French – often serve one at the beginning of a meal, which is an excellent idea because a) it’s more likely to get eaten, instead of forlornly sitting on the table being ignored by people wanting to keep room for pudding, and b) it stands a fighting chance of being ready by the time my friends arrive.

My friends say that nothing stands a fighting chance of being ready by the time  they arrive,  which I think is uncalled for. And to take your mind off such slander, I will add that eating a salad at the start of the meal flattens blood-sugar spikes so good for diabetics, pre-diabetics … and downsizing.

Pudding

And on the subject of keeping room for pudding, I do not make them – or very rarely. This is 50% downsizing, and 50% it feels one thing too many to do – I think there’s more to be said on the subject of single-handed entertaining.  But I always tell people in advance so they don’t feel horribly let down at the end, or turn into bears. For more about the pudding stomach click here.   The nearest I get is fruit salad, or something like strawberries with ricotta and honey.

Keep Meat and Fish Simple

I love meat and fish, but what I really like doing is interesting things with vegetables.  And of course, from a downsizing point of view – or any other for that matter (you should hear my microbiome on the subject) (and the planet) – it’s better to eat more vegetables and pulses than meat, so if they’re the interest on the plate, you are more likely to do that.  Also, things like casseroles call loudly for rice or mash, which doesn’t help, unless you have a really, really small helping.  If I was in favour of small helpings, I would not be needing to downsize.

So instead of the usual, ‘serve with a simple green salad’, I prefer, ‘serve with a simple roast chicken or piece of baked fish’. * 

*It’s easier to keep to the downsizing straight and narrow with fish than roast chicken, especially if like me you’d rather eat the skin and leave the rest. There’s a gene that makes people want to eat a lot of fat, and I've got all of them.

Sauces and Dressings

Complicated sauces are out: I cannot make them and concentrate on chatting and quaffing more than my fare share of something very drinkable at the same time.  And that is the whole point of having friends to supper.

N.B.  Quaffing more than my fair share of something very drinkable is NOT recommended for downsizing. Do not try it at home.

Likewise dressings: lots of recipes call for complicated versions; some with ingredients that require the endurance and ingenuity of an Arctic explorer to source.  The Italians don’t give them a second glance and simply add salt, vinegar, and oil directly to the salad. Most of the time, so do I.

Pulses

I use them often instead of rice or mash because they are much less calorie dense; lentils have an almost permanent place at my table, especially the tiny black ones.  But just as importantly, there are so many delicious things you can do with them. If you are in need of mash (and I often am – I did not develop a serious obesity problem without loving mashed potato with as much butter and milk as I could cram into it) crushed butterbeans – or cannellini – with garlic and rosemary is a fantastic alternative.

Roast veg

The wonderful thing about roasting veg is it is incredibly quick and easy to do – at least the preparation is – and the caramelising makes them taste both delicious, and a world away from downsizing, even if you use very little oil – so long as you mix the oil into the veg with your hands to cover it completely with a thin layer.

‍