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July 17, 2005
The Goddess Cooks for a Crowd
I know it may seem odd, but I actually find cooking for large groups of people to be a relaxing activity. I enjoy playing with vegetables, mixing up sauces, and figuring out how long something can stay in the oven without setting the house on fire. Cooking is almost a religious activity for me... it is one way that I meditate. I really do consider the cooking process to be an infusion of my own life energy into the food that then acts as a vehicle for giving life to others. This is much easier than childbirth, and doesn't obligate you to spend 18 years being financially responsible for the person... at worst, you just have to do the dishes. Cooking is a form of chanelling the goddess, and letting her give life to others in new and exciting ways.
One thing that switching my dinner party cooking menus to CR friendly ones has done for me is to remove any inconsistency in this theory of cooking. When I was still serving some high calorie, high saturated fat foods to guests, I had to live in a certain amount of denial about what kind of life force I was transmitting. Now, I feel like a clear laser beam of low calorie goodness, zapping healthy food into unsuspecting eaters.
Last night I entertained for the first time in our new home! I thought about seven to ten were coming... I had twelve. Luckily, I made dishes that stretch. I made my CR friendly pastaless lasagna with roasted red peppers and artichoke hearts inside. Then I made black bean tostadas: low carb whole wheat tortillas (50 calories each -- and I called MR from Trader Joe's to read the ingredients to him and make sure there was nothing evil in them) topped with black beans with just a bit of chipoltle Tabasco sauce stirred in, topped with a thin layer of shredded part-skim cheese, and baked until lightly brown. I made my own guacamole (avocados, juice of a lime, Tabasco) yesterday morning, which I put out on our beautiful new kitchen island along with three kinds of Trader Joe's salsas and two kinds of Tabasco for people to make up their own ideal tostada. I also served a salad of romaine, arugula, and red peppers with carrots and tomatoes on the side for people to add at will. Dessert turned out to be fresh fruit provided by my mom, who I think may be in the fruit trafficing business. She showed up with several giant fresh pineapples and a big watermelon, that one of my friends got to carry. She also added red grapes and blueberries, so folks could munch on small fruit or large wedges of big fruit.
All in all, the evening was a huge success. Not a drop of either entree remained. I decided not to do appetizers because we were having a workshop before dinner, so I figured everyone would want to dig right into the main course once that was over. I did have some wasabi cashews sitting out for folks to munch on as they gathered pre-workshop. The green salad wasn't eaten in its entirity, but next time I'll know to make more entrees because I think this crowd would have consumed another pan of lasagna if given the option.
One of my eaters gave me some brilliant advice... she noted that the lasagna turns out a bit runny, and suggested that I salt and drain the zucchini before putting it in the baking dish. That way it won't release a ton of water while cooking, making my lasagna runneth over. It was a very educational evening.
I know it's weird, but I feel so spiritually refreshed after a day of cooking and an evening of eating with friends. One of the eaters asked if I was enjoying myself or just running around (those of you who have eaten with me know how I like to hover and make sure everyone is okay and enjoying the food) and I tried to describe how much more relaxing it is for me to cook for a crowd than to rally and go out somewhere. It's work, sure, and it can still have its stressful moments... like when I realized I didn't have potholders at the new house... just as the lasagna had to come out of the oven! I think I enjoy cooking the way some people enjoy sports. What looks like work is actually pure pleasure. And unlike a good game of tennis, you can eat the results!
Posted by april at July 17, 2005 5:36 AM
Comments
So, when will your CR cookbook be out? Preferably as a free pdf download at mprize.org :-) (or wikibooks)
regards
Curious
Posted by: Curious at July 17, 2005 8:03 AM
"And unlike a good game of tennis, you can eat the results!"
Hey! Just be glad I wasn't one of your guests 'cause, after the match I had today, you probably would have needed a whole lasagna just for me :)
Posted by: Dan at July 17, 2005 11:14 PM