Well here’s food for thought! My partner’s family, three generations of them, nine in all, descended upon us for four days and three nights. This included a brother and his spouse, three adult children in or approaching their thirties, two of their spouses, and two infants aged four months and three years.
Fortunately our home is large and there were beds for all. It was a wonderful laughter filled visit, which happily allayed the anticipatory fears of the hosts. It was a time for singing around the chiminea on a starry evening, swimming in the quarry, walks, bike rides, and gathering endlessly on the front porch overlooking the hills and fields around us. Collectively, we consumed twenty-two bottles of wine, one bottle of fine single malt scotch and a goodly portion of a fine aged Cuban dark rum.
We busily prepared the menu and the food so we would not be spending too much time in the kitchen and away from the hubbub once they arrived. We knew there was a vegan among them. We knew another one was lactose intolerant. We also knew the four-month old had been born with multiple food allergies and that this severely constricted the diet of the nursing mum. At the last moment, we also learned that another was on a strict diet, which involved no grains, no dairy, only certain nuts, and worse still - no alcohol. This person did eat meats if they were not processed. This provided a culinary challenge, but how much of a challenge had yet to be learned.
Upon an early rising, we concocted multiple salads in large quantities in advance of their late afternoon arrival. A salsa salad of fresh tomatoes, onion, cucumber, chickpeas and mango, was lightly tossed with fresh dill and basil in a refreshing white balsamic vinegar dressing. Chopped feta cheese was available on the side. A four-bean salad with fresh onion and cilantro was also prepared in a similar vinaigrette. A potato salad with a light mayonnaise dressing with a sprinkling of powdered mustard and complete with onion, red and yellow peppers, celery, (all finely diced), yellow beans and four chopped hard boiled eggs was tossed and sprinkled generously with fresh chives and parsley. A salad of black beans and corn kernels with chopped red onion, fresh cilantro, garlic and balsamic vinegar was a chef’s delight. And to satisfy the grain-free guest, we went in search of quinoa to make a tabuli salad. Bulgar and couscous would not do. Quinoa was not easy to find out here in the countryside, but we ultimately did - in a bulk food store twenty kilometers away. This was boiled and cooled and added to abundant chopped fresh parsley from the garden, onions, tomatoes, cucumber and chickpeas and then tossed with zest in olive oil and white balsamic vinegar with freshly diced garlic. A very generous chilled gazpacho soup was created from the finest vegetables for lunchtime indulgence. Humous, guacamole and black bean dips were made up as well as an organic salsa from local produce. Cheeses and paté were purchased. Breakfasts were planned with fruit salads (apples and pears from our trees, peaches from Ontario orchards and bananas and blueberries from who-knows-where), yoghurt, juice, and either fresh homemade muffins (made without butter), fresh baked croissants (made with abundant butter), home made fruit and nut loaf (also made without butter). Of course, coffee and various teas were always available. Together with the hamburger meat, veggie burgers and salmon burgers, the chicken breasts, pork tenderloins and salmon filets, the juices, spring water and wine and beer, we smugly felt well prepared indeed. And we were, - for the most part!
It turned out, however, that quinoa was viewed as a grain! Sigh. Later research indicated this was a debatable conclusion. And oh yes, our food-challenged guest could not eat anything with vinegar. Nix the salads – all of them! So a lovely black bean and corn salad was hastily prepared with corn kernels, fresh onion, tomato, cilantro and parlsey and a dressing of only virgin olive oil. At dinner we noticed that he had meticulously hand-picked every kernel of corn from the mixture and piled it on the side of his plate. This would have taken great patience and co-ordination; so is a feat to be admired. Oh yes, we learned that fresh corn is a grain too.
As it was three of the almost-thirtys’ birthdays within weeks of each other, we had a birthday celebration gathered around the table. This went on late into the night. There was a fine meal topped off with a double-chocolate layer cake and lactose-free ice-cream. And our food-challenged guest had two, albeit small, helpings of that devilishly delicious dessert! One could only laugh.
And laugh we did from morning to night for four days of endless chatter.
Our solitary lunch, once they had driven down the hill and out of sight, was a peanut butter and jam sandwich and a glass of milk!
Fortunately our home is large and there were beds for all. It was a wonderful laughter filled visit, which happily allayed the anticipatory fears of the hosts. It was a time for singing around the chiminea on a starry evening, swimming in the quarry, walks, bike rides, and gathering endlessly on the front porch overlooking the hills and fields around us. Collectively, we consumed twenty-two bottles of wine, one bottle of fine single malt scotch and a goodly portion of a fine aged Cuban dark rum.
We busily prepared the menu and the food so we would not be spending too much time in the kitchen and away from the hubbub once they arrived. We knew there was a vegan among them. We knew another one was lactose intolerant. We also knew the four-month old had been born with multiple food allergies and that this severely constricted the diet of the nursing mum. At the last moment, we also learned that another was on a strict diet, which involved no grains, no dairy, only certain nuts, and worse still - no alcohol. This person did eat meats if they were not processed. This provided a culinary challenge, but how much of a challenge had yet to be learned.
Upon an early rising, we concocted multiple salads in large quantities in advance of their late afternoon arrival. A salsa salad of fresh tomatoes, onion, cucumber, chickpeas and mango, was lightly tossed with fresh dill and basil in a refreshing white balsamic vinegar dressing. Chopped feta cheese was available on the side. A four-bean salad with fresh onion and cilantro was also prepared in a similar vinaigrette. A potato salad with a light mayonnaise dressing with a sprinkling of powdered mustard and complete with onion, red and yellow peppers, celery, (all finely diced), yellow beans and four chopped hard boiled eggs was tossed and sprinkled generously with fresh chives and parsley. A salad of black beans and corn kernels with chopped red onion, fresh cilantro, garlic and balsamic vinegar was a chef’s delight. And to satisfy the grain-free guest, we went in search of quinoa to make a tabuli salad. Bulgar and couscous would not do. Quinoa was not easy to find out here in the countryside, but we ultimately did - in a bulk food store twenty kilometers away. This was boiled and cooled and added to abundant chopped fresh parsley from the garden, onions, tomatoes, cucumber and chickpeas and then tossed with zest in olive oil and white balsamic vinegar with freshly diced garlic. A very generous chilled gazpacho soup was created from the finest vegetables for lunchtime indulgence. Humous, guacamole and black bean dips were made up as well as an organic salsa from local produce. Cheeses and paté were purchased. Breakfasts were planned with fruit salads (apples and pears from our trees, peaches from Ontario orchards and bananas and blueberries from who-knows-where), yoghurt, juice, and either fresh homemade muffins (made without butter), fresh baked croissants (made with abundant butter), home made fruit and nut loaf (also made without butter). Of course, coffee and various teas were always available. Together with the hamburger meat, veggie burgers and salmon burgers, the chicken breasts, pork tenderloins and salmon filets, the juices, spring water and wine and beer, we smugly felt well prepared indeed. And we were, - for the most part!
It turned out, however, that quinoa was viewed as a grain! Sigh. Later research indicated this was a debatable conclusion. And oh yes, our food-challenged guest could not eat anything with vinegar. Nix the salads – all of them! So a lovely black bean and corn salad was hastily prepared with corn kernels, fresh onion, tomato, cilantro and parlsey and a dressing of only virgin olive oil. At dinner we noticed that he had meticulously hand-picked every kernel of corn from the mixture and piled it on the side of his plate. This would have taken great patience and co-ordination; so is a feat to be admired. Oh yes, we learned that fresh corn is a grain too.
As it was three of the almost-thirtys’ birthdays within weeks of each other, we had a birthday celebration gathered around the table. This went on late into the night. There was a fine meal topped off with a double-chocolate layer cake and lactose-free ice-cream. And our food-challenged guest had two, albeit small, helpings of that devilishly delicious dessert! One could only laugh.
And laugh we did from morning to night for four days of endless chatter.
Our solitary lunch, once they had driven down the hill and out of sight, was a peanut butter and jam sandwich and a glass of milk!
