Good Morning.
This week, in honor of the dreamers who have just been kicked to the curb, I recommend a fabulous seven course meal. This requires a Herculean effort and my suggestion is to assign a course to seven of your dearest friends for a total of eight diners. Even better, go to their homes for each course. Even wiser, hire a driver. Each person gets to supply the wine for his, her, or their course, perhaps American produced to bind us all together. The key to not getting stuffed or loaded to the gills is to serve modest portions and to eat and drink carefully over several hours' time. This sort of party was quite popular awhile back and was called progressive, a word that has come to have a negative vibe for some people. This is the way to make it delicious.
We begin with Hatosi, Chinese shrimp toast. This is an easy and less authentic, truth be told, version. Give this assignment
to someone who owns a wok.
8 slices of stale white bread, crust removed
Some water
3/4 pound medium-sized shrimp, shelled, deveined, and finely chopped
3 to 4 water chestnuts, finely chopped
2 green onions, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp. corn starch
Sesame oil
Cut each slice of bread into 4 triangles, for a total of 32. In a bowl, combine the shrimp, water chestnuts, green onion, cornstarch, beaten egg, a bit of salt and pepper, and a drop of sesame oil. Mix well. Place some of this mixture on each
bread triangle. Heat 3 cups of sesame oil in the wok to 375 degrees. Slide the toasts, shrimp mixture side down, into
the oil and fry until golden, maybe 2 minutes, then flip them and do the other side. Drain them on paper towel and serve
hot on small plates. Eight diners will get four apiece. Just what the doctor ordered, deep fried food.
Moving along, we have Sopa de Lima, Mexican lime soup.
9 cups chicken broth
5 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 red onion, chopped into quarters
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 green onions, chopped
1 large green chile pepper, seeded and chopped
2 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
The juice of 6 limes
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, rough chopped
Bring the chicken broth, chicken, onion, garlic and seasonings to a boil in a large pot. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the meat and cut into bite-sized pieces. Return to pot. Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the green onions and chile pepper until tender, maybe 4 or 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and cook another 5 minutes. Add this to the chicken soup. Taste and add more salt if desired. Add the lime juice and cook 12 minutes on low heat. To serve, ladle into bowls, and top with fresh cilantro. Assign this course to one of the better cooks in your group. It's not hard but not for the guy who struggles with scrambled eggs or boxed mac and cheese.
The salad course can be served either before or after the meal. Americans tend to opt for before, the Europeans afterward.
I suggest Insalata Caprese, a simple Italian salad, whenever you decide to serve it. Give this course to someone who is too
busy to fuss with the more complicated dishes.
8 large tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 pounds fresh mozzarella, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2/3 cup fresh basil leaves
6 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper
On individual salad plates, alternate tomato and cheese slices. Top with fresh basil. Drizzle with a little olive oil and
sprinkle with good sea or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serves 8.
Time for a palate cleanser, a small scoop of sorbet, your choice of flavor, even rainbow if you're wishing to make a political statement. This assignment goes to the person who has just come back from a trip and the luggage is still in the living room. He or she can bring the sorbet to the home of whoever is doing the Sole Meuniere, a classic French dish. It is easy as can be but not particularly cheap. Assign this one to your friend who makes the most money. I presume you know who he or she is.
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
8 sole fillets
8 tbsp. unsalted butter
4 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
Mix up the flour, salt, and pepper in 2 large baggies. Coat 4 fillets in each bag by shaking them around. Melt three tablespoons of butter in a large skillet and saute the fish for just 4 minutes, turning once. Place the fish on a platter and cover with foil. Add the rest of the butter to the skillet and cook until it just begins to brown, no longer. Now stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Pour this sauce over the fish and serve. Serve with some buttered peas or better yet, haricots verts.
For the main course, we have Paidakia, Greek lamb chops, traditionally served with roasted potatoes but we will have them
with Brussels Sprouts Gratin from the U.K. This assignment would be appropriate for a husband who is good on the grill and his wife who can fix up the vegetable. These chops ain't cheap either; she is a bank president and he a trial attorney.
8 loin lamb chops
4 lemons
2/3 cup olive oil
3 tbsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Lemon wedges
Zest two of the lemons in a bowl. Squeeze the juice from two lemons and add to the zest. Add olive oil and 2 tablespoon of oregano. Place this mixture in large baggies, add the chops, and seal the bags. Marinate in the fridge for three hours. Prepare
a medium hot grill. Remove the chops from the marinade and sprinkle with the rest of the oregano. Grill 5 to 6 minutes per side for medium rare and use a meat thermometer. When done almost to your preferred temp, place on a platter, cover with tin foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. To serve, squeeze the juice from the other two lemons on the chops and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with a wedge of lemon. Traditionally eaten with the fingers so don't set out your favorite damask napkins, and don't invite your grandmother.
2 pounds Brussels Sprouts
2 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. flour
2 1/2 cups Half and Half
1 1/2 cups English cheddar, grated
Salt and pepper
1 cup bread crumbs, divided.
Boil the sprouts in salted water for 5 minutes. Drain. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in the Half and Half and stir until smooth. Now add 1 cup of the grated cheddar and taste for
salt and pepper. Butter a 1 1/2 quart casserole and sprinkle the bottom with half the bread crumbs. Add the sprouts and pour the cheese sauce over them. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and the rest of the bread crumbs. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.
For a fruit and cheese course, we suggest whatever fruit is in season or a thin wedge of melon. Add at least two kinds of cheese. Suggestions: a wedge of Havarti from Denmark and Edam or Gouda from The Netherlands. Assign this one to a bachelor who can't boil water but will cozy up to the produce and cheese clerks at his market.
And for dessert, Weinschaum, a German custard.
2 cups dry white wine
1/2 cup water
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
Place the wine and water in the top of a double boiler. Add the eggs and sugar. Beat with a whisk over simmering water until the custard thickens. Do not leave your post during this process. When thickened, place in a bowl and chill for several hours. This dessert is often topped with chopped up grapes, a nice garnish to offset the sameness of color. The assignment goes to a good cook who isn't inclined to get distracted, text, or chat on the phone.
Now, having eaten and drunk well, you should all sit down and write your Congressperson and tell him or her to take care of the dreamers. Feel free to also include a suggestion for the president.
Best regards,
Elisabeth
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