Project Food Blog #3 – Luxury Dinner Party for a Young Family
Greetings from the land of clogs, flowers, bicycles and windmills!
I am currently in Holland visiting my best buddy, Russ, and her beautiful young family. She and her husband, Alain, moved to Holland 6 months ago, and have a 2 year-old and an almost 6 year-old so luxury for them this evening consists in me cooking them a meal that will also be appealing to their two children.
- In determining a suitable menu, I initially tried to piece together a mix of all the cultural backgrounds that our little group of five represent. Russ is Pilipino/Iranian, Alain is Romanian/Hungarian raised in Holland, and I’m Irish/American raised in Italy. How on earth did we ever meet you may ask? Well, let me throw another country into the equation, Israel. Russ and I were roommates when we served at the Baha’i World Center in Haifa back in 1998-2000. That is also where she met her now husband, Alain. For those of you not familiar with the Baha’i Faith, it is the youngest of the world’s independent religions founded in 1844. You can read more about it by visiting www.bahai.org. The central theme of the Bahai Faith is that of humanity being one single race and that the day has come for its unification in one global society. The Baha’i World Center in Haifa is the spiritual and administrative headquarters of the international Baha’i community and at any given time, there are some 700 volunteers there working from over 70 countries. That image of a global society is one that I was blessed to see on a daily basis while I was there. It was during my time in Haifa that I also got to sample countless home-cooked cultural cuisines that transgressed my knowledge of European food: Arab, Thai, Pilipino, Indian, Japanese, Ethiopian, Iranian, Mexican, Ecuadorian, you name it…
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Youth Photo of Bahai Volunteers in Haifa in 1999 (can you spot us?)
Ok, so how does one piece together an Iranian/Pilipino/Hungarian/Romanian/Dutch/Italian/American/Irish meal that is kid-friendly and only requires 4 gas burners? Quite simply, one doesn’t try, and one keeps it simple, so for those of you familiar with my posts it will come as no surprise that I chose Italian!
So, after some fun and frolics on the beach in the afternoon, I set about preparing dinner. Cooking a 4-course meal was actually the least of my challenges here. Not only did I have to come up with something that the kids would eat, I also had to cook in a limited kitchen with little work-space, and only 4 gas burners to cook on (this is only a temporary living arrangement for my friends until they get their own place.)
Ingredients for the meal and my work area!!!
I ended up picking a very traditional Italian 4-course meal. Most Italian meals will have at least 3 to 4 courses. A pasta dish, a meat dish, and fruit are pretty much staples in a meal, and if kept simple, something which most kids will eat. My menu selection consisted of the following:
Our beverage selection consisted in grape juice and apple juice. Baha’is don’t drink alcohol so our drink selection is somewhat limited.
Appetizer – Bruschetta
Very simple to make even if I had to cheat a little bit with not having an oven at hand. I just toasted the bread in the toaster, grated the garlic on the bread, placed the fresh tomato and basil mix, and topped it all off with olive oil.
1st Course – Pasta alla Bolognese
Bolognese sauce is a classic and always a hit with all ages. It’s also handy to cook for a dinner party as it can be prepared well in advance. My main tips for this sauce are to put the canned tomatoes in the blender and ensure that the sauce is not too thick. I generally don’t put too much meat in my sauce as I like it to be more juicy. Also, a quick tip from my mother is to add a pinch of cinnamon to the mix. It does give it a certain je ne se quoi!
Main Course – Chicken with a lemon & caper sauce, and sauteed spinach
Ok, so I couldn’t get the kids to even taste this, but the adults loved it. As much as we tried to convince them that the little green things were yummy and good for them, we failed. This one of my favorite chicken dishes as the meat becomes very juicy and tangy with the lemon and capers.
Dessert – Macedonia
In Italy, fruit is pretty much considered to be dessert, and the luxury version of this is a fruit salad, otherwise known as macedonia. I asked the kids what their favorite fruits were and voila, we made ourselves a strawberry, grape, mango and banana salad.
In putting together this meal, I was conscious of the fact that I did not wish to spend the entire meal time in the kitchen. With the exception of a few minutes here and there, I was successful in being able to enjoy the meal with everyone. One major tip that I would suggest that everyone have in place for a dinner party is to have already secured a dish-washer and clean-up crew! This is an absolute necessity as you will be exhausted.
Bruschetta
- 6 slices of crust fresh bread
- 4 large fresh vine tomatoes
- 2 cloves of garlic
- basil leaves
- Olive oil
Zomppa’s Ragu/bolognese
Ragu/Bolognese sauce
- Half-pound of lean minced/ground beef
- 2 tins of tomatoes
- 2 large tablespoons of tomato paste
- 1 medium onion
- 4 cloves of garlic
- olive oil
- fresh parsley
- salt and pepper
I start by blending the tomatoes, then fry the onions followed by the garlic. You then brown the meat making sure that you break it down well and add salt and pepper. The leaner the meat the better as you really want it brake down to be quite grainy. Once the meat is cooked you add the blended tomatoes and puree along with the chopped parsley. The sauce is then left to simmer for an hour or so. You can also add a bay leaf, a carrot and a stick of celery. The carrot can then mashed up and put in the sauce when serving. I should add that before serving, I put in a generous dollop of olive oil in the sauce and mix it around.
Sauteed Spinach
- Fresh spinach
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 lemon
- olive oil
Prep is pretty easy and generic for this dish so I wont go into detail.
Chicken with capers
- 4 lean chicken breasts
- 1 lemon
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup of all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons of capers
- 2 garlic cloves
- salt & pepper
- tablespoon of butter
- tablespoon of olive oil
The chicken fillets are coated in plain flour before being fried in olive oil and butter 3mins on each side. You then throw the garlic into the pan, followed by the chicken stock and lemon. The chicken is then placed in the mix for a couple more minutes.
Dessert – Macedonia/Fruit Salad
Your choice of favorite fruits. Fruit salad is generally at its yummiest when you use in-season fruits. Quick tip on the fruit salad front, squeeze an orange or two, mix in some sugar, and pour over the salad. It really brings out the flavors of all the fruits.
See us on Hearth and Soul Hop!
Category: Appetizers, Dessert, Europe, Featured Articles: Travel & Culture, Kids & Food, Main Dish - Land and Sea, Recipe Vault, Sides, Sauces, and Breads, Travel & Culture
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Kat is not only a whiz at online new media and social networking–is the brains getting this site up and running!–but she’s also a monster on the tennis courts. Her penchant for honesty and genuine pursuit to lead a good life has garnered her many fans, although she is far too modest to even realize this. A connoisseur of espressos, cappuccinos and Italian/Irish gastronomy, Kat will gladly share her opinions in one of four languages. Check out Kat’s site if you need help with your social media and web communications strategies www.kathleenholmlund.comComments (49)
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Sites That Link to this Post
- Project Food Blog #3 – Luxury Dinner Party for a Family | Zomppa … : Luxury Italy | October 3, 2010
- Project Food Blog #3: Vote Today! | Zomppa - Food, Meet People | October 4, 2010
Great dinner – fun entry for this challenge! Good luck!!!
What a meal!! I love that this was a kid-friendly luxury dinner party…AND that you did it with limited space. You pulled off an incredible meal with such challenges. That photo – can’t find you! The diversity alone is mind-boggling.
Am completely gobsmacked! Going out to buy fresh cinnamon for you to prepare this one when you get home! Brava!
How wonderful that you prepared this delicious meal for this family, it’s elegant and kid-friendly – perfect!
Super interesting information on the Bahai’ faith! And delicious, gorgeous, home-cooked meal that anyone from anywhere in this world would love and consider luxurious! Fantastic work, Kat! Bravo!
I think you did a stella job
WunderKat! I love the fact that you made a kid friendly luxury meal!
You did a terrific job under difficult circumstances…
will get my vote
Good choice going with Italian. I can only imagine what might have happened if you had tried to incorporate all the cultures in one meal. It looks delicious!
Very real menu for a real international family, and it sounds really yummy. Real big bravo!
Great meal for kids and for everyone! I need to bookmark this so I can vote when PFB#3 open!
Delicious! Looks like a great meal and I love learning a little more behind-the-scenes info!
I love this entry – you get my vote and my tweet – good luck!
Thank you for all the support folks! It was a lot of fun even if a little crazy! My hat goes off to all you parents out there. I don’t know how you do it day in day out
great entry..kid friendly…love it..you got my vote
sweetlife
oh and Belinda, I’m the one behind the guy with the purple top.
It never easy to get kids to try something new. Also, I had never heard of fruit salad referred to as “macedonia” prior to this post. I guess you learn something new every day. Good luck this week, the Zomppas have my vote!
Lick My Spoon
Great entry…already voted but wanted to leave a note
Holland – awesome! I love Italian, so you can’t lose there. Just cast my vote!
Yeah to my zomppa friends! I love the post… how wonderful to cook for those we love! It makes me so happy to see you in the competition every time! – megan
This was quite a challenge for you and you totally pulled it off
Lovely post!
Great entry! I loved how you involved the kids in part of the menu! Good luck!
What a lovely warm down home party you gave. Everybody looks like they’re having a fine old time.You’ve got a vote from me
You had quite the task at hand… and I think you nailed it by the look on everyones face! You’ve got my vote.
It really just goes to show you that no matter what your limitations are, there’s no need to compromise or settle. Just look at that fantastic meal! Thanks for sharing with the Hearth and Soul hop.
This is great. That macedonia looks simply delicious, strawberries always attract my attention.
Great post. As a fellow ‘mutt’, I love hearing about all the crazy combos people are. And thumbs up for going kid-friendly!
Way to use your resources. I’m so jealous I can’t be in Holland too!
~ Mary
What a perfect kid friendly meal – and wonderfully enough for the adults too, all cooked on limited equipment – very very impressive! Thanks for sharing this with us at the Hearth and Soul Hop and I will be voting for you!
That chicken looks great. I’ve never thought about mixing lemon and capers, but it makes sense.
Good luck in the challenge!
I have been intrigued by the Baha’i faith ever since one of my former colleagues told me about it. What a beautiful cultural mix of volunteers in your photo! This meal looks fabulous and sounds like it was truly a challenge to prepare. You earned my vote!
I love your kid friendly approach. Nicely done! A meal anyone would be proud to serve. I voted for you!
Good luck! Fingers crossed that we both make it through to the next round. =)
This looks fabulous! Love knowing that I have some awesome competition!
Good job and you have my vote!
Looks like you had a great menu – I’m impressed that you made it while visiting a friend.
I’m sending you a little red star – good luck!
What a wonderful, thought party you threw! I would be honored to have a dinner party like this in my honor…and thank you for sharing it with the hearth and soul hop this week! Best of luck in this round, as well (off to vote..)
holland? amazing! congrats on an awesome dinner!
http://whitneysamusebouche.blogspot.com/
WHit
Party throwing when not on your home turf is seriously impressive. Throw in the challenge of cooking for kids and you have one seriously impressed reader here. Good work!
Nice dinner party, thanks & good luck
Feeding kids is not easy task but I think your approach was very smart (even if they didn’t eat the capers). Plus I always admire helping your friends family because it makes us all family. You’ve got my vote, Cheers!
Beautiful! I’m a quarter Dutch so I hope to visit Holland someday as well. Love the choice of simple-ish and Italian. You done good with what you had — the essence of great cooking in my opinion.
Voted ofc!
What an amazing meal, and extra special that you are did it all with your friends in Holland! Love that you had kids options, I know I always appreciated that when I was a wee-one. Nicely done!
I love everything on your menu…. can I be invited next time??
It’s never easy when you’re cooking away from your own kitchen – looks like you made an excellent job of it, though (and kid-friendly to boot!). Well done and best of luck in this round.
I like this! I love the volunteer part! its always great to see pppl giving back! Keep it up
Great post! Wonderful way to include the kids in dinner. Everything sounds yummy. Good luck on PFB!!
What a wonderful meal!