What if we stopped worrying about recipes and dinner became a rustic array of foods that when put together on the plate, magically become a meal?
There's a great scene in the 2005 film Pride and Prejudice that has always stuck with me. The girls and their Dad have returned home at dawn from a pretty wild party at Chez Bingley. Haggard and hungover, the still-stunning Bennet girls are poised in the breakfast room, holding a debrief of who danced with whom the night before. The big wooden table is crowned with a giant ham, some pieces hacked off here and there, but pretty grand as far as hangover breakfasts go. There are scones and tea and jams and fresh fruit, and everyone is helping themselves and chatting about how quickly Charles Bingley is going to propose to Jane.
Witnessing the simplicity of their table made me remember why this is such a great way to eat, and I wonder, why don't we do this anymore? A big piece of cold meat of some kind, some good bread, cheese, maybe a pot of chutney...everyone grabbing what they want, and enjoying a simple feast. No recipes and very little, if any, cooking.
Everyone needs to eat, but at times, feeding everyone can leave us fraught with anxiety. Don't most of us actually want simplicity? As long as it's satisfying and tastes good, it's not about the complexity of the food, but about the gathering and the table, and the cast of characters perched around it.
The Every-Day Spread
These aren't recipes, but a collection of foods that when put together on a plate, magically become a meal.
So over the years, inspired by this scene, I've set the table for various meals just like this, and it's kind of stuck - it's a pretty great way to eat. It's not always so simple as some staples laid out and everyone helps themselves. Sometimes theres a bit of cooking involved, but mostly it's a pot of soup, some cheese, and bread. The other night I put a baking dish of sweet potatoes on the table, and everyone helped themselves from bowls of mashed avocado, some lentils I had cooked the night before, shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped cilantro and green onions. All good things, prepared super-simply, and easy to serve on a busy day, but still there's something thought-out and special about it. These aren't recipes, but a collection of foods that when put together on a plate, magically become a meal.
Get inspired
Think soup, salad and sandwich, stuffed whole seasonal vegetables, or a Middle Eastern style meze feast.
The idea of a meat, a starch, and a vegetable on a plate is a very Western way of eating, and not the way most of the world eats. Not that it's a bad thing, but when you free yourself from the constraints of what you think a meal "should" look like, by default things get easier and more interesting You can prep and cook, or not. The components for a meal like this can be purchased, and it still feels homey and homemade.
A few ideas
Middle Eastern style meze, or small plates: Lay the table with hummus, baba ganouj, olives, pitas, a hunk of feta cheese, and big chopped salad topped with Spiced Chickpeas.
Soup and Sandwiches: Make your favourite soup and pair it with some crusty bread or buns, a few spreads like pesto, tapenade, or sriracha mayo, some sliced meats and cheeses, and let everyone dive in.
Roast beef platter: Roast off an eye of round and serve it whole, with some good French bread, mustards, mayo, a bowl of arugula salad, and roasted tomatoes.
Warm grain salad bowls: Make a pot of brown rice, wheat berries, quinoa, or any grain you like. Serve with a big bowl of chopped salad, some dressing, sliced cold chicken, pork tenderloin, salmon, or tofu, and something crunchy, like pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds for sprinkling.
Baked potatoes, yams, or squash quarters: Bake and top with cooked grains, or Lentil and Wheatberry Chili, cheese, sour cream or raita, and salsa.
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