This year I only made two resolutions: to start a cooking club, and to actually post to this blog. On Sunday I accomplished the first resolution when my boyfriend and I hosted the first edition of The Recipe Index. The idea behind the cooking club is that everyone cooks one dish from the same cookbook. We all have cookbooks lying around that we have never cooked out of, or from which we have only tried one or two recipes. This cooking club provides participants with the chance to taste a variety of recipes from one cookbook and an opportunity to experiment with cooking a new dish that they might not have tried on their own. It is also a good way to test out a cookbook before purchasing it.
Since it is January and most people are still clinging to more health-oriented resolutions, the first book selected was the vegetarian cookbook Plenty, by Yotam Ottolenghi. If anybody knows how to make vegetables exciting, it's Ottolenghi, and the recipes selected did not disappoint. Accompanied by sparkling water (and a little bit of white wine for those of us with less resolve) and a soundtrack provided by Blood Orange, the meal was a resounding success. No clear favourite recipe emerged, partially because the complementary nature of each dish (a benefit of cooking from the same cookbook) elevated the entire meal to more than the sum of its parts. No one at the table of dedicated omnivores noticed the lack of meat either, which is a testament to Ottolenghi's way with the vegetable. I am pretty sure Amazon already carries fewer copies of Plenty as a result of this dinner...
So if you are in your second week of a January detox and already regret the impact it has on your social life, consider taking a page from Ottolenghi's (cook)book and host a healthy dinner with friends. It is much more enjoyable than gulping down a green juice by yourself, guaranteed.
The Recipe Index Menu #1: Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi
Aubergine with Buttermilk Sauce & Pomegranate Seeds
Surprise (Potato) Tatin
Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Melted Taleggio
Lettuce Salad with Oven-Dried Tomatoes, Capers & Radishes
Grilled Pear Crostini with Pine Nut Spread & Goat Cheese
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