the whole plate.

Earlier this week, I had my dear friend Sofia over for a much needed night of girl talk/venting/gossip/general happiness.  There was also, of course, dinner plus wine.

a bottle of tempranillo and a bottle of lambrusco.  um, we drank both.  oops.

Mid-day, I remembered that my refrigerator was sorely lacking.  My attempt to save some grocery money this week meant I had in stock exactly three things: a massive bundle of kale, a massive box of blueberries [2 pounds, I believe], and a zucchini.  Paltry, I know.

To add to the lack of fresh goods, I was also severely missing inspiration.  My dinners of late have been the simplest of plates.  I’ve been preparing a large batch of well, anything, in order to have easy meals for those nights when my post-work plans have me arriving home at 9 PM sans dinner.  There have been many salads and raw dishes [such as a delightful jicama blend with tahini dressing, inspired by this lady], and I’ve found this one new dish per week to be perfectly satisfying.

Still, apartment guests bring out the hostess in me, and the hostess always strives to impress.  So I took myself to Whole Foods with the intent of replenishing both my dinner inspiration and my store of ingredients.  I stood in the produce area, wracking my brain for a meal I felt like cooking that would be worthy of my foodie friend.  The ideas were not flooding in.

While staring at the bounty of summer produce, I realized: why am I berating myself?  Yes, I appreciate complexity on my plates.  Sometimes, I adore cooking up my own.  But a meal – whether at home or in a restaurant – doesn’t need to be a twenty-step event.  Simple is sometimes all we need, especially in this beautiful summer season, when fresh foods shine all on their own.

a perfect spread: abundant roasted vegetables, fresh bread, pan-seared sea scallops.

That was all the inspiration I needed.  I began pulling some of my summer favorites from the shelves: okra, eggplant [my first of the season, yum], vidalia onions, portobello mushrooms.  I decided there should be some fresh, whole, and grain-y bread.  And I treated us to the fish counter, where I picked up my favorite: sea scallops.  [As an aside, I have been craving fish in ways that my wallet simply cannot allow.  But I felt such excitement when I purchased these fresh, local, wild-caught sea scallops.  Someday, I will be able to do this without feeling like my life savings is being squandered away.]

As we settled down to our late meal [10 PM is the new dinner hour?], we both reflected that this was just what we needed.  Simple.  Fresh.  Delicious.  Wine.  Our lives and the loads of catching up we had to do were complex enough.  This spread was the perfect complement.

When was the last time you had a friend over for dinner?  What did you prepare?

Related posts:

1. keep it simple.
2. sweet, dried, and simple.
3. summer is…