People say you should never discuss politics, religion and money at dinner parties. So it being January I’m making my new year’s resolution never to make a dinner party again! Only joking! But hosting a dinner party and not discussing the above would be very dull indeed.
When it comes to dinner-party chat, there are three subjects that should definitely be off the menu. Showing off about your kinder is kinda boring, however many “A-stars” they received… even at the age of 10. New mums take note, baby bowel movements and Beaujolais don’t mix. A guest who is on a diet and spends the evening discussing what she or he can and can’t eat, and making everybody else feel guilty for putting anything in their mouths — well, I can’t wait for them to leave.
My third pet hate, once you get past the ‘hello’, is never getting past the ‘how are you?’. Does a dinner-party table really want to spend an evening examining a guest’s medical chart? You may call me unsympathetic, but listening to the ins and outs (especially the ins) of an illness while I am waiting for the soufflé to rise is sure to give me and everybody else that sinking feeling.
So this week the The Jewish Princess makes a cauliflower dish from The Jewish Princess Feasts and Festivals Cookbook (published by Quadrille), to spice up her new year and give it a kick.
INGREDIENTS
1 cauliflower (roughly 600g), cut into small florets
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 onion finely diced
200g cherry tomatoes
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon garam masala
1 large pinch of caster sugar
Salt and black pepper to taste
METHOD
- Cook the cauliflower in boiling salty water until it is al dente.
- Drain off the water and remove the cauliflower.
- Fry the diced onion in the olive oil until it looks translucent.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and the cauliflower and fry until soft.
- Keep turning to prevent the cauliflower from catching.
- Check the seasoning and adjust it if necessary before serving.
JP’s Notes: This dish can be served on the side or, if you have a veggie Prince or Princess for dinner, why not serve as a main with basmati rice?
