A Conscious Feast by Nicole Aloni

Ballard Farmers Market, photo Nicole

I really, really love parties. I love going to them and  (hey, it’s my job) I love giving them.  And I’m as lazy and overworked as you are. So this new age approach to  collaborative cooking has become my favorite way to entertain.

I invite 6 to 10 friends over to cook with me on the day following my trip to the Farmer’s Market (I’m really lucky, there are markets 3 days a week near my home.)  Then I go on a shopping spree armed with a few ideas of seasonal recipes as inspiration. I generally come home with armloads of the usual suspects and there is always a surprise or two from an ambitious grower who’s forcing tomatoes in his hothouse or Thai basil on his back porch.

Since my market includes a fantastic fishmonger (a fisherman, really), a shellfish farm, an organic butcher and several artisan cheese makers, it’s practical for me to base my entire menu on what I can pick up in that one stop.

Try this, I know you’ll love the easy way it lets you spend time with you friends

Collaborative Cooking Tips

It’s important when planning one of these improv menus to select recipes that will use a variety of kitchen equipment.  If everything requires the food processor or the oven, you’ve got gridlock.  So I try to keep that in mind as I shop:  Tempura (top of the stove)⎯Check.  Frozen yogurt (ice cream maker)⎯Check.  Soup (stove top)⎯Check.  Basil rice (rice cooker)⎯Check.

Before everyone arrives, I set up market baskets of the ingredients on my kitchen counter with a central grab bag of recipes, aprons and kitchen towels.  When we’re ready to begin, I encourage my friends to pair up to cook (it’s more fun if couples aren’t together) and pick which recipe they want to work on. There’s always a little tussling over who gets to make dessert (think Girl Scout camp when you vied to be the one making s’mores). Teams then begin to collect their ingredients.

Chocolate Soup

In an hour and a half or so, we’re ready to sit down to a meal that has been the opposite of stressful to pull together⎯it’s been relaxing and social.  For this collaboration, the host has only one major obligation⎯a thorough, adventurous shopping trip to the Farmer’s Market. Lucky host; lucky friends.

This approach works best with at least 6 people, so no one is burdened with too many recipes, and a max of 10 so the normal kitchen doesn’t become a mosh pit.

Ask some of the guests to bring flowers, greens, fruits or vegetables from their garden/windowsill to create a centerpiece.  The pair who finishes their recipe first will get to work on the centerpiece.

Last Week’s Menu

• Fried Mozzarella with Tomato Relish

• Jasmine Rice with Shiitakes

• Chicken, Asparagus & Scallion Yakitori on Garlic Spinach

• Pink Grapefruit Mousse with Caramel Sauce

Pan Fried Mozzarella with Tomato Relish