Lunch party for meat eaters and vegetarians

[GnomeDePlume]

It is our silver wedding anniversary in a couple of weeks. We have family coming over for a lunch party, 12 people to feed. 3 are vegetarian. Everyone else is a mixture of omnivore and dedicated carnivore

We are aiming for a sit down lunch, outdoors if weather permits.

So we were thinking starter of Charentais melon with grilled haloumi and saucisson served separately in different bowls.

We will have a cheese course (lots of cheese eaters in the family)

We will have desert probably including Eton mess.

We have an allotment with a plentiful supply of potatoes, onions, courgettes, garlic, french beans.

DH is a good cook.

Please, can anyone suggest a couple of main courses?

[DrownedGirl]

Garlic potato wedges
Courgette quiche
Roasted chicken
Steamed green beans
Tomato salad?

[DrownedGirl]

Or a ratatouille with couscous and a ratatouille-with-chicken in

[DrownedGirl]

Vegetable or lamb kebabs
Herby potato salad with Greek yoghurt dressing

[DrownedGirl]

Sliced potatoes and courgettes cooked with cream, garlic, Gruyere
A piece of beef or lamb
Carrots and green beans

[bookbook]

Mushroom strogonoff
Chicken in yoghurt with cardomom - I love this recipe by Nigel Slater ( I use chicken breasts, not supremes )-
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2003/mar/30/foodanddrink.shopping2

[NewStickers]

Look at yotam ottolenghi for good vegetarian main courses. Also something from the Middle East - the book Veggiestan is very good for that. Imo creamy sauces or recipes where you replace the meat with a vegetable never really work.

[GnomeDePlume]

Thanks everone, some deilcious food for thought

NewStickers I think you are right'

[SuburbanRhonda]

Sliced potatoes and courgettes cooked with cream, garlic, Gruyere

Gruyere isn't suitable for vegetarians.

[lastqueenofscotland]

Have a veggie main?
Risotto, something pasta based, a veggie tagine with cous cous, ratatouille with nice bread etc

[Soakingupsomesunshine]

A couple of quiches or puff pastry tarts with new potatoes and lots of nice salads? Maybe a side of salmon for the non veggies.

[BikeRunSki]

I really hope this is about the family party we are going to soon!

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

All sounds great, and congratulations in advance! I'd just say that you should be prepared (as I'm sure you are anyway) for the omnivores to try a bit of everything so you'll need lots of veggie stuff to make sure the vegetarians aren't left without a decent main course. I'm always puzzled by people (not on this thread) who think that people who eat meat will only eat meat, as my impression is that most of us will eat all sorts of things.

[DrownedGirl]

That was my thought.
I actually do like things like potato and cream, veg, salads (been a veggy since I was 11)

I eat Gruyere, too

[GinIsIn]

I would do goats cheese and balsamic onion tarts (sooooo easy, you can use ready rolled puff pastry), a big green salad, a tomato and mozzarella salad, and potato salad with lots of herbs in and lots of very cold white wine. summery and light, and very, very easy!

[GnomeDePlume]

Some lovely suggestions here, thank you.

I looked at the yotam ottolenghi website (thank you for the tip NewStickers).

I am starting to lean towards the idea of having a number of different main course dishes along side roasted allotment veg:

roast vegetable flan
roasted pork belly
chicken with lemon

Right, I need another dish suitable for vegetarians.

[GnomeDePlume]

I like the sound of goats cheese tarts.

[SuburbanRhonda]

Any puff pastry tart can be la bit dry unless you serve it with some kind of sauce.

Also if you're serving a vegetable flan you might not want another pastry dish.

Is there anything you could do that would go with the accompaniments for the meat dishes?

[DrownedGirl]

An aubergine parmigiana or something similar would go nicely with those other dishes. Or perhaps a spinach roulade or nut roast or a stuffed marrow if you could put your hands on one ... Or stuffed butternut squash

Or make stuffed sweet potatoes or peppers - I like the latter with a mix of breadcrumbs, almond powder, chopped mushrooms and cheese

[DrownedGirl]

I also do a nice thing with sliced peppers (frozen are fine)
Cook till soft and sweet with onion, garlic, olive oil, turmeric, cumin, coriander

Layer with grated crumbly white cheese, pour over a jug of seasoned sour cream/beaten egg

[DrownedGirl]

And bake

[originaldoozy]

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4540/crispy-greekstyle-pie-
This pie is yummy. as the recipe says ... keep it veggie or add chicken!

[GnomeDePlume]

How about peppers stuffed with ratatouille and mushrooms stuffed with crumbly cheese and breadcrumbs

DrownedGirl your pepper fritata thing sounds delicious

[GnomeDePlume]

Right, latest menu:

Starter
---
Melon
Saucisson
Grilled haloumi
Olives
Goats cheese & honey

Main course
-----
Roast lamb
Vegetable lasagne
Roast vegetable flan
Guinea fowl cooked with rosemary & garlic

Sides:
Ratatouille
Potatoes cooked with garlic
Green salad

Does this sound okay?

[DrownedGirl]

It is, very yummy
The sour cream is more like a custard ... Only one egg ... So it's just set. The spicy pepper juice sort of oozes up through it.

[DrownedGirl]

You'll be stuffed!
I am not sure about the lasagne. I would go for a stuffed vegetable, myself.