The most difficult dinner party menu - EVER!

[storminabuttercup]

Ok, had help on here before about this guest for snacks to watch the footy with, now OH has invited them to dinner and i'm STUMPED.

This guest is a 'veggie' i use this term lightly as they have said they will eat things that have meat in them but just not eat the meat, the also do not eat ANY vegetables, including salad type stuff.

What the hell would you cook for a dinner party type menu?

any help appreciated - at the min she is getting toast!!

They should be suggesting things to you that they will eat. If they are that fussy by choice, ask them what they want to have. That way they can't complain.
Failing that, plain pasta!

I'd treat her like my kids
cook what you usually have and she can decide what to leave on her plate

Macaroni cheese?

its OH's friends new GF, so kind of have to ask him, he does say as you suggest to cook what i normally would and she will leave stuff, but would hate her to have to leave everything

mac and cheese is a good idea, but i cant stand the stuff :-D

i really dont know how this girl survives tbh

I think your dinner guest may be an ex-colleague of mine...

Baked potatoes? Can serve with veggie chilli, baked beans, coleslaw , cheese, salad - she can take or leave from those.

Pizza?

And something enormous and chocolatey for pudding in case she really hates all of the above.

Ask Shineoncrazydiamond - I believe she is a veggie who doesn't really do vegetables .

If you buy fresh pasta then it is delicious even when really plain.

400 g of tagliatelle
1 cup single cream
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
2 tblespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup of parmesan
1/2 cup of chopped basil leaves (but leave this out of theirs)
black pepper
parmesan to serve

Really delicious, and you could add some toasted pine nuts if you like or roasted cherry tomatoes (again for you not for the guest)

Have other ideas if no good. Yuno was probably right, macaroni cheese could be a good option...

DH was a veggie who disliked vegetables when I first met him - he survived largely on mushroom based pasta dishes. It was a complete pain in the neck.

Pearlsandtwinset's (hello, btw - haven't seen you around in aaaages :)) tagliatelle idea is just the right sort of thing. Failing that - some sort of risotto?

Do a Turkish-style meze, you could have falafel and grilled Halloumi for the picky vegetarian , lamb koftas for everyone else, lots of different dishes and then everyone can just pick what they like. Most of the dishes are really simple so it's no hassle making different things.

pearlsandtwinset - love that idea! i could serve a really nice chicken breast for the normal people!

i'm now thinking a platter type starter toasted ciabatta, rocket an peccorino (sp?) salad, maybe cured meats....and 'other' stuff??

oooh but like that too EauRouge

Sounds lovely, I like doing this type of mezze meal as we've got veggies and various (dubious) food intolerances in our family so in this way can pretty much please everyone. I'd do some hummus and some home made garlic flatbread, and a roasted tomato salad. I've met non vegetable eaters before and that nearly always means green vegetables, they are ususally happy to eat spuds, mushrooms and onions, and a few will eat tomatoes e.g. on pizza. What's also nice is those portobello mushrooms, de-stemmed and stuffed with a mix of butter, breadcrumbs, chopped nuts, mushroom stem chopped finely, then a dash of herbs and baked. Popular with veggies and omni-vores alike. Add in your chicken breasts, some greenery and you're pretty much there, along with some nice olives. With only a tiny bit of tweaking this sort of menu is also quite vegan friendly allowing all to tuck in, with different options.

I would go down the pub with my mates and leave them with a pizza menu.

They sound tedious in the extreme - fancy being so fussy and expecting someone to accomodate food requirements like this.

"they have said they will eat things that have meat in them but just not eat the meat"

So they would eat the pastry of a sausage roll, but not the sausage meat?

This doesn't sound like vegetarianism, they just sound like wanekrs.

Curry and rice? You could do a quorn one or something.

That sounds very strange.

Pasta with tomato sauce, and do meatballs for the rest of the normal eaters.

I think your platter type starter idea is a great one

and so is pearlsandtwinset's pasta

or you could try stuffed pasta? - make it yourself if you can be bothered, get it from a deli if not - v easy to make a simple butter and sage sauce to go over it and have lots of parmesan to serve. That would be nice for the non-veges too if they had had plenty of delicious MEAT in the starter.

i'm loving all these ideas, thanks all, got ideas dor the next few times i cook for them.

GetOrfMoiLand - seriously, apparently they love lasagne but eat 'around' the meat! - i was like... WTF.

The thing is i love cooking, i love entertaining and would want to disapoint anyone.

How the feck do you eat around the meat in lasagne? Please make lasagne for your dinner party and invite me so I can come and gawk observe their strange behaviour.

I would Eau - but i am so proud of my perfect lasagne that i would be highly peeved to see it treat in such a way! :-)

How about a mushroom risotto? Delia Smith has a great recipe for one that you bake in the oven so you don't have to spend all evening over a hot pan. Sounds odd but tastes good. Add garlic bread and a salad (for the non-fussy ones).

no mushrooms either im afraid. :-D

oh suddenly I have lost any sympathy I had for this idiot

eat around the meat in a lasagne? vege, but no veg and NO MUSHROOMS?

come off it!

I have a new strategy for you storm. Make something DELICIOUS for the meateaters. Also make something perfectly nice but a bit dull that fits the fusspot criteria and serve it to her without giving her the choice to opt into your delicious meat dish and pick the meat out.

See if she is still 'vegetarian' next time they come.

Give her a couple of Linda McCartney sausages, still frozen.

Aquavit has it. Exquisite food for sensible people, spinach and ricotta ravioli for fusspot. With olive oil and parmesan but no sauce. She does not deserve it. And definitely no choice. She really does not deserve it.

oh, and watermelon and feta salad for starter because it has no vegetables in it, can be eaten by everyone and is delish.

love it aquavit - she is a really lovely person though - honest.

i now have my menu sorted - she can either like it or lump it.

thanks for all your help everyone! :-D