By Lynne Rossetto Kasper
Scripps Howard News Service
Dear Lynne: My mom says no one should leave the dinner table until everybody's finished. I think if you are done with your food, you can leave. We agreed to do what you say. -- Kelly in Yonkers
Dear Kelly: OK, it is time for diplomacy. You both make good points, but eating together isn't solely about eating. The food's almost an excuse. The main reason we eat together is to really see each other, talk, listen, share our days, find out what's going on with everyone.
Leaving as soon as you are done is like saying, "You don't interest me." Imagine how that feels. If conversation is slow-going, think up questions that can't be answered with solely a "yes" or "no."
Dear Lynne: Up to our ears dieting and craving vegetables, we'd love your idea for a low-carb dish. -- Getting Skinny in Jackson Hole
Dear Lean Ones: This soup holds for five days in the refrigerator and barely blips on the carb meter. Do all cutting in the food processor.
Lynne's Easy Garden-In-A-Pot Soup
Ingredients:
3 tbsp. of olive oil
2 each of medium onions and carrots, thinly sliced
top third of 2 stalks of celery with their leaves, thinly sliced
8 cloves of garlic, minced
generous pinch of hot red pepper flakes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp. each of dry basil and sweet paprika
2 tbsp. of tomato paste
2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
handful of washed, fresh spinach leaves, chopped
1 big portobello mushroom, cap and stem washed and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 of a large head of green cabbage, finely chopped
1 cup of dry white wine
6 to 8 cups of broth (low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth)
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) of shredded Asiago or sharp cheddar cheese
Preparation:
In a heavy 6-quart pot, combine the olive oil, onions, carrots, celery, garlic and red pepper. Season with salt and pepper, cover, and cook over medium-low heat 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are wilted and aromatic. Stir often to prevent burning.
Uncover, raise heat to medium-high, stir in the tomato paste, basil and paprika. Cook about 2 minutes. Add remaining vegetables, wine and broth. Bring to a simmer, partially cover pot, and cook 40 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and soup is full-flavored.
Serve in deep bowls, sprinkling each portion with some of the cheese.
Makes 8 to 10 servings
Dear Lynne: Food isn't my thing, which could lose me my biggest client. He's Moroccan, he's a gourmet and he's invited me to a feast at a Moroccan restaurant. Just from movies, this looks like navigating a mine field. -- Desperate for Morocco Restaurant Manners in LA
Dear Desperate: You'll be fine. Graciousness is a way of life in Morocco, and the food is glorious. Think adventure.
A quick gloss on Moroccan dining etiquette starts with greeting everyone by shaking hands. If your host removes his shoes, so do you. You'll sit on large floor pillows at low tables. Dress to cover your legs and shoulders for extra politeness. Rest comfortably on your left elbow so your right hand is free for eating (hands are considered more sanitary than utensils). Scented water and towels will be brought for hand-washing before and after dining.
You'll eat with your right hand (the left is reserved for sanitary matters) from communal dishes. Use only your thumb and first two fingers. But do not start until your host takes a bite and says, "Bismillah" (Praise be to God).
Manners demand you take a little from each new dish, which means pacing is essential. A classic Moroccan meal usually opens with the fabulous savory/sweet b'stilla pastry, then roast meat or fish, followed by braised meat and vegetable dishes called "tagines," and finally, couscous. A mint-tea ritual finishes the meal. Being Muslims, most Moroccans do not drink alcohol.
For more information, visit znet.se/marocko/cuisine/about.html. And check out cookbooks like Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco and The Food of Morocco.
(Lynne Rossetto Kasper is host of "The Splendid Table"(r), Minnesota Public Radio's national food show. Find recipes, station listings and more at splendidtable.org, or 800-537-5252.)
