Eid Dinners & Celebrating with good food and company

Happy Eid from Kitchen Cultures! I hope everyone is spending time with loved ones and counting their blessings. I know I am. We're also busy with some Eid orders so it's all about food for us- as always! The picture above is from a dinner at my place- (different from my previous post). The menu: Italian Veal Stew, Portobello Mushroom & Tofu Stroganoff, Butter Paneer (Indian cottage cheese), Spring greens with poppy seed dressing and veggies, Veggie shots (can never go wrong), and more appetizers. 

Some quick ideas for Eid:

1. Keep it simple- but full of variety. That way each dish is easy to prepare and you have a lot more options to please your guests with rather than slaving over a huge serving of a time consuming item- that not everyone likes.
2. Keep items with different colours-it IS summer after all. Have a colourful salad or use props to dress up your food.
3. If you have guests visiting you through the day, avoid a menu with items you have to fry and serve hot- you want to spend time with your guests rather than step into the kitchen to fry some delicious treats.
4. A menu that works is 1 with room temperature dishes or cold items if you do not have warmers
5. If you really want to serve up hot dishes and you have warmers, take out a little at a time and keep warm on your dining table or serving area- rather than in large quantities. 

If you are hosting a one off Eid dinner or lunch, here is a simple suggestion on the type of menu you can have (This can work for a group as small as 15 or as large as 35):

• 5 appetizers- 1 cold, 2 room temperature and 2 hot
• 3 bowls of snacks at room temperature around the room or sitting area where your guests are 
• 2 kinds of punch- both in different areas
• 1 meat main course, 1 vegetarian, 1 chicken, and 1 seafood and 1 mixed carbs + protein (a pasta perhaps)
• 3 sides; such as, rice, bread, potatoes, polenta, etc 
• A variety of dessert. People have different tastes in dessert. I cannot stress this enough. To avoid wastage, do not make large quantities of 1 item. Make easier items- and more of them. More and more people are health conscious these days and most guests stick to fruits where dessert is concerned. It does not mean you won't have something sinfully delicious for them, just have healthier options too

And last but not least- if you are going to someone's for Eid, do not just take a store bought cake to their house. Consult them as to what they need or what their menu is like. Maybe you can take an appetizer or some garlic bread! Maybe they are running out of pop. It does not always have to be dessert. 

W.P