A Single Person’s Best Friend in Book Form: Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant
A salad of organic mixed greens, way too much goat feta, some walnuts, and
a vinaigrette made with olive oil and whatever vinegar from Vom Fass I’m obsessed with at the moment. And for dessert a shameful amount of fresh ground peanut butter with a drizzle of agave nectar. All eaten while gazing at the beauty and drama that is Mad Men.
That’s my favorite dinner alone when all the leftovers are gone and there is no hope of me scraping up the motivation to cook something new. I can and do eat this combination over and over and over again. There is a vegetable and protein involved, which makes it a perfectly balanced meal — right? Not quite, but after reading what some other famous foodies eat when going solo for dinner I think I’m doing pretty well.
Being the contrary sort I thought I’d eschew the makings of a typical post for Valentines filled with mushy romantic candle light dinner and dessert ideas and do something for the single people out there. Because being single is often no fun as it is but it gets even more tricky even for the happily unattached during a so-called “holiday season” all about coupling off and cuddling.
Photo from flickr.com/photos/redcipolla
After delving into the private eating rituals of these writers it seems that most people fall into one of three categories when cooking for themselves: those that go all out cooking what their friends and families would never eat with them; those with food obsessions they fall back on every time they are alone; and those that refuse to cook without an audience to please. Then there are those that as a form of rebellion or self affirmation take their lone meals into the public sphere, choosing a solitary dinner out.
Amanda Hesser’s contribution to this book is still my favorite. She shares her recipes for her friends frou frou salmon for one involving delicious French lentils and her own favorite alone meal, super fluffy scrambled eggs with truffle oil, both of which I love so much they have become a part of my cooking repertoire whether I’m cooking alone or not. The recipes for both are up at my other blog and you should give them a try.
So if you find yourself dinning alone this day of hearts and chocolate whether by choice or chance wrangle up this book and find solace in commiserating with other foodies’ sometimes strange sometimes wonderful solitary meals.
What do you eat when you’re alone?
(Ed. Note 2: For more solo dining, check out Deborah Madison’s fantastic 2009 book, “What We Eat When We Eat Alone.”)
Alone, I eat baked goat cheese on toasted baguette with a glass of red wine. Or those truffled eggs (to DIE for). Or a big green salad with everything in the fridge and homemade Dijon vinaigrette.
Left to my own devices, I think I’d eat bread, cheese, wine and greens indefinitely. I need to live with people for nutritional reasons alone.
I really like Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant. Shortly after I received it though, I practically stopped eating alone. And though I enjoy cooking for and eating with my boyfriend, I do miss my meals alone, and making my own personal guilty pleasure foods, and then eating them alone while reading a good book.
p.s. When I’m alone I like to make a breakfast sandwich for dinner, or a bowl of refried beans, corn, and salsa.