Fennel thins + dinner parties are the new going-out
These thins are really very simple and a dam-site cheaper than any fancy seed-laced biscuit you will pay for in a deli. Crunchy and indeed thin, they make the perfect vehicle for a scoop of something rich. Perhaps 5 mins preparation and then 5 minutes in the oven! Easy and quick? Both appealing concepts, especially when it comes to entertaining. And this is indeed the essence when it comes to throwing open your doors. Planning ahead is key. Things like pate and salad make the most brilliant and simple starters, toss in a few pickles or chutney... followed by some sort of casserole of fish stew for the main bit which doesnβt need anything doing to it in the moment. Pudding? For me this is often some cheese and fruit (oh, so another cry for more delicious fennel thins) or as was the case last week, my highly skilled pal brought a pear frangipane tart with an obscenely buttery base. Suddenly the overwhelming and complicated notion of entertaining seems really rather a doddle.
I spent a huge amount of energy having friends round for dinner in my twenties. The flat where I lived was always awash with friends, bobbing through my seas, both novel and exciting and old timers from school and university. My lodgings were small, quite damp in winter and the kitchen was nothing more than a galley. But there was always a dinner plan or a pre-club-meet being plotted. I loved it and always lived in little town centres like Brixton where everyone could easily congregate and worship at the steps of chat, booze, food and fags. Doesnβt it sound wonderful?
Then of course I had a baby. We moved a bit further afield to a flat in a big block in a kind of transport black hole (is it Peckham? Is it Dulwich? Is it Forest Hill? I still donβt know). We continue to live here and I love our high-rise castle in the sky, modern and cold. We have made a happy home. But we have done very little entertaining, well certainly compared with how I used to churn out the good-times. I realised, in closing my cafe at the beginning of the summer (phew), that I have totally neglected this part of my personality. The reality of children and tiredness and a husband who often works away, is that something had to give and in order to conserve my sanity (often waining in a rather dull, undramatic and long way), I had almost completely stopped doing the thing that I love dearly, entertaining. It makes me feel good and it makes me feel like me. I like laying the table, choosing the glasses, umming over which charity shop plates to display, planning the food all week, plodding away at each element so that it really is wonderful, a top notch feed. And as going-out and royally-tearing-it-up is pretty infrequent, having friends over really is the new going out.
Where previously I could throw a meal together with abandon and then dance out of the door to the club, like all parents I now I have to get through fish fingers and bath-time and a whole load of life-min and washing-up. As a result of this, there are a few things that I think make for an easy evening of entertaining. I implore you to follow these simple guidelines and have a dinner party. It doesnβt matter how small your kitchen table is or if the chairs donβt match. Just throw open those doors and pop some Aldi cava. The goodtimesΒ will flow.Β
What everΒ you choose to cook, donβt cook all three courses. Two is fine. Buy the other.Β
Take note from the French:Β Starters can be a simple dish of roast peppers and good bread. The main course then just needs to be a casserole. Simple is the key.
Make sure the majority of the elements can be made in advance so you arenβt stuck in the kitchen all night with sprigs of parsley.
Lay the table in the morning.
Donβt forget water on the table.
Let everyone help themselves to whatever they want, whenever they want it. Unless of course you have a butler.Β
1 1/2 cups plain flour + extra for rolling
1 tsp finely chopped fennel fronds (optional)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground fennel seeds
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp golden caster sugar
2 tbsp pumpkin oil or olive oil
1/2 cup cold water + 1/4 cup cold water
Place all these ingredients into a stand mixer or magimix, holding aside the last 1/4 cup of water. Set onto the low mix or pulse until everything has come together into a ball. If it doesnβt quite come together add the rest of the water. Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for an hour or so (enough time to do the school run?).Β
Place your oven on 230c or as hot as you can manage really. Line 4 large baking trays with greased paper. Dust a worktop with flour and roll out the dough really very thin, like 1 or 2 mm. Place the thins on the lined baking sheets and bake for 5 minutes. Now turn the oven off and leave to cool for 2 hours, leaving the thins in there. (Enough time to go shopping?) When you return, remove the thins from the oven, roughly break and store in a tin until you want to eat. These can be made a few days in advance of your soiree and are good with cheese or pate.
