Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009

Carolina Kitchen: The joy of eating alone

What do you eat when you're alone? Tell us at food@thestate.com, and we'll share your answers in a future column.

I'm finishing up an interesting book, "What We Eat When We Eat Alone," by Deborah Madison and Patrick McFarlin (Gibbs Smith Publishing).

It took me a minute to get past the title because to some (even me, sometimes) the thought of eating at home, alone, sounds depressing. This book, though, is not.

Over the course of a few years, the authors asked friends, family and professional acquaintances this question: "What do you eat when you eat alone?" The answers are wide ranging. Some offer amusing stories; others eat simple creations using one main ingredient; some create complicated dinners.

In general, the authors found that men tend toward meat and potatoes and women gravitate to salads and fish. Partners, alone through some circumstance or another, tend to save up and savor those flavors that their significant others don't particularly enjoy (ranging from pickled herring and caramelized onions over mashed potatoes to Spam). A friend of mine, Josh, is a chef, and when he's not eating a steak, he likes to try out new recipes when the wife and kids are out of town. Others reach for comfort food such as salmon cakes and polenta.

A lot of folks take stock of what's in the refrigerator or garden and make something from those items rather than go out to the grocery store. Usually, for me, that means some sort of salad or pasta dish.

The choices are limitless when you start with a head of lettuce or a bowl of pasta. A simple combination, befitting either starter item, is some sort of cheese with chopped bacon, ham or seasoned meat with an onion, chili pepper, olives and herbs. Dress the salad simply with olive oil and white balsamic vinegar; dress the pasta with a bit of olive oil or butter.

When asked the eating alone question, Roy, another family friend, responded, "Does Lean Cuisine count?" Although I know on some level he was joking, maybe he could benefit from one of my favorite chapters of the book, "What Every Boy And Girl Should Learn To Cook." The chapter covers the basics, naturally, but emphasizes the need to have at least rudimentary skills in the kitchen because it's (1) economical and (2) impressive to friends and family.

My other favorite chapter is the final one, "Meals With A Motive," where the authors share their personal stories about the meals they made for each other while they were dating. They also relate other stories from people who were asked the question: "What would be your menu if you wanted to seduce someone?" I like this answer: champagne with pimento cheese panini.

So, check it out. The easy-to-follow recipes, geared for solo dining, can be multiplied for friends or impromptu parties, so you'll never have to worry about dining alone again.

LOOKING FOR LOCAL COOKBOOKS

Has your group or organization put out a cookbook this past year? We're compiling a list of local cookbooks that might make great gifts this holiday season. E-mail a brief description of your cookbook to food@thestate.com.

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