#and then sometimes you get whatever the hell was going on in pepe and oliver's birthday pieces from last year. hell </3

[goldiipond]

canot stop looking at my icon he's sooo cute ithink this is one of my favorite official don arts. look at these fucking creatures

[cookinginmyheels]

Just because it doesn’t involve setting the dining room table and sitting in proper chairs doesn’t mean it’s not a dinner party. In fact, some of my favorite dinners with friends  have been propped on a stool or kitchen counter, wine glass in hand, sharing dinner on my bench.

Just a brief definition here – when I say “bench” I don’t mean a spot to sit. A bench, or rather my bench, is a butcher-block kitchen island, and probably the best purchase I ever made at IKEA. Solid as a brick sh-thouse, with heft warranting major stink-eye from the burly moving guys that humped it into my house, my bench is where I do most of the work in my kitchen. Essentially, my bench is Cooking in My Heels.  You’ll recognize it as the canvass for the majority of the food pics I’ve posted since leaving NYC.

My bench is also where you’d likely be sitting if you’ve ever joined me for an impromptu dinner of two or three.  These are the kind of meals that don’t take an enormous amount of planning (none really), and are usually pulled together from what’s at hand.

The trick to perfect bench dining is not to fuss. Well, not to fuss too much. Most cooks will admit that the “fuss” is half the fun. But when your guest is tired from a long drive, a long day, or dropped in unexpectedly for a little friend-time, celebration or comfort, less is most definitely more. As long as you have a glass of wine or cold beer to hand them at the start, the rest falls into place with a few staples on hand.

  The Staples:  There’s a list of must-haves in my pantry or fridge that I specifically put in there in the hope that friends will feel comfortable to pop over for an impromptu nibble.  In fact, when I moved to places I knew no one a little over five years ago, and again two years ago, it was this strategy that helped me build a new circle of friends and ultimately a very livable new life. If you feed them, they will come really does work.

I’m not including the usual suspects many have around on this list — the butter, olive oil, eggs, bacon (if you don’t eschew it for religious or veg reasons), milk/cream/dairy substitute, onions/shallots, etc.  These are the one-step-up items I keep on hand to make the unplanned dinner menu less, well, unplanned.

Long dry pasta, like spaghetti, buccatini, linguine  – for cacio e pepe, or carbonara . Both of these dishes are fast and made with staples. They also impress the hell out of your date when they stop by or stay for a late visit, which eventually  turns into a late dinner or very early breakfast. Sometimes I mix it up with some squid-ink pasta when I find it, since it reminds me of my travels in Venice and let’s face it, black pasta is kind of sexy, even as just noodles, butter and cheese.

Capers, mixed olives, sun-dried tomatoes in oil, interesting pickled things: Mixed olives are a great nibble with wine or cocktail while you are making a meal, a must for oven-baked shrimp, tomatoes and feta or a quick puttanesca, and a dirty martini would be downright puritanical without them. Capers make a great addition to citrusy dishes, and fried in a little bit of olive oil is one of the best toppings for batter-fried foods ever, even if the frying is done by a restaurant and delivered to your door. Interesting pickled things are great to nibble, great with cocktails (pickled green beans or asparagus in your Bloody), and chopped and tossed in a salad with a splash of their brine and olive oil gets your salad dressed in a pinch. Sun-dried tomatoes on grilled or toasted bread rubbed with a little garlic is terrific as a start or a side with soup.

Hard cheeses like romano, parmesan, grana padano: Not just for grating (which they are great for), but for nibbling too.  When you are flush, invest in a good aged Parmigiano Reggiano and you have a terrific treat with a glass of wine before dinner. Add crusty bread, some dry salami, a dish with good olive oil & balsamic, olives, maybe some apples, pears or oranges, and you’ve got a pretty terrific dinner too, no stove required.

Goat cheese in the freezer, feta in the fridge: Goat cheese freezes very well, feta does not but in brine lasts well in fridge, and both are terrific in dishes (baked shrimp, tomatoes, olives and feta/goat, and salad with those olives and pickled things you have.) Both cheeses are also wonderful with honey (something I always have on hand),  make a terrific addition to a cheese plate (goat). Even better is taking some feta slices, drizzle with honey, olive oil and some fresh thyme (if you have it, not necessary if you don’t), and plop under the broiler a few minutes…..truly heaven on a plate!

Good canned tomatoes: I’m talking about those San Marzanos now. Yes they are expensive, but they always go on sale so pick up a few when they are. Saute up some onions, garlic, throw in the tomatoes, salt, pepper, pinch of sugar, glug of wine and a pinch of thyme, marjoram or oregano. Simmer 30 minutes and you’ve got a great sauce.  Which brings me to garlic…

Dorot frozen garlic, ginger and basil:  This is actually pureed fresh garlic/ginger/basil, measured out to 1 tsp portions, and frozen into little cubes with a touch of citric acid to keep the color. You can find it in Trader Joe’s freezer, but I’ve seen it in the freezer section in some markets too. My bulbs of garlic often sprout or spoil before I get to use the whole thing — I love garlic, but use sparingly since it doesn’t love me.  Frozen is much easier and much better than jarred in oil — food safety-wise and taste-wise. Adding a cube of basil to your quick pasta sauce makes it taste more like you picked those tomatoes yourself, and makes a really fast pesto mashed with olive oil, a little of the frozen garlic and some of that good grated cheese. Spread that on toasted bread with a sun-dried tomato on top and you have a pretty special nibble.

Frozen raw peeled shrimp: This will probably run you about ten bucks, but man is it worth it for quick, easy, delicious and special. You don’t even have to thaw them. They saute fast, or toss them in some quick-made tomato sauce or even jarred that is simmering and they will cook quickly without thawing. Throw over pasta (or quick cooking grits/polenta if you have it) and it’s pretty dang awesome.  Sheet pan shrimp, feta, tomatoes and olives comes together in mere minutes, and with some crusty bread to sop up the juices, makes a great meal.

Good vanilla ice cream, good dark chocolate: Ok, confession time here. I’ve been following the initials previously known as Weight Watchers for a few months now (21lbs and counting…), so having ice cream and chocolate in the house has been on hold since July. However, when I’m maintaining rather than losing, I’ll usually have one in the freezer, the other in the cabinet for one of my favorite quick, easy and universally loved desserts – affogato. Affogato is basically vanilla ice cream with a pour over of hot espresso or hot strong coffee. Shave or chop some bittersweet chocolate over it to make it extra special. and I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t like it.  Do you have some really good aged balsamic vinegar? Try a drizzle of that on the ice cream instead. Sounds weird, tastes great.

Menus from your favorite places that deliver:  Sometimes even a good cook doesn’t want to. Pull out those olives or good parm, open that wine or great craft beer, and pull out your phone.

There are countless more ideas for feeding last minutes friends, and I’d bet you have a few of your own favorites too (which I’d love to hear.) The most important part is being a little brave and opening your kitchen to friends.  With a few simple staples on hand, you won’t stress, they won’t stress, and whatever you serve is going to be great. Even if it’s delivery pizza, good wine, and that ice cream in the freezer.

If you like what you read here, please share. Meantime, I’d love you to join me on Facebook (please click the ‘like’ button).

      DWF: Dinner at the Bench Just because it doesn't involve setting the dining room table and sitting in proper chairs doesn't mean it's not a dinner party.