zoethe

My former mother-in-law was (and remains) a lovely woman, but she was incapable of making a meal without destroying the kitchen. Even heating up leftovers meant that pretty much every pot and pan in the cupboards ended up on the counters, soiled. Gripped by a false sense of economy, she would continually start with too small a pot and have to size up, sometimes twice. She had no skill for cleaning up as she went, and no patience for anyone else trying to do so around her. When we were visiting there, meals were always for a minimum of 6 and frequently for 12 or more, so if you were assigned chopping or stirring or some other chore, you were expected to stay with it until assigned something else. The way she cooked left no room for being at the sink washing up. And then it was time to sit down and eat. At the end of the meal, there were not only a dishwasher-full of plates, glasses, and flatware, there were piles of mixing bowls, cooking utensils, and cookware with dried-on (and sometimes burned-on) food. It was reminiscent of comic depictions of soldiers on KP duty. Quite disheartening and far more time-consuming than was necessary.

When I cook, I am a firm believer in cleaning up after myself. At the end of the meal, there should only be the dishes, serving dishes and the last cooking vessels (preferably already soaking in the sink, but hot fresh food is a higher priority).

Last night I think I rather outdid myself.

I'd picked up a lovely Alaskan salmon fillet (coho) for myself and my dinner guest,

transfiguration. It was a thin fillet, so I knew its cooking time would be minimal. I laid it skin-side down on the broiling pan and brushed it lightly with olive oil and soy sauce, then let it rest. In the meantime, I peeled and sliced an onion into thin slices, and placed them, with a little butter, into my one cast iron pan and let them slowly saute until nicely soft and carmelized. I arranged these down each side of the fillet, deglazed the pan with some port wine, and tossed in about 2 cups of mushrooms, halved. After then had absorbed the port, they got another half tablespoon of butter and were cooked until just soft. These I also arranged down either side of the fillet. Then into the pan went some butter and garlic, which I brushed onto several pieces of bread. I placed them on the outer edge of the tray and everything went under the preheated broiler for 7 minutes. The bread came out a little too dark, but still very tasty, and everything else was perfect.

I served it all with a salad made from mixed baby greens, blueberries, sliced fresh peaches, and candied ginger, all with a mild vinaigrette. Which was also a delicious mixture of flavors. M brought a perfect bottle of white wine, and dinner was complete.

In the end, I had the broiling pan, the salad bowl, and the dishes to clean up. The cutting board and knives had of course already been washed and put away, the cast iron pan only required wiping out with a paper towel,and the counters were wiped down. Doing the dishes after dinner was a job of five minutes, since even the broiler could go in the dishwasher.

No, it wasn't dinner for 12, but the principle is the same. I've done dinner for 12, and the biggest trick is running a load of pots and pans in the dishwasher while eating, so that unloading it then loading the dinner dishes is all that's really required.

It would be easier with house elves, but only a little.