Eating like an Immigrant, Part V: More on Convenience

I know that these posts are interconnected, but I wanted to revisit an idea I mentioned earlier, the ideal of convenience.

When you’re making food from other countries/immigrant cultures, it doesn’t have to be elaborate. Sometimes we’ll make a Mediterranean antipasto platter with good bread, meats, cheeses, vegetables or a salad (maybe tabbouleh or a couscous salad), and olives. On a hot summer night, it feels so exotic and fun, but incredibly easy. Or French onion soup (in the crockpot) and croque monsieurs (fancy French grilled cheese sandwiches).

It also saves effort to either double or triple what you’re making and freeze it (or eat it for lunches) (I guess this works better in small families like ours). Or use it for more than one purpose, like ratatouille as a stew the first night (I always crockpot it), over spaghetti the next, and on top of toasted bread as bruschetta another night. Also, if you get a fun ingredient–say, a bunch of fresh herbs, or some unusual vegetables–find a couple of things to use it for, so it doesn’t go to waste if you don’t need it all for one recipe.

Recipes
Ratatouille: recipe and five ways to use it
Simple French onion soup

Cross-posted from In Search of Lost Time.