Last night I was bored. I went into my mom’s room, flopped down on the bed and picked up the nearest book to peruse. While not necessarily age-appropriate for me, that book happened to be I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts On Being a Woman, by Nora Ephron.
After skimming the first few sections about her aging neck and an oddly detailed riff on how she hates purses I was thinking, “this book’s not really for me, but give me twenty years and I’ll probably be standing in line for her autograph.” Then my eye caught a glimpse of the word ‘food.’ Now that interests me. I flipped back a couple pages to read what she had to say on the matter. She talked a lot about her dear friend, cookbook author, Lee Bailey and how at his dinner parties he would often serve simple dishes like pork chops, grits, collard greens, cooked to absolute perfection. But then (to her great surprise) something like a dish of baked crab apples. She went on to say,
“The most important thing I learned from Lee was something I call the Rule of Four. Most people serve three things for dinner – some sort of meat, some sort of starch, and some sort of vegetable – but Lee always served four. And the fourth thing was always something like crab apples. A casserole of lima beans and pears cooked for hours with brown sugar and molasses. Peaches with cayenne pepper. Sliced tomatoes with honey. Whatever it was, that fourth things seemed to have an almost magical effect on the eating process. You never got tired of the food because there was always another taste on the plate that seemed simultaneously to match it and contradict it . . . . ”
I learned a lot from that one page. Sometimes we think that in order to make a meal interesting, we have to make something completely different. A four-course Indian meal for friends, bouillabaisse from scratch, or homemade croissants for brunch. But even though its fun to experiment, there is real value in cooking what you know and doing it well.
Lee Bailey’s suggestion to make a fourth dish is inspired. A semi-experimental, but jazzy addition to a simple supper. A conversation piece of sorts, a dish that brings everything together – like an interesting artifact from a trip abroad, a really attractive flower arrangement or a piece of fascinating artwork.
If people don’t ‘get it’ or appreciate it, you’ve still got old faithful to rely on and something to laugh about with your family or guests. But if it’s a success, you look like an inspired culinary genius. It doesn’t have to be as weird and wild as pears and lima beans, but something that brings a meal together and makes people say, “well I would never have thought to make that, but it certainly makes the dish!”
(Apparently, Lee Bailey never served fish to his guests. But, we do. So here is a recipe for a citrus radish salsa to serve with fish or chicken.)
I think I’m going to have to ask to borrow that book to read the passage for myself! It’s an inspired idea – one that I really like. After all when at a restaurant the menu is often organised into starters, mains, sides and dessert – which implies that the quirky side dish is something of a luxury and synonymous with celebrations and good times.
I often do something similar – that is to say, make a generally simple-but-hopefully-well-cooked meal with one item that’s a bit more extravagant – though that’s usually out of time and effort constraints rather than intelligent design!
I love it. Sometimes I really stress about what to serve for guests. But if I’m only delving into unfamiliar territory with one part of the meal, it’s going to reduce my stress level exponentially. Absolutely love it!!
love this….4 is perfect!
As I’m sitting here drooling over this post’s photo, it occurs to me the brilliance of the fourth dish concept. Without Citrus-Radish Salsa, you’ve got a real yawner of a plate. Add it back and you’ve got something you’d order at a cool restaurant or serve at a special dinner. Lesson learned: the difference between ordinary and extraordinary can be about five minutes.
I like the idea of serving Citrus-Radish Salsa as a salad. Great, easy recipe. Thanks
You’re right, Maggy. When company comes I’m often looking for something really different, but, if you have good quality seasoned food and just one “weird” side it makes it a memorable meal. I just printed Citrus Radish Salsa for this week’s menu. And now . . . . what to do about my neck!!
First of all: anyone who thinks pork chops, grits, and collard greens is a boring meal is off their rocker. But such a delicious meal would hardly be hurt by the addition of lima beans and pears. Or even tomatoes and honey. That sounds nomz.
My favorite 4th dish, if you will, is actually a recipe from the magazine I used to work for, it’s Cauliflower and Pears with Hazelnuts, Sage, and Brown Butter. I know what you’re thinking: weeeeeiiirrrdddd. Fair enough. But it’s delicious. We actually made this last Thanksgiving, and it was a hit. Here’s the link: http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/cauliflower-pears-brown-butter.aspx
Now I’m gonna go make some grits.