SC - Overcatering

[Glenda Robinson]

Christianna,

Not quite: Overcaterers Anonymous is my pet name (and it's taking off) for
the cooks in our reenactment circle (the 'real weapons' groups in Australia
tend to have a heap of cross-memberships, and have huge gatherings at least
once a year).

Instead of trying not to cook for multitudes, we embrace it, and use this
tendancy for the furtherance of authenticity. We tend to use the peer group
competition method - the one where someone does X, and the others say "I can
do even better" and so on ad infinitum, and there's always extra to tempt
those that still 'cook' out of tins.

This symposium on Saturday will have three cooks, one for entree, one for
main and one for dessert. All are overcaterers. Usually, you ask all
attendees to bring a plate: this time Craig has just asked 3 of 20. He
figures there won't be so much waste that way (but knowing him, Chris and
me, there still will be, because we'll all just 'up' our overcatering to
newer and greater heights).

This is what (I hope) I'm doing for the entree:

Bread -
Small Pompeiian Loaves (the round ones with the triangular markings) (I'll
make them myself from fairly fine flour - probably a mix of unbleached plain
with a touch of wholemeal, but I want them fairly fine quality (the
Senators, you see)
Pita style Bread (I'll probably buy these from the bakery), and maybe
Lebanese, but probably not (a bit too low brow)

Eggs -
Soft Boiled with Sauce from Apicius/Classical Cookbook

Meat -
Oysters and/or Orange Lipped Mussels - treated from Apicius F&R - depending
on what's available/cheap
Smoked Sausages - whatever's hanging up and looking nice - something a
little spicy; probably some of slightly less spicy sausage for the kids as
well.

Fruits &Veg-
Marinated Black; Green
Black and Green Olive Relish from Apicius/Classical Cookbook
Apricots (yes - there's going to be LOTS of Senators present, and I can show
off by using these exotic fruits!)
Figs; Dates; Grapes; Cucumber Dip from Apicius/Classical Cookbook
Artichokes - Preserved (OK - just straight from the jar) idea from Apicius
F&R
Anything else that looks nice while I'm at the shop.

Nuts -
Walnuts; Almonds

Cheese -
Bulgarian Fetta (cows milk); Goat's Milk Fetta; Ricotta with a mix - Apicius
F&R

So do you think I'll pass muster as a first class Overcaterer?

Glenda.

> ROTFLMAO - Oh God! I think I may have finally found a 12-step program I
>need to join!  Tell me, when you meet, do you try not to cook?   No, that
>can't be, do you simply work on accepting your curse, and working through
>it?
> Where are you, and can we start up a chapter?
> Just too funny, sorry, I can't help myself...
> Christianna
> who just got done putting up glass jars of beans and grains on the new
>kitchen shelves...