Volger - Snacks for Dinner: Small Bites, Full Plates, Cant Lose

FOR (and with) VINCENT

I was a week into my vacation, traveling up the California coast, exploring with abandon, meeting with friends, teaching a few cooking classes, and eating nearly all my meals out. It was a bit of a blowout, but like any good vacation, it didnt necessarily feel that way at the time. On this particular afternoon, I knew only that one of my favorite family friends, Leslie Wooley, had invited my husband, Vincent, and me over for lunch.

Im going to the farmers market in the morning, shed texted me as we were confirming the time, so Ill just grab a few goodies . At noon, we headed her way.

When we arrived, things looked... well, not quite ready. My cooking style is rarely very fussy, but if Im having people over, even if its just an informal lunch, I do some planning. I decide on the menu ahead of time, prep what can be prepped, clear the table, and arrange the napkins and utensils. I try to get myself to a place where, by the time my guests arrive, I wont be distracted by the kind of cooking thatll require my full focus. But at Leslies house, no such prep was visible. A newspaper was still spread out over the dining table along with remnants of the days errand-making, and the kitchen showed no signs of any activity.

But as we started to catch up, Leslie cleared away the table, rummaged through her refrigerator, and in a matter of minutes set out what would be our lunch. It featured little half-pints of prepared salads and dips, a bag of crackers emptied into a bowl, two different wedges of cheese on a plate alongside a butter knife. On another plate, she piled a few carrots and cucumbers that she washed and chopped as we chatted.

It didnt look like something that Id immortalize in my recipe journal, but as we sat down and started eatingI wondered why this was such a pleasant and satisfying meal. Was it because it was a contrast to all the rich restaurant food wed been eating? Was it that each element of the mealthe tabbouleh from the farmers market, straight from the half-pint it was sold in, the slab of Havarti cheese, the juicy and crunchy farm-fresh carrotswas just effortlessly delicious on its own? What was the secret to these... these snacks? We devoured everything.

In the weeks and months that followed, Vincent and I talked about Leslies lunch countless times. Sometimes intentionally, but oftentimes subconsciously, I sought to re-create it, particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic began gripping our lives and mandating extra-resourceful cooking at home. Id rummage through the fridge to set out a few dips Id made or bought along with crackers, or slices of grilled bread, a plate of thoughtfully cut-up vegetables, a bowl of what I now think of as a spoon salad, and maybe a couple boiled eggs sprinkled with a seasoned salt or dabs of mustardand this was dinner! It always felt surprisingly festive, like apero or aperitivolittle bites of a few different things, none of it individually plated, all placed at the center of the table for the sharingbut also satisfying and complete. And it stuck, as you can see from the book youre holding in your hands, completely shaking up the way I think about dinner.

The chapters in Snacks for Dinner are essentially organized by trait. Each one represents an important component of a snacky dinner, bringing together textures, flavors, and degrees of heartiness to create a satisfying, balanced meal:

Not every single category needs to be represented in a single meal, but most of them ought to. You might start with a few handfuls of toasted nuts or a fun snack mix such as tucked into a nice platter of raw veggies for snacking and dippingand youve got dinner.

You could also start with something a little centerpiece-ish like the beautiful , a juicy dish, completes a dazzling spread. Youll find dozens of such suggestions for menus like this throughout this book.

One thing I particularly like about these meals is how they shake up the traditional composition of a protein plus two sides by diversifying the plate with smaller amounts of different foods. Its a style of eating that especially makes sense for vegetarian and vegan cooking. The food is fun and satisfying, and nutritional balance happens easily. In fact, this approach decenters the fillerstarchy stuff like grains, pasta, or breadin favor of more vegetables. Snacky-style eating offers an opportunity to expand vegetable offerings, in the form of a beautiful platter of enticing vegetables, or in dips and spreads, bright quick pickles, and intriguing textured salads. You can get a lot of vegetables onto the table this way, and it all looks so exciting that no one ever feels deprived.

Throwing around these menus as if a snacky meal really is so effortless to whip upI can feel you narrowing your eyes at me. He said this was about simplifying things. This sounds like a lot of work. I do promise that ease is a guiding principle of these meals, and not only are the vast majority of the recipes quite easy, many of them can be made in advance. So when it comes time to pull together a quick weeknight dinner, its more a matter of assembly than cooking.

Let me also say that in the spirit of a weeknight dinner of snacks, its implied that some of the items on the table will have been procured elsewhere. Not everything must be homemade. I certainly take advantage of the amazing food purveyors in my communitypicking up a dip or spread here, a pickle or spoon salad thereand I encourage you to do the same. I know youll be able to find what you need by shopping at your nearest chain grocery store, but I strongly encourage you to source locally whenever possible, and strive to support the markets and makers in your community. You may already know just where to look, but if youre in need of inspiration, here are a few of my favorite sources:

• The Farmers Market: When I visit markets across the country, I often find stands offering breads and pastries; pickles, jams, and other preserves; and prepared foods like salads, dips, and spreads. (Theres even a farm stand at my local market that sells fresh-made potato chips!) Its always a good idea to start your shopping there.
• Specialty Shops: A good cheese shop, which is of course a terrific resource for both locally made and imported cheeses that are fresh and/or properly stored, can also be a great place to find olives, jams, and pickles as well. And dont skip over markets that cater to non-Western cuisines, like Indian, Asian, and Middle Eastern groceries. Youll find there all kinds of great snacks-for-dinner stuff, like dips, pickles, breads, and various salads and prepared vegetables, plus crunchy snacks and snack mixes, too.
• Local Bakeries and Pastry Shops: In my midtwenties, developing a bread routine was one of the things that made me feel like a grown-up. To this day, most every weekend I head to my favorite bread bakery of the moment for the weeks loaf, which I slice up and store in the freezer for snacking on all week long. In addition, international bakeriesLebanese and Middle Eastern ones in particularmay have freshly made flatbreads and wonderful, easy-to-snack-on desserts. Bakeries and pastry shops can also be resources for savory tarts, fun and freshly made crackers, spiced nuts, and much more.