It all started a few months ago when I opened my mail box, found a Bon Appetit, and engaged my monthly ritual…pouring a big glass of wine and slowly turning each page…reading, observing, examining, imagining. I love this day, this ritual, every month. As soon as I finished I walked next door, turned to the ‘Bibimbap at Home‘ spread and handed it to Jeff, as he had recently had it at our favorite neighborhood bar and couldn’t stop raving about it. We decided we needed to do Bibimbap Urban Family Style.
I decided to attempt to make some spring rolls because an appetizer sounded nice, and because we have been receiving two (CSA) cabbages a week for about a month now, and I’m running out of ideas of what to do with them! I followed a Thai recipe for spring rolls, using rice wrappers (so they are gf!), and a cabbage-onion-carrot-ginger filling. I processed the filling…I should have shredded it. I will make this adjustment for next time.
Bibimbap is perfect for a potluck, and for varying levels of comfort with cooking, because the toppings are both simple and complex…we had enoki mushrooms, siracha sprouts, fried tofu, sesame (CSA) carrots, scallion slaw, marinated portobellos, (CSA) zuchinni, garlicky (CSA) greens, bulgolgi beef and gochujang…a wonderfully spicy-sweet, pepper-date spread which made everything taste phenomenal, and paired well with a slightly sweet white from South Africa that I happened to be drinking that evening (while flooded with memories of my beloved Stellenbosch). Jeff and Danielle made a vat of kimchi,…another nice use for the (CSA) napa that we’ve been receiving nearly weekly for a couple of months. We opted not to make fried eggs for the party, but I want to be sure to include them next time.
As always happens at the end of our get-togethers, we looked around at one another and asked, “Why don’t we do this more often?” We decided that we are committed to doing so…so, more corporate cooking adventures to come. I only wish that I could accurately represent in words the aura created on such nights… old friends, good conversation, strong drink and the creeping crisp breeze, sneaking into our windows as the sun sets…all at once a welcomed refreshment and a reminiscent beacon…of summers end.
Urban Family Eats 