Photo by Sid Cattane
Used under Creative Commons license
Macy Sliman, Staff Writer
There are many things a student can and cannot do in a dorm. For instance, one cannot participate in the popular Spanish tradition of the running of the bulls or properly entertain a French democrat in their dormitory. However, individuals can become one step closer to the latter by learning to prepare a seven-course meal in their dorm, without ordering take out or even calling Mom to save the day.
Now, the best way to begin this long, seemingly pretentious custom is to prepare properly. In order to do this, the chef in question needs to go through the proper steps.
The first step is to choose the theme and dishes for the seven courses. Italian is always a good crowd pleaser and easy to cook. For the first course, how about starting with a caprese salad as appetizer? This hor’dourve is comprised of mozzarella, tomatoes and basil with balsamic vinegar drizzled on top. For the best taste, use fresh, preferably organic, ingredients, especially for the tomatoes and basil.
The next course is a soup. One of the best Italian style soups is minestrone. This light broth soup included vegetables, ground beef, beans and noodles. This can be easily topped with Parmesan cheese to enhance taste.
Fish should follow the soup course. A savory Italian dish involving fish is baked garlic herb tilapia. This type of fish is light and flaky with very little typical fish taste and, if baked with creamy herb butter to perfection, can be a quite delicious.
Following the fish should be a palette cleanser, something with a neutral taste to prepare for the entrée. With Italian, it can be a simple baguette with oil and herbs.
An excellent entrée for an Italian themed night is chicken cacciatore with tomato basil sauce and steamed broccoli. Chicken cacciatore is a simple enough dish, requiring pan-frying chicken in a skillet, sautéing herbs and the tomato basil sauce and then baking it all together. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley for a super tasty dish.
After this insane amount of food, it is probably a good idea to slow things down. Follow the entrée with a light salad. This course can be just plain lettuce with tomatoes, black olives and Parmesan cheese topped with balsamic vinaigrette or a creamy Caesar dressing.
The best part of this seven-course meal is the dessert. After all this delicious and extremely filling food, it is excellent to end with a light sorbet or, if you prefer chocolate, even tiramisu.
Once you have your entire menu planned out, comprise a list of all ingredients you need. Be sure to go through your pantry before hitting the grocery store so you do not buy double of something. The final step is to go shopping, cook this insane amount of food and find some friends to share it with. Enjoy!