Question RE: Vegetarian Meals at Weddings etc...

[xjmrufinix]

As I've mentioned here before, I work in the banquet kitchen of a country club. We don't specialize in vegetarian food at all, but we will often have banquets, particularly weddings, when we have an order of 4-5 vegetarian/vegan meals in addition to the regular orders of prime rib and chicken and all that

Comments

[pinksprinkels]

I was at a wedding and the "vegetarian meal" was a large portabello cap, grilled with just salt and pepper (i think, maybe oil too?), steamed green beans, wax beans, and carrots, and a baked potato with chives, sour cream and butter on the side.

It was simple, tasty, and filling. And much better than the patsa and red sauce i was expecting.

[dreatastespie]

I was just going to comment this. At my brothers wedding a few months ago this was the vegan option.... no butter or sour cream.... but large mushroom cap.. veggies.. some rice. I was very drunk and so it was quite enjoyable though I hate mushrooms.

A different view..

[sweetlamington]

As someone who is anti-mushroom, I hate when the veg* option is centered around a large portobello cap.

Tastes aside, it's also not very creative.

[spinsterkitten]

The last wedding I went to, the only options for my fiance and I were mashed potatoes and green beans. Sadly as we began to eat them, we found out that both had meat broth in them, and we both got sick to our stomachs promptly after.

One good thing would be to get a subscription to Vegetarian Times and find any good meals that you see, then work them into your base of recipes to use at banquets. They usually have fairly simple recipes that look and taste great.

[good_universe]

Ha, yeah. I'm a vegetarian and the last wedding I went to they tried to feed me green beans with bacon cooked in with them and caesar salad. I'm also surprised at how many people assume I eat fish. So weird.

[missdark]

Well, there are a lot of people who call themselves vegetarians but will eat fish openly.

My dad always told me, "If you're going to be a vegetarian you'd better not eat anything with a face, or else you're not a vegetarian."

[misskitty_79]

I have both vegetarian & meatatarian friends that claim that "fish is just a fast vegetable"...

[cleobatya]

i really think this would be a yummy surprise at a wedding, and easy to make a batch for 4-10 people:

http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php?RecipeID=113

Ive been served fried eggplant layereed with red bell peppers, baked in tomato sauce (kinda like eggplant parm, minus the cheese), which can be fancied up on a plate nicely.

[me_meeps]

yes, portabellas are the "vegetarian steak" as far as I'm concerned. On a tour of some European countries, in places the group had booked for meals, I'd specified veg. options and almost always got cheese sticks and steamed veggies.

[medland]

I got given chicken as a vegetarian option when I was in Switzerland!

[xjmrufinix]

Well aside from identifying as a long-time vegetarian, it's also smart business to have a reputation for accommodating dietary restrictions nowadays...people are health-conscious, more aware of allergies, more concerned about animal/environmental welfare. The old-school attitude that vegetarian cooking isn't as legitimate as "traditional" cooking is going the way of the dinosaurs.

[etomlef]

yeah, try watching top chef where everything is made with cream and veal stock! 0_o

[supercarrot]

"gotta have a protein!!!!"
gah.

good on carla that she finally made a vegetarian meal. and they loved it.