leave it for the main course?

Quorn is not vegetarian food - it is for people who can't cope with  veg. I hate most veg but I'd still rather not have quorn.

Starters, just do a nice veg soup if the weather is bad, or fruit salad, melon dominating that you can serve some ham with. Or mixed antipasti -salamis, olives, other tasty stuff from jars.

Mains...if you want a stew or chilli, prep the same veg and seasonings for two and add meat to a different pot. Use marigold veg stock - it is tasty stuff.  Or involtini, half with meat, half with aubergine (meat eaters will probably enjoy them too and you don't need to do the egg-based fillings). Or indian - curry and a daal plus rice. Again, meat eaters will enjoy daal.  Or if you want to just do meat and veg, give the vegetarian a nice juicy, tasty grilled portabello mushroom with garlic where you've given everyone else beef. The prep and cooking process is practically identical. Also, pick your own gourmet topping homemade pizza will scale to 4 if your oven is big enough.

I had this really great idea the other night for an appetizer. My darling A makes this really awesome (but incredibly rich) cheddar and red wine risotto. You have to use really good cheddar (sharpish) and lots of it. The red obviously just has to be drinkable. I can hit him up for the order of when things go up if you're interesting. He normally makes it as a main course, but the last time we did there were a few, well, not complaints per se, but rather comments that it was maybe too rich.

So, the thought I had was: make this risotto, then form it into small patties (maybe a bit over an inch diameter and half to three quarters thick). Then fry the patties so the outsides are crispy. Then present on a platter with a dollup of creme fraiche or something else tart or sweet to counter the richness. Appetizers are supposed to be over the top yummy so it's okay if they are super rich -- you only eat a few bites.

I don't have any good suggestions for a main dish (I avoid just substituting quorn for meat), but for a substantial side if you like peasant food, a gratin of mixed root veggies (potatoes, turnips, beets, sunchokes, etc.) sliced thin and layered with strips of kale or collard greens with a bechamel poured on each layer. Finish with more bechamel and cheese on top. Incredibly substantial if you do it right (note: it is hard to add too much greens because they kind of disappear). Note that I put quite a bit of spice into the bechamel (bit of chile and other things) to give it some flavor other than OMG CREAMY GOODNESS.

"There will be time, there will be time / To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet." -- Eliot

This comment has been deleted by aggressive cyclist

But this particular veggie I have no beef (*) with her; she's a veggie through dietary restriction rather than dogma.  She'll happily cook meat or fish for her family, just struggles to eat it herself.

(*) nor myco protein substitute.

That way, at least the carnivores will be happy, and you won't have to worry about catering to a minority.

Sausage, anyone?

This comment has been deleted by anonimouse

The compulsion for non-vegetarians to have meat in EVERY MEAL.

If there's a vegetarian in the group, why not just serve food that doesn't have meat?

It's not exactly limiting.

--- Thad ---
Almost as Smart As you.

Pasta with walnut sauce.

Blend some walnuts, olive oil and parmesan in a blender with one clove of raw garlic and some black pepper. Ratios vary to taste but you need quite a lot of walnuts and parmesan. Look it up on the internet, I tend to be a bit random about it though.

The garlic gives it just the right amount of bite and tastes great, don't be tempted to put another clove in though, it pushes it over the edge.

Mix it with pasta and halved raw cherry tomatoes.

Not sure if this is a dinner party dish really, but it's great comfort food and dead easy to make. No cooking apart from the pasta.

The proper Italian way is to skin the walnuts, but this is such a pain it's untrue (does taste better though).

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It's political correctness gone mad!