And There's More. Nopi Nosh Night Part 2
The fresh from-the-garden theme continues with tomatoes and basil from my own garden and Lyndie's zucchini contribution. The Tomatoes with Wasabi Mascarpone and Pine Nuts (pg 59) was super easy and super tasty and I'd definitely make it again if I had marscarpone in the house. Once again I had to leave out the banana shallots and tarragon but everything else went according to plan and the result was very tasty
The zucchini fritters aka Courgette and Manouri Fritters (Pg 246) were not so successful, in appearance anyway! I don't think I drained the zucchini enough and the haloumi I used instead of Manouri (it's OK they suggest this variation in the recipe) didn't crumble much. And I reduced the quantities which is always risky. My fritters didn't stay together very well and got a bit crispy around the edges but they tasted quite good and were one of the more successful dishes with my guests, who included a couple of risk-averse diners. There were none left. The Lime and Cardamon dressing was a bit underwhelming and I'm not sure anyone used it much. I thought it needed to be thicker but I used whipping cream. Maybe double cream would work better.
Serving time arrives. First up is the Coriander and Ginger Martini. Very gingery and maybe I needed more vodka and lime juice and less syrup. It caught on the throat a bit but I liked it, even more when the ice melted and diluted it a bit.
Next up was the Courgette Fritters which were devoured with some
enjoyment. The Tomato and French Bean salads were served with the Baby
Octopus.
This was less successful, partly due to the octopus being a bit chewy and most people found the Tarator very sharp. Not sure if it was the garli or the vinegar which gave it the spicy touch, or it may have been coming from the lime relish, which by the way was a bit fiddly to make. Maybe another time I wouldn't bother to cut out very segment.
The Strawberry and Rose Mess may not have looked quite like the one I enjoyed in London but it tasted amazing. Everyone liked it!
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| Tomatoe with Wasabi Marscarpone and Pine Nuts |
The zucchini fritters aka Courgette and Manouri Fritters (Pg 246) were not so successful, in appearance anyway! I don't think I drained the zucchini enough and the haloumi I used instead of Manouri (it's OK they suggest this variation in the recipe) didn't crumble much. And I reduced the quantities which is always risky. My fritters didn't stay together very well and got a bit crispy around the edges but they tasted quite good and were one of the more successful dishes with my guests, who included a couple of risk-averse diners. There were none left. The Lime and Cardamon dressing was a bit underwhelming and I'm not sure anyone used it much. I thought it needed to be thicker but I used whipping cream. Maybe double cream would work better.
 |
| Courgette and Manouri Fritters |
Serving time arrives. First up is the Coriander and Ginger Martini. Very gingery and maybe I needed more vodka and lime juice and less syrup. It caught on the throat a bit but I liked it, even more when the ice melted and diluted it a bit.
This was less successful, partly due to the octopus being a bit chewy and most people found the Tarator very sharp. Not sure if it was the garli or the vinegar which gave it the spicy touch, or it may have been coming from the lime relish, which by the way was a bit fiddly to make. Maybe another time I wouldn't bother to cut out very segment.
The Strawberry and Rose Mess may not have looked quite like the one I enjoyed in London but it tasted amazing. Everyone liked it!
I can already see that this is going to be mouthwatering, visual, and my only regret will me that I will be too tortuously far away to taste it
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