I have a tradition with a couple of close friends — every Thursday evening, one of us hosts the others for dinner. As well as meaning you only have to cook one out of every four Thursdays, it’s a great chance to catch up with people who I don’t necessarily get to see that often. There is only one rule: You cannot cook something you have cooked before. Given that we’ve been doing this for nigh on five years now, it means you need to get creative with what you’re doing and go outside your comfort zone. For someone like me, who loves to cook, it’s a great chance to try doing something I’ve never done before. Sometimes, it doesn’t turn out great (e.g. Green Apple Curry). Other times, you make something truly excellent and get a real sense of accomplishment — tonight was one of those nights.
Recently, we’ve started ‘theming’ rounds, so that each of us do one meal using a common unifying thing. The current theme is something simple: ‘Italian’. Behold, my contribution:
To start, a delicious selection of antipasto — roasted marinated red peppers; grissini wrapped in prosciutto; sliced pepperoncini; fresh basil; sicilian olives marinated in lemon and garlic; green olives marinated in garlic and chili; and bocconcini in olive oil, salt and pepper.
Main is a sweet potato and feta gnocchi (hand made) in a creamy sundried tomato and spinach sauce.
And finally, for dessert, malteser tiramisu.
I am a culinary god. Worship me!
