Thai squid with Chinese steamed buns,

The squid was cooked high heat then tossed in a dressing of lime juice, fish sauce, crushed garlic, roasted dried chilli (roasted whole in a little oil then ground for a toasted flavour), fresh green peppercorns, kaffir lime leaf, sugar and a little bit of peanut butter (because I didn't have peanuts).  The salad was simply chopped fresh coriander and chopped tomato.  I added toasted and crushed jasmine rice (to compensate for that lack of fresh peanut).

The little steamed buns were made by moi and they are fun to make and store incredibly well in the freezer (as these had been).  They went beautifully as a light starch accompaniment.  

This is a fresh, crunchy, spicy, sour hot salty sweet mix of deliciousness.  All the usual Thai flavours and textures in the most sublime of combinations.  I could eat this sort of thing all day long.  

Eye fillet with charred stuff, cherries and liquorice

Leek ask crusted South African beef fillet, charred roasted fennel, chewy roasted parsnip,  cherry compote and licorice paper.

Served with a anise red wine sauce.  A whole heap of deliciousness goes on in this dish.  If you are anise fanatics like we are….it’s absolutely stunning.  Do not be fooled by the black fennel, roasted untouched flesh side down in pernod.  It is sweet and yielding done this way.  Utterly delicious.

Quail, Southern Indian style....

Indian spiced grilled quail, corn onion spiced relish and pomegranate raita.

A descent dose of balanced Indian spices offset with an equally balanced spiced crunchy nutty sweetcorn relish and pops of creaminess vs sweet sharp with a fresh pomegranate and green tomato raita. 

Oh how we love the teeny weeny little quails we get fresh here.  They lend themselves to so many cuisines, not just the Middle Eastern dishes they are sold in such abundance to serve.

Soaked lentils, roasted corn, broad bean, chorizo, crisp jambon cru and salmon

I used a mix of red moong lentils and channa dahl lentils.  The soaking idea comes from an Indian (Goan) salad served with fish.  Where lentils are soaked overnight but not cooked.

I soaked them overnight then sauted them with onion, garlic, chorizo, sherry vinegar a touch of pernod and chopped sage.  Adding roasted corn, fresh chopped tomato, broad beans and fresh dill.  The result was a form of salad where the chorizo, pernod and sherry vinegar formed a dressing of sorts, keeping things beautifully light and fresh.

Lentils done in this way retain crunch and texture.  These lentil varieties when cooked turn mushy (and therefore why they are used extensively in dahls where that is the result required). 

I added fresh pretty little beetroot sprouts and some cute edible flowers.  Cooked cured Bayonne ham until crispy and some beautifully fresh salmon again cooked crisp.

A delicious dish of contrasting textures, flavours and colours that surprised me with the divinity of mouthfeel and taste.

Yum.

Middle Eastern Salad Entree

Middle Eastern flavours of cardommon, honey, orange blossom water, black pepper and lemon juice make a beautiful salad dressing.

Fig, pear, goat cheese, baby beetroot (mandolined and lightly pickled) and freeze dried blueberries were the salad ingredients.  Light and delicious.  A salty sweet note with the honey, goat cheese pear and fig.  Frankly a bit of jambon cru wouldn't go amiss though.  Note to self, when doing this salad again - add some pig!