I did however have a busy weekend of cooking and eating which was great. Unfortunately I forgot to take any photos (probably due to the refilling of my wine glass) so you will have to use your imagination.
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| Token photo of Howie relaxing.. upside down photo that is... |
As soon as I hit send on that invite my head was swirling with ideas of what to cook, I was thinking about it before I went to sleep, at work, on the bus and all sorts of other places where I should have been thinking about something else. Half the fun of a dinner party is deciding what to cook and then writing the multiple lists of what I am going to cook, what to buy (from each different shop), what I can prepare before, what I am going to do on the day... I am such a geek with lists. I reckon I probably write at least two lists a day and I am ALWAYS finding post it notes in pockets and stuck to random places... Often during the day I will have to surreptitiously slide a shopping list that is sitting on my desk under some work stuff when someone comes over to talk to me – they don’t need to know that I am picking up pink peppercorns and 3 different types of cheese after work!
Back to the dinner party however, after a bit of mind changing I decided on stuffed shoulder of lamb served with potato dauphinoise, carrots and green beans. I also made a delicious salsa verde that I have served with fish before but which goes with pretty much everything. Dessert was to be chocolate éclairs and strawberries...
Saturday rolled around and I had already done the potatoes and nibbles the night before and was on track and feeling organised if not a little exhausted.. But can I just ask why it is that no matter how organised I am, no matter how well I know the dish that I am cooking, I always end up all flustered and in a state of slight to medium to major disarray just as I am serving up?? And my face always gets really red! I place some of the blame on the size of my kitchen, I am sure if I had lovely big kitchen with lots of serving space and a nice big oven then things would be a lot easier. I should probably also blame the glasses of wine I had before dinner, it’s not the best idea but I wanted to be social and everyone else was drinking!
Anyway – the meal went down well and everyone seemed to like it, but it was the chocolate éclairs that were the hit of the day. Thanks need to go out to Penelope for saving my butt with the chocolate icing – she knows what I am talking about....
Here is the recipe for the Salsa Verde which I would recommend serving with pretty much everything, I think it is adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe with a few side notes added by my old boss who gave me the recipe.
Salsa Verde
The secret of a good salsa verde is to chop all the ingredients very finely and to use it the same day, as it doesn't tend to keep for long, even in the fridge. A fantastic accompaniment to any grilled meat or fish. Particularly good with the sea bass recipe. [ NOTE: I love this stuff. I use with chicken and any fish. Just toss everything into a food processor and whizz it. Jamie say chop very finely- I say it doesn’t have to be too fine.]
2 cloves garlic, peeled [NOTE: I use just one]
1 small handful of capers
1 small handful pickled gherkins (the ones in sweet vinegar)
6 anchovy fillets
2 large handfuls flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
1 bunch fresh basil, leaves picked
1 handful fresh mint, leaves picked
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
8 tablespoons best quality olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Finely chop the first 7 ingredients and put them into a bowl. Add the mustard and red wine vinegar then slowly stir in the olive oil. Balance the flavors with freshly ground black pepper and, if necessary, sea salt and a little more red wine vinegar.
The secret of a good salsa verde is to chop all the ingredients very finely and to use it the same day, as it doesn't tend to keep for long, even in the fridge. A fantastic accompaniment to any grilled meat or fish. Particularly good with the sea bass recipe. [ NOTE: I love this stuff. I use with chicken and any fish. Just toss everything into a food processor and whizz it. Jamie say chop very finely- I say it doesn’t have to be too fine.]
2 cloves garlic, peeled [NOTE: I use just one]
1 small handful of capers
1 small handful pickled gherkins (the ones in sweet vinegar)
6 anchovy fillets
2 large handfuls flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
1 bunch fresh basil, leaves picked
1 handful fresh mint, leaves picked
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
8 tablespoons best quality olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Finely chop the first 7 ingredients and put them into a bowl. Add the mustard and red wine vinegar then slowly stir in the olive oil. Balance the flavors with freshly ground black pepper and, if necessary, sea salt and a little more red wine vinegar.
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