#cuzina

Nichols Family first theme dinner for March...a busy month with St. Patrick's day just two days later. Fortunately, this stuff is all pretty easy and the ingredients are few and cheap. 

Baked Dormice or Chicken Substitute

Apicius directs that the dormouse meat be pounded with pepper, and placed in an earthenware bowl with caraway, cumin, bay leaves, dates, honey, vinegar, wine, liquamen and olive oil, then roasted in the oven. Like all Roman recipes, no measurement of any ingredient is offered and no cooking time stated. Fortunately, we know how to cook chicken.

Ingredients

8 Chicken drumsticks

1 cup plain flour

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

2 teaspoons caraway seeds

2 teaspoons sweet paprika powder

tablespoon honey

2 bay leaves

A little vegetable oil

Instructions

Crush the cumin seeds using a mortar and pestle Put the flour in a plastic bag with the crushed cumin, bay leaves, caraway and paprika.. Lightly dab some vegetable oil on the drumsticks Toss the drumsticks in the bag with the flour. Drop the honey into the bag. Give it a swirl around and leave the bag in the frig overnight so the flavours sink in. Place the drumsticks in a lightly oiled baking pan and bake for 20 - 30 mins, or until a skewer pushed into the thickest part releases only clear juice

Globuli

Curd cheese, 500 g or about 1lb A cup of semolina honey olive oil Press curd cheese through sieve or let it hang in cheese cloth until it's drained well. Mix with the semolina into a loose dough. Let it sit for a few hours. (Have a sip of the vino Caroenum while you wait). With wet hands form the mixture into dumplings. Quickly fry them in olive oil for a few minutes. Drain and roll in honey.

For the Boys (we call them Romulus and Remus on this night!)

Pita bread with falafel and feta cheese Chopped apples with yogurt and honey

And Dessert

I designed this at the $250 price range for 16 people. Since my costs are covered by donation, I needed to come in under a C-note. This menu will be auctioned off as part of a package paired with a wine tasting by Masquerade Wine Company. Photos of the event to follow.

SAMPLE AMUSE BOUCHE MENU SPRING 2012

15.62 PER PERSON

Premier

Micro Caesar Salad-

Parmesan Tuille, Milk Poached Garlic Drizzle, Hand Torn Avenue Crouton

Deuxième

Almond Gazpacho-

Green Grape, Marcona Almond, Crème Fraiche, Basil Oil

Troisième

Crab Causa-

Dungeness Crab, Peruvian Potatoes, Key Lime Aioli, Hiwa Kai Black Lava Sea Salt

Quatrième

Seared Lamb Bite-

Red Onion Jam, Stilton Cheese

Cinquième

Crème Brulee-