The Balkan Table

Thanks to all who came to the eastern European Table on Saturday. The night was a great success and we will certainly be cooking some of those dishes again. There were some lovely comments about the food, and one that was particularly flattering was that “there is nothing out there to compare this to.” We work hard to develop each of our tables and like to explore different possibilities for dishes, keeping the experience unique is close to out hearts. One of my favourite new items was the beetroot and orange puree topped with a walnut cream. The walnut cream is made using fresh walnuts, chicken stock and sour cream, it is then blitzed and passed through muslin to create a silky texture. This is then set in the fridge before serving. Although it is only served as an amuse bouche, it packs a real punch of flavour and is a delicious Bendy’s Kitchen discovery.

The idea of this particular table was to create a meal which took the diner on a journey through the cuisines of Eastern Europe, we had influences from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Bavaria, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. All of these influences were given a bit of a twist in keeping with our “taste globally, eat locally” approach, and we are now looking forward to our next event.

On the 12 May we will be holding our third Table Without Borders, and we will be setting off to South America to be inspired by the delights of Brazil, Peru, Argentina and Bolivia. There will of course be some latin influence here, but also some Arab influence which was taken to this part of the world by the Spanish and Portuguese in the 15th century. We are expecting this to be a journey through a colourful and vibrant culinary tradition of spiced meat dishes, fresh salads and beautifully made baked products.

The South American Table is already nearly fully booked, but we will be looking for a larger venue to cater for more guests – still seated at one table, enjoying good food and good company. This Table is £20pp and will be a five course menu.

Enjoy.

 

Nuts from Bulgaria

Sometimes recipes are the result of simple serendipity. I met two lovely people this weekend who have carved a life for themselves in Bulgaria. They are canning their own foods, making wine and using all the fantastic ingredients they have to hand. We did, of course, spend some time talking about recipes and foods, and generally about how eating fresh, seasonal ingredients is one of life’s true pleasures.

Angie and Ivor very kindly gave me a sack full of Bulgarian walnuts – as well as indulging me in some home grown merlot. The Bulgarian nuts are smaller than the walnuts I usually source, and darker too. In texture they are creamy and have a distinctly sweeter flavour than the paler variety we see in the UK every Christmas.   With the next event on the way, and it being of an Eastern European flavour, I had to find a way of getting these Adriatic fruits onto the menu. Not only did I get them onto the menu, but I also got them onto the wall, ceiling, cupboards, boiler and most of the oils and vinegars that live on the work surface – I will explain.

Yesterday I decided to include an amuse bouche on the menu which will be a beetroot puree, topped with a savoury curd cheese, served in a shot glass. We tried it last night and it is delicious. The puree has been made from the consome process, and carries a velvety rich beetroot flavour, with a hint of star anise.  The curd cheese is made by steeping the milk in rosemary and splitting it with lemon juice. However, with the introduction of walnuts, I decided to cream them with some chicken stock and horseradish to create the creamy topping for the appetizer.

Whilst forcing the walnut puree through muslim, the pressure became too much and the material burst with an explosive force, splattering the tasty contents all over the kitchen.   Attempt two has proven to be more successful, and I am happy to say that thanks to Angie and Ivor’s lovely nuts, and some serious cleaning on my part, I have now added the Beetroot, Walnut and Horseradishshot to Saturday’s menu.

Enjoy.

Please let us know if there are any ingredients you would like to see on the Table Without Borders. Are you a local producer? whether commercial or an allotment grower, we want to buy your produce so that we can continue to Taste Globally & Cook Locally.

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• A Journey to the Black Sea (bendyskitchen.wordpress.com)

 

Pirozhki

Pirozhki with cabbage, apple and paprika puree, topped with sour cream and thyme.

Pirozhki are a small pasty like savoury which are popular in Russia, Ukraine and Polan, although there are similar dishes all over the world. They are made with a sweetened yeast dough, which is filled and brushed with egg to give a beautiful golden glaze. I have served them here with an apple, cabbage and paprika puree, which has been topped with sour cream and thyme. The Pirozhki themselves are filled with chicken and walnuts flavoured with more paprika and sour cream and some Dijon mustard.

What I found interesting is that there is a Japanese equivalent called Piroshiki. This version is deep fried in Panko breadcrumbs. This is exciting for me because it comes from the very heart of what inspires me about cooking and food as a cultural experience. The Table Without Borders is all about understanding diversity and influence, the Piroshiki will now find a place on our Kawa (River) menu and so we begin to create menus without borders.