happy new year! should old acquaintance be forgot? yes, if the acquaintance you’re referring to is 2010. most people i’ve spoken to were all too ready to kiss the past year goodbye. floods, fires, budget crises… and that was just within my kitchen.
nonetheless, a new year cannot dawn without some acknowledgement, so i decided to host a small get together for some wonderful, lovely friends. delighted that they agreed to come to me, i decided to thank them in the best way i know how: with food.
anyone who knows me is aware of my love of a theme. in fact, it’s more of a compulsion. yeah, i’m that control freak who is stressed when sushi is served alongside sausage rolls at a party. i just feel that a consistent theme is the easiest thing you can do to impress your guests. of course, if that’s too much of a hassle, or sushi & sausage roll is your favourite food combo, simply set a “foods of the world” theme, crack out some toothpick flags and bob’s your uncle.
anyway, my theme this year was my old faithful, rustic italian. how does this differ from other kinds of italian, you might ask? it’s about much more than an imperfectly shaped pizza. rustic, for me, means simple, unfussy food which highlights classic flavour combinations & the seasonality of ingredients.
that being said, here’s what i came up with:
the spread
our “bar”
amongst other things, crudités with homemade dips, parmesan, grapes, marinated mushrooms, artichokes & olives
oven baked ricotta, salami, roast tomatoes, asparagus & cauliflower
pizza #1: potato, rosemary, parmesan & white truffle oil
pizza #2: old favourite, rocket & proscuitto (with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar)
pizza #3: pepperoni & zucchini
the best of all the italian desserts: tiramisu
despite this being the most low-key new years in recent memory, it was, for me, one of the best. celebrating with the people you love, and eating some good food at the same time: pretty fab if you ask me. hope yours was enjoyable too.
now, to get cracking on my nicaraguan fiesta for 2012.
:)
note: individual recipes for these dishes will be posted soon. feel free to contact me in the meantime if you have any questions.
