Yesterday I went to a 'World Vegetarian Demonstration' given by Celia Brooks at Divertimenti Cookery School in London. Wasn't sure what it would be like but I was more than pleasantly surprised. Unusually I was the first to arrive and spend 20 minutes or so wandering around their fantastic cookery store and as usual ended up in the book section.
The school has the capacity for about 24 people and provides an intimate setting. It was a real bonus that Celia Brooks is very hot. Well if you're going to be looking at someone for about three hours its much easier if it is a beautiful woman.
The demonstration was delivered in a relaxed friendly style, inviting comments from the audience and inviting and answering questions as she went along. Gorgeous as she was, the real star was her food. She started off with her version of IDLI delicious light steamed dumplings served with TOMATO & CASHEW CHUTNEY which had a real zip to it. Idli is a traditional breakfast dish from Kerala, Southern Indian, but these little dumplings were too good to be restricted to breakfast. In fact I am making them today.
The second dish was ITAL RICE a coconut and okra rice from Jamaica that Celia fondly referred to as /rasta risotto. This could easily blow your head off if you add too much Scotch Bonnet Chilli, but the chillies were cut in half and fished out before serving and for me it was just the perfect amount of heat balanced with the coconut cream.
From Jamaica to Georgia for the next dish called KHACHAPURI a cheese bread traditionally made with Suluguni cheese, Celia replaced it with a mix of salty Feta and the slightly sweet caramel flavour of Gouda. A real cheese lovers delight and just right for lunch on a cold winter's day. The smells of fresh bread and melted cheese wafting around the school kitchen when this was removed from the oven was heavenly.
The dessert dish was one from Tunisia called MHALBI which is an orange flower custard served chilled with toasted almonds sprinkled on top. A really light delicately fragranced custard which I shall be adapting as i have some Rose petal water to use, so look out for that.
The last dish was PENANG ROJAK, a sweet chilli fondue with fruit and cucumber. I think this was my WOW dish of the day for its simplicity and taste sensation. The most simple and quickest to make, but the flavours, oh my! from the sweetness of the tropical fruit, you then get the salt come through followed by the zingy citrus chilli hit. I always like to eat fruit at the start of the meal and what better way to enjoy it.
I think most of the recipes are from World Vegetarian Classics by Celia Brooks Brown which is available on www.amazon.co.uk or your local bookshop
Visit Celia at: http://celiabrooksbrown.com/
and Divertimenti at http://www.divertimenti.co.uk/
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