Pizza Express Italian Salad Dressing

These days the recipe is a closely guarded secret but I found the original version in a 1976 copy of The Pizza Express Cookbook. This isn't what you get in the restaurants these days but it's clear that this is what it evolved from.

1 egg yolk

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp salt

Pinch black pepper

1 tsp French or German mustard

1 tsp brandy

½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

150ml olive oil

75ml white wine vinegar

Oregano

Parsley

This is as subtle and secret as Beethoven's Symphony no, 8 - his 'Little Symphony'. I suggest you listen to this as you make it. Both are lovely.

For me, Lea & Perrins is the only Worcestershire sauce. I'm less fussy about the mustard - many Polish brands are mild and sweet and would be perfect. As you're having raw egg, it must be fresh and organic free range. The recipe doesn't say how much oregano or parsley. I suggest a tablespoon of parsley and half as much of oregano. Both chopped as finely as you can.

Beat the egg yolk until creamy and then beat in the sugar, salt, pepper, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and brandy. Keep beating until it thickens.

Add the oil, slowly at first. Then add the vinegar. Get the boy to taste it and add more sugar or salt if he thinks it needs it. His giving advice will help him think he had a part in getting it just right. And so he did. He thinks the Beethoven CD is Haydn, which is interesting. The 8th Symphony is like Beethoven on holiday.

Now get him to think about the consistency. If it’s too oily, or tastes too much of vinegar, add a little lemon juice. If he thinks it’s too thick, add a little water. He's really enjoying you taking his wisdom into account.

Once he’s happy, add the oregano and finely chopped parsley.

At Pizza Express, salad is mixed leaves, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and a few black olives. I think radishes have their place too.

Nariman Point Chutney Sandwiches

Another sandwich recipe. This one is at about the limit of the boy’s heat tolerance. It’s not often you see potatoes in a sandwich but the green chutney makes it zingy and refreshing rather than stodgy.

Green Chutney

6 tbsp mint leaves

4 tbsp coriander leaves

3 green chillies, deseeded and chopped

Juice of a lime

 Salt

White sandwich bread

Butter, softened

Tomatoes, thinly sliced

Cucumber, thinly sliced

Potatoes, thinly sliced and boiled (cooled)

Quantities for the sandwich ingredients are up to you. Nariman Point is in southern Mumbai, it’s full of expensive skyscrapers – the ideal target for the sandwich wallahs.

To make the chutney, whizz everything up in a food processor or  mini chopper. You’re looking for a smooth paste. Taste – and adjust - if it needs calming down, add a little sugar and whizz again.

In India, white bread rules, if you can find a loaf that is crumbly rather than doughy, that’s what you’re looking for. Don’t stint on the butter if you’re looking for authenticity.

So for each sandwich, butter 2 slices of bread, and spread each with half a teaspoon of chutney. Add one layer each of tomato, cucumber and potato. Sprinkle with salt and top with the other slice. Properly you should quarter this into triangles, though the boy thinks this just slows things down. Make plenty as they are good.

North African Style Lamb Burgers

Friday night is burgers night. Or so the boy announced this morning as we were leaving the house. I do subject him to a lot of meat free meals and he very rarely actually asks for something specific so burgers it is.

500g lamb mince

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 green chilli finely minced

2 shallots finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

A handful of fresh coriander

Sliced onion and tomato to serve

Deli mayonnaise

4 ciabatta rolls

We both like lamb burgers but shop bought ones mostly come with a horrible mint glaze. I prefer this North African influenced version.

Mix the lamb, cumin, ground coriander, shallots, garlic and chilli together. I like to ad the finely chopped coriander stalks as well. Make sure that these and the chilli are as finely chopped as you can manage.

Shape into 4 burgers and chill them so that they firm up.

When the boy is home, warming up, and starting to get chatty, get a griddle pan very hot. Pop the burgers on. The trick is not to turn them too often. Give them about 6 minutes each side.

Split the ciabatta rolls and lightly toast them. Spread with Deli Mayo. By this I mean the commercial kind that is flavoured with whatever takes your fancy. Heinz do a Moroccan flavour which would probably be nice. I’m just a bit against them for canning an advert for their deli mayo a few years ago because of complaints about a gay kiss. Anyway…

Add thin slices of tomato and onion and then top with the burger. Coriander leaves on top and then the other half of the bun.  Press down and hand him his. Tonight there’s no salad, just a couple of burgers and catching up with his day.

Beetroot Hummus

I love beetroot, and am always pleased to see it turn up in the organic box. The young man is suspicious of it, understandably so as his Mum always gave it to him pickled. It can be so much better than that.

50g walnuts

1 tbsp cumin seeds

25g stale bread without crusts

200g cooked beetroot, cubed

1 tbsp tahini

1 large clove garlic, crushed

Juice of a lemon

Salt & pepper

Olive oil

To cook the beetroot, boil it – it will take longer than you think. Peel it when it’s cool. I put newspaper down to avoid turning the kitchen surfaces pink. The skin should just rub off with your fingers.

Dry fry the cumin until it aromatises and then bash in a mortar.

Put the bread and walnuts in a food processor and whizz until finely chopped. Add the beetroot, half the lemon juice, cumin, garlic and salt and pepper. Blend to a thick paste. Loosen with olive oil if it’s too thick. Taste and add more lemon juice or salt & pepper if needed.

To make a meal of this, serve with plenty of toasted flat bread for dipping. Slightly burned bits will add some crunch. Some regular hummus wouldn’t be a bad thing. If shop bought, stir in a good squeeze of lemon juice to perk it up. A chalky goat’s cheese would be good, as would be some marinated green olives and a big jar of Turkish pickles.

Something about the self assembly aspects of this meal appeals to the guy. Make it a picnic by spreading a rug on the floor. Taking him by surprise usually pays off.

Italian Rice & Celery Soup

We both like soup and we have a really fresh looking head of green celery in the organic box. I think you should try to use organic, for this recipe as it tastes so much stronger, and the celery flavour really carries the soup. Surprisingly he thinks celery & rice soup will be quite nice.

450g green celery (ideally organic)

125g floury potato

1 small onion, very finely chopped

2.2 litres veg stock

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

30g unsalted butter

125g Italian short grain rice

Freshly grated parmesan to serve

This is from Northern Italy (properly called Minestra di Riso e Sedano), so I’m putting on a CD of Venetian lute music, to get me and all the ingredients in the right frame of mind. Ideally the rice should be Vialone Nano but any Arborio style will do.

Remove the celery leaves, chop them and set them aside. Run a vegetable peeler down the outside of the celery to remove any stringy bits and chop half of the stalks.

Peel the potato and chop into dice about the same size as the chopped celery and add to a pan with half the oil and half the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer gently until the vegetables are cooked and soft. Pour into a food processor and blend until smooth. Letting it cool a bit will be a good idea.

Wash the saucepan. I was tempted to ask the boy to do this but it’s quicker to just do it.

Add the butter and the rest of the oil, and sauté the onion for about 10 minutes. Cut the rest of the celery into small batons, about 1cm long and then add them to the onion for another 5 mins.

Add the puree and the rest of the stock to the pan, a bit of each at a time to get the thickness you like. When it’s all combined and warmed through, ladle into bowls. Sprinkle on the parsley leaves. Let the boy help himself to the parmesan – there’s no telling how much or how little he will want. Serve with warm, buttered dinner rolls.  

Cassava Chips

I haven’t had these for over 20 years and happened on a cassava root in the Pakistani butchers. The boy has not heard of cassava and doesn’t like the look of it. It is decidedly ‘ethnic’ in his eyes and he thinks it going to be horrible. That said he does like the sound of the chips part.

225g cassava root (or more)

Chilli powder

Lemon juice

Salt

Oil

The ingredients couldn’t be easier once you have the cassava. Peel it under running water, as it discolours very quickly. As the boy’s not persuaded to start with, you don’t want to dissuade him even further. Chop it into very big chips. Boil in salted water for about half an hour. Pat them dry with kitchen towel. In this state the boy is, unsurprisingly, still not convinced.

Get the oil hot in a frying pan or chip pan and fry the cassava chips until they are crisp and golden. Drain on more kitchen paper.

Sprinkle liberally with salt, chilli powder and lemon juice.

It turns out he loves them. They have a sweeter taste than regular chips so the chilli and lemon offsets this nicely. They open out into ridges that run lengthways, which holds the seasoning nicely. He’s trying to remember what the root looks like raw so he can bring home another one. I’m almost dreading to think what root he brings home, thinking it’s cassava.

Tartine Al Pollo

There’s no avoiding the fact that he loves sandwiches, so you may as well try to make him the best. This recipe was originally meant to be an Italian antipasto. It’s ended up his favourite sandwich filling. Would be great for a picnic.

45g butter

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced

4 tbsp marsala wine

2 tbsp sweet mustard

8 slices brown bread

3 lettuce leaves, chopped

1 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped

Salt & pepper

Melt 1 tbsp of the butter with the oil and sauté the chicken until golden. Add the marsala and salt & pepper and cook for about 5 minutes, until the liquid is gone. Remove the chicken and allow it to cool.

Cream the butter with the mustard. Many Polish mustards are mild and sweet so choose something not too overpowering. Also the bread should be as fresh as possible. If he’s having a sandwich lunch, make it as good as it can be.

Spread the butter/mustard on the bread, and top with the lettuce and then the chicken.  Sprinkle with the parsley and top with the other slice of bread. Note this is one of the rare occasions that he will willingly eat brown bread!

Serve with watercress and radishes.

Properly this is an Italian starter but the boy really sees this as lunch, and will want to eat enough of these to make it a meal. Don’t fight it; though do try press the watercress and radishes. Wedges of tomato won’t go amiss either. 

Daoud Basha

These are Lebanese meatballs, named for a 19^th century governer of Mount Lebanon. It’s still just cool enough in the evenings to merit making proper hot dinners.

2 medium onions, grated

750g minced lamb

1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground allspice

100g pine nuts

Vegetable oil

1 kg tomatoes

2 tsp sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp chilli flakes

3 cloves garlic

2 gadgets being used tonight – the grater blade on the food processor and the rice cooker. The boy still complains that making this is too fiddly – mainly because he has to roll the meatballs. We’re listening to a mesmerising radio programme about the Titanic and I think it’s nice to be doing something with our hands.

Grate the peeled onions using the food processor and drain the pulp. Mix it really well with the lamb, cinnamon and allspice (and salt and pepper). Get the boy to roll it into balls the size of a large walnut, and then press a small hole in it. He will push a couple of pine nuts into the hole and then cover it up, by rolling them over again. I think it is this that he finds fiddly, but if he doesn’t help we’ll eat late.

Pour some oil on a plate and roll the meatballs in it to coat, and then cook in an oven at 200/Gas 6 for 15-20 minutes. Get the rice on while this is cooking.

Cut the tomatoes and into big chunks and put them in the food processor with its regular blade. Ideally I would peel them but can’t face it and the food processor does a pretty good job. Add the garlic, chilli flakes, sugar and lemon juice (and a little more salt & pepper). Blitz until you get a smooth sauce.

Pour over the meatballs and give them another 25 – 30 mins in the oven. Spoon over the rice.

Now he’s eating them the boy can see the huge benefit of having pushed the pinenuts into the meatballs – they do have a crunch and flavour of their own. Apart from the sauce, he’s got away without a vegetable tonight.

Beijing Cold Noodles

The boy is all over the place at the moment, with his hectic social life. I am thinking about dishes I can cook and which we can each eat when we are ready.

This is a Beijing dish, traditionally found at the night markets, to be eaten at room temperature.

450g cooked noodles

1 tbsp sesame oil

450g cucumbers

175g bean sprouts

Sauce

1 tbsp finely chopped garlic

1 tbsp grated ginger

2 tsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp sugar

2 ½ tbsp. sesame paste (Tahini)

Another tbsp. sesame oil

1 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp sugar

Toss the cooked noodles in a tablespoon of sesame oil. Peel the cucumbers and slice them in half lengthways. Scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Slice thinly. Add the beansprouts.

Whisk the sauce ingredients together and then combine with everything in a bowl.

Leave the boy his half for whenever he’s home – and chopsticks. A tiny dish of chilli sauce will add finesse and show that you think he’s grownup. 

Anglo-Asian Pork Burgers

Lowell’s taking the evening train home tonight so I’m making him something to have on the train. We had Anglo-Indian brunch so I’m following the same theme. These are sort of burgers served in pitta bread. They are as nice cold as hot.

450g minced pork

½ a medium onion, very finely chopped

100g coriander, chopped

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp salt

Pepper

8 lettuce leaves

4 Pitta breads

Put the pork, onion, coriander, chilli powder, garam masala and salt & pepper in a bowl. Mix it all well. When it’s one big ball, refrigerate for as long as you can. We only have an hour so it will have to do.

Divide the mix into 8, roll into balls and then flatten them into patties. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook until cooked. I think burnt crispy bits are good. Drain well on kitchen paper.

Warm the pitta breads to open them and slice them in half cross ways so you have 2 short pockets, about the right size to hold your burgers. Wrap each one in a lettuce leaf before tucking it into the pitta pocket.

Lowell’s getting 4 of these stood up in a plastic sandwich box, with a small pot of thick yoghurt that has chopped mint, salt & pepper stirred in, for him to dip the burgers in. There's also a small bottle of Perrier, a couple of tangerines and a bundle of paper napkins.  I always miss him and hope that good food will bring him back soon.

Raj Lamb Jhal Faraizi

Lowell is up for the Easter weekend, and as usual we don’t want to waste a minute when we could be in art galleries and museums. So it’s back to the world of brunch. I’m assuming this dish is a version of Jalfrezi- I saw Madhur Jaffrey do it on Saturday Kitchen a few years ago but it’s the only time I’ve seen it made like this.

340g floury potatoes, unpeeled

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

½ tsp whole cumin seeds

1 medium onion, chopped

3 green chillies, chopped

350g leftover slices of roast lamb. Diced

1 tsp salt

Pepper

2 eggs (optional)

We are in part, making this because we have leftover roast lamb but also because Lowell loves spicy food. Boil the potatoes and, once cool, dice them while Low is reading the papers. When he’s done, get him to chop the onion and chillies. There’s a very sweet comedy drama on the radio about ladies who love chocolate.  Lowell gets a smooch!

Heat a frying pan and sizzle the cumin seeds, then add the potato, onion and chilli and cook for 5 minutes. The onion should be translucent. Now add the meat, salt and pepper. Cook for another few minutes. Press down with a spatula so it forms a kind of cake. I think this is the Raj heritage of the dish – it’s sort of like bubble & squeak.

Cook for about 15 minutes, turning the pan so that it browns evenly on the bottom. Break it up and serve.

This is optional but it really does work – in another pan fry two eggs and place one on each plate, on top of the ‘hash brown’ like mixture. Cook the eggs hot so the edges of the white grow brown and crisp. We’re having it with fresh coffee that has had a couple of cardamom pods dropped into the press.

This might seem a bit full on for breakfast but we’ve taken to reading to each other, We’re on The Picture of Dorian Gray, so we’re very much into decadence.

Fully charged we’re ready to see some art! 

Kenyan Spaghetti with Chillies

Originally this was Italian. This version isn’t remotely Italian. It’s African – and it’s good. I had it at Orna's Kitchen in the ABC Plaza in Nairobi. It woke me up in every sense.

½ pack spaghetti

3 hot green chillies

3 cloves garlic

Small bunch parsley

¼ cup god olive oil

Nairobi is a very noisy, dirty town. This dish is robust enough to stand up to it. Sadly Orna's is long gone though she thrives as a cooking teacher now, I believe.

Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of very salty water until al dente. The chillies are the thin, long ones and sliced finely. The garlic and parsley need to be very finely chopped. Warm the olive oil and add the chillies and garlic. Cook slowly, as all you’re doing is thoroughly warming the chillies and garlic in the oil.

I had a cup of Kenya peaberry coffee while this was being made. It doesn’t necessarily go with it but I had no idea how good the spaghetti would be. If you live in Nairobi, buy everything else in Zucchini, next door. Everything’s fresh and you’ll get used to the way the staff follow you around with little plastic bags, bagging everything up as you go.

When the spaghetti is cooked, add the oil and toss well with the chillies, garlic and parsley. The relatively large pieces of chilli make this very hot, and very African. In Italy thw chili will just be flecks. This is what makes this version stand out.

This is just for you, when you’re in the mood to remember. Your guy almost certainly won’t get this. It’s too raw, too harsh. But it’s how it was. Have this for lunch on your own, it’s good to remember. Spaghetti is not just for Bolognese. It’s surprisingly good, served as simply as this.

My other discovery that year was Haydn’s cello concerti. I recommend them to you equally.

Steak with Peanut Sauce & Salsa Verde

This is a real treat. It’s Cal-Mex (Californian with a Mexican inspiration – this dish originates in LA). The boy loves the sound of this. He thinks a soundtrack of Nirvana would suit the cooking, but as I’m doing the work he has to put up with Turandot because I’m feeling epic!

2 x 300g steaks, about 2cm thick

Olive oil

1 clove garlic, peeled & halved

Peanut Sauce

100g roasted peanuts, skins removed

50g sesame seeds

1 tsp each dried oregano and cumin seeds

A few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked off

1 dried chipotle chilli, crumbled

3 cloves garlic, finely sliced

100ml extra virgin olive oil

25ml rum

Juice of 1 lime

2 green chilies

Salt & pepper

Salsa Verde

Small bunch coriander

Small bunch mint, leaves picked off

1 clove garlic

2 chillies, deseeded

4 spring onions

2 tomatoes, roughly chopped

Juice of 1-2 limes

Start with the Peanut sauce. Toast the nuts and sesame seeds in a dry frying pan for a few minutes.  Add the cumin, thyme, oregano, chillies, garlic and chipotle. After another minute, tip into a blender, along with the lime juice, rum salt & pepper and oil. Add 200ml water. Blitz until shiny and smooth. Check for seasoning and add more lime juice if needed. (or indeed rum!)

Next the Salsa verde which is fresh and zingy, to offset the rich peanut sauce. Surprisingly, the boy wants to help – I suspect only so it will be ready quicker, so he’s doing all the chopping here.  Set aside a few big coriander leaves for garnish. Get a decent sized sharp knife and chopping board and chop together the coriander (stalks and all) with the mint leaves, chillies, garlic, tomatoes & spring onions. You want it quite fine, so keep chopping back and forth. Sprinkle over salt and pepper and squeeze over the lime juice.  Taste to check the balance.

The steaks should be at room temperature – go for the cut you like. The boy’s favourites are sirloin or rib eye – either would be good. We’re having rib eye this time.  By now he’s just loitering in the kitchen. There’s a particularly dramatic bit at the end of Act 1 of Turandot and I’m pleased that he wants to know what’s going on. Get a griddle pan very hot. For medium you’ll want around 3 minutes each side. Rub the steak with the garlic half while it’s in the pan and season.

When done put the steaks aside to rest. Warm the peanut sauce – it only needs warming, not cooking. Spread some on each plate – you won’t need all of it. Slice each steak into 3 or 4 thick pieces and place on top of the sauce. Pour the resting juices over. Top with some salsa verde and garnish with the reserved coriander leaves.  I’ve been saving a bottle of Rioja Crianza just for this.  The boy opened it about the time we started cooking, so it’s had time to breathe.  He is happy, chatty and increasingly giggly throughout the evening.

Dhal Makhani

I had this at the Bangalore Express, a strange restaurant, in which diners sit in booths set on top of each other, sort of like bunk beds. The waiters have to climb ladders to serve the diners at the top. This was ordered by a Pakistani friend and when it arrived; our Indian friend said “This should be good.” He was right – It was.

400g Urad dhal rinsed

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3 onions sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

5 green cardamom pods

1 stick of cinnamon (about 3 cm long)

4 cloves

¼ tsp pepper

1 tsp cumin

2 tsp chilli powder

3 green chillies, chopped

1 tsp grated ginger

2 tbsp single cream

Soak the dhal for 30 mins, and drain. Place in a heavy based pan and cover with water. Season and cook for 20 mins or until most of the water has cooked off.

It’s a bit of a gamble, whether the boy will like this – my only point of reference is that he likes baked beans!

Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onions until golden. Set half aside for garnish. Add the garlic to the remaining half and give it another minute or so.

Remove the seeds from the cardamom and place in a mortar with the cinnamon and cloves. Pound to a powder. 

Tip the dhal into the pan with the onions and fry lightly. Add 250ml water and the ground spices, along with the chillies and ginger. Cook over a low heat until the sauce thickens. Stir in the cream and garnish with the reserved onions.

We’re having with warm naan bread and a salad of thinly sliced onion, carrot, cucumber and radish, dressed with lemon juice.

Salsa Salad

This is a great idea – stolen from Hugh Fearnely Whittingstall. He asks, when does a salad become a salsa? Basically it depends how finely you chop it. Perfect for warm days, especially served with a fresh, milky ball of mozzarella, or two.

500g ripe vine tomatoes

1 medium red onion

2 tbsp capers

A good squeeze of lemon juice

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

A small handful of chopped coriander

A tbsp. of mint or basil leaves

Good salt & pepper

Simplicity. Stick some 80’s pop classics on and chop the tomatoes and onion. Chuck in a bowl with the capers – I do prefer the salt preserved kind. Whisk the oil and lemon together with the salt and pepper and pour over. I like an acidic dressing and so use half a lemon, though feel free to use much less. Add the chopped herbs.

We’re having this with toasted sourdough, sliced avocado and torn mozzarella – actually it’s a hearty starter to some Italian tomato soup – bought, not home-made.

Some variations to the salsa-salad – I do use coriander a lot so the boy might appreciate flat leaf parsley and Thai Basil instead. I do usually grow both, though it’s a bit early for them right now. A mild chilli chopped into the salad would better reflect its salsa origin, though he certainly won’t appreciate that.

Strange Taste Chicken

It was warm enough to have lunch outside today so a Sichuan dish known sometimes as Strange Taste Chicken, or Bon Bon chicken because of the pounding sound when you bash the spices. It’s served cold – well room temperature not fridge cold. The spinach is Korean but I think it works with the chicken, at room temperature. I’m not telling the boy his lunch is called Strange Taste Chicken. He’s very quick to conceive a prejudice against anything he hasn’t had before.

400g skinless chicken breasts

3 cm cube of ginger

1 clove garlic

2 tbsp sesame paste (Tahini)

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp sesame oil

4 tsp light soy

2 ½ tsp chilli oil

½ tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns

Salt

1 spring onion

1 rib of celery

A handful of chopped coriander (Leaves and stems)

Start with the sauce. Put aside ½ a cm of the ginger and grate the rest. Crush the garlic and then combine it with the ginger, sesame paste, chilli oil, sesame oil, sugar and Sichuan peppercorns. Mix it really well.

Pop the chicken breasts (Sliced into strips) in a pan and just cover it with water. Add the salt, the spring onion and the ½ cm of ginger that you (hopefully set aside). Bring to the boil and then turn down the heat until it’s cooked through. It won’t take long so test regularly.

Fish out the chicken but don’t throw the poaching liquid away. Cool the chicken under cold water and then tear it into long, fairly thick shreds. Take 3 tbsp of the cooking water and add it to your sauce.

Chop the celery into very fine dice and then combine the chicken, celery and sauce. Leave it to settle for an hour or so and garnish with the coriander.

Seasoned Spinach

275g spinach leaves

1 ½ tbsp. sesame seeds

1 ½ tbsp. Japanese soy sauce

Salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp sesame oil

The cross over of some of these ingredients should make this work together. Wilt the spinach in whatever way suits you. I like just a sprinkle of water in a covered pan. When done, plunge into cold water which will set the colour. Drain as well as you can.

Toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan and then give them a bash with a pestle & mortar. They should be coarsely broken, not a fine powder. Mix with the other ingredients and pour over the spinach and mix well. Check to see if it needs any more soy.

Serve both dishes at room temperature and with a big bowl of hot rice.

The boy did like both of these – we ate with chopsticks just to add a little flair to the occasion. He is surprisingly deft with them, though he is wearing a very old t-shirt which is full of holes, as insurance. We had a bottle of Gewürztraminer to go with it. We had it on the patio. After two thirds of the bottle the boy starts suggesting work he’d like to do to the garden. We shall see.