Yesterday we had the singular pleasure of an invitation to celebrate a friend's birthday. Alex is Polish (hence the title - pronounced Nah zdroh-vee-eh, and meaning cheers, or good health), and Elisabeth planned a traditional long lunch to celebrate.
Another great friend, Leigh, would have been in heaven at the sight of the table, and I am sure that one day I may have to attempt to recreate the feast for my own enjoyment as well as his! The hero of the feast was that magical beast, the pig. We sat down to lunch a little after two, and eight o'clock had well and truly chimed before we finally got up from the table.
Everything we ate was glorious, and I fear I may not need (as opposed to want...) to eat for at least a week! The hero dishes (read magical, piggy goodness) were as follows:
- Pork fillet wrapped in prosciutto, with grilled cherry tomato and olive
- Crumbed pork fillet
- Roasted loin
- Slow roasted leg
- Pork and cabbage rolls
- Sausage, braised with sauerkraut
- Beans wrapped in bacon
- Pierogi, (kind of like a ravioli, and filled with pork, and topped with ham)
- Beetroot, slow cooked with apple, vinegar and pork lard
After dessert, we had a few snacks... More roast pork, a selection of russian style smallgoods, and the crackled skin.
Don't fear, we did eat more than the oink! The table had its share of 'girly greens' (to paraphrase Leigh) in the form of pickled vegetables, gherkins and traditional polish salad (Lettuce, shallot, radish, sour cream and dill). Naturally potatoes featured (and not just in the vodka), and what was interesting was that the Ocker style salad was hardly touched.
The whole afternoon was a masterclass in the art of the 'Long Lunch', and the food and company was glorious. To share in Alex's celebrations, it was only right to share a vodka with Alex, Raf and Martin. And then another, until the bottle was gone. They were right though - there is a right way to drink good vodka. It comes from the freezer, and the vodka glass is accompanied by food and another glass. The accompanying glass yesterday changed from water to lemonade to coffee. Sounds odd, but it worked! At one point I did let sensibility enter into the equation, and opted out of a vodka toast. Alex and Elisabeth very kindly gave me a glass of "Spirt" instead. (Unsure of spelling, but that is how it sounded). This was a raw spirit (read moonshine), infused with black lilac flowers made by Elisabeth's mother (now in her nineties) and guaranteed to prevent stomach illnesses. It really was good, but in terms of relative potency it leaves the vodka deep in its shade!
We also had an education in another old Eastern European health remedy - vodka infused with black pepper. It sounds deadly, but again is actually really good. I can't remember what it is good for, but am happy to take it as a preventative medicine regime!
The dessert was really interesting. Elisabeth made a pavlova, and tried a new recipe that has salt in the mix. The resulting flavour was like a salted caramel. It was really pleasant, and certainly something I want to try next time I have a surplus of egg whites!
The bounty on the table was countered by the conversation. We were fortunate to have Alex and Elisabeth share their recollections of life behind the Iron Curtain. It was another reminder of just how lucky I have been in life. Whilst we have seen some hard times, they really have been 'first world problems', and nothing to what others have experienced, and still do across the world.
