Spring Chicken

Surprise!!!

Caroline and Diane showed up on Kaarina's doorstep on a Saturday morning with all the ingredients for the meal and to sing happy birthday. Kaarina looked lovely in her pj's and shivered graciously as she stood on her porch in sub-zero temperatures. 

We were celebrating Kaarina's birthday with an aptly chosen theme: Spring Chicken; the menu pulled from one of her favourite cookbooks, Simple, by chef Ottolenghi. The meal was curated in his book as a weekend lunch with friends. Yotam's recipes may be the contributing factor for the Middle Eastern flavours of preserved lemon, z'atar and tahini that have become pantry staples for the Epitourists these past few years.

Later in the day we enjoyed our lunch together via Zoom: 

Menu :Spring roast chicken and sides

 Spring roast chicken with preserved lemon 

 New potato with peas and cilantro 

Chopped salad with tahini and za'tar 

Sesame and hazelnut rolls 

Kaarina and Mike were both delighted by the birthday treat. Laura and Peter joined the virtual festivities from Wolfe Island while they carried out duties required for baking multiple loaves at their wood oven bakery.

Caroline had prepped the spring roast chicken with preserved lemon ahead of time so all we needed to do was place it in the oven and allow the heavenly scents of preserved lemon and garlic to waft through our houses to whet our appetites. Kaarina's and Mike's version was a Cornish hen, sized for two. New potato with peas and cilantro was a well-chosen side and delicious combination. Jimmy, Caroline's husband, agreed the lunch a welcome winter break.

Diane prepared the chopped salad with tahini and z'atar. The salad was fresh and colourful, a wonderful antidote for a winter afternoon. The tomato's texture was made more dense by removing the seeds and juice, and feta added salty zing. Tahini and z'atar completed the Middle Eastern profile.

Diane's husband Rob made the sesame hazelnut rolls, such nice bite-sized treats. The perfect accompaniment with coffee.