"This is fruity and soft, but my palate takes me somewhere else," said a customer from Washington, D.C., bread-mopping up several triglycerides on the tasting table until she settled on 1492, an olive oil whose savor she described as "buttery at first, and then a splash of pepper kicks in" ($11 for 8.7 ounces).
Add chopped coriander and serve it hot with a splash of pepper powder.
Two other appetizer show-stoppers were a trio of large roasted sea scallops under a thatch of crispy fried leeks set over a splash of red pepper coulis, and an amalgam of chunks of fork-tender octopus, cannellini beans and a flavor-packed tomato broth with garlic toasts ringing the bowl.
My cupboard, in fact, is an old glass-fronted pharmacy cabinet from Indonesia, where big and small jars show off a splash of scarlet chile peppers, the crinkle of tree ear fungus and the tawny browns of whole dried shiitake.
Serves 4-6 asideside 3 tbsp olive oil 1 aubergine, cut into 1cm square dice 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 400g tin of chopped tomatoes ½ tsp sugar A pinch of ground allspice A pinch of cayenne pepper A splash of balsamic vinegar Salt and black pepper Chopped coriander, mint or parsley 1 In a large frying pan, heat up the olive oil and saute the diced aubergine until golden brown.
Mexican Food Made Simple by Thomasina Miers (Hodder & Stoughton, £20) Serves 4 250g dried figs, finely chopped 250ml red wine 125ml port 500g red onions, sliced into thin rounds 50g butter 8 beetroot puff pastry 80g St Tola cheese ½ clove garlic, crushed 1 tsp thyme leaves, chopped a splash of milk salt and pepper Marinate the figs in the red wine and port – leave for at least half an hour.
Finish with a sprinkling of seeds, another splash of dressing and a grind of pepper.
Just the conch, a little olive oil, a splash of orange, red onion, bell pepper, garlic".
Then toss with about a half-cup each of yogurt and mayonnaise sharpened with a splash of rice vinegar, salt and pepper.
Serves 2 160g mature cheddar, sliced 4 slices of good quality white bread, such as sourdough 100g roasted broccoli A good pinch of black pepper A splash of Worcestershire sauce 50g butter 1 Divide the cheese equally between two pieces of bread.
Ingredients: Sweet potatoes (about 500g with skins on) 100g spinach 1 medium egg, whisked with a fork A few sprigs of coriander, stalk and leaves chopped 3 spring onions, chopped Small piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated Splash of lemon juice Salt and pepper To serve: Asparagus Salad leaves Microwave the sweet potato for 10 minutes or until soft to the centre.
