Goji's Kitchen Blog

Last Monday night saw the first of several poetry explorations of the work of poets from around the world. Fynn Stirm, our local poet in residence, shared the work of Fernando Pessoa from Portugal . An informal group enjoyed to listen to his work and his unusual life story, and to share some wine and a small buffet laid on for the evening

Next Monday we will hear about Christy Brown from Ireland (played by Daniel Day Lewis in the acclaimed film ‘My Left Foot’) Why not come along…its free entrance….and a  glass of wine and some delicious food will cost you only £5

I was thinking whether to do some Irish recipes…what comes to mind/ Soda Bread, Irish stew…Boxty. Boxty?

At any rate we will have some Irish coffee on the go……you know; hot coffee served in a glass with some whiskey in the bottom and a thick layer of fresh cream floating on the top

Meanwhile in the kitchen Paul has made his first batch of Pavola’s and tomorrow we are going to fill them with cream and fresh strawberries. Paul says he likes his meringue to be hard all the way through, but I think it should be crisp on the outside and then slightly chewy inside.  They are drying out in the oven overnight, so let’s hope they are good and we will see .

They will really complement one of our Chase fruit liquors we have just added to the menu. Made with English potato vodka …..that’s unique…and their own hand picked organic fruit…...and apparently Chase just scooped a top world prize for their vodka in the Spirit’s championship held in San Fran.

And in the Goji garden the purple kohl rabi is ready. I think I have to put them on this weekend’s menu freshly sautéed with some butter and lemon. Our own strawberries have not yet made it to Goji…….they are just too irresistible. But more are on the way.

Paul’s Pecan Pie is really getting noticed by our customers…..we have had yet another compliment for him today……..on the pastry this time. I am getting jealous!

Also made a trial batch of beanburgers which turned out well; with a view to putting them on the new menu. They are really nutritious because they have red kidney beans, rice and chopped vegetables in them, and they are Vegan too. Just one on its own is a tasty and wholesome balanced snack

Back again, was Buckwheat Bake; a favourite from last summer. We will be putting it on the specials tomorrow. It is not often that we eat buckwheat, but it is very versatile. Why not use it uncooked as a crunchy topping on rice or soups or in salad?

Mother’s Day coming up. I think we are going to put on a roast dinner and have some familiar and more unusual sweets for mum to choose from…how about rice pudding with maple syrup , a touch of rosewater and sultanas, hazelnuts and double cream? My mother used to cook rice pudding every Sunday and we would fight over who got the caramelised brown skin on top.  And for a more festive touch we are going to attempt a Neopolitan Cheesecake with three layers. Not going to take bookings , but hopefully everyone will get a table over the day. See you there! Bring a mum!

Our first weekend of opening evenings went very well with Haggis Puffs by far the most popular item on our menu; they looked amazing perched on top of a bed of celeriac mash, surrounded by a rich mushroom and red wine gravy and scattered with freshly steamed greens and the intensely black ‘black pudding’. (well, it was Burn’s night) People said they tasted ‘meaty’, and although I haven’t tasted meat for over 35 years I know what they mean. It is a very warming, hearty meal and we are going to keep them on the menu for a little while.

Unsurprisingly for starters many customers chose the Pea and Halloumi fritters. Peas are totally underrated , but not only can we appreciate their fresh green colour, they also are delicious when fried with salty halloumi and mint . Goes so well with baked vine tomatoes and the lemon yoghurt; we know as we tasted quite a few to test the recipe!

Another popular item was the Vegetable Korma; vegetables sweated down in ghee, spices and coconut milk with just enough besan (chick pea flour) to thicken the sauce, and freshly squeezed grated ginger, with a touch of chilli to give it a mild kick. No onions or garlic for a change…just some asafoetida instead to give it that oniony background .It won’t blow your socks off so you can’t distinguish the flavours, so you should be able to taste quite a few different spices in there as well. We topped the dish with some paneer curd cheese, which gives the dish another texture as it is quite chewy. Paneer is quite easy to make. If you want to make your own paneer have a look at this:

Gita, our part time sous chef who is originally from Slovakia, had made a pumpkin chutney which complimented everything nicely.

For dessert, the poached pears were a hit, standing up on the plate draped in a dark warm chocolate sauce and served with a ball of organic icecream. They were ‘worth waiting for’. I put a touch of cognac in the sauce, but not too much because we still want to taste the anise, vanilla and cinnamon that the pears were poached in……well, see you next time…time to plan the menu for Valentine’s Day.