A couple we know came over for dinner on Saturday, 26 September. I became friends with one of them while I was working in Italy, well over 20 years ago. Tempus fugit!
I had planned a menu, as I always do, but what we eventually served differed a little from that plan. The first obstacle was finding fresh endives. There were none to be found in our rather small local supermarkets, so the French endive salad had to go.
I do miss the choice available in the larger supermarkets around Tammisto and Kartanonkoski in Vantaa, near our previous home, where we lived until October 2025. Judging by the selection on the shelves, the shops here seem to have a rather different customer in mind. Just basic veg available. Those of us who enjoy bitter leaves occasionally have to rethink dinner.
We began the evening with Pimm’s. Neither aperitifs nor nibbles belong on the menu card according to the protocol I follow. They do, however, deserve a mention here.
In place of the endive salad, we served Cerignola olives, caper berries, or frutti di cappero, and Parmigiano Reggiano. Our guests had brought the Parmigiano, aged for 36 months, from the International Grand Market on the final day of its Helsinki stop. The tiger prawn curry stayed on the menu, accompanied by baguette for mopping up the sauce.
For the main course, we had barbecued fillets of beef (bought by our friends from a local meat butcher) with rosemary roast potatoes, grilled aubergines, courgettes and peppers, and gremolata. The original menu had left open the choice between gremolata and black pepper sauce, with chimichurri intended for the vegetables. In the end, we went with gremolata. After tasting the tiger prawn curry, made with plenty of coconut cream, I decided that a creamy black pepper sauce was unnecessary.
There was another change at the end of the meal. I had planned to serve roasted chestnuts alongside grapes, figs and pears. Despite it being chestnut season, I could not find any, which was annoying. Obviously, we live in the right house, but in the wrong municipality! The fruit remained, but we served Roquefort, Bleu d’Auvergne and Morbier instead of the chestnuts. These were the cheeses I had intended to use in the endive starter.
The wines were Jean-Baptiste Adam Pinot Gris Réserve 2025 and Prunotto Bansella Nizza 2021, both recommended by a sommelier friend to accompany the dishes.
I like making a printed menu when friends come for dinner. It is also a small record of the occasion.