This is somewhere between a soup and an appetizer.
Serve with pita or bread for dipping.
Serve warm or at room temperature, as a side dish or an appetizer with bread or pita.
Some people think they don't like curry powder; they assume it's spicy--but it's spiced, not spicy. If you have those kinds of guests at a party, just call this a cheese ball and don't mention the curry until after they've eaten a whole bunch and want to know the source of the unbelievable flavor.
These fresh roll-ups have an impudent edge. Where most Vietnamese rolls depend on a dipping sauce for spark, here the sparks are flying inside the roll -- with garlic shrimp, hoisin noodles, mint, basil and lime and crisp marinated vegetables.
You will love what happens to radishes and carrots in this pickle -- one turns a sheer sunset pink while the other practically pulsates orange. Chinese pickles are a cook's great cheat. In an elaborate Chinese menu, they save you from having to pull off time-consuming appetizers while they tune up palates for what's to come. Although these pickles are Chinese in origin, they happily pair up with a burger, a bowl of beans, or a plate of grilled chicken.
We have several farmhouse goat-cheesemakers in Ireland. We use Ardsallagh goat cheese, St. Tola from Inagh in County Clare is also heaven, as is Gortnamona from Cooleeney farm in County Tipperary and Corleggy from County Cavan.
This recipe comes from my brother Rory O'Connell. During the 5-6 weeks when wild garlic is in season, it is woven in and out of the menu at the School every day. There are two types of wild garlic: the wider-leafed Allium ursinum, which grows in shady places along the banks of streams and in undisturbed mossy woodland; and Allium triquetrum, with long thin leaves, which grows alongside roadsides and country lanes. The latter is also known as the three-cornered leek or snowbell because it resembles white bluebells.
Popular in Emilia-Romagna's countryside, thin slices of coarse-grained bread are rubbed with garlic, lightly toasted, then topped with pancetta and run under the broiler. On a lazy Sunday afternoon with friends, set out the antipasto and invite everyone to help themselves.