The first Wooden Spoon Club meeting for 2019 was a whole new discovery for me. Russell Norman, the award-winning restaurateur, writer and broadcaster was put to the test and wow what an impression he made. I have to admit I had never heard of him before and having just culled my rather large cookery book collection, I was reluctant to buy any new books, so I went on line and managed to find an article on him and chose from the few recipes given. By the end of the evening, I was totally in love with his style and had ordered my first of his three books. Apologies as these photos don’t do the dishes justice.

Canapé:

*  Anchovy & Chickpea Crostini

Starter 1: 

   

* Fennel, radish & mint salad with ricotta

* Bresaola, celeriac, radish & parsley

 

Starter 2:

 

* Prawn frittata

* Courgette, Basil, Rocket salad – lemon oil Parmesan dressing

Main & Side:

 

* Duck in Tomato Sauce

* Ribollita (reboiled) mixed veg carrot cavil cannelloni beans

 

Dessert:

 

* Olive oil cake

* Bourbon Brownies

Overall Conclusion:

We all loved this chap, simple food – perfectly cooked. I had limited time and needed to cook something in advanced so opted to make his prawn frittata. Eaten as a starter on this occasion, it would be perfect for a picnic too.  I can’t wait to try out his ‘Venice – Four Seasons of Home Cooking’ cookery book especially on my Italian sister-in-law. In the meantime, I am going to have to make room for his other two books, ‘Polpo – a Venetian Cookbook (Of Sorts)’ and ‘Spuntino – Comfort Food’ (New York Style) and of course visit his London restaurant under the same name – Spuntino.

Next meeting we will be discovering the delights of ‘Olive’ Magazine.