The End of the Silk Road - 25th June 2011

Post date: 08-Jun-2011 17:53:21

In fact the Silk Road was never one road but many, snaking from China through Central Asia and ending up in Georgia, Turkey and Syria. Caravans of hundreds of camels would travel together for security, stopping in Caravanserais with large water cisterns in the middle of the desert for "refueling". Check out our facebook page for an album of photos of caravanserais on www.facebook.com/parkholmesupperclub

I've been fascinated by it for years, and I'd love to do a whole Silk Road menu starting in China, but I've yet to find a good Mongolian recipe (the search is on!). I've visited this end of it but I have to admit that the lack of good food on quite a lot of it has put me off visiting other parts. (Kymiss, fermented mare's milk, anyone? or Yak Butter Tea?!!) Forget the vegetables, there aren't any.

The Menu: (there will be plenty of food for vegetarians on this menu, don't worry!)

Starters:

Yayla Çorbas¹ - Turkish Chicken, Rice and Yoghurt soup

Khachapuri - absolute classic Georgian cheese bread

Georgia:

Chicken Satsivi - Chicken in a walnut sauce

Patlijiani - Aubergines stuffed with walnut-garlic paste

Georgian Salad - dressed with real toasted sunflower oil and herbs

Turkey:

Kofte - lamb meatballs wrapped in courgettes and Aubergines

Fasulye - green beans with tomato

Yo»urtlu Havuç Salatas¹ - carrot and yoghurt salad

Syria:

Damascene kibbeh - lamb baked in a tray, a typical Damascene Sunday lunch

Sebernih Bezzet - Spinach with onions

Hirak Isbaoo - Damascene lentil dish with pasta

Dessert:

Ma'amoul - classic Ottoman delicate date-stuffed pastries

For those that have followed my menus closely, you'll see Turkish on the menu for the first time. This is because I've been taking Turkish cooking lessons with a friend's mother; her kofte take some beating :-)

I hope you can join us for our delicious dinner. Cost will be £30 of which £25 goes direct to MSF. Please mail me with bookings on parkholmesupperclub@hotmail.co.uk

Alicia