So… the hen weekend came and went and was a success in more than just the culinary sense. My diplomat friend managed to haul me out of the anti-marriage hole I was digging myself, which was handy given the nature of the festivities.
On the Friday night, we had a ‘euro’ themed evening, which meant lots of dressing up and amusing music. Of course, it also meant that I felt obliged (in the bride’s defence, I was compelled only by myself) to provide no less that 18 dishes from different countries. Just for the hell of it, I’m going to list the menu here:
1. Salade nicoise
2. Rillettes (sourced painstakingly from England, despite their being a French delicacy)
3. Quiche lorraine
4. Calamari (frozen, I’m afraid)
5. Piquillo pepper, butter bean, cherry tomato and chorizo salad
6. Lamb borek
7. Spinach and feta borek (both from the nice man in the Turkish bakery)
8. Taramasalata (also from the UK – where does one find such things in Holland?)
9. Olives
10. Humus
11. Baba ghanoush
12. Tortilla (to rival even Andrea’s!)
13. English sausages-on-sticks
14. Bruschetta
15. Mozzarella and parma ham (these latter four didn’t actually get eaten on the night because I’d bought such a ridiculous quantity of food)