Village Raw - ISSUE 6

VILLAGE RAW
FOOD & DRINK
This page: Plates by Melisa Dora with lobster tails.
Previous page: Shannon Bartlett-Smith toasting the
supper club table with her ceramic champagne flutes.
to make them. Thrown Contemporary is celebrating its first birthday
tonight, and Claire is happily watching the gallery come alive
with conversation. “I do love the ceramic converts that these
events have inspired,” the director says. “We get a whole range
of people coming to these supper clubs, including lots of foodies
who have been intrigued by the idea.” A recent guest was Andrew
Marr, of BBC fame, who was exhibiting some of his paintings (yes,
he paints). “It made for some very interesting table chat – and
some very surprised guests – when they realised it was THE Andrew
Marr they were having dinner with,” she tells me.
By the time the spectacular dessert is served, one half
of the table appears to be best friends and exchanging hugs.
This in spite of the fact that two glasses of red wine have been
knocked over – luckily all the ceramics are still intact – and one
of the guests sporting a large stain on his shirt. A sign of a good
dinner party, I’d say. •
Thrown Contemporary’s supper clubs cost £60pp for six courses
and a welcome cocktail. Wine is available from £20 per bottle.
To book, visit: www.throwncontemporary.co.uk/supperclub
Fabulous 698B are on Instagram: @fabulous698b
You can see more of Tom Kemp’s work: @tom_kemp_
LOCAL SUPPER CLUBS TO TRY
BLUE GODS BUTTER
Amit Sibal and his wife Aditi throw open
the doors of their Bowes Park house for
up to 12 people. Their menus are Indianinspired,
with some Mediterranean and North
African twists. Courses vary, £30-40pp, BYO.
Instagram: @blue_gods_butter
BARAVIN AT LA DINETTE
Once a month La Dinette hosts Baravin –
delicious small plates and deserts, natural
wines and impeccable cocktails. For details
pop into the cafe or check their
Instagram: @ladinettemacarons
JOGINDER’S SUPPER CLUB
Saira and Rani have been hosting up to 12
people in their Tufnell Park home for 10 years.
Even one of Obama’s speech writers has been a
guest. Expect Punjabi food influenced by family
recipes. Vegetarian and gluten-free diets are
catered for. Nine courses, £35pp, BYO.
www.jogindersupperclub.com
THE GLASS KITCHEN
Hosted by Spanish chef Francisco Capel and
his partner Ian at their home in Crouch End,
they can seat up to 14. The menus reflect
Mediterranean and Asian influences. Three
courses, welcome cocktail, canapès, petit
fours and homemade liqueur. BYO. Prices vary.
www.theglasskitchensupperclub.co.uk
THE CROUCH END SECRET SUPPER CLUB
Host Catherine Coulson can have up to 24
people in her Crouch Hill home. She focuses
on seasonal produce and some of the dinners
are accompanied by chamber music. Five
courses (veggie options), complimentary
cocktail and canapès, BYO, £35pp.
crouchendssc@hotmail.com
THROUGH THE WOODS
Once a supper club, chef Chris Slaughter
has made his concept permanent in an intimate
space in Crouch End. The focus is on seasonal
and sustainable food. There is a single
sitting at 8pm (Thursday to Sunday)
and a changing, plant-focused set menu.
www.throughthewoods.london
RENAISSANCE CAFE SUPPER CLUBS
Once a month Bounds Green’s Renaissance
Cafe hosts a themed supper club – whether
it’s Spanish, a seasonal feast, influenced
by the Savoie region of the French Alps,
or April’s Fawlty Towers themed evening -
with proprietor Paul Handley taking on
the role of Basil.
www.facebook.com/rerenaissancemusicltd
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY BLUE GODS BUTTER.
BLUE GODS
BUTTER
Amit Sibal is not a trained chef but a civil
servant. This has not stopped him throwing
open the doors to his house in Bowes
Park for a supper club that takes inspiration
from across the world. Some of the
food comes from his family’s native Punjab
and other recipes are more of an interpretation,
with influences from the Mediterranean
and North Africa.
He admits to being obsessed with food
and has cooked for as long as he can remember.
His wife Aditi, a solicitor, designs
the menus and table plans. They can host
up to 12 guests for a sit-down dinner in
their home.
“The idea of being able to share our
food in a more intimate setting and getting
to meet new people really appealed,” says
Amit. He even enjoys the pressure of cooking
for relative strangers. “We are hoping to
meet new people from the local community
and beyond, creating shared memories
through food. We also get a chance to continue
trying and testing new recipes.”
BAINGAN BHARTA
(BAKED AUBERGINE PURÉE)
This traditional North Indian dish is a great
way to cook aubergines, is simple to follow,
and will impress at any dinner party.
INGREDIENTS (FOR FOUR PEOPLE)
2 aubergines
Rapeseed/vegetable oil
1 medium onion
2 cloves of garlic
200g tinned chopped tomatoes
Handful of fresh baby plum/cherry
tomatoes, chopped in half (optional)
2 teaspoons sea salt flakes
1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
(or more if you like it hot!)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
50g fresh or frozen peas
Garnish (all optional):
Fresh coriander
Pomegranate seeds
Pickled mooli
Roasted grapes
METHOD
Preparing the aubergines
If you are confident enough and have the
option, you’ll get a better result by blistering
and charring the aubergines over an
open flame (gas hob or barbecue). If not, a
grill or oven will do just fine.
Take your aubergines and use a fork to
prick the skin on all sides.
Place them on a foil-covered baking
tray and put them under the grill or in an
oven (pre-heated to 200C) for thirty minutes.
Turn the aubergines occasionally so
that they cook evenly on all sides. Once
the skins are seriously wrinkly and the
flesh is soft to the centre, take them out
and set aside.
The rest
While the aubergines are cooking, finely
chop your onions and garlic.
Once the aubergines are safe to touch,
but still warm, remove and discard the
stalk. Peel the skins (save for a veggie
stock or soup or discard).
Slice the aubergines so that you are
left with small strips each about 1cm thick.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium
heat. Gently fry the onions until they
start to brown. Add the garlic and cumin
and fry for a further 30 seconds.
Add the chopped and fresh tomatoes,
salt and red chilli powder. Stir well and fry
for another minute.
Stir in the aubergine, and turn the
heat down low (otherwise it’ll burn). Cover
and cook for about 10 minutes. The water
should evaporate and the colour of the
aubergine will change.
Throw in the peas and cook for a further
30 seconds. The residual heat will ensure
that that the peas are cooked through.
Taste and season as required.
TO SERVE
Place the bharta on your serving dish.
Garnish as you like. You can always add
some fresh coriander and sprinkle some
pomegranate seeds. If you’re feeling fancy,
you can swap out the pomegranate
seeds for some roasted grapes for a different
texture, or for some pickled mooli
for a balance between sharp and sweet. •
You can follow Blue Gods Butter on Instagram:
@blue_gods_butter
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