featured in this issue - NZIFST - The New Zealand Institute of Food ...

Branch Activities
NZIFST
Canterbury
End of year dinner
At the end of November twenty-two members and guests
gathered at the Food Company and Cafe in Christchurch for
some entertainment and a meal. To start, everyone was given a
teaspoon full of alphabet pasta to arrange into any words they
thought appropriate. Those who enjoyed less academic pursuits
were then encouraged to use some small cubes of cheese and
various pasta shapes to create a sculpture. Some found that
kneading the cheese to form a structural putty was very effective.
The main fare of the night was provided by the enthusiastic
manager and chef Nik Mavromatis who prepared an Italian
meal in front of us. First he explained the different flours (“00”
and fine semolina) that are used to make pasta and how the
proportions of these depend on the type of product to be made.
With a little mixing, kneading and a home pasta roller he made
it look easy to produce various forms of pasta. To this he added
a simple but delicious olive oil/garlic/parsley/chilli sauce.
Meanwhile, in the main kitchen, his assistant ensured there
was enough for all to enjoy. The main dish of lamb tagine used
Moroccan Morgues lamb sausages from The Real Sausage Company,
with lots of vegetables, dried fruit and seasoning. For
the mouth-watering finale he produced a Tiramisu from scratch
with particular attention paid to the zabaglione (custard doesn’t
do it justice) that gives it the distinctive luxuriousness.
Nik’s enthusiasm and passion for food rubbed off on us all
as we enjoyed much more than a meal out together.
Ken Morison
Nik Mavromatis, our host at the Food Company and
Cafe
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February/March 2009
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