Ravioli of dreams at Pulcinella

Unfortunately I wasn't able to take a photo of said ravioli (or maybe this just feeds my wistful imagination..)

Pulcinella was booked by La Pezzita's boyfriend for a post-rugby meal, so it was there that six of us made our considerably merry way from the Baa-baa's victory.  

Beer goggles of the tastebuds- there must be a better phrase- are always a bit of a liability, however a plate of bread and olives and some water possibly reduced the risk.

I ate Venison Ravioli.  It came with a sprinkling of flat leaf parsley over a dressing of butter which reflected the basic but spot-on appeal of the whole dish.  The pasta was delicate in both taste- enhanced by the butter and parsley- and texture, while being strong enough to contain a filling of venison.  No discernible spices or anything else to distract from a surprisingly subtle game flavour.  I had originally planned to give the ravioli 10/10 but with a bit of distance- and lashings of banter from The Fisherman- I'm thinking 9/10; the venison was very finely minced, basically pureed, and chopped venison might have been better from a texture point of view.

The Fisherman was with us, and both he and Mr Pezzita were underwhelmed by the size of the portions of pork belly, although they did concede that it was perfectly tender.  

The ravioli portion was small enough that I was still hungry for pudding.  I love marzipan and almonds, especially combined with stone fruits, so the plum and almond tart was the obvious choice.  Tart plums, light, slightly eggy frangipane, with the natural sweetness of the nuts allowed to shine by a fairly plain pastry case, add some whipped mascarpone with a suggestion of rum- what is there not to like? Another 9/10.

http://www.osteriapulcinella.co.uk/menu.html

Pimp my Mint Tea

Mint tea is pretty damn good, balancing as it does the soothing qualities of a warm cuppa with a refreshing mouth tingling zing.  It is drinkable in teabags from the supermarket and it is more delicate but still drinkable in the form of some leaves from the garden macerated (plus or minus a bit of helpful leaf-directed squishing from a teaspoon) in freshly boiled water.

I don't rate the genuine stuff from Morocco as drinkable; saturated sugar solutions aren't my thing, and I find the stewed mint flavour combined with the sweetness nauseating.  I had to politely sip at the stuff on far too many occasions during a holiday in Marrakech until I realised I could wait until The Photographer and The Bellydancer had finished theirs then discreetly swap our glasses. 

It was therefore with mixed feelings that I received a present from The Fiesta: a bag of Moroccan Mint loose herbal tea from The Cragg Sisters Tearoom in Aldeburgh- it could be good, it could be sickly, which way would it go?

Even just opening the bag released such a stream of minty freshness that my sinuses felt comprehensively invigorated.  It consisted of green gunpowder tea leaves mixed with dried peppermint leaves, and best of all for me, no sugar.

A pot of this tea was made in due course and I was delighted that I'd never imagined mint tea could taste this good.   It was the tea equivalent of the difference between freshly ground quality coffee and mediocre instant stuff.  The green gunpowder tea base gives the tea a strong backbone and staying power on top over which the clean taste of the peppermint can shine without becoming overwhelming.  9/10 for head clearing aromatic freshness.