Cod Cakes in Tomato Sauce & Barley Risotto with Marinated Feta
J's birthday should be celebrated with whatever he like! His choice was those Jerusalem dishes. Both were very flavorful with various spices and fresh herbs and so delicious! The Syrian Jewish fish dish was marvelous. The sweet and bold tomato sauce, made with cumin, sweet paprika, ground coriander, onion, white wine, chopped tomatoes, red chile, garlic, and superfine sugar, was complement to the delicate fish cakes that made with cod, fresh white bread crumbs, onion, garlic, a bunch of fresh cilantro and parsley, cumin, and eggs. Fresh mint was a garnish.
Barley risotto was a lovely vegetarian dish made with celery, shallots, garlic, fresh thyme, smoked paprika, bay leaf, lemon peel, chopped tomato, vegetable stock, and passata.
The topping, marinated feta was very unique - mixture of fresh feta, toasted caraway seeds and olive oil. How was the tart, salty, creamy feta with aromatic caraway fragrance over the rich tomato risotto, garnished with fresh oregano like? It tasted "sensational" as the Jerusalem cook book said.
Both dishes were tomato-based. J's choice for drink was rose champagne. We made a toast with two glasses of rose bubbles before the dinner. Happy Birthday J!!
