Someone was looking for a "soft aubergine/eggplant spread with tomatoes" and I knew exactly what they were talking about. There's a dish in Russia, our Eastern neighbour, which is called IKRA or fake caviar. I got this recipe from Russian friend Galina back in Edinburgh sometimes around 2000. Still makes a regular appearance in our kitchen. It's lovely on a slice of toast, or as a condiment or spread on a mezze-table. Russian aubergine spread IKRA 1 large aubergine/eggplant 1 large onion 2 garlic cloves 2 tomatoes 1 Tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar or lemon juice salt and freshly ground black pepper fresh parsley or dill Prick the aubergine with a fork here and there, then place into a preheated 200C/400F oven and bake for about 60 minutes, until fully cooked and slightly charred on the outside. Flip over once or twice during baking. Remove from the oven, let it cool. Then cul half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh. Place into a cutting b...
Photo by Päivi Palts.
My third cookbook came out in early November (there will be a blog post about the book!), and last Monday there was a small launch party at the Rahva Raamat bookstore in Tallinn. My dear friend Ximena Maier (you'll surely know her food blog Lobstersquad) did the illustrations for the book again. It's as striking as the first one, don't you agree?
They certainly stand out on the bookshelves!
Back to the book launch party. Here's me and my lovely agent, Reelika Rahu, flipping through the pages of the book:
Photo by Andres Haabu
Me welcoming the people and talking briefly about the book. Take note that my stockings are matching the colour of my newest cookbook :)
Photo by Andres Haabu
Photo by Päivi Palts
Photo by Päivi Palts
This lovely lady, Maret, is a good friend of my mother-in-law. She's also a great fan of Nami-Nami recipes and loved the previous book (or so I'm told). The beetroot phali recipe in the Georgian chapter has caught her attention. Or is it the egg and walnut salad?
Photo by Päivi Palts
Time to sign the books! I was impressed how many people turned up and was signing the books for well over an hour!
Photo by Andres Haabu
Photo by Päivi Palts.
Photo by Päivi Palts.
Photo by Päivi Palts
Photo by Päivi Palts
Photo by Päivi Palts
One of the Nami-Nami fans, my friend Eva Pettinen of the Flexus Pilates Studio:
Photo by Päivi Palts
I don't know who this little sweet girl was, but she had a lovely name and she told me that she always uses Nami-Nami to look for recipe inspiration :)
It was a cookbook, so obviously there was food at the launch party :)
Photo by Päivi Palts.
The purple dip is beetroot borani (recipe in the Persian chapter; also available here on the blog). On the front you'll see cheese and herb filled filo "cigars" (recipe in the Lebanese chapter). There's a bowl in the middle, filled with black pudding profiteroles (a recipe in my Christmas cookbook). Not pictured is a big plate with two different types of cookies from the Swedish chapter:
Photo by Päivi Palts.
The filo rolls and the Swedish cookies were baked by my dear friend and a talented baker, American-born Heidi Park. Heidi also did the catering for my first cookbook launch party back in December 2010. I'm so lucky to have met her and call her my friend:
Photo by Kristjan.
Ok, back to food. Marinated aubergine/eggplant slices, a recipe in the Italian chapter:
Photo by Päivi Palts.
A special thanks goes to Põltsamaa Felix, who provided the drinks - juice for the kids and their beautiful dessert wine Põltsamaa Kuldne 2005 for the grown-ups (again, they provided the drinks for the previous launch party as well). Here's my sweet daughter Nora (4 y 9 m) enjoying a glass of Põltsamaa's pear nectar (pirninektar) while chitchatting to her friend Taavi:
Photo by Päivi Palts.
There was also the wonderful bottled mineral water from Georgia, Borjomi, which, of course, is the perfect drink to go with the recipes in the Georgian chapter:
Photo by Borjomi Estonia
And last, but not least, there was some wine, courtesy of Pernod Ricard Estonia. We drank Tamada Mukuzani from Georgia, and San Simone Perlae Naonis Millsesimato Prosecco DOC from Italy:
Photo by Reet Zimmer
A huge thank you to everybody who made it and a huge thank you to everybody who helped to organise the launch party.
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