I got five new cookbooks for my birthday and last night we cooked out of one of them, Polpo, a book of Venetian cooking.

In the early part of the evening it was warm enough to sit outside around the new firepit.

We started with cicheti a type of finger food, two or three ingredients held together with a cocktail stick.  We had cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and a basil leaf drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper together slices of grilled fennel wrapped in an anchovy fillet with dill. We also had a plate of sliced smoked sausage from Gubbeen.

We came inside after that and had a plate of beetroot slathered with a walnut and pesto. There is plenty of the pesto left to have with a plate of pasta during the week.

We followed that with a great plate of lentils, cod cheeks and salsa.  The cheek is the tiny pocket of meat just below the eye about the size of a scallop. Wards sells them in 500 gr packs. I have not had them before but I will have them again. They will taste good breaded and fried.

Andrea then finished us off with a bowl of poached autumn fruits and cream.

For those who had any room left we are a small Durrus cheese.

Washing up this morning listening to Jack White and Jim White.