Lunch Sunday 8 October - Blackheath Bacchanalia

Well, had lunch in an Italian place on the way back down to Blackheath station after the walk. Think it was called Davito. Three courses for £6.95 - although the 3rd "course" is a cup of coffee!
I started with Mozzarella Caprese (the classic tomato, basil & mozzarella salad) and L. had Mozzarella en Carozza, which means "Mozzarella in a Carriage". It's basically a grilled cheese sandwich with an attitude.

This is Nigella Lawson's recipe for Mozzarella in Carrozza

This classic Italian dish gave rise to fried mozzarella. Bread slices are pressed around mozzarella cheese, floured, dipped in egg, then deep-fried.

INGREDIENTS:
6 slices white bread, crusts removed
1 fist-sized ball mozzarella, cut into approximately 1/4-inch slices, then strips
1/2 cup whole milk
3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 egg
Salt and pepper
Olive oil (not extra-virgin) for frying

PREPARATION:Make sandwiches out of the bread and mozzarella, leaving a little margin around the edges unfilled with cheese, and press the edges together with your fingers to help seal. (One of the advantages of soft white bread is that it is easily smushed together.)

Pour the milk into one soup bowl, the flour into another, and beat the egg with salt and pepper in another. Warm the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Dunk the sandwiches briefly, one by one, in the milk, then dredge in the flour, then dip in the beaten egg.

Fry in hot oil on each side till crisp and golden and remove to a paper towel.

Yield: 2 servings

Found this on About.com's website..... interesting that there version has the comment: "Cut in half and apply to face."

Wonder if that is a meant to be funny or if it is an error?

about

For mains L had Spaghetti Carbonara and I had a Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni.

It was OK, not the best I have ever had, but certainly respectable for the price.

All this was liberally washed down with not one, not two but THREE bottles of wine.

Oh dear....

So, of course, it made perfect sense when we walked past an adjoining wine bar that had red leather chairs that we HAD to stop in there are share a bottle of rose. Actually, they had a very nice little terrace outside that we ended up sitting on - rock pool, tinkling waterfall, koi carp & goldfish. All very nice and it reminded me of Bali.

Anyway, suffice it to say we ended up rather drunk.