to finish the dish
for the poppy seed
make a full batch if you adore poppy seed, half if you are less enthusiastic
130g/260g poppy seed — see tip
30g/60g honey
125g/250g whole milk
25g/50g caster sugar
for the pasta
10g salt
20g rosewater (the pink rosewater helps keep the colour in the pasta)
100g cream
5g (1 teaspoon) dried crushed rose hips (available from most Middle Eastern groceries)
garnish
dried fruit that has been reconstituted in a little light sugar syrup, we used semi dried Satsuma plums
50g pistachios, blanched, peeled and sliced
50g golden sultanas, moistened with a little water and drained
rose petals
edible silver paper
Method
Grind the poppy seed in a clean coffee grinder or poppy seed mill. Put everything into a saucepan and cook on low heat stirring frequently for 20 minutes. Allow to stand for another 20 minutes. By this time the milk should be fully absorbed and you should have a thick sweet black paste.
to finish
Put a large pot of water on high heat and add the salt and rosewater. Put the cream and crushed rosehips into a stainless bowl and sit it above the water to heat through. Cook the pasta in the normal manner, drain well and roll through the cream and rosehip divide into six and roll around a meat fork and place in the centre of six warmed plates or bowls. Put a large quenelle of the poppy seed paste to one side and garnish with the pistachio, fruit, sultanas and rose petals, finally finishing with a little f the silver paper and serve immediately.
tip — buy your poppy seed from a store that will sell a lot because it can be very bitter and dusty when it is stale. It is less noticeable in savoury dishes. Also for those of you who have Thermomixes and MyCooks, the Thermomix didn’t grind it as fine as my old hand turned grinder. AO
