Cooking with Colors...help needed for a Black Dinner!

I've just been asked to help a friend with a "Black" dinner. He is a very good cook, and an ethnologist and ethno-cook as well (I would be very glad if he joined Cheftalk as he could give a great contribute here!) and is planning a Summer Solstice party. For some esoteric reasons I can't remember, all the food MUST be black-I mean naturally black, not artificially colored. Since it seems to be the most difficult color he's still working on the problem. The most obvious things have already come to our minds...I mean Caviar, Risotto or Pasta with squid ink, a dessert made with blackberries or dried plums-a brave host could also serve 1000 years eggs-but this isn't enough to compose a whole meal. Most of all, a main course with side dishes is needed...and, considering the season, black beans or black cabbage soup are definitely NOT suitable (maybe for the next Winter Solstice?;) )
So...more help is needed!
TIA,

Pongi

BTW...if you like the topic, other colors (blue, ***hsia, acid green) are following!:D

You COULD do black beans... maybe a black bean salad with red cabbage, or quinoa (I've seen in magazines, though never in person, a black quinoa). Black sweet peppers (raw; they turn green when cooked). Black olives, or a tapenade, with something. Those tiny eggplants, baked whole, so the outsides are black.

Why black for the Solstice? Odd.

But if you make the menu multi-ethnic, black beans are perfect! As a hot or cold soup, or a salsa, or served with black pudding (aka blood pudding, morcilla, boudin noir, etc. etc.)

No cavola nero? :cry:

Thai black rice -- which ends up kind of purple when cooked, but is so delicous.

Cajun "blackened" fish? No, maybe not. A good way to ruin a nice piece of fish.

I think blackened fish can be pretty good. Usually trout or catfish is my preference.

Perhaps some dark chocolate for dessert. Maybe a chocolate cheesecake. They can be pretty dark.

Button mushrooms can be cooked until they look black and still taste good. Some worcestershire sauce helps that out.

Black olives.

Phil

black bean quesadilla

something with black truffle sauce or black tea sauce

Treacle with a rich, fruity suet steamed pudding, or toffee or fudge

Black sesame seeds

Black currant oil

Black barley with simmered black trumpet shroom's

White asparagus rolled in black sesame seeds and chives

black mission figs with balsamic syrup

mussels with opal nero and black bread

hmmm, I have to think more about this Pongi

Phil, you just reminded me: black trumpet mushrooms!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edit: darn it, cc, you beat me to it!!

And with a coating of black sesame seeds, just about ANYTHING could work ;)

Black Sambuca??
Twice, you beat me to it ;)

Licorice?

Pongi..

Couple more

How about Nori wrapped black bass

Or kalamata olive tapinade stuffed into the shell of a roasted eggplant (I know purple..But it will be dark:))

How about wood ear mushrooms?

Black pepper encrusted cherve (warm) over micro opel basil

Raisins with toasted black walnuts for a snack

How about beluga lentils with purple basil or a salad with black roma or any of the dark skinned tomatoes ? Too bad the color has to count - you could do a branzino of black cod. Or what about crusting something with black bread mollica. Or stuffing sepia and cooking in it's own ink?
Dessert - chocolate creme cannolis with coccoa add to dough to make the shells dark?

I'll try to think of some others.

Monkey:)

Pongi - some more I just rememberd. I had them in Modica, Sicily. Both involve chocolate - one is rabbit in an agrodolce type sauce but with chocolate and hazelnuts added-
the other was a turnover ( the Sicilian word is impanatigghe?) filled with either meat and chocolate or eggplant and chocolate. I've had the eggplant and chocolate - amazing - dark, deep and rich flavor. I know I've got the recipes around here somewhere. PM me if you're interested.

Monkey

When I was a kid, my mother used to make us squid with linguini - with a sauce of cuttlefish ink (or squid ink if available). The stuff made our teeth gray and I remember all us kids sitting around the table smiling at one another with gray teeth. How about squid ink pasta - that's jet black.

Caviar and creme fraishe on rosti potatoes (few chives...or fillo cups)

There is a black lettuce called galazy growing here now....
if not available greens with a blue cheese and fig/balsamic dressing

Dried ground black trumpets coating a white dense fish seared
Rice in an eggplant timbale shape
green beans with an minced olive sauce....(still wracking brain on this one)

Ash coated cheeses, globe grapes

Black cherries and really dark chocolate

**black trumpets go well with fish, I thought it was too weird until I tried it at the Crossing....they used fresh, if you got um use um, if not dried crust works.

Pongi, what did you and your friend end up cooking and serving?

Yeah, I was wondering the same... I would love to know what happened to that party...

Hi Guys!

First of all, thanks everyone for the great advice!
I haven't lposted back before as we have had some holidays (here in Genoa, the 24 of June-the day of St. John the Baptist-is holiday as he's the Saint of our city) and I have my Internet connection only at the workplace. This is the "Black Dinner" update!
To tell the truth, I haven't been personally involved in it, apart from counseling...as you may know, I'm married, while all the guests of that Dinner were free females ("my witches" as my friend said...don't ask me if he was supposed to be the Devil ;) )

Anyway, I printed out your posts few days before the dinner, that has been just on St. John's Eve, and gave the paper to my friend. He appreciated a lot all you suggestions, but is keeping some of them for his next Black Dinner on November 2nd...I do understand him as (as you already know from Mezzaluna) here is VERY hot now, and Black Beans or Black Cabbage aren't just what you'd love to eat at present...as for Black trumpet shrooms, he had never heard about them before, but it's not odd as they're not that popular in Italy.

Monkeymay...he (and ME also!) is very interested in your savoury chocolate recipes. I also wonder whether the rabbit/chocolate recipe is something like the "LEPRE IN DOLCEFORTE", which is a recipe from Siena and not from Sicily. Could you find those recipes for us? TIA!

Suzanne, I'd like to know more about those black puddings as I have never heard about anyone of them...

But, I'm forgetting what my friend ended up cooking for his Witches:

1) Black Caviar
2) Olive Tapenade croutons (made with black bread)
3) Aubergine Caviar (not just black, but dark enough to be accepted)

4)A very rich fish and seafood risotto blackened with squid ink and garnished with mussels

5)Blackberry salad
6)Dark chocolate mousse

He also explained to me the exact reason why he had to serve only black food, but I have no time left now, so I'll post it afterwards!

Pongi

BTW...don't ask me WHAT happened after the dinner between the Devil and the Witches. I suspect it's not a chance if the Dinner has been, as you can see, quite light...

Pongi another question to answer along with the "why he served black food".

Do you jump over fires in Saint-John Baptist's day?

We do :)

June 24 is Quebec fete nationale. Lots of activities are organised a night parade and many concerts in parks. There use to be a big bondfire but it doesn't happend anymore because some groups thought it would be amusing to burn everything else around.

Why serving black food

Athenaeus,
we have great fireworks on June 24, but as far as I know nobody jumps over them here:D

As my friend explained to me, the Summer Solstice was originarily a Celtic festivity. Since it couldn't have been accepted as it was by the Catholic Church, being a "pagane" feast, was assimilated to the nearest catholic festivity, St. John the Baptist on June 24. (Something like that, I suppose, happened for Halloween. The Day of the Dead, in the Catholic calendary, is on November 2. It's mainly a religious celebration and we don't dress up...but we use to make for luck sweets like "Dead Bones", "Dead Shoes" and so on)

As everybody knows, before the Summer Solstice the days become longer and longer, and after it they become shorter and shorter. So, the solstice night was considered by the Celts the time when the two primary principles, the Light and the Dark (that is, the Good and the Evil) meet each other, and everything can happen. This is the reason why it is considered a magic night, and this meaning remained also in the catholic tradition, referred to St.John's night (in example, it was believed that the dew collected during this night had magic properties like curing many ailments or finding a husband to the girls).
After the Solstice, the nights become longer and longer, meaning that the Dark gets the upper hand over the Light. So, rituals must be made as "apotropaics" (the word is by my friend, not me!;) ) to chase away the Evil. Eating black food is one of them.

I also heard that here in Italy, but probably everywhere, there are many exoteric sects that organize get-togethers and celebrations for the Solstice night. On the other side, here in Genoa June 24 is simply the Patron Saint feast: we have a holiday from work, fairs, amusement parks, fireworks but nothing magic ;)

Pongi

Pongi,
I jumped into this thread late, but I'm sad to see a little hesitation is using the black bean. Hot,cold,whole,mashed etc. We here in the South USA think the red and black bean are the most versitile.
Also for your next black dinner, just pick out any menu you like and have my Sister-in-law come prepare it.

panini,
of course I don't hesitate because they're black...but because they're beans:)
I mean that generally beans aren't my favourite food when it's very hot like now and I like more cooking them when it's cooler, but I have no prejudices at all against black beans! Although here they're not as popular as other varieties like "Borlotti" or "Fagioli con l'occhio" (sorry for the Italian but I don't know the English words) we can easily find them, and I'd love to know some good recipes (apart from fejioada).

Could you suggest me anyone?
TIA,

Pongi

:lol:

Panini I have missed your posts :) I hope that you are terribly busy and make people's special events sweater .

Pongi.

St.John the Baptist day coincides with the summer solstice indeed because ,according to the Holly Gospel St. John the Baptist was 6 months younger than Jesus.
Jesus was born in the Winter Solstice so Saint John was born exacty 6 months later.

As a doctor, you know how the change of climate affectes humans.
So by jumping over the fires people thought that they were immuned by diseases :)

Way interesting thread!

Hello, Our sorority colors are black and gold, so I find this thread very interesting. How do I make black pasta? I've never seen squid ink. Does it add any seafood type of flavor to the pasta? :D

Pastachef,
in Italy (but, I suppose, not only here) both already made black pasta and squid or sepia ink are commercially available. If you can find the ink, which is sold in small packages and it's not that expensive, you must simply add it, at the dose suggested on the package, to your homemade pasta dough before working it, like any other flavoring or coloring additive.
As I can appreciate with my palate, squid ink doesn't add any real seafood flavor to the pasta - or, at least, nothing being not overwhelmed by the rich fish/seafood sauce you usually serve with this type of pasta;)

Pongi

chocolate ravioli

Hi,
I've a recipe tucked away for chocolate ravioli. It wasn't wonderfully popular but I thought it was O.K. It was very black. Just ask or e.mail.

Dave

Pasta you could add edible gold to savoury and sweet dish. It's available in sheets and luster dust.

Edible Gold?

Wow, Isa, that sounds incredible! I've never seen anything like that. Where would I buy such a thing? Thanks for the great idea!:)

I'm sure you can find the gold dust in a cake decorating store. A friend brought me dust of different colour in California. I'm sorry I don't have the original container for the gold dust, it's called either luster dust, sparkle dust or petal dust.


As for the gold leaf, I'm not very useful, I never used it so I can't tell you if it's the same kind of gold sheets you owuld find in crafts store.


I'll try to find more information for you.

Pasta,


Sweet Celebration sells gold dust and leaf. They suggest using a gilder's tip because the leaves are very fragile. The tip is 29.50$.

Maybe there are store where you can buy just a few sheets at a time. I'll try to find out for you. I'll get back to you tomorrow.


Sweet Celebrations 1-800-328-6722

Gold Sparkle dust (2 grams) 2.69$ and

Gold Leaf by the book (25 sheets) 35.99$