Category: Uncategorized

October 23, 2006

Beautiful New York Strips from Alaska farms, cooked rare and accompanied by raw grated daikon, as well as steamed slices, with a pan sauce of red wine and Banyuls vinegar and a bit of demi-glace. Eaten with a lovely 1999 Lisini Brunello, which, though young, was drinking well. I bought a bunch of the ’99 Brunellos; it will be good fun to see how they age.

October 23, 2006

So the bounty from Richard and Susan, being far too much to fit in the fridge, was of neccessity reduced by soupmaking. Amazing turnips, radishes, daikon, kale, turnip greens, parsley, cilantro, rutabaga, and leeks became about 2 gallons of rich, velvety green purée, some of which will be frozen and the rest used this week. Food as medicine in the truest sense. I cannot wait to have a garden next year.

October 23, 2006

I got a ride with John to Great Barrington to hear him play with Club d’Elf again, and the drives there and back bookended the two extremes of the culinary universe. First, a famished and rainy trip over there was saved by a sandwich of Iowa prosciutto and goat cheese on a baguette, all bought at Rubiner’s, which had the additional benefit of keeping us from dying later when the food at the club turned…

October 23, 2006

More gorgeous lamb chops from Fleisher’s, again cooked in a pan, but with an herb rub this time. They went on mashed sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli, with a pan sauce of red wine and broth. This decadent richnes was well met by another 1998 Brusquières CDP, which has an unbelievable nose and good depth.

October 23, 2006

Burdock, peeled and sliced, cooked in water, soy sauce, and rice vinegar until the liquid cooked off and it was tender. (It actually came within seconds of burning, but I saved it with a splash more water.) The almost-burned caramelization gave the dish a fabulous richness, where the earthiness of the root and soy turned almost to an aged cheese flavor. Also cubed tofu cooked in some of the lamb-chicken broth with peas and carrots,…

October 18, 2006

Chris, Sirkka, and Nissa came over again; what you see here is steak, kabocha squash, and radicchio salad from their garden. For the first course we had a pizza with kale pesto and shiitakes sautéed with a bit of bacon. The steak was marinated in wine, broth, soy sauce, and vinegar, and then the marinade reduced for a sauce. We alternated between a 2002 Sirius and a 2001 Carver Sutro petite sirah; as always the…

October 17, 2006

I have been craving this for a while, and an order from the local Chinese place was not at all satisfying, so I got to work. I made it mild, so Milo could eat it too, and it was well received. Pork from fleisher’s, good tofu, and a sauce from the chicken/lamb broth thickened with flour since we have no corn starch. A bit of soy, some vinegar, and peas. Then a pile of spinach…

October 16, 2006

A pound of ground turkey, kidney beans, canned tomatoes and paste, and a panoply of herbs and spices simmered long and low to become a welcome treat after a busy day. A bit of smoked duck fat helped give it depth, and extra garlic made up for the lack of onion. I also splashed a little cider vinegar in to balance the acidity. There was a glass of the Orion left, now five days open,…

October 11, 2006

Everyone is a bit under the weather, so I took the bones from both the lamb chops and the smoked chicken and made a broth with leeks and carrots. After a couple of hours, strained, and with the addition of the trimmings from the ravioli, plus a few ravioli, as well as kidney beans, carrots, half a can of tomatoes, and the rest of the puréed vegetable soup, it became a perfect meal for tired,…

October 11, 2006

After smoking the trout on Sunday, the fire still had plenty of life left in it, so I threw on some chicken legs for the next day. We had them for lunch, chopped and tossed with homemade mayonnaise, onion, capers, and parsley to make a salad. The leftover risotto became little fried cakes, and we put the chicken salad on the last of the radicchio leaves. Dinner was simpler than the night before, but still…