Upon arrival, not much in the pantry; Andrew and I bought a few things at the store and thus penne alla puttanesca, salmon tartare with lemon, olive and sesame oils, ponzu, and finely minced red onion and basil. All with a Borsao rosé. Good summer eatin’.
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Mat left, and John and Sarah arrived, bearing Champagne. Various vegetables became a broth, which went into an asparagus and shiitake risotto finished with grated Taylor Farm garlic gouda, made by our friend and neighbor Jon Wright and his family. I also blanched some purple carrots, peeled them, and tossed them in salt, pepper, oil, and vinegar, and we had more corn, and another Andrew salad, which he makes like a combination of our Mother…
Leftovers became sushi tonight: crispy salmon skin and Thai basil, the last of the carrot “fettucine,” and BBQ chicken with crumbled feta, all in the remaining brown rice. Enjoyed with the last of the Soter vin gris. Light, but deep, and a perfect hot weather dinner which neatly tied up a bunch of loose ends.
Mila and Joey came over to visit, and I had marinated a bunch of chicken in rosé (Marques de Caceres Rioja- 6 bucks!) plus vinegar, soy, salt, herbs, and lemon juice. While that sat I made more of the BBQ sauce and transferred some of the pea soup into oiled ramekins and rechilled it. Finely shredded raw kale got the pinenut dressing treatment and sat for a bit while we opened a sparkling 2005 Vieux…
The heat demands light food, and raw crunchy things are best. So I soaked a bunch of pine nuts and puréed them with miso, nama shoyu, cider vinegar, pepper, and ginger. Nice long carrots peeled into “fettucine” and tossed with the pine nut dressing went in the fridge to marinate while I took some beautiful salmon and made sashimi and maki with brown rice, lemon, pepper, and chives. Nice orange colors all over the plate,…
I was just about to light the grill, and cook burgers and veggies, when the wind suddenly jumped up and sheeting rain came hard behind it. So the burgers- seasoned with truffle & sesame oils, balsamic vinegar, onion, cumin, garlic, and herbs- cooked instead in the cast-iron skillet. The yellow & green squash got cut smaller, along with red onion and garlic, and browned in the pan post-meat. Once soft I threw in plum tomatoes…
Back from Brooklyn. All the rib bones went in a big pot with sweating onion and carrot, plus herbs from the newly planted herb garden, then garlic, water, and 3+ pounds of dried split peas (there were a lot of bones.) Cooked low, adding water as needed, for a couple hours and served with truffle oil and black pepper. Well-suited to a rainy day, and the perfect use for such yummy bones. Throwing bones away…
Back in the city for a few days, I called Mary and we decided to impose on Kris for a dinner; he was happy to oblige. We began with a 2001 Erdener Riesling Kabinett, which was candy, then had a luscious morel risotto with the 2000 Altesino Brunello Mary brought (beautiful nose, but a bit thin.) Then seared foie gras with quince chutney on toast, alongside 2 1990 Vouvrays: a Domaine des Aubuisiers Vielles Vignes…
The move is done. After two days getting the kitchen and lots more unpacked, I finally got a chance to forage in the field and returned with wild garlic and mint, of which there is a ton, plus other treats for later. Two big slabs of ribs didn’t stay frozen during the trip up, so they went on the grill, with the customary secret spicy espresso rub, and got a good slather with the BBQ…
A beautiful piece of salmon got the BBQ sauce treatment (I made a lot) and thrown on the grill with all the leftover polenta. We enjoyed it with the rest of the grilled veggies from last night. The salmon skin shielded the fish from the heat of the fire and crisped up perfectly, leaving the fish just cooked through; I saved the skin for something tomorrow and there’s a bit of polenta left too. We…