I haven’t been doing much
cooking lately (or writing either, duh) because I’ve been so busy working, but
I decided that this weekend I was going to do more of what I actually enjoy
doing.
Last night we cooked some
beautiful Mahi Mahi over the embers of our fire by the creek. I also tossed some little teeny tiny potatoes
in olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh parsley, then wrapped them up tight in
heavy duty aluminum foil and roasted them next to the embers. Derek grilled some radicchio that I had cut
in half and brushed with olive oil, and I made a dressing of espresso flavored
balsamic vinegar that we bought at a cool little place in Asheville, NC this
summer, with roasted walnut oil and a dash of sherry vinegar. Damn, I wish I had bought a big bottle of
that vinegar! I topped the radicchio
with some pecans I had roasted in the oven with olive oil, butter, a dash of
Lea & P, a tiny squeeze of lemon and some Tony Chachere’s Creole
Seasoning. I would have used Cosmic
Cajun Seasoning, which my high school classmate (Mary Jewell Isolani) and her
husband created, but we ran out, alas. I
also wish we had gotten to know each other better in high school, but thank God
for Facebook! Truth be told, I could
hardly get Derek to leave those pecans alone; they smell so good while
roasting. If there are any left, I’m
going to use them as a garnish for the pasta dish I’m making for tonight’s
dinner, which is a celebration of fall.
I’m cooking some spinach penne that I’ll serve with Bob Evans’ breakfast
sausage (I actually have to add a little olive oil, it’s so lean), some oven
roasted butternut squash, sautéed onions, and a sprinkle of salty, nutty
Parmigiano Reggiano. I garnish it with
some whole fried sage leaves. I’ve made
this before and Derek just loves it, but I never thought of finishing it with a
handful of chopped roasted spiced pecans.
I think that will add the perfect amount of ooh la la!
I’m not always this
thoughtful, but Derek has been doing the vast majority of the cooking lately,
since I’ve been teaching a class on Monday nights after my regular job, and
then having to work late every other night to catch up with the tremendous
volume of work we’ve been getting. I’m
also making a braised chicken dish that he can reheat and have for dinner tomorrow
night while I’m teaching. I browned some
chicken thighs (with bone and skin), added onion, leeks and garlic, then added
white wine, chicken broth, some of the gorgeous tangy sweet orange cherry
tomatoes and a handful of the little “Sugary” red tomatoes we’ve had in our
garden this summer. I love the little
tomatoes; they’re so aesthetically pleasing. I threw in some fresh thyme and parsley (also
from our garden), a little tomato paste and some carrots. It’s cooking in the oven right now, and the
smells from both dishes are divine, if I do say so myself. I can’t decide whether to make polenta for
the chicken, or roast the rest of those tiny potatoes, but either way, I’m
eating it for lunch on Tuesday!
Maybe next weekend I’ll
finish my first attempt at abstract painting.
