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June 29, 2006
Cooking Frenzy
It's so weird. I've cooked more in the last couple of months in this tiny, semi-equipped kitchen than I ever did in the spacious Fremont townhouse. I can't figure it out.
Wednesday, I made a very nice vegetarian spaghetti using ingredients from the kickass organic mini-mart across the street. To my delight, just as I'd put the pasta on to boil, Pete called and wanted to know if we wanted to go out to dinner, and I said, "No, but come on over and you can have dinner here!" It made me feel all domestic and stuff.
Thursday morning I used some of the leftover bread to make French Toast for breakfast. Mmmmmmm. Again, it made me feel all domestic to send Nathan off to work with a hot breakfast. Later that afternoon, following a hot tip from my uncle Harry, I went to the Berkeley Bowl, the world's greatest grocery store. Dude. 8000 square feet of PRODUCE. It rocked. Anyway, I wound up making lamb stew, which, despite some obstacles, kicked ass.
I'd wanted to have a Bordeaux with dinner, but there wasn't any at the store, so I got a super cheap ($6.99) French Syrah - the "Nord Sud" from Laurent Miquel in Languedoc. I'd never heard of this producer, and I'd never had a French Shiraz. But it was cheap enough to say, "what the heck". Anyway, we opened it up and had a taste. Definitely Shiraz, definitely not Australian, quite good and fruity and fairly assertive. But then about halfway through dinner I poured us another glass, and it had totally changed. Now it was round, luscious and just oozing with cherries. Man. It was a total, "Oh, THAT'S what they mean when they say that wine 'opens up'" moment.
I went back to Berkeley Bowl today and grabbed a couple more bottles. If I could have afforded it, I'd have gotten a case.
Tonight I'm broiling some chicken bosoms and will be serving them cold on some green salad with haricots verts and pecans. Yum yum yum. But first, leftover lamb stew for lunch!
Comments
Careful, you'll be buying an apron before you know it. :-) It sounds delicious there at the Berghoff.
Posted by: bob at June 29, 2006 3:32 PM
Since you've moved I've lost a sense of who's who in your life. Has there been a change in "house staff" (a new SO)? Please email if you don't wish you provide the answer here.
I hope you're doing well...
Posted by: Kathryn at June 29, 2006 5:19 PM
Do you use the Cook's Illustrated French toast recipe? It's very weird-looking (flour?!), but insanely delicious, especially made out of challah.
Posted by: Margar at June 29, 2006 11:19 PM
Nah, I just use the throw-eggs-and-milk-into-a-bowl method. But if Cook's has a recipe, you know I'll try it!
Posted by: Kate at June 30, 2006 9:14 AM
Yeah, it's in The Best Recipe (and The New Best Recipe). We were deeply doubtful but tried it anyway last Christmas, and now it's what I always make.
(Cooking a lot is a sign of happiness, I think. I cook more when I'm content, anyway.)
Posted by: Margar at June 30, 2006 10:58 AM
You've started cooking? It's like a whole new Kate -- although, I assume you still enjoy a well-crafted and pretty drink served in a martini glass, otherwise, I won't know which end is up!
Posted by: Kris at June 30, 2006 2:46 PM