Date-nut bread with Medjool instead of Deglet Noor.
Oh my!
Roasted Carrots, Tahini, Halloumi, Fennel
Now that there is a real chill in the air, my cravings for both roasted vegetables and vegetables that grow underground intensifies, and so the first roasted carrot dish of the season was in order, a staple in my house in the colder months.
The carrots were roasted in brown butter and shawarma spice, the tahini is a classic tahini sauce - lemon and whole garlic blended together and left to infuse for an hour or so, then strained into raw tahini and whisked together with cold water until the desired consistency is reached. I have a ton leftover that I’ll use to make hummus this week. Halloumi brought the salt and fat needed, and the fennel salad helped to cut through everything with acid, it was dressed with lemon and olive oil, along with some diced fronds and black sesame seeds.
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Katie Flannery was talking Dry Aged Boneless Short Ribs this week on Instagram so I had to order some. Didn’t know what I was going to make with it since I just did Birria last weekend and Braised Flannery Short Ribs the weekend before. All I knew is that I had to have some. So this morning I thawed it out and I spent the afternoon cutting and seasoning it, chopping vegetables, peeling pearl onions and potatoes prepping for Beef Bourguignon.
Got it all together, put it in the oven and opened another bottle of the Scherrer RRV Pinot Noir that we enjoyed with some Cowboy Creamery Mt Tam and sliced Garlic Confit and Black Pepper Baguette from Nightingale Bakery here in town.
Pulled the lid off the dutch oven for the last 45 min letting the sauce thicken. That’s when I was supposed to add the crimini mushrooms and pearl onions.
Damn this was good. The dry aged meat added a depth of flavor that was incredible. It was all I could do to not have seconds.
Afterwards as we were cleaning up I noticed this bowl next to the stove.
Fu¢k me! Dava said , “I was wondering where the mushrooms and onions were.” I’ll bet it would have been over the top with that addition. 
I added some to the leftovers so when we reheat they will cook a bit. Getting old sucks!
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No usual Sunday lunch at my in-laws’ or my father’s; so, I made lunch at home today (the cook just made the vegetable dish, of which I didn’t bother taking a photo).
For pre-lunch, some Japanese golden peach mimosas (used NV Laurent-Perrier).
Caprese.
Duck foie gras w/ melba toast.
Rigatoni alla Trattoria dei 13 Gobbi.
Pan-grilled duck breasts.
Pan-seared foie gras. Made a balsamico-wild honey-maple syrup-dark molasses gastrique to go with it.
My wife chose a young tinto Riojano reserva to go with the duck.
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What a feast! Well done!
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Thanks! Made the pasta sauce base, & gastrique, prepped the duck, and completed mis en place right after breakfast; thus, I had 1&1/2 hours to relax and putter around before throwing together the caprese and sitting with the family for pre-lunch mimosas & pica-pica. When I eventually started cooking, it was pretty much a breeze. Made the pasta dish as the duck breasts rested; and the foie gras took only 1&1/2 minutes to sear after the pasta was done.
Butternut squash gnocchi with spinach, and some extras.
3 hours of kitchen work.
One big squash provides enough material for about 10 portions.
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Quick noddle soup with mushrooms as the main ingredient, but just with a ton of flavour. Always happy with a dish like this.
Found some big beautiful green and very aromatic tomatoes in a greenhouse we share with our neighbours. As noone wanted them, I could get a few ferments going 
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Tis the season up here above the 45th.
A very rustic lentil soup based loosely on Julia Child’s recipe in which she encourages varying as one pleases. As a base I roughly chop 1 med carrot, two celery stalks, one med onion and one med leek. Cook on med+ for about 10 mins, just starting to brown. Remove from heat, gradually adding hot water (6 cups??) . Add lentils- about a cup or maybe 1.5 cups. Simmer for ~ 50 mins. Add herbs like thyme, sage, oregano.
At 20 mins I added two sausages with the skin pricked multiple times.
With about 5 mins remaining, a full bunch of chopped red kale.
It’s more refined to run it through a food mill but mine is in storage at the moment so I just break up the sausage into little bits with a wooden spoon at the end. Dump a little olive oil or butter and a dust each serving with herbs and voilà.
Also added some black rice to the bowl to get a more complete protein with the lentils. Croutons great if you have them.
Very easy. Very satisfying.
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“Getting Old Sucks”
Better than the option
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So after forgetting to add the mushrooms and pearl onions to my Bourguignon last night I viwed to redeem myself. Tonight I took a Flannery Pork Cap and cut it into medallions. Seasoned and seared all around til cooked, removed and tented. Added the mushrooms, onions and butter to the skillet and cooked them down a bit, deglazed with a cup of white wine and let that simmer til reduced. Into that I added 1-1/2 Tsp fresh Sage, 3/4C chicken stock, 1 tbsp whole grain mustard and 4 Tbsp heavy cream. Let that simmer for a few minutes then whisked in a couple Tbsp flour and returned the meat to the pan to warm it a bit. Success! This one is a keeper.
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Smothered chicken, Carolina Gold rice, carrots and peas w/2018 walter Scott Cuvee Anne Chardonnay
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Well the only thing that got a photo opp was the salad.
We also had flatirons, asparagus and roasted potatoes. I grilled some Napa cabbage for my lunch today.
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If it’s any consolation, I did the same last night with tri-tip. The family was yapping at me and waiting another couple of minutes to find my phone, take pics, etc was not worth the grief I would have caught.
Made some pizza al taglio.
One plain/pepperoni
One half artichoke/pistachio/mortadella and one half roasted garlic/fresh tomato/prosciutto.
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Looks delicious!
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Iberico Rib Cap, Sweet Potato, Gai Lan, Mushrooms
Pretty straightforward and simple preparations here - the pork is seared in a cast iron pan with just salt, the mushrooms are roasted and the Chinese broccoli just quickly blanched and sautéed. The puree is made with sweet potato, shallot, Aleppo pepper and fermented green garlic all cooked down in some whole milk and then blended. The red/orange oil is from my homemade chili crisp, and the green oil is made from celery leaves, of which I had a ton. Never made it before but it worked pretty well actually and I’ve been thinking of other ways to utilize it going forward. This was a really good dinner, mostly due to the quality of the pork. Amazing stuff!
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We had some boxed roasted red pepper and tomato soup, salad and grilled cheese. Bread was jalapeño cheddar from Costco.
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This is literally my happy place; throw a slim slice of brisket in there, @Milton_Hudson , and I’m in heaven.
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