A Favorite Dinner

Looking back through the years of posts here, I see lots of pictures of salame, charcuterie, cheese, and bread. And no wonder: that might just constitute one of our favorite meals. For my part, these are simply foods that I love and now that I cook for a living, the appeal of a no-cook, ready-to-eat dinner is extraordinary.

Saturday while I was at work, Ann told me she had a surprise for me and in the midst of Saturday dinner rush, I promptly forgot about it. It was only after we returned from Fireworks Pizza in Leesburg on Sunday that she reminded me she had a surprise: a batch of bread dough rising, hidden in the oven so I wouldn't see it.



Ann's Pecorino Romano Bread

Ann wasn't too pleased with the loaf of bread, but it had an extraordinary crumb and great flavor. We demolished it over the next couple of days.

Delights, Largely Thanks to Friends

Although we keep a drawer full of cheese and salame at home (doesn't everyone?), it had been getting a little low until just this week when Bill, Tom, and Steven came over to attend Carter's winter concert. Bill came bearing the Robiola a Tre Latti the you see in the center and the jar of chicken liver spread next to it. I made the galantine behind the chicken livers. I don't know where the big chorizo came from, but I know I contributed the 5-year old Gouda. Tom brought the big chunk of farmhouse Cheddar, the green peppercorn-studded goat cheese, and the nduja in the foreground. A wonderful meal and thank you friends!

Tapenade

Ann asked me to make tapenade for the bread, so I spent a while pitting and chopping olives. And then she ended up not liking it ("too fishy"). Bummer. More for me.

And so we spent the evening noshing with a bottle of Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon while watching back episodes of Game of Thrones. A great evening!

Picnic at Sky Meadows

Sky Meadows State Park is a jewel of a small park about 20 minutes from Winchester and nestled up on the eastern flanks of the Blue Ridge in Fauquier County. I had intended to take Ann there on our very first date three years ago, but the weather did not cooperate and we enjoyed our picnic at the island in her (now our) kitchen. Ann's been on some meds recently that preclude her drinking any alcohol—poor dear—so I decided that this just might be the weekend to go to the park, where alcohol is prohibited.

View from Overlook, Just Below Appalachian Trail

We hiked from the parking lot, proving to ourselves just how out of shape we are, up to the overlook just below the Appalachian Trail. Two days later, my calves are still sore!

Splendid Dogwood, the Only Trees Turning Color

On the way up through the cow pasture, we took breaks at opportune locations including by this gorgeous dogwood. Dogwoods are the only trees turning color now, though some persimmons in other locations were showing a flash of red. Poison ivy is turning red now as are sumacs, but there are no sumacs up at this elevation.

Bumper Crop of Persimmons This Year

The chef in me is always excited about wild edibles and I couldn't resist showing Ann all the good things to eat on the way up to the top. Persimmons were everywhere and the crop of pawpaws is good as well. We've been serving pawpaws at the restaurant for about three weeks, but none of these at elevation were yet ripe. We also saw lots of rose hips, black walnuts, and hickory nuts just screaming to be foraged.

Lots of Pawpaws This Year Too, Alas None Ripe

Ann and Mystery Flower

During our drive out, we passed big fields of goldenrod in all their fall glory and as we got closer to the park, big fields of another golden flower that I couldn't recognize from a distance. We got up close and personal with it at the park and it looks for all the world like a Helianthus, a sunflower, similar to a Jerusalem artichoke, but with a different flower.

Olive Oil, Focaccia, Olli Calabrese, Boerenkaas, Figs

Mother's Day

Mimosa Girl!

After a late night at the restaurant on Saturday night, Mother's Day started way too early for me. I had to get up at oh-dark-thirty to deliver a catering job. While I was out, I stopped in the bagel shop for some warm bagels. Running on fumes, I came home and toasted bagels, scrambled duck eggs, and sliced strawberries for breakfast. A couple of mimosas later, I went back to bed and slept until the last second before we had to leave for McLean and dinner with Bob and Mary, Ann's parents. Happy Mother's Day, Ann! It was the best I could do under the circumstances.

Ann wanted to make dinner for her mother, so she had gathered everything she would need for pasta, salad, and appetizers. She even made a beautiful lemon cake with strawberries and strawberry filling. All I had to do was go along for the ride, which in my zombie state was about all I was fit to do.

Carter, hamming it up

Bob, out by the pool

Mary

Old Gouda and Olive Oil

Linden Claret '09, a great pasta wine

Spectacular baby lettuces from Beth

Strozzapreti with my meat sauce

Ann's beautiful cake