I finally broke in my Microplane® grater today. I bought it a couple of months ago, seduced by its futuristic design. These guys are re-inventing the kitchen with 21st century tools. With their help, I grated some cheddar fine as angel hair today. Applause! Applause!
The meal that Jack built – the cheese went upon baked potatoes that Liz and I consumed alongside sautéed sugar peas with bacon and a nice thick NY strip seared to perfection in the fireplace grill.
A couple days ago, with no real plan in sight, I slow-roasted about 10 Roma tomatoes so I processed them and cooked ‘em up with heavy cream into what I called “Cream of Roasted Tomato Soup.” Whoa! Y’all try that sometime! Simple, and the Maillard Reaction gives it an extra something no spice could add. Yes, food writers, you saw Maillard Reaction here in hillbilly heaven, it's time for a new idee fixe.
And a salad. The chefs over at CBSnews have emboldened me with inventive vinaigrettes and off-center vegetable selections. I made a strawberry vinaigrette with red wine vinegar and that olive oil that comes with an extra virgin,
She was quite chatty as we prepared the meal, but became increasingly nervous as the grill fires climbed higher in the fireplace, filing her nails compulsively, chain-smoking, always checking the flames out the corners of her eyes, I don't know what they teach them to expect in finishing school.
But the regular olive oil virgins were perhaps too worldly for their role in the dressing, appearing disinterested, shaping their nails with the cold precision of hardened manicure artistes, and making peripheral comments as they, along with Liz and I, re-watched Five Easy Pieces from 1970.The redundant virgins took to acting along. channeling Fanny Flagg, affecting Sally Struthers nasal jaw harp twang, insinuating detours into Jack Nicholson’s tormented agenda and my salad dressing. They sure didn't behave like you'd expect virgins to. I checked the label again.
This will be the last time I buy extra virgin olive oil, even for dressing - their misdirection, affectations, and the very worst, their nervous giggles, overcomplicate what should be a simple kitchen task. A "love" of garlic, is what they called my freshly-peeled clove, like leaving off the leading "c" was some kind of profound insight, as it went into the vinaigrette, and so did 5 peeled strawberries, to rid them of seediness, making it nice and creamy, then Pompeii red wine vinegar, a whirring schmoozle courtesy the Braun hand blender and it was all pretty pink. "Is Jack going to Alaska?," I wondered.
A bed of Belgian endive, leaves radiating out like spokes from a wheel. Mixed salad greens, tossed with the strawberry dressing, then a layer of thinly sliced radicchio moons. Oh, and there are scallion slices to sprinkle atop and over here’s a cornichon or two to hide somewhere in there.
I’d forgotten that salad making is the forgotten art.
1:51:46 AM 
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