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Well, as you can see, I can now post pictures. Hallelujah! I’ve spent an obnoxious amount of time on it, the details of which I won’t bore you with, other than to say the fix was to give up on Explorer and download a new browser called Mozilla Firefox. I’ve gone back to previous posts and plugged in a few of the many cool pics from the trip, including the one here, of our friends Maud and Bartley’s daughters, Catherine and Natalie, who not only helped prepare linguine with white clam sauce and a gorgeous avocado, tomato, onion, and romaine salad at the Levy’s (especially Natalie, who makes a serious sous chef), but also helped prepare the dreamy sunset dinner that they and their parents hosted on Saturday night (see below), played with and watched over the younger kids, and hung with everyone being their cool, smart, fun selves. Great to see them, as always.
Still coming down from the trip, it definitely takes me awhile to switch gears. As in still doing laundry, still putting things away… A cloudy, rainy day today should make it easier to wrap up my chores. Right?
Nothing like a light, delicious lunch before tackling chores. I picked up some good, fresh pita yesterday at Bylery’s – not the gritty pockets, but the soft, thick version you find in Greek restaurants. A loaf (piece) of that, rubbed on both sides with a bit of olive oil, toasted while topped with chopped tomaotes, crumbled feta, and thin slices of raw onion… One of my very favorite sandwiches. Top off the warm, salty goodness with a bit of cool, tangy yogurt, and you’ll be glad, mmm. And for a small dessert, a perfectly ripe purple fig, quartered, topped with a bit more of the yogurt, sprinkle of chopped almonds, and a drizzle of honey. With a cup of tea, it can’t be beat (I know, I always say that. And I always mean it!).
My Cuisine at Home magazine arrived today, a gem of a publication recommended to me by my aunt Marge. Nathan and I paged through it together and tagged several recipes we want to try, including an apple tarte tatin, shrimp po’ boys, foccacia muffaletta sandwiches, and linguine with lemon and cream, which we actually prepared a small portion of this afternoon to sample (Nathan’s a BIG fettucine alfredo fan). Oh my. Rich and fabulous, bad combination, eek. Luckily we had only a few bites each, but that did me in for dinner! (Recipe posted in comments, below.)
Okaaaay, it didn’t quite end there. You see, John’s not eating with me tonight (sniff, sniff!), and on such nights, to get through, I like to take advantage of eating things that I love but that he despises. So I had tagged a recipe for sausage with white beans (he hates both, sigh)…thought I’d skip it after my linguine snack…but did get a bit hungry later so decided to go forth. And boy oh boy oh boy am I glad that I did. First of all, I’ll have a smashing lunch for tomorrow (I’ll pair it with a hearty pile of chopped arugula). And then, of course, I had more than a couple of unbelievable mouthfuls tonight. Spicy sausage paired with creamy, slightly crisped white beans…a tapa from Tapas, A Taste of Spain in America, by Jose Andres (recipe posted in comments, below). Lovely book. One of these nights I’ll gather some friends for a night of Spanish wine and assorted tapas, including the sausage and white beans, as well as sauteed artichokes with ham, chicken with garlic, oven-roasted potatoes and oyster mushrooms, and green beans with tomatoes and pearl onions. Hello? How amazing does that all sound? Rarrr…
Hello Arthur - I deleted your message (below), worried about Catherine, but afterward realized who you are. So sorry 'bout that! Stephanie
Hi Katherine!
Looks like a good time to me! Should get out there next year.
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Posted by Arthur to the moderate epicurean at 8/31/2006 01:32:07 AM
Catalan Pork Sausage with White Beans
Adapted from Tapas, A Taste of Spain in American by Jose Andres
Serves 4
2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 mild pork sausages (about ¾ lb. total)
1-15 oz. can navy beans, drained and rinsed
salt to taste (Spanish smoked salt is nice in this dish, but not necessary)
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
2 small or 1 large garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
1 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley (or chopped arugula)
Heat olove oil in a sauté pan over medium flame. Add the sausages and cook until done, 8-10 minutes. Set them aside. Add the garlic to the oil in the pan and sauté until barely light brown, about 30 seconds. Add the beans and cook for a few minutes, until heated through and browning a bit at the edges. Stir in parsley. Add salt to taste. Spoon a bed of beans onto a serving dish, and place the sausages on top. Serve.
Linguine with Lemon and Cream
Adapted from Cuisine at Home Magazine
Serves 4
Rich and elegant, nice in small portions as a first course.
2 Tbsp. butter
8 paper-thin slices prosciutto or ham, cut crosswise into strips
¾ c. chicken broth
½ c. heavy cream
¼ c. fresh lemon juice
½ lb. dry linquine
1 c. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
freshly ground black pepper
grated lemon zest (optional garnish)
Saute prosciutto in melted butter in a large sauté pan until starting to crisp at the edges. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute. Stir in the cream and lemon juice. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes. Cover and keep warm while cooking the pasta. Prepare linguine according to package directions. Drain; transfer to the pan with the sauce and stir over medium heat to incorporate. Off heat, stir in the cheese; transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with a few grinds of black pepper, lemon zest, and additional cheese, if desired.
Hey, who knew I was so techie? It's cool, the Fox, woo hoo!
Ah, vacation, we need MORE of them, yes?
Firefox? Well aren't you a 21st Century blogger... : ]
Yes, IE is dead, long live the "Fox".
Glad you had a nice time, we did as well.