After an impromptu weekend at the coast, we arrived back on the hill Monday morning in a state of denial that we had to return to "reality," ours, which is idyllic in countless ways...
Nonetheless, we had to go our separate ways for a while, and try to be productive.
For me, after a long work stint, that meant opening a cold Arrogant Bastard Ale, pouring it into my favorite antique pewter mug, and settling into my teak reading chair on the deck to peruse a few new books I had picked up on our trip, one of which was a vintage copy of a La Varenne textbook.
Then the phone rang.
Typical for us, a memorable evening came about spontaneously, inspired by a single ingredient....
Our neighbor (and they are very few) had gone fishing off the coast over the weekend and happened to catch a blue fin tuna~a rare and special fish. He had saved for us a choice piece of loin. (This neighbor is also the one who keeps us in good supply of wild pheasant, boar, and other tasty critters. We, in turn keep his egg supply filled, the honey pot full, and the red wine cellar stocked with special bottles). He was so excited to give it to us, and kept asking how we were going to "COOK" it. We kept trying to explain that we were going to do just the opposite...
At that point I was visiting with my other neighbor, and so we invited her to partake of our gift. She has a lovely garden, so we picked some thick leafed, dark green bok choy, zesty mustard greens, peppery nasturtium, a few candy-sweet red cherry tomatoes, and two big heirlooms.
I had a couple zucchini and eggplant from my work garden, and a bevy of high-falutin asian accoutrements~white shoyyu, aged rice wine vinegar, wasabi, etc.
While we prepared dinner, we sipped a chardonnay from my friend up in Mendocino county, that she lovingly left in my refrigerator on her last visit.
Laid out in a matter of minutes was the most delectable feast: sliced garden tomatoes, a cucumber & garden greens capellini with a rippin' hot vinaigrette of wasabi and chilis from the garden (we like it HOT), and grilled baby zucchini and eggplant drizzled with the aged rice wine vinegar and some of our own olive oil.
The blue fin tuna, perfectly sliced with my razor sharp Japanese blade sushi knife was regal in its vivid purple display, and we payed momentary homage to it before "digging in," with the utmost civility. We sipped a rose made by our dear friend in Sancerre, knowing he and his family would love to be a part of this most precious repast.
You never know where the day will take you~
And so it goes, the life of Two Funky Gourmets!
