A Perfect Afternoon

Watering violets, anticipating the deep, subtle magic to come
Tiny, fragrant osmanthus entertaining in the meantime
Camellia in bloom


A hike over the hill
A cup of nettle tea
The puffy clouds & blue skies
A trample of leaves underfoot
Pleasant contemplation

A shy covey of quail 

Two ravens, my black cat familiars
A coyote yearling voyeur
He likes my hat
We exchange pleasant curiosities


Crackling cedar fire in the wood stove
Simmering crock pot of wild boar chops & old Bordeaux
Chanterelle soup
A respectable white truffle
Beethoven's 5th Symphony

Two Funky Gourmets

Bewilderment in Disneyland...

Thought maybe someone could relate...

I am very grateful to do what I love for a living, and part of that success has to do with the Napa Valley, an economic bubble oft referred to as "Disneyland." The dichotomy between my gratitude of  being able to make a living here and my dismay with being subject to the following displays of ignorance, arrogance, and just everyday desperation, grows greater and greater everyday, reassuring me that the name "Bewildered" is completely apropos.

Here was my day today:

I went to a couple winery site visits this morning to taste the wines for menu planning.  While tasting the very generous pours of fabulous wine and daydreaming about the tantalizing dishes I could create for them, an elderly couple walked in to taste wine. The tasting room associate explained to them that the tasting fee was $75 PER PERSON!  My heart sank as they left. I wanted to give them the left over wines in my glass that would subsequently be poured down the drain.  While I am fully aware that there are many wineries charging exorbitant amounts for tastings, I could not help but feel embarrassed that I was there drinking in front of them, leading them to think I might be someone able to afford such extravagance. Even if I could, I don't think I would.  (While in the Anderson Valley yesterday at our studio, a friend and I stopped at 3 of my favorite wineries and had full tastings of ALL of their wines, at no charge. Just sayin')

Then, I scooted into a local restaurant for a quick bite. In the parking lot full of high dollar cars, a powder blue Bentley (or something like that) convertible rolled up to park right in front, coming in to eat. Out came a 60+ of age woman with bleach blond long hair, an unnaturally tanned and surgically tucked body, wrapped in one of the tightest, tiniest dresses I've ever seen-and it was bright yellow and black to boot. For a moment, I was sure I was in Orange County or LA (no offense), and NOT an "agricultural" area in Northern California, a place I moved to smell the dirt and drink the wine.

While in Napa filing business paperwork, I was reminded of the recent devastation, and how we all work, work, work, to buy stuff that can be destroyed in 30 seconds if and when Mother Nature so chooses to wield her wand of ultimate power.

While filing said paperwork, I received a phone message from the BOE (Board of Equalization, for those of you who do not have the pleasure of collecting and paying sales tax),  that I missed my second quarter filing. I was working over 100 hours a week at that time, and I guess I forgot. Ironic, as I've been going through a BOE audit for the last 8 months!

While driving north, I had a conversation with a girlfriend who overheard a chef and his non-chef but apparently extremely knowledgeable "culinarian" friends having a very matter of fact conversation, vehemently stating that the caprese salad is totally out of date. I guess the restaurant was not very busy at that particular moment, as they had a lot of time to discuss the topic. I served a lovely, albeit updated version of caprese just the other night, and I practically live on it all summer. I guess I am a very outdated chef. ;-) (Ironically, these were "laid back" and humble Anderson Valley residents!!!)

3 friends and a family member have been "downsized" from their jobs this month.

I hurriedly drove home, deciding not to continue on to St. Helena to forage quince this afternoon, as I had reached beyond my capacity in the patience department. Besides, traffic was gridlocked both coming in and going out of Napa. 

I arrived home to  bus tubs full of yet-to-be-unloaded catering supplies, a laundry full of stinky towels, an unmade bed, and piles of paper and unopened mail (6 inches worth) on my desk unattended to because I've been so busy trying to make a living in this crazy world.

Feeling a bit Bewildered, I do believe I shall go for a hike and see what the birds and wind have to say....or perhaps, and much more likely, I'll pour myself a glass of modest wine...

What's going on in this world?

Summertime

So far this week, typical for these Two Funky Gourmets...

We have set up a modest but functional cooking area outside on our side deck. I've been cooking out there almost every night!  A charcoal grill in one corner, and  a fireplace that we set our cast iron dutch ovens on for long, slow cooking, or a saute pan for hot, quick dishes like the one we made last weekend: freshly harvested squid, sauteed with ample garlic, onions, tomatoes, and chilis, to make a Catalan style sauce that we mixed with a textured mixture of baby greens like chard, kale, and frisee.  We drank a light, delicious pinot noir made by a friend.  That dish is what followed after we shucked and slurped some fresh, briny, Kushi oysters while preparing the squid, happily sipping Prosecco.

Last night, a friend's birthday was celebrated by firing up her Texas style smoker, into which we put a wild turkey breast from our front yard, a shoulder of one of our own lambs, and a wild boar shoulder from the neighbor, a crazy Italian with a penchant for hunting that borders on addiction.  We snacked on some of my aged garlick-y pork pate, studded with pistachios and prunes, served with my friend's homemade zesty mustard to begin, and sipped a Grand Cru, Le Mesnil Champagne to kick things off.

This morning I put up a small batch of green walnut liquor, otherwise known as Nocino, a truly delicious digestif that my dear friend Lisa made last year.  We all fell in love with its delicious, nutty, bittersweet flavor, and we sipped it up whenever we all got together on our many visits spent around the fire, cooking and laughing.  She graciously shared her recipe for it, as well as the soon to be mentioned elderberry brandy.

Lisa is the queen of all things for the larder, meticulously growing, drying, and storing the bounty of herbs, flowers, and fruits grown on their property in the Anderson Valley, our home away from home. Her tasty and medicinal concoctions have nursed many of us back to health, or very likely have kept it vibrant.

The green walnuts came from another dear friend's vineyard tree. She was generous to save me some as I was out of town on the traditional day they are to be harvested: June 24th.

The elderberries across the street near the creek are beginning to ripen. I am planning to harvest some this weekend to make an elderberry brandy; a great tonic for the cold/flu season. Perhaps I will combine them with another summer berry, like the wild blackberries in our driveway, into a preserve to enjoy this winter.

Daniel and I, sadly being without a lush garden of our own for the first time in many, many years, have discovered the farmer's market here on Fridays is a lovely way to start our day together, so we will go tomorrow and fill our baskets with all of the amazing things other people are growing. Yesterday I made a hearty, piquant caponata out of last Friday's bounty to eat as a bruschetta, perhaps, or served over a piece of grilled fish.

A wild boar roast, cooked in my crock pot for over16 hours yesterday, yielding a gorgeously succulent ragout to be served with my favorite Amish egg noodles that I always ship back from Indiana on visits to see family.  The noodles remind me of my Mom's cooking growing up, served with a beef pot roast, or her amazing chicken soup-- and there are no substitutes for their hearty bite and rich flavor; they never get soggy and they taste like home.

Life isn't bad!