Sunday, February 24, 2013

Beans and beans

beans.jpg
Eastside Road, February 24, 2013—
BUT BEFORE GETTING to those delicious green beans that we had tonight, let me thank our friends Tom and Elizabeth for a marvelous dinner in their home last night. Tom rubbed some pork ribs with a deep-flavored, very savvy mixture a friend of his had made, home-made chili powder and salt and who knows what else, and cooked them perfectly. With the ribs, sweet potato purée and beet cole slaw.

Now those who know me well know I'm not fond of either sweet potatoes or beets. But I had double servings of these. Tom's sweet potatoes had a perfect amount of butter and cream and nutmeg, and serving them en purée evades the grainy, fibrous, sticky texture that is apparently my chief objection to the vegetable. And the cole slaw was also so perfectly flavored and balanced that the beets did not dominate, simply contributed themselves to an integrated ensemble.

It was a very knowing dinner, topped off with a very nice blood-orange tart. My thanks to a couple of good friends and fine hosts.


Riesling, Kalinda (Rheingau), 2011: perfect with the ribs; Morgon, Jean-Ernest Descombes, 2011 (fruity, spicy, forward, speaking well to the slaw

Tonight, back home after a ramble in the West Marin hills, we made do with leftover bean soup from the other night, again garnished with avocado, onion, cilantro, and lime. But before it we had delicious green beans cooked in butter with minced shallots, a fine combination.

Green salad afterward, and fruit, and chocolates…

Cheap Pinot grigio

No comments: