On the patio

Eastside Road, August 24, 2014—

COOK'S SISTER is in town visiting; let's ask the neighbors up to join in an al fresco evening. We got a small boneless chuck roast, cut it in half crosswise, salted it and re-wrapped it in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Then I built a charcoal fire to slowly roast a mess of Jimmy Nardello and Padron peppers over, then the beef, as you see here. I seared it quickly on both sides, then cooked it slowly, quite high over the coals, seasoned only with the salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Chuck is tough, of course, and it would have been better to get it a few days earlier and marinated it, I suppose. But there's other things for jaw muscles than talk-talk, and the flavor was fine — especially with the red wine we had, a perfect match for grilled beef.

Before the main course, almonds and boquerones — I dressed the latter with a salsa made of mirepoix (finely diced celery, shallot, carrot, and Padron pepper, soaked in Champagne and sherry vinegar with a little olive oil); afterwards, green salad, then broiled figs drizzled with honey.

Rosé, La Ferme Julien (Var), 2013; Cinsault, Preston of Dry Creek, 2009 (optimal!)