Arroz

Prinseneiland, Amsterdam, January 1, 2016—

HEREWITH A CLOSE-UP as it looked cooking in the pan over a slow heat. I suppose it's an arroz, Sander said, tossing something else in, except that it also has beans.

In fact it had an amazing variety of things: mussels, chicken hearts and giblets, flageolets, asparagus, onion soffritto of course, lord knows what else. Sander stirred a broth he'd prepared separately: What do you think of this?

It was very pungent. Mushrooms, I said, poultry; also something else… it's almost Japanese…

Yes, Sander said, umami. I was reading Elizabeth David, and she pointed out the forgotten trick of veal liver in your stock. It clarifies it and gives it richness. So I put one in.

The whole calf's liver? Yes, he said, smiling, why not.

The stock went into the pan, slowly simmering. He chopped up the asparagus stalks and added them.

We'd already had a nice salad, arugula and tomatoes, sliced onion, a few pomegranate seeds; and for dessert of course there were the traditional olliebollen. It was a delicious dinner, but then Sander's a chef (Restaurant As; I hope we get there later this week) and a brilliant cook. But this was home cooking, in a suburban North Amsterdam apartment, New Year's Eve…

Chardonnay, "Les Chamois du Paradis", Domaine Ganevat (Côtes du Jura), 2012;
Gamay (and a little something else), "Cuvée Madelan Nature, Domaine Ganevat (Jura), 2013:
wines in the old Jura style, deep and earthy, with perhaps a bit of flor

☛Restaurants visited in 2015 are listed at Eatingday's Restaurants
And this is how it looked on the plate