Giving Thanks

It's been 3 months since I began this blog; 3 months since I thought I would bounce right back into the kitchen. These past few months have seen occasions of good food- oyster hour at Anchovies & Olives, dinners with friends at Cantinetta, a wine dinner at Palisade, even dinners with T: braised rabbit at my favorite restaurant Cafe Juanita, Spinasse, Olivar, Barking Frog. But I still struggle to cook at home. I've made some pastas, a braised short rib dish for a friend, even roasted a turkey. But I am someone who cooked nearly every night. I really dislike cooking on a electric stove! Last weekend I made a bolognese; the first one since Labor Day Weekend. It was good, not great. Sometimes, I think I've lost my palate. Maybe it's just my enthusiasm that's waning, but food just doesn't taste quite *right*. It tastes as though it's missing a something; salt? spice? Maybe it's just missing someone to gush over it with. I'm finding that I'm having the same problem with wine.. I can easily decipher good from bad, but my palate isn't quite as keen on articulating the aromas and flavor profiles. I'm sure it's not lost forever, but for right now, it's a little disconcerting!

It's a new year. It was a hard walk into the new year, folks. No doubt about it. On Saturday, I went to the farmers market with a friend. We got coffee and just walked through the slow winter market. When we entered the market, I was greeted by Anthony, from Estrella Creamery. We chatted for a few; there's something simply satisfying to be recognized by a farmer. That made my morning. These days, it's definitely the small things.




Tonight, another friend comes over for a dinner date. In the darkest of hours, I have been blessed with amazing friends; friends that show up, listen to you without judgment- they listen to my heartbreak with compassion, and love, and force me to get out of the house and walk around Greenlake, or go to a movie, or go to the farmers market. Tonight I will feed her well, and share a special bottle of wine, and we will talk and laugh, and watch a movie. And I hope that I can show my appreciation for her friendship with the time I take to make her a meal. Sometimes words aren't enough. I've always thought that actions speak louder than words; here's hoping that my actions of cooking for someone I care for speak volumes of the love that I feel for having such a friend, such judgment free friendship in my life.

Since it's Sunday, I am recalling my Sundays of the past- the luxury of having a whole day to putter around the kitchen, and cook something low and slow, coaxing it into a beautiful dish. This is a winter stand-by.. a braciole served over creamy polenta. Braciole is simply flank steak, stuffed with herbs, breadcrumbs, and cheeses. Wrapped up and braised in tomatoes and wine for hours, until the meat is tender and gives easily to a knife. I usually serve this over a polenta with parmesan. Tonight, I also served it with a little sauteed spinach and an endive & avocado salad. The sauce for the braciole tonight was a batch of roasted tomatoes and onions that were frozen from my garden; it tasted like sweet, sweet summer. We opened a bottle of Turley Dragon Vineyard Zinfandel to go with the braciole; I think it was a perfect match.






Braciole

adapted from Giada De Laurentis, Everyday Entertaining


Ingredients
1/2 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
1 garlic clove, minced
2/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano
1/3 cup grated provolone
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (1 1/2-pound) flank steak
1 cup dry white wine
3 1/4 cups Simple Tomato Sauce, your own or a good jarred one


Directions
Stir the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season mixture with salt and pepper and set aside.



Lay the flank steak flat on the work surface. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the steak to cover the top evenly. Starting at 1 short end, roll up the steak as for a jelly roll to enclose the filling completely. Using butcher's twine, tie the steak roll to secure. Sprinkle the braciole with salt and pepper.


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.


Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the braciole and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in the marinara sauce. Cover partially with foil and bake until the meat is almost tender, turning the braciole and basting with the sauce every 30 minutes. After 1 hour, uncover and continue baking until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes longer. The total cooking time should be about 1 1/2 hours.


Remove the braciole from the sauce. Using a large sharp knife, cut the braciole crosswise and diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Transfer the slices to plates. Spoon the sauce over and serve.