Saturday, February 06, 2010

February 6

What We Ate (while you were gone)

Dear Austin,
Hard to believe another week has already gone by. I bet not for you - that each day has been jam-packed, but for us living the day-to-day life back at home, it was time to go to Saturday farmers' market today. And - didn't we just go? It was a day of intermittent downpour with astonishingly bright blue swaths of sky and intense sunshine. The vendors were thankful for the sun for several reasons, I'm sure.  Papi and Anjali played in the puddles at the playground as I made the rounds in a very business-like fashion.  The basket got happily loaded down with winter cellar-type items:  onion and garlic, acorn squash, apples, radishes, sweet potatoes, a huge bag of carrots (for my own fermenting), and then of course the now-requisite big bag-o-greens. I went straight for County Line's braising mix this time. It is a beautiful rainbow. Lamb shoulder from Highland Hills. I hit up Massa for a bag of raw almonds to make some more of that addictive soaked and roasted almond butter, but they had sold out! I will fill you in, however: he gave me a sample of their almond butter, and (ours is better....!)...it only made me wish all the more that I was toting a pound home to make my own.
We tag-teamed dinner tonight so I could go for a run.  Braised the lamb shoulder with red wine and beef bone broth (which is still simmering away quietly on the back burner now!), onion, fennel bulb, carrots and sweet potato (and a bay leaf - ya never know! Why not?!)  Oh, Austin, this was a winner. The lamb was melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the broth was heavenly. Anjali drank cup after cup of it and kept fishing more carrots out of my bowl.  :-) Sealion served me up a heaping bowlful and I did everything but lick it clean.  I even sucked the marrow out of the bone - a carnal delicacy that has seemed too carnivorous for me until now. It was satisfying.
In front of the fire - the epitome of a winter feast!

Love.
Tiffanie

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