Thursday, July 26

Textured Flavors of Food and Friend, Sarahndipity

Well, I’m closing in. Recipe 33. 18 recipes and more than thirty days left. I think I can do that. Whew. Man, I’m glad the pressure’s off. Now I can really take my time in planning the recipes and get more into quality versus rushing it in!

Last night’s recipe was Tomato, Rapini and Spring Legume Salad. A fabulous recipe, I recommend it. Crunchy beans, ever-so-slightly peppery rapini (broccoli rabe), tomatoes which are in their prime now, sweet fennel strands and a delicate and perfect mustard vinaigrette. See comment for recipe.

I’d like to dedicate this here recipe of many textures, colors and flavors, to an amazingly multi-textured, colorful, many-flavors of a woman I met about 15-16 years back who has made a remarkable impression on my life. She’s truly the smartest person I’ve ever been friends with; or who would even consider being friends with me, oh-one-of humble IQ origins. She has taught me how to look differently at life in a way no one else ever has. Because of her, I know have an astounding new template for this Universe, seeing connections and building my spirituality to new bounds. She is an artist, philosopher, writer, avid reader, lay-naturalist, self-taught scientist, book author, computer nerd, creator, cheerleader of all that is inspiring and good, and dreamer…boy, is she a dreamer!

Have you ever met a person who affected you on a deeper level than you ever imagined? It’s like how you feel when you catch the sight of a shooting star. It is spectacular and wondrous. That’s how I feel about Sarahndipity. She is my shooting star.

To see some of Sarah’s projects: http://www.graceartgroup.com/

3 comments:

my heroes said...

Tomato, Rapinia and Spring Legume Salad
(Roxanne Klein and Charlie Trotter, RAW)

Serves 4

12 small pieces rapini
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Celtic sea salt and freshly ground pepper

12 purple purple beans, cut crosswise into thirds
12 yellow wax beans, cut crosswise into thirds
12 hericots verts
1 red heirloom tomato, peeled, seeded and cut into small wedges
½ cup julienned fennel
2 cloves elephant garlic, sliced paper-thin, soaked for one hour in filtered water, then drained
1½ tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
Celtic sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Mustard Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons mustard seeds soaked 10-12 hrs in filtered water, then drained
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil

Garnish: 1 cup baby arugula plus some micro daikon sprouts


Mix rapini with the red wine vinegar and marinate for 40 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Combine all beans, tomato, fennel, garlic, parsley and olive oil, toss to mix and season with salt and pepper.

Vinaigrette: Combine mustard seeds and 2 tablespoons venigar and let soak 1 hour. Drain seeds, put in mortar and add olive oil and crush in mortar until fully incorporated.
My Note: I did it the lazy way: just used my ready made Tarragon Mustard from a jar mixed with olive oil and it was delicious!

Combine rapini, legumes and arugula in bowl and toss, Season if needed. Place amound of the legume salad in center of plate. Spoon Vinaigrette around plate and sprinkle with daikon sprouts.

Chris said...

That there [sic] is quite a paean to Sarah, and fitting I might add (having met her). Your approbation notwithstanding, as a metaphor you have chosen well the word "texture" as textures go beyond the broad flavors of the "thing" itself to make distinct a work of art. First is the general shape, the outline, main idea: the carrot or potato. Perhaps bland in and of itself, but in the hands of an artiste', or of the Great Creator Force, that which might be plain or even too simple to the discerning gourmet becomes many facetted, complex and inevitablely true, good and beautiful.

my heroes said...

wow.