Swwwish ~ Zooom~Aaahhhh.
Those are the sounds of my recent blowing around from Vegas to
Sacramento , Ashland Oregon to Carson City, San Diego and back again. I’ve been doing a bit of traveling and have
lots of food fodder to share. So I’ll
get right to it.
Sacramento was our first stop, (I was traveling with my
youngest daughter), to pick up my mother, sister and nieces. My eldest niece, a kindred spirit, as she is
truly a mini-me of me, had taken the time to prepare a simple yet flavorful
cream of mushroom soup upon our arrival. Of course there was ample wine as mother, my
mini-me and I enjoy our squeezed and fermented grapes, then we were off to bed.
We rose very early the next morning embarking upon our “road
trip” to Ashland. The five hour drive
provided us with all kinds of girl talk, country music, (they allowed me ONE
song from the sixties), and stunning topography that went from green to greener
and more lush. Bathroom stops included
healthy snacks comprised of beef jerky, animal crackers and chocolate milk. By our final stop we began to complain about
the chill in the air as we rummaged the car in search of sweaters and
jackets. Upon exiting the little market with
more snacks, we chatted it up with some very friendly gentlemen, (that always
happens when my sister and I go out with our daughters), warning us about the excitable
highway patrol officers who are drawn to cars with California license
plates. When they saw us wrap our
sweaters and jackets tighter around ourselves, they chuckled. One of the men told us we would only get
colder, as we headed further north, “up into the clouds.” He was right.
Our 4:30 a.m. wake up time was worth it. We arrived at the Shakespeare box office just
in time for our 11:30 matinee. Oh, opps, wait ~ Note; Mother and I are
notorious for making little mistakes such as scheduling limos to pick us up
24-hours prior to when we actually need to
be picked up. Or, we find ourselves
standing at someone’s door for a garden party, with our thoughtfully prepared
dish for the potluck, only to be told by our baffled hostess, the party is tomorrow. In our efforts to do better, we’ve started
emailing one to ensure our flights are synchronized. And yet, to our dismay, we recently discovered while our flights arrived within minutes of each other we were days apart. She a week too early, me a week too late. Anyway, this day was one such mistake; the matinee
didn’t start until 1:30. Sharon and my nieces immediately began
grumbling about losing a good two hours of beauty sleep. As if they needed it!
No worries, a marvelous aromatic scent emitting from the
restaurant next door, tickled our noses and activated our salivary glands. We entered; no wait of course, ordered lunch
and officially began our vacation with glasses of wine and Prosecco. Lunch was followed by a bit of shopping,
since we still had time before the
show. We were all shocked and surprised
about the no sales tax thing in Oregon.
But no one more than I, as I watched my sister and nieces try on and
purchase my favourite style of sandal, Birkenstocks. They must have caught the Hippy-Dippy fever
as we descended that last mountain into downtown Ashland. I don’t recall anyone getting that excited
about Berkies when I wore them back in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s!
Amid mild rain storms, backstage tours and theater
productions there were two amazing meals.
The first was at The Loft, the second at Alchemy. For me the meal at The Loft was ahmaazing.
Dining with others whose culinary knowledge and experiences
range from actually cooking, to watching Food Network to well . . . just
eating, always serves to heighten my enthusiasm for a meal. My youngest niece had been told by one of her
co-workers, if she had a chance, to order charcuterie. After explaining charcuterie is a platter of
selected meats and pork specialties, such as pates, rillettes and galantines
with perhaps a few cornichons or olives and always bread, my table-mates agreed
to make that our choice of shared appetizer.
It was fabulous. For dinner
Alicia ordered a comforting, rainy-day macaroni and cheese, my daughter and
eldest niece shared a hearty bowl of bouillabaisse, mother ordered duck nestled
on a bed of polenta. The polenta, I’m afraid
was the best part. My sister and I
shared the Alaskan Halibut. And not just
because Halibut begins with Hh, my letter for this week’s Blog, but the server’s
description was so good. When the
platter was set before us, our generous portion of this northern Pacific
flatfish relative was adorned with fresh morels, asparagus and carrots. All drizzled with a champagne beurre
noisette. The flavor was clean yet
rich. I loved it!
To say Halibut can be included in my alpha-food journey is
not the stretch you may think it is.
Though we have access to halibut year round, according to my research,
halibut fishing season begins in May for Oregon and Washington State. This means we get the best fresh caught from
late spring to early summer. A friend
of mine who is a regular traveling fisherman claimsAugust is the month when
halibut is most abundant. He says the
cost of fresh caught in the stores should be lower than as well. Since August is part of summer, I’m going with my research and when my friend snaps on his fishing
vest and slings his pole over his shoulder.
On to Carson City for a week of work. Nothing terribly exciting about my food
there. My work peers and I usually head
for the nearest grocery store upon arrival so we can stock the mini-fridge in
our hotel rooms. I purchased some hummus
along with crudités, cheese wine and water, but that’s it for Carson.
I arrived back at McCarran long enough to walk my oversized
suitcase out to my associate’s car then turn right back around to get on
another flight for San Diego. My trip to
Mission Beach was for a Dragon Boat race with a group of women who can
out-paddle and out-sweat any co-ed team.
And that is just what we did!
Three heats later, against mixed teams, since they had cancelled the
women’s only event due to lack of sign-ups, and beating our own best time, we
were due for a party. And party we did! With plenty of beer, spicy poke fish tacos,
fresh, bright ceviche and individual team member recognition.
It was Sunday morning when my team/roommate and I went in search
of a good cup of coffee. Just around the
corner of our hotel we found ourselves in Old Town amid a huge Cinco de Mayo
celebration. No Starbucks, Peet’s or
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, just good old coffee/ice cream shops, a torrent of
Mexican restaurants, clothing and shoe vendors and a marvelous array of
hyped-up-lowered vintage American cars. Still
there were plenty of homes not converted into commercial venues. Instead, they had weathered patio furniture,
obviously still in use, decorative clay pottery littered about and a near
forest of Hibiscus, Hydrangeas and Bougainvillea. But one little pueblo like house stood
out. This homeowner was a real
gardener. Though still somewhat unruly
the garden displayed an abundance of edibles.
Fruit trees, citrus trees, tomatoes and herbs. Tons of herbs, most I recognized immediately
as my friend tested my herbology knowledge.
One herb stumped me. But only for
a moment; it was hyssop. It took me a
minute to call out its name as I scrutinized the mint scented, tarragon shaped
leaves and tall spindly stems with small blueish-purple flowers at the
top. The plant didn’t seem to be in full
bloom yet, but once I reached my hand through the black, rod iron fencing, to
pluck and smell the herb, that licorice scented flowers were the
give-a-way.
I have only had the pleasure of growing hyssop once, since I
don’t ever see it at our local nurseries.
Hyssop is an herb that goes way back. There are several mentions of it in the Bible
from Moses to John the Baptist. The
ancient Greeks boiled hyssop with rue, (another herb also known as “herb of
grace”), and honey, then use the concoction as a cough remedy. Here’s
my hyssop concoction:
Ingredients
1 lb of baby carrots ½ cup vegetable stock salt and pepper to taste
1 Tblsp orange marmalade (this is far less than I used to
use)
1 Tblsp unsalted butter 1 tsp finely chopped culinary hyssop
leaves – save flowers for garnish
1)
In medium saucepot, combine carrots, stock,
marmalade and butter. Bring to a simmer
over medium-low heat.
2)
Cook until carrots have softened a little but
still have some snap and liquid has thickened, about 8-12 minutes
3)
Remove from heat and pour into serving
bowl. Toss with chopped hyssop leaves
and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4)
Garnish with hyssop flowers and serve
immediately
Makes 2-3 servings
 |
| I couldn't help myself, I added currants to this one. |
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