Inspiration

Cooking in a make-do, jury-rigged kitchen is quite a challenge for me. I can't find specific utensils. Sometimes I wonder if some of my equipment were merely dreamy ghosts mocking me. This discombobulatedness constantly puts a damper on my culinary inspiration. Tonight, however, I was visited by the ghost of past great meals. My first stop was The Belmont Butchery. Tanya, bless her heart, convinced me that I needed a veal chop. Once that had been decided, I also ordered a miniscule amount of proscuitto. As I drove home, I prayed to an unknown pagan god that my husband had not eaten all of the Swiss cheese that had been purchased for snacking reasons this past weekend. For once, the gods smiled upon me. My home-cooked meal consisted of:

Veal chop stuffed with proscuitto, Swiss cheese, and fresh sage leaves (seared in olive and black truffle oil and then roasted in the oven)

Baked mashed potatoes with black truffle oil and Romano cheese (boiled, mashed with the oil, Romano, a tablespoon of butter , salt, and pepper and then baked in the oven)

Diagonally sliced carrots (sauteed in butter and seasoned with dried lavender)

To drink we had a 2003 Estancia Meritage from Paso Robles. This widely available gem boasts a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 6% Petit Verdot. Smooth, yet full-bodied. And available at Total Wine for ~$22 a bottle.

Lip-smacking inspiration returned for at least one night.