All That Remains

The tender meat of the spot prawn was delicious and only the shell remained. The clams steamed in white wine tasted wonderful but only the bit of shell is left. The pits of the salty Moroccan olives join the shells on the plate. Just the inedible and indigestible bits remain from our evening dinner.

And yet, the taste of the grilled prawns that were tossed with olive oil, garlic and a bit of smoked paprika still lingers in my mouth. I can still remember the strong fragrance as I lifted the lid of the pot of the cooked clams - the blend of white wine, clam juice and the colours of the fresh picked and chopped parsley and the red tomato pieces. The feel of the prawns in my hands as I try to remove the hard shell and not tear the tasty flesh so I can savour its flavour. Pieces of saffron rice cling to the prawns and clams and I taste that beautiful exotic flavour of the saffron and turmeric. My eyes take in the strong vibrant colours those spices have infused into it. The spicy zing of the chorizo sausage pops in my mouth until it is relieved with the lovely taste of the red wine that accompanied the meal.

All that remains on the plate are the things I cannot consume or enjoy. What is left does not begin to let you know how richly I enjoyed the meal of leftovers. Nor does it tell you how wonderful it was to enjoy the evening before as we had our first deck party this summer and had the new teak table surrounded with friends as we all enjoyed taking what we needed, and wanted, from the platters filled with saffron rice, roast chicken thighs, sliced chorizo, steamed clams, grilled prawns and grilled salmon fillet. We all had messy fingers from peeling the prawns! There was a heap of empty shells at the end of the evening. All this was followed by the tiramisu, a fresh fruit pie and the traditional summer strawberries and sponge cake with fresh cream that my husband makes.

Yet the greater percentage of what remains from the evening meal is not visible. There are tastes that linger in your mouth, conversations that percolate in your heart, nurturing that happens as our body processes what we have eaten, aromas that will be awakened again in our memory. The food nurtured our bodies as we ate, the sense of community, the hope and deep sense of contentment nurtures much deeper within my soul - these are the things I can name that will linger, that will remain. There were two delightful children who were part of our evening on the deck. After dinner I came upon one of them lying on the floor beside our frail 22 year old cat, Astrophe, and this old feline was luxuriating in the tender touch of the little one lying beside her., giving her gentle love. Later, on the bocce ball court, a game was taking place and the squeals of delight from the little one and cheers from the adult players enjoying their game floated through the trees up to the deck.

Like our breath being inhaled and then exhaled, this rhythm of life, the season of gathering to feast together in the warm summer air seemed so natural and life giving. This life giving rhythm offers us flavours and scents that weave memories within us. Patterns continue to be woven in the threads of our being and indeed this is what remains and will linger on long after the prawn shells, olive pits and clam shells have been discarded.

So much more remains!

Dining Out

It was a beautiful relaxing day which was capped off by dinner out. One of those evenings where the setting was perfect, the wine was excellent, the food was superb and we lingered over dinner. Dinner out wasn’t far away, no need to drive anywhere - just outside the back door on the deck surrounded by gardens that are coming to life, bird feeders alive with exquisite little winged creatures, hummingbirds zooming in and out of their nectar feeding stops, and the warmth and quiet of this evening on our little piece of paradise completed the picture of the best dining out location I know of.

My husband’s father Jack, used to prepare steaks, his special brand of BBQ steaks, for his wife Pat on regular occassions. Alas, I never had the privilege of meeting either Jack or Pat as they passed away before my husband and I were married. David follows his Dad‘s tradition so when we can, on our quiet days together he prepares his own brand of fabulous steaks on the BBQ, creating our own tradition as a couple.

With the smell of the steaks cooking on the grill on this unexpectedly non-rainy evening, we were relaxing at our new teak outdoor dining table, sipping a delightful Pinot Noir (Mud House from Central Otago, New Zealand) and watching all the wildlife that was greedily feeding at the bird feeders hanging between the cedar and hemlock trees. There were a few vegetables from the previous weeks’ organic veggie delivery so it was easy to just par-boil the broccoli and the fingerling potatoes, add some asparagus that definitely was needing to be used. They were tossed together with some olive oil, drizzled with a light coating of balsamic vinegar and seasoned with salt, pepper and a little oregano. When the steaks and veggies were done and delivered to the table, we just sank into the nice cushiony softness of our outdoor dining chairs, sat back, poured another glass of wine and prepared to dine in this ‘ordinary’ haven we call home.

I think the season of ‘dining out’ in the open air, just outside the back door may have arrived! And how glorious it is when it comes and invites us to linger outside and be surrounded the beauty of flowers, growing vegetation and the multitude of birds.

Quick Potato, Onion, Celery Soup

Rainy days, cold and windy days - those are the times when a steaming hot bowl of soup seems to be just the ticket. Rainy days seem to be lingering out here on the West Coast and with it being very much an inside day, it was a good time to get a pot of soup ready for lunch.

Vegetable soups are very quick and easy and don’t necessarily need to sit for 24 hours to have the flavours fully melded.

In this recipe you can easily substitute leaks for the celery.

RECIPE:

2 medium sized potatoes - peeled and cut into smallish pieces
6 celery stocks - slice into fine slices (use the top leaves but not the bottom white of the stock)
1 medium onion chopped
3 green onions - chopped
½ lemon - juiced and outside rind saved
1 ½ McCormick’s vegetable or chicken stock cubes
1 teaspoon of dry oregano
2 teaspoon of salt- add 1 teaspoon and taste as it cooks and then add more if you would like more.
¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Fresh thyme stems if available - don’t use dry thyme
Splash of whipping cream if desired *


- Heat butter and olive oil in your pot, turn heat down to medium and add the celery and onions. Add a little salt. Cook them together, sweat them, so they become tender but not brown. This is about 5- 7 minutes.
- Squeeze the lemon juice in and then also throw in the lemon piece to the pot.
- Add the chopped potatoes, gently mix together and then add the water and stock cubes and bring to a boil then let it continue boiling on a medium heat for about 20 minutes.
- Add oregano.
- If you have fresh thyme put it in too.
- Check for the taste of the broth to see if you want to add more salt or not.
- Once the potatoes are very soft add the Dijon mustard.
- Remove soup from the heat and let it cool a little. Remove the piece of lemon. Remove thyme stems.

- if you want it to be a cream soup, add a ¼ cup of whipping cream to the soup and bring it to the boil again.*

- Using either a hand blender or a regular blender, puree the soup. Again check your seasoning to make sure it is to your liking. Add more salt if you need to.


If you want to jazz it up, toast little slices of a baguette and then grill a little Gruyere cheese on them to make little cheese croutons. You can also drizzle a touch of Truffle oil on the top of your soup.