It was the eve of Christmas, or just plain December 24th. We’d had our fish the night before (well, it was a Friday in Christendom), so I opted for a vegetarian pasta dish, but I introduced it with a few ounces of meat.
- La Quercia Speck Americano, described as ‘applewood-smoked prosciuto’ (3 ounces), from Whole Foods, drizzled with olive oil, Campania D.O.P. Penisola Sorrentina ‘Syrenum’, from Buon Italia, maldon salt, freshly-ground black pepper, and a squeeze of sweet local lemon from Fantastic Gardens of Long Island
- served with a wonderful ‘baguette sarasin’ (buckwheat flour bread) from Eric Kayser
- eight or so ounces of a local pasta, Sfoflini Malloreddus, cooked al dente, drained and mixed with a sauce which had been prepared by heating 4 tablespoons of Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter until it had stopped sizzling, after which 10 small fresh sage leaves, chopped, were added along with 8 ounces of John D. Madura Farm sliced shiitake mushrooms, the mushrooms sautéed until soft and golden brown and seasoned with salt and pepper, the sauced pasta mixed with almost a quarter of a cup of shredded Parmigiano Reggiano Vacche Rosse from Buon Italia, served in shallow bowls with additional cheese on the side
- the wine was an Oregon (Umpqua Valley) red, Scott Kelley Pinot Noir Oregon 2015, from Naked Wines
- the music was WKCR streaming, specifically, its 9-day ‘Bach Festival 2016‘, which included Simone Dinnerstein performing his ‘Inventions & Sinfonias’, BWV 772-801