I was recently lucky enough to attend a fancy restaurant where I sat at the bar watching the chef prepare her culinary masterpieces. They were all quite frankly little bite size works of art. Well, with a lot of undirected energy this afternoon, I decided to play around with the leftovers in Steve’s kitchen using the chef as my creative inspiration. First up, a few radishes sliced thin, arranged on a simple plate, then each slice either topped with quarter teaspoon of guacamole or quarter teaspoon of Steve’s homemade pesto.
Then I found some tomatoes, sliced up a couple, and then paired the slices on a long glass tray. The slices were drizzled with basil-infused olive oil, and I’m considering topping them with some finely chopped garlic.
I dug around the refrigerator and came across a tub of roasted pine nut hummus. Scooped some into a tiny white ceramic ramekin and then mixed the hummus with a drizzle of hot sesame oil to add a bit of kick. Final garnish is a couple of fresh peeled carrot sticks.
In progress are the mushrooms. I’m of a mixed mind about mushrooms. Sometimes I like them and sometimes I don’t. I’m contemplating taking three small mushrooms and stuffing them with bacon, cheddar cheese, and fresh parsley. So far the mushrooms have been selected. What do you think? 😉
We used squid as the tasty lure. Once the hook had been baited, Steve taught me how to cast (last time the fellow did it for me). As I stood at the rail holding the rod, I was aware of the looks we received from the neighboring fishermen. As you can see I am still not quite up to speed on fishing attire. A few people came over to chitchat. I let Steve do all the talking. I stared out into the sea.
I watched the rippling of the water and the gentle rise and fall of the waves. In the ephemeral light of the cloudy day, every shade of blue appeared on the water’s surface. For just a moment. No fish did I see but I kept imagining them down in the dark depths, nibbling on my squid. Birds flew overhead. Sailboats drifted by. In the end, I caught nothing except of course that calm. Unexpected but welcome. A treat. As Steve and I walked back to the car, and he outlined our strategy for next time so that we’d actually catch something, I realized I didn’t need to a catch a fish. It was the journey that mattered to me, not the destination. When I shared that revelation with Steve, he was quiet for a moment, then said, “I respect your feelings. But let’s test that theory once you actually have a fish on the line.”
Words + Images 