Pardon my French

Once you have had great food it is easy to become an ingredient snob. You would rather spend the time and money picking out a few amazing ingredients than suffer through another meal of watery, hormoned, facsimiles. In France, I went to a corner produce stand. They had only heirloom tomatoes. They stocked only the finest Mediterranean olives. I bought some dried apricots. These apricots were amazing! They were plump, tender, and must have been sun-dried with cinnamon and vanilla beneath them. Eating $1.00 worth of dried apricots for lunch was just as luxurious and sensual as dropping a hundy, dining in the finest restaurant in San Francisco.


I made a rack of lamb the other night. On the side, I roasted this pan of vegetables. I admit I splurged on finer quality ingredients, but the price per serving was still in the $6.00 range. In the pan are equal volumes of Castelvetrano olives, pearl onions, yellow and red heirloom tomatoes, shitake mushrooms, ochre, and fingerling potatoes. I seasoned with a little sea salt and my favorite dried herbs. These vegetables are great compliments to game or poultry and a great foundation for beef or a pork roast. Cut these up and place them in a roasting pan. For a more rustic flavor, roast them the entire time your meat is in the oven. For a fresher, more vibrant flavor, put them in with your meat for the last 30-45 minutes.

If you are going to highlight an ingredient, buy the good stuff and celebrate it. Go for great food and prepare it yourself instead of lame food that someone else carelessly assembles.

$6.00 per serving including the lamb chop they were plated with. Delicious. Earthy. Sweet. Acidic. Good balance of vitamins. Luxurious and satisfying.