Today, my husband Jim and I are celebrating our new beginning in D.C. and the wellness we both have achieved through my astringent gluten-free diet with some Scrabble by the fire and some classic rock jams.
This morning, my friend Amy came by and we had coffee and played some viol duets. Woodycock from the 16th century kicked our butts, but with a little more practice we'll get it!
Here is what we had for lunch:
Faux Pho
Make some chicken broth, strain, set aside. If you're feeling more traditional, make oxtail or beef broth.
Saute shallots, minced, 4 cloves garlic, minced and half a head of cabbage, shredded
Spice it with grated ginger and red pepper flakes
Add to the broth
Pan fry some shrimp and add in
Boil up some fettuccine-style rice pasta separately (seems crazy, but if you boil them in the broth it gets kinda slimy) and set aside (or add in to your broth if you don't want it to get sticky)
Poach two eggs
[boil a few cups of water; add 1 t sea salt and 2 t rice vinegar, or apple cider vinegar. crack yr eggs into a small dish; turn off the heat, slide in the eggs, cover for just under 5 mins; remove from the hot water.]
Add juice of half a lemon to your broth, adjust ginger and add sea salt to taste, wheat free tamari if you like soy. Add star anise and lemongrass if you have it (more pho-like)
When your eggs are ready:
Fill yr 2 bowls with noodles, then with the broth, portion out the shrimp, and drop one poached egg in the middle of the two bowls. Garnish with scallions and dulse and chilies if you like a little heat.
And for our listening pleasure, Jim found this LP at the local CD Cellar:
Renaissance of the Celtic Harp by Alan Stivell (1971)
Stunning, repertoire spanning centuries of celtic and bardic harp, orchestrations featuring full chorus, strings, tabla, scottish drums, guitar and double bass. Basically this is my dream record!
Happy 2010 to you all. New beginnings, out with the old, fresh starts all around.
