Legolamb* dinner

Saturday September 27

* The elvin hero of Bored of the Rings.

We had our colleagues Katharine and Liz over for "let's escape the Grape & Wine festival crowds" dinner. In fact, like real natives, we only made it down for the parade, and never got to any of the winy events. So we held one of our own: The First Annual Cabernet Franc-Off: Featherstone vs. Vineland. Both were good, but the latter more piquant and complicated. A spot of Indian summer, so a last chance to dine with Al Fresco (pictured above).
So here's the menu.

Starters: Holt's olive oil bread, fresh from the oven, with his roasted red peppers, cornichons, and chunks of local cheese: blue, monk's (Frère Jacques), and a lovely runny camembert type that threatened to take over the house with ripe pungent odour of peasant feet. Lots more of roasted red peppers.

Primo: Freshly-made pesto from our single basil plant. The harvest was plentiful as Father Vasili blessed the village. We tossed the leaves into the blender, ground it up with lots of walnuts, asiago, and romano until it looked right. Then served it at room temp. on pennetti pasta.

Secondo: lamb leg roasted with garlic and rosemary (also from the cute herb pot). We made up a little bowl of red Hawaiian sea salt and rosemary for sprinkling, which was more or less indistinguishable on the candlelit table, but would make a salt for Christmas. Yesterday we made a giant bowl of tabouli with parsley, scallions, cucumber, and the last field tomato on the side.

Dessert: fresh local strawberries with heavy cream. The only thing without garlic. . . we think.