New Year's Melville Eve

Wednesday December 31

Karolyn and Jim kindly invited us and several other friends over for a New Year's Eve party.  She chose the theme, which was Herman Melville: his books, his friends, his interests.  She added that if they liked, guests could bring nibblies or bread, though she ruled our rare whale steak.  We debated whether to go with something from Omoo, but decided against it.* 

Instead, Holt made a Moby Dick focaccia, dusted with white sea salt.  Keeping to the nautical theme, Barbara said she'd bring fish roe.  As it happened, she got a jar of large, berry-like wild salmon roe, so she laid out concentric circles of two types of goat cheese spread (the green with arugula and olive oil, the white with cream cheese, cream, lemon, and white pepper), and sprinkled the outer one with fresh chopped chives and clusters of orange-red roe.

The results did look like a festive (though not very Melville-y) wreath.

When we arrived at their bright and flamingo-lit home, Karolyn and Jim greeted us with a tasty blue curaçao and prosecco drink that might have been what the crew of the Pequod ordered at a tiki bar.  There were many delicious things laid out for us, including Julie's crudités and hummus (to keep off the scurvy), curried cashews, a cheese board, anchovy toasts, and classic 1950s cheesy olives.  So we put out our offerings, and Holt plied the harpoon, with the immortal words "from Hell's heart, I stab at thee."  And we all fell to, or overboard.

In due course, we progressed to main course: Karolyn's creamy cod chowder (a bowl of which Ishmael and Queequeg bonded over).

And for dessert, her homemade cookies that even Bartleby would have preferred: bars made of dark chocolate ganache on salted caramel, shortbread cookies, and gingersnaps (because one of the other clerks in Bartleby the Scrivener was called "Ginger Nut.")

And finally, we drank in the New Year with a bottle of bubbly noir des noirs, and another of cava.  Thanks to all, especially Karolyn and Jim, for a very happy Melvillean new year!

*"The Julia's provisions were very poor. When opened, the barrels of pork looked as if preserved in iron rust, and diffused an odour like a stale ragout. The beef was worse yet; a mahogany-coloured fibrous substance, so tough and tasteless, that I almost believed the cook's story of a horse's hoof with the shoe on having been fished up out of the pickle of one of the casks. Nor was the biscuit much better; nearly all of it was broken into hard, little gunflints, honeycombed through and through, as if the worms usually infesting this article in long tropical voyages had, in boring after nutriment, come out at the antipodes without finding anything."

Napas, Onions, and Celeriac Slaw

Tuesday December 30

Yes, it's the slaw we made yesterday from the other half of the celery root, using our other favored recipe. 

The Brits call it remoulade, and eat it with toast points, silly buggers.  We Porkopolitans needed something sturdier, i.e. Napa sausages and fried onions. 

Pork Steaks Marsala and Celeriac

Monday December 29

The other vegetable rescued from Hyde Park (see below) was a celery root - a bargain at $2.98/lb.  We'd better plant these next spring as well, as each root comes out to five or six dollars at best.

We decided to sauté half of it, as here, and use the other half for slaw.

Just for the record, after we cut off all the brown parts thoroughly, we sliced the root into thin juliennes (thanks, Benriner!) and sautéed in an ample amount of butter for about 10 minutes until tender; then added salt, pepper, a dash of dijon mustard, and a dash of tarragon and white wine vinegar to taste. 

Oh, and something had to go with that, so we got out a couple of thickish pork medallions, brined them for a couple of hours with a bay leaf, drained and patted them with thyme leaves, sautéed them too (in a different pan), and deglazed the pan with Marsala. 

A fine combination of flavors, though it's odd economics when the meat costs less per pound than the vegetable.

Anginares a la Polita

Sunday December 28

Despite the fact that we've been home more than usual and paying her due adulation, Dora has been getting into more spaces than ever as we cook dinner these days.  Don't worry, though - we only closed the cabinet door for a second as we took this picture.

One of the few fruits - or vegetables - of Barbara's ill-advised shopping trip to Hyde Park on Christmas Eve was a box of baby artichokes.  After our last few days of indulgence, we felt the need for a green, low-fat meal, like our Greek artichoke stew.

A bowlful of goodness, even though the dill was dried rather than fresh.  We'll plant more in springtime.

Duck Legs and Roast Vegetables

Saturday December 27

Part of our Christmastide Fat Fest.  

The legs were packed with a lot of little duck scraps from the carcass, and had been resting in their dry marinade of salt, allspice, and thyme for two days.  Most sources advised roasting them at very low heat for an hour and a half or more, confit-style, but we didn't realize that until we were already hungry. 

So we roasted them on a flat pan, together with an assortment of Brussels sprouts, shallots, and turnips, at 375º on convect for about a half hour.  

That was that - and damn good, too.