Dinner at Pat and Rosie's

A couple of weekends ago we had the great fortune to be invited to dinner at the home of our dear friends Pat and Rosie. It was their 32nd wedding anniversary and Pat cooked a spectacular dinner for his bride. The meal, which was served “Tapas” style, started out with a bottle of Gloria Ferrer sparkling Brut paired with a mint/pistachio pesto and pita chips that I brought (see recipe below). Next we dined on large diver scallops that Pat had gently seared on the gas grill. Divine! My favorite part of the evening came when Pat served marinated tuna seared on the grill with a lovely red center. Pat’s marinade included soy sauce, hot pepper sauce and toasted sesame seeds (among other ingredients). This was accompanied by a white wine whose name I cannot remember (okay so we did have a tad too much to drink). The third course was grilled lamb chops that I must admit smelled heavenly but since I am not a meat eater I skipped this one. As if this wasn’t enough we were then served a fish chowder. Also on the table was a platter of sliced tomatoes and cucumbers fresh out of Pat and Rosie’s garden. Somewhere in all this we opened a bottle of 1998 Chateau Moulin de Lavaud Lalande-de-Pomerol that Tom and I bought on a trip to France in 2003. This wine was soooooo smooth. We took this opportunity to savor the wine and take a break from food before Pat served the final course – pasta with homemade tomato sauce. This sauce was sweet and fragrant and included a secret ingredient – roasted basil buds. Basil buds are what shoots up from the basil plant when it starts to seed. Most people nip this part off and throw them away. If memory serves me right we had yet another bottle of wine during this course but the only thing I remember is that it was red. (Tom reminded me the next day that the wine was from Sterling Vineyards. I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to appreciate it). I do remember the Prager Port that Pat brought out at the end but we only had a small glass…. There was a homemade (by Rosie) Peach Pie waiting to be served for dessert but we never got to it. Too much food and too much fun!


Mint Pistachio Pesto

I learned this recipe from Chef Elliott Prag at the Natural Gourmet Institute in NYC. The Miso and Umeboshi replaces the cheese that is normally found in pesto making this a vegan recipe. The mint and pistachio are a refreshing change from the traditional basil and pine nuts. This was one of my favorite recipes from NGI and I have made it 4 or 5 times in the last couple of months.

1 large bunch of mint or 2 medium bunches (about 5 ounces)
2 cloves of garlic minced
½ c. extra virgin olive oil
½ c. raw pistachios - toasted
2 T. sweet Miso
1 t. Umeboshi Paste
Salt to taste

Using a food processor process the garlic and mint then slowly add the olive oil. Add the pistachios, Umeboshi and Miso and process for another 30-60 seconds. Taste and if needed, add salt. Serve on toasted baguette slices.