Life is short. Truly, it whirls by at an alarming rate. Here we are on the brink of a new, delicious year. 2012, can anyone really believe it? This is typically the time of year when we begin to reflect on the year prior, traditionally feeling sort of poorly about how we didn’t exercise enough, ate too much, worked too much and certainly – knowing us Sonomans – drank too much. This is the week when the fact that yes, another year has come and gone, sort of sets in. We begin to look ahead towards the new year, making promises for just how much healthier we’re going to be, just what a better person we’re going to be…this year. Oh no, not me. I make an effort to remind myself on a daily basis that this moment is your life. Everyday. I pick my battles on a daily basis, truly trying to make choices that will make me happier, healthier. If I falter, which believe me I do regularly, I start again the very next day. Or, maybe on Monday. I try to be kind to myself, I’m only human after all. 2011 was one of the more challenging years for me personally and I simply lived the very best I could each day in this truly amazing place. I was grateful every second for every little thing, every person, every meal, every day. So, in this New Year, of course I will set goals for myself, for making my life just a little happier, a little healthier, but I will remember mostly to live in this moment right now. I will live well and I will most certainly eat well. Here are a few resolutions I will keep in mind this new year, just like every year.
Cleanse thyself. Fourteen days of cabbage soup or the liquid-lemon-cayenne diet? This type of cleanse, no mater how many gurus expound on the benefits, I will not subscribe to. Often after too many days of too many glasses of wine, too many overly rich tasting menus or decadent late night snacking, I will be motivated for some sort of cleanse. In the beginning of this new year, I will not only mentally cleanse – by beginning each new day strong – but I will physically cleanse as well. My New Year menus include copious quantities of fresh greens, brothy, hot soups packed with tofu and garlic, not to mention digestive restoring dishes such as ginger noodles and yogurt-citrus smoothies. A breakfast of fiber-filled apples, which are at their seasonal peak right this minute, or a warming pot of spicy Thai curry will certainly cure what ails you this month.
Reward myself with food. There’s a saying I heard recently that went something like, “Don’t reward yourself with food, you’re not a dog.” This, folks, I do not believe. I reward myself with food on a daily basis. A gorgeous, shiny apple from the farmer’s market or a runny, stinky bite of cheese before dinner is the ultimate gift. A bowlful of roasted, in the shell pistachios nibbled on while returning emails makes that sometimes tedious task completely enjoyable. A small chunk of expensive dark chocolate possibly, but never a greasy fast food burger or a waxy candy bar from the convenience store. This year, I will reward myself with food.
Think before I drink. We live in Wine Country for a reason. We’re passionate about wine. For me, it’s a daily, enjoyable part of my life. I can happily say that I, never in a million years, would remove wine from my life, but in the new year, I might remind myself to treat wine as a treat. Have less, choose wisely. Choose, yummier wine, but maybe just not so much.
Perfect the classics. I fancy myself a pretty darn good cook. Although, like anyone, I get stuck in my rut of preparing the same things, my favorites, over and over. My go-to winter dish of white beans with giant ham hocks floating happily, or a long-cooked, rustic pot of duck ragu. While the days are short and the kitchen quiet and cozy, I plan to dedicate some time to practicing a few new dishes to add to my repertoire. A few classics, such as the most decadent chocolate pudding, a fluffy, cheesy, souffle, the absolute ideal roast chicken, definitely risotto with that perfect texture and heavenly consistency, no to mention and a few unique dishes to add to my growing list of Thai specialties. This is how I hope to spend my winter evenings.
Make dinner an event. In recent months, I have slipped into a pattern of simply slicing an apple, eating a spoonful of peanut butter or devouring an embarrassing amount of cheese in the name of dinner. In 2012 you’ll find me behind the stove more often sauteing greens, poaching eggs and stir frying mushrooms. I will set the table, light a candle and even use my linen napkins. Friends will be invited over regularly, even on a week night and we will sit, and enjoy dinner. Dinner should be a nightly event whether you’re home or out. Use your nice China, pour something special and gaze across the table into the eyes of your loves ones. Not your Iphone.
Ginger Broth with Spinach and Mushrooms
Makes 8 servings
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
12 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps sliced
12 green onions, white and pale green parts thinly sliced, tops cut into 1/2-inch lengths and reserved
1 5-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, minced
12 cups water
3 14 1/2-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth
1 cup dried porcini mushrooms* (about 3/4 ounce), rinsed briefly
3 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 6-ounce package baby spinach, thinly sliced
Heat 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add shiitake mushrooms and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to medium bowl. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in same pot. Add thinly sliced green onions, ginger, and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add water, broth, and porcini. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 20 minutes. Strain soup into large pot, pressing on solids in strainer to release as much liquid as possible. Discard solids in strainer. Stir shiitake mushrooms into broth. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 5 minutes. Add sugar and salt. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly, cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before continuing.) Add green onion tops and spinach to soup and simmer until spinach wilts, about 1 minute. Ladle into bowls.
*Dried porcini mushrooms are available at Italian markets, specialty foods stores and many supermarkets.
Kristin Viguerie is one of Sonoma’s most passionate, food obsessed residents. In this weekly column, she covers all the delicious happenings, foodie events and restaurants in Sonoma, the rest of Wine Country and beyond. Find her blogging daily as the Cook (thecardiganandcook.com) or via email at foodandwine@sonomasun.com.
Most delicious event this week.
Celebrate “Three Kings Day” at Gloria Ferrer on Sunday, January 8, beginning at 4 p.m. Guests will enjoy a performance of the Epiphany which honors the Spanish tradition of “El Dia de los Reyes Magos,” while sipping the winery’s sparkling wine, followed by samples of traditional holiday Rosca bread and hot chocolate. Admission is $10 per person. Visit gloriaferrer.com for more information or to purchase tickets. Call 933.1917 or email special.events@gloriaferrer.com with questions.
Be First to Comment