Writing to you today from an extremely windy corner of the north shore. The apple trees are whipping in the orchard, which causes wispy whistling sounds, much like the sound (ahem) of someone who can’t whistle properly… Periodically things keep blowing down around parts the house and I really hope “the breeze” subsides soon. Given I’ve named the house The Windy Poplars, I’m no stranger to high winds, but it is a bit jarring…
Andy and Rachel came to dinner over the weekend and I made one of my favorite rib recipes. They are Thai inspired ribs and the original recipe lives on Epicurious and comes from the Lobel's Meat Bible book, which I’ve modified here and there over the years. These ribs are cooked solely in the oven and the dipping sauce is an absolute must. It’s addictively good. I served the ribs with steamed rice and a tomato and cucumber salad I dressed with Chinese black vinegar, a bit of sesame oil and topped with crushed peanuts. We ate it outside on the worn wood table and watched the sun set - highly recommended!
Helen and Dan arrive this Friday and I’m very excited to see them. We’ve taken much of this summer off from hosting as I need to finish my book, so they will be our first proper guests of the season. I think I’ll grill some lamb shoulder chops for their arrival and make a salad with fennel and dates - similar to this one I created last spring. There might be a tomato salad of some sort too. Tis the season… Rice pilaf or some sort of new potato dish will also likely appear alongside. Wild raspberries are growing just up the road, so I’ll work those into a dessert too.
In Oona wine news, we launched a new varietal this week! It’s a low ABV, orange Pinot Gris and it’s delicious. I will be sharing a recipe that pairs well with it very soon, but it was a very fun campaign to shoot with my dear friend Alexis, who is also the author of Side Dish on this very platform. We spent an afternoon at her farm in the Catskills and cooked together. It was truly lovely. Much more to come on this soon.
In the meantime, here are some other recipes I’ve shared around this time of year, two of which I’ve unlocked for all subscribers to enjoy.
UNLOCKED!
UNLOCKED!
GOOD REMINDERS
Oh, and the night before last I grilled a pound of yellow wax beans and green beans and charred them lightly. I then tossed them in a dressing of of tahini, chili crisp, rice wine vinegar and a bit of brown sugar and topped them with fried shallots and thinly sliced scallions and sesame seeds. Perfection!
Quickly, before I scoot. Is anyone else watching The Decameron on Netflix? It’s a bit odd, wildly out there and I’ve had moments of cackling. It’s not for everyone, but I’m enjoying it!
Have a good rest of your week.
With love,
Colu x
Those ribs look GOOD
So excited for the orange Pinot gris!! The Barbera rosé has been such a treat this summer.