Dinner last Tuesday is chicken at May and Hugh's. We are invited along with our friends and neighbors Mike and Anita. The evening stats with some home-made humus (courtesy of Hugh) on home-made crackers (Mary's). To accompany those, we have an appetizer of cherry tomatoes, feta cheese and zucchini. I have not eaten much all day, so I inhale the first few bytes and they hit the spot. It seems like the perfect start for that school night.
The evening is sold to us as a comfort food, which is an usual way of lowering expectations to indicate good but not surprising or elaborate. Dinner might not have been a lot of work, but surprise it did. Mary's kitchen produces a sublime combination that serves to satisfy and startle. Very simple ingredients come together artfully to pair the warm company and conversation.
Served over white rice, are pieces of chicken cooked along with peppers, golden raisins (plumped up to almost their original size) and kalamata olives. That last ingredient complete makes the dish. The olives are warm, slightly softened from the cooking and give the perfect amount of personality to the plate. During dinner I interrogate our host to gather details about the preparation. I have got t try this at home!
The knead-less bread (also home-made), with a nice dark crust on the outside serves to round the meal. Ending the perfect meal for our school night is an also home-made apple pie (one of my favorites) with a hint of nutmeg. Thanks, Mary and Hugh for a terrific evening at the heart of the Phoenix.
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