A long weekend is always an invitation for us to cook.  This time Barbara was particularly inspired by the Oct/Nov 2014 issue of Fine Cooking, a magazine we had discontinued some time back but to which we recently re-subscribed.  So we invited five of our very good friends over for dinner on Labor Day to share the food and wine.  Here’s the menu:

We split the cooking, but Barbara outdid herself, choosing four of the recipes from the magazine, all new to her.  I, on the other hand, did the other half of the dishes, all of which I had made before, and many which could be prepared ahead of time.  Everything was ready when the guests arrived, so we could schmooze with mezze and wine first.

before dinner discussion

roasted mushroom, radishes, and Jerusalem artichokes

Here are some of the main dishes and ingredients in prep.

marinated heirloom tomatoes

Yu Choy with Preserved Lemon and Shoyu

frittata

I did not take photos of all the wines, but here were two.  There was also a 2002 Italian white wine, uncovered in the cellar reorganization, but unfortunately that had gone by, so we poured it out.  The Villa Creek Rousanne was marvelous, as was the the 2005 Sancerre Rouge from Lucien Crochet.

Lastly, I attach for your reading pleasure the recipes from Fine Cooking.  Barbara made adjustments, of course, some for vegan reasons and some for artistic ones.  We’ll let you make your own versions, as desired.  Buon appetito!