Pork on the Egg!

The Famous Egg

We haven’t used our egg for a bit and we decided to make: Herb-Crusted Pork Loin Roast from License to Grill by Chris Schlesinger. We purchased the lamb loin at McCall's Meat and Fish. This is a very easy and good recipe. I used maple wood for the smoke flavoring. It only takes about an hour and a half in the egg to have a great smoky taste. You can get the recipe in our blog of: July 2, 2008. Click the date to get the recipe.

I was browsing through the Munch Munch looking for previous dinners that we had made in August to get seasonal ideas to cook. I came across a Tomato-Leek side dish that we had at The Slow Club in San Francisco. It was poured over the pork and polenta. We used the recipe for Polenta from The Zuni Café Cookbook. You can find the recipe in our blog of: Feb. 22, 2010. Click the date to get the recipe.

This was one of those dinners that will give us fantastic leftovers.

Slow Club Tomato Leek and Balsamic flavored Vegetables

I have no real recipe for it but it is basically, tomatoes, leeks, garlic, red pepper, yellow pepper lots of thyme, salt and pepper. Core and quarter the tomatoes, slice the garlic in thin slices (I used 4 large garlic cloves), and seed and slice the peppers in strips. We had a some cherry tomatoes so I sliced them in half and through them in. Bind the mixture with Balsamic Vinegar and some olive oil. Bake in a slow oven for a couple of hours until the vegetables start to look a little blackened.

Turkish Salad, My Favorite Pasta, Persian Mulberries

One of my favorite summer salads is: a Turkish Chopped Salad that we found in Casa Moro The Second Cookbook. The salad is very unusual in that it is topped with yogurt and the melted brown butter. It has no lettuce. It is a favorite and if you want to try something different and delicious I really recommend it. The recipe can be found in our blog of: August 12, 2008.

For the main course we made Penne with Tomato and Balsamic Vinegar From: Rogers and Gray: Italian Country Cookbook. I can’t rave enough about this simple to make pasta! It is fabulous! It is rich! It will make you a vegetarian! You MUST try it. You can get the recipe for it from our blog of: Oct. 26, 2008. Click the date to get the recipe.

For dessert we lucked out and found Persian Mulberries at the Farmer’s Market. They are sweet and tart and rare to find. A perfect end to a summer meal.

Summer Pizza, Salad and Soup

Papa Al Pomodoro, is a very thick tomato and bread soup. We use the recipe from Italian Country Cook Book by Rogers / Gray. They have the fabulous River Café in London. This is almost a soup that you can eat with fork. In every respect you would think it should be a winter dish it is such a hearty soup, but it is best made with fresh tomatoes. I really recommend this dish! You can get it from our blog of: August 2, 2006. Click the date to get the recipe.

We made a Pizza that speaks of summer. We started with the frozen pizza shells by: Vicolo. They are a thick crust corn based shell. They are very good. We topped the pizza with Dolce Leche Gorgonzola Cheese, then a layer of Caramelized Red Onions, Sliced Figs and Hazelnuts. Not all pizza needs tomato sauce! The key to this pizza, like most cooking, was in the top quality ingredients. The cheese was from The Cheese Store of Silverlake. The figs from the Farmers Market and the Hazelnuts from Mozza2Go.

We also went retro. We first had a Shrimp Louie then with the left over Russian Dressing made a Iceberg Lettuce and Tomato Salad. We use Mark Peel’s recipe for both the Shrimp Louie and the Russian Dressing from New Classic Family Dinners. You can get the recipe from our blog of: July 4, 2010. Click the date to get the recipe. We purchased the Shrimp at McCall’s Meat and Fish.

Shrimp Louis [makes 4 servings]

New Classic Family Dinners by Mark Peel

Both Shrimp Louis and Crab Louis are West Coast classics. Crab Louis was the original, then people began making it with bay shrimp. I use medium shrimp, which I poach gently in a court bouillon, then split in half. The dish is a simple combination of shrimp dressed with Thousand Island Dressing or Russian Dressing, embellished with avocado, hard-cooked egg, and tomatoes and set on a bed of shredded lettuce.

[COURT BOUILLON]

1          tablespoon canola oil
½         cup chopped onion
1/3       cup chopped celery

¼            cup chopped fennel bulb (you can use the coarse outer layer for this)

            The green part of I small leek (optional)

2          fat garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

            A few sprigs parsley

1          bay leaf

1          chile

½         cup dry white wine

2          tablespoons white wine vinegar

2          cups water

1          teaspoon kosher salt

[SALAD]

16            medium shrimp, with shells on

1            Japanese cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, seeded, and cut on the diagonal in 1/4-inch-thick slices

¼            teaspoon kosher salt

¼            cup minced red onion, soaked in cold water for 5 minutes, drained, rinsed, and dried on paper towels

1            head Boston lettuce, outer leaves removed, inner leaves cut in chiffonade

¼            small head radicchio, cut in chiffonade

1            small or 1/2 large avocado, sliced

1            medium tomato, quartered, seeds and seed pods cut away, and sliced lengthwise in thin strips (about 1/8 inch thick)

2            extra-large eggs, hard-boiled (see below), quartered

            Fleur de Sel

2/3            cup Russian Dressing or Thousand Island Dressing

2            teaspoons minced chives

Make the court bouillon: Heat the canola oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the onion, celery, fennel, leek green, and garlic. Cook gently until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes, and add the parsley, bay leaf, chile pepper; wine, and vinegar Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, simmer 1 minute, and add the water and salt. Bring to a simmer and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool (you can do this quickly by setting the pot in an ice bath). Strain into a bowl, pressing the ingredients against the strainer Return to the pot.

Make the salad: Bring the court bouillon to a simmer and add the shrimp. Turn off the heat, coven and let cool in the court bouillon. Peel the shrimp and devein if necessary.

Toss the cucumber with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Let sit for 15 minutes, then rinse and dry on paper towels. Toss with the onion, the shredded inner leaves of the lettuce, and the radicchio. Add 2 tablespoons of the dressing and toss again.

Line a large platter with the whole lettuce leaves. Place the shredded lettuce mixture on top. Arrange half the avocado slices on one side, fanning them over the lettuce, and the other half on the other side. Arrange half the tomato slices and half the egg wedges on one side and the other half on the other side. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and drizzle with ¼ cup of the dressing. Toss the shrimp with the remaining dressing and arrange over the shredded lettuce. Sprinkle with the chives, and serve.

[NOTE] I like the eggs just under hard-boiled for this. Place in a saucepan and cover with cold water Bring to a rolling boil, cover and turn off the heat. Let stand 8 minutes, then drain and transfer to an ice bath.

Dinner with Tim

Now that summer is here, finally with warm weather we can eat outside and enjoy the view. Also vegetables are reaching their peak flavor. We made several of our favorite farmer’s market dishes.

Tim was in the neighborhood and stopped by for one of dinners.

We started with Feta Salad with Anise Bread, Tomatoes and Oregano from Casa Moro, The Second Cookbook. I love this salad! I published the recipe in our blog on: June 23, 2008. Click the date and scroll to the recipe.

A rarity in the market are Heirloom Zucchinis once again we were able to purchase them. We made Zucchini Pasta from a recipe by Mark Bittman in the New York Times. This is an amazing dish. The zucchinis are sliced thin and browned making a delicious sauce. With the addition of eggs and parmesan cheese it is like a Carbonara. Very easy to make and delicious. You can get the recipe from our blog of: June 19, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe.

We stayed up late on the deck drinking wine and talking. It was a wonderful night.

Ribs! Pop-up Dinner

We have been having a pork-a-thon. Fabulous pork dinners at Mozza and Palate. To continue the theme we decided to make baby back ribs.

We purchased 5 racks at MaCall’s Meat and Fish to smoke in the egg. I came up with a clever idea to evenly smoked the ribs. I created wedges out of aluminum foil to separate the ribs and keep them standing on edge.

We made Chinese-Style Baby Back Ribs with Ginger-Scallion Sauce from License to Grill by: Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby. You can find the recipe in our blog of: June 21, 2008. Click the date to get the recipe. These were great ribs, moist, smokey and tender.

We started with a tomato salad. We used the recipe for Green and Red Tomato Salad with Russian Dressing from New Classic Family Dinners by Mark Peel. I just love this salad. It can be found in our blog of July 4, 2010. Click the date to get the recipe.

Cathy found a recipe for Ginger-Scallion Fried Rice from License to Grill Chris Schlesinger & John Willoughby. The rice was delicious, we will make it again.

For desert we had Ice-Cream with Cherry Sauce and Darryl Chocolate Cookies.

Billy stopped by and was joined by Kevin for this impromptu neighborhood pork dinner.

Ginger-Scallion Fried Rice

License to Grill

Chris Schlesinger & John Willoughby

SERVES4

This simple (and eggless) version of classic fried rice is flavorful but still plain enough to serve with many different types of grilled food. A full bunch of scallions might seem like a lot to use with this amount of rice, but try it and you may find a new appreciation for this pungent and slightly sweet member of the onion family.

Timing is important on the rice—you want to make sure it is dry but not burned, because cooking it until dry helps create those separated grains for which fried rice is known. It also helps if, after the rice is cooked, you put a tea towel over the pan and fit the lid on over the tea towel before you set the rice aside to sit for a few minutes. The towel absorbs a lot of the moisture that would otherwise keep the rice grains together.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons minced ginger 1 tablespoon minced garlic

l cup rice

1 3/4 cups water

¼ cup sesame oil

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced large

½ green bell pepper, seeded and diced large

6 medium mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned, and thinly sliced

1 bunch scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced

¼ cup soy sauce

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add the ginger and garlic and saute, stirring occasionally, for i min­utes. Add the rice and saute, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the water, cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside for a few minutes.

2. In a large saute pan, heat the sesame oil over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add the bell peppers and mushrooms and saute, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add the cooked rice and saute for a few minutes to heat through, stirring occasionally. Add the scallions and soy sauce and stir until thoroughly mixed. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Tagine Alert

We decided to make a fish tangine. We purchased halibut at McCall’s Meat and Fish. We used a recipe for Moroccan Fish Tagine with Tomatoes, Olives, and Preserved Lemons from Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking by Paula Wolfert.

Everyone contributed to the meal. We started with a great bubbly wine that we purchased from Palate. It is called: Ca Va Bien. Unfortunately, they don’t have any more; we really liked it. I checked on the internet and can’t find it anywhere. Guess we have to wait till next year to buy more.

Billy and Kevin made Shrimp as an appetizer. Yummy!

Darryl and Robert brought Fresh Tomato Soup. It was basically a delivery system for their Garlic Aioli! Tomatoes are finally at their near peak and the soup was wonderful.

Cathy made Couscous to eat with the tagine. It was delicious! This is a good recipe if you want to make a tagine.

Fig season is almost over. We made our fig upside down cake. It is very easy to make. We make it every year, serve it first for desert and then eat the remaining cake for breakfast. If you don’t bake and want to give it a shot, it is a good place to start. You can find the recipe in our blog of: Aug. 4, 2007. Click the date to get the recipe.

Moroccan Fish Tagine with Tomatoes, Olives, and Preserved Lemons

Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking by Paula Wolfert

SERVES 6

Fish baked in a clay pot takes beautifully to long, slow simmering in the famous complex Moroccan herb-and- spice sauce called charmoula. Ingredients that include garlic, cumin, cilantro, hot pepper, and preserved lemon permeate the flesh of most any type offish. Add time to the equation and you have a dish that is bright, savory, and exciting to eat. Serve the fish at table directly from the clay baking dish.

Preferred Clay Pot:

An 11- or 12-inch Moroccan tagine, or tagra or Spanish cazuela, or 3-quart flameware or La Chamba shallow baking dish

3 teaspoons cumin seeds

3 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

¼ - ½ teaspoons crushed hot red pepper

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

4 wedges preserved lemon, rinsed, pulp and
peel separated

3 tablespoons fruity extra virgin olive oil

1 pound monkfish fillet or thick slabs of halibut

1 large carrot, very thinly sliced

2 celery ribs, stringed and very thinly sliced

1 pound red ripe tomatoes, peeled with a swivel serrated peeler and sliced into thin rounds

1 small green bell pepper, sliced into very thin rounds

2 dozen Moroccan red (see Note) or picholine olives, rinsed and pitted

2 imported bay leaves

Fresh cilantro sprigs for garnish

1.     Early in the day, or a day in advance, toast the cumin seeds by tossing them in a hot, dry conventional skillet over medium heat for about 1 minute. Grind to a powder and set aside. Make the charmoula: In a mortar or blender, combine the garlic, cumin, salt, paprika, parsley, cilantro, the pulp of the preserved lemon, and the olive oil. Puree to a smooth sauce.

2.     Rinse the fish and pat dry with paper towels. If using monkfish, cut away the gray membrane and divide the fish into 4 even chunks. Rub half of the charmoula all over the fish, and let stand for 1 hour at room temperature, or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Add ½ cup water to the remaining charmoula, cover, and refrigerate separately.

3.     About 1 1/2 hours before serving, preheat the oven to 300°F. Spread 2 tablespoons of the reserved charmoula sauce over the bottom of the tagine. Scatter the carrot and celery on top. Add half of the tomatoes land bell peppers; sprinkle with a little sauce. Lay the fish over the vegetables and cover with the remaining-tomatoes and peppers. Spread the remaining charmoula on top. scatter the diced preserved lemon peel and the bay leaves around the fish. Cover the dish tightly with a sheet of foil and bake for 1 hour.

4.     Pour off the liquid from the dish into a small nonreactive saucepan. Bring it to a boil over moderately high heat and boil until it is thickened and reduced to 1/2 cup. Pour back over the fish.

5.     Meanwhile, raise the oven temperature to 500°F. Baste the fish with the pan juices and bake, uncovered, in the top third of the oven for 10 minutes, or until a nice crust has formed over the vegetables. Transfer the tagine to a wooden surface or folded kitchen towel to prevent cracking. Garnish with cilantro sprigs. Serve warm or hot.

Note to the Cook: "Moroccan red" olives aren't really red; they can be russet, tan, violet, or even purple in color. Picked when ripe but not black, they are preserved in an acidic marinade and are particularly delicious when marinated in bitter orange juice. You can find them at www.chefshop.com. Another good choice is Lindsay-canned "Green Ripe Olives," which are produced in California and available at most supermarkets.

Lentil Pasta

We had one of our favorite summer meals. We wait patiently all summer for tomatoes to finally arrive at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market. When they do arrive, we eat them in as many ways as possible.

We started with the salad we call: The Hungry Cat Salad. We first tasted it at The Hungry Cat in Hollywood. Be sure to use Pecorino Cheese it is the secret for this easy to make salad. You can get the recipe in our blog of: Nov. 21, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe.

The Italian Lentil Pasta from the restaurant Locanda Veneta in Los Angeles is one of the best. It is so rich, you would swear it was made with meat. We use Oven Candied Summer Tomatoes from: The Italian Country Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper.to make the sauce. The tomatoes once made can be frozen and used for up to 6 months. You can get the recipe from our blog of: July 22, 2008. Click the date to get the recipe.

Smoked Salmon and Persian Mulberries

At the Hollywood Farmer's Market we found the rarest of fruit: Persian Mulberries. They only have these berries for 1 or 2 weeks. We love them.

We started with a Summer Salad of: Feta, Cherry Tomatoes, Diced Cucumber, Diced Red Onion, Oregano and broken up pieces of La Panzanella Crackers.

We decided to smoke a salmon in our egg. The trick of course is: Low and Slow. We used Apple Wood for the smoke. We purchased a beautiful salmon filet at McCall’s Meat and Fish. The resultant smoked fish was extremely moist and smoky. We loved it! We used the recipe for Honey-Cured, Smoked Salmon from Cooking with Fire and Smoke by Phillip Stephen Schulz.

We made Saffron Rice from The Food of Morocco. It is very easy to make.

For dessert we had Vanilla Ice Cream and the Persian Mulberries.

Saffron Rice

From The Food of Morocco

==========

1 lb 2 oz of Short Grain Rice

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

¼ teaspoon ground saffron threads

¾ oz butter

Wash the rice in a sieve until the water runs clear.

Over medium heat, heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan and add the rice, stirring so that all the rice is covered with oil. Add 31 oz. of water, the saffron and ¼ teaspoon salt and stir well. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for 1 minute.

Reduce heat to low, over and cook for 10-12 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. Steam tunnels will form holes on the surface of the rice. Turn off heat, then leave the pan, covered, for 10 minutes. Add the butter and fluff lightly with a fork. Transfer to serving bowl. Saffron Rice is used to accompany fish dishes, but can be used as a substitute for couscous.

Gad Zukes!

Now that we had warm nights to eat on the deck, we struck gold at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market. We have a recipe that we absolutely love for Zucchini Pasta Carbonara, from a recipe by Mark Bittman in the New York Times.

Two years ago we bought some heirloom zucchini at a stand at the market. Last year we tried to buy some, but they said they didn’t plant any. We were very disappointed because the heirloom zucchini had exceptional flavor. Well this year they planted them and we were excited to make the pasta again. This is a riff on traditional spaghetti carbonara but with lots of sautéed browned zucchini. It is a keeper try it! You can get the recipe from our blog of: June 19, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe.

We started with Fresh Melon that I drizzled Fresh Lime Juice over then topped with Prosciutto. Add wine, a warm night on the deck and good music and it was a great night!

Recipe: Grilled corn with tequila-lime butter – LA Times

 Grilled corn with tequila-lime butter

Total time: 1 hour, plus chilling time for the butter  Servings: 8

Note: This butter can be made a day ahead and stored tightly wrapped in the refrigerator.

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened to room temperature

3/4 teaspoon minced, seeded jalapeño

1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest (about 4 Mexican limes)

1 teaspoon lime juice (about 1 Mexican lime)

1 teaspoon tequila

1 tablespoon minced cilantro

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 unshucked ears corn

1. Make the tequila-lime butter. Beat the butter, jalapeño and lime zest in a bowl until creamy. Beat in the lime juice and tequila. The mixture should be very soft, but there should be no liquid showing; if you want, add a little more tequila. Beat in the cilantro and salt. Taste and adjust the seasoning. The mixture should be very forceful (it will be much milder when spread over the corn), but it should be evenly balanced between lime, butter and salt. Add more salt, lime or tequila as needed.

2. Spoon the butter onto a sheet of plastic wrap in the shape of a log and roll it into a cylinder. Twist the ends of the plastic wrap in opposite directions to firm the cylinder and roll it gently on the counter to eliminate any air pockets in the center. Refrigerate until ready to use. (Recipe can be prepared to this point a couple of days in advance).

3.. Soak the ears of corn in water to cover for at least 30 minutes before grilling.

4. Grill the corn over a medium-hot fire until the kernels inside are golden and tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the husks and most of the silk will come with them; rub off what little might remain. Slice the butter into discs and pass alongside the hot corn.

The Return of the Jar-B-Que

Summer arrived with a vengeance. Los Angeles had been a cool dreary place, then all of a sudden it got hot, real hot. That means it is time for eating outside at night on the deck and lots of grilling.

We had Billy and Kevin over for a Char Shu Pork (Chinese style pork chops). We purchased the pork at McCall's Meat and Fish, it was beautiful meat! We made our absolutely favorite recipe for pork chops: We call it Jar-B-Queue, because the recipe is from Jar Restaurant. It has great Asian flavors and reminds us of the pork we used to get in Chinese Restaurants. You can find the recipe in our blog of Aug. 22, 2006. Click the date to get the recipe. It is delicious!

Corn had finally arrived in the market. It is very sweet. I saw a recipe in the Los Angeles Times for a Butter made blended with Tequila and Jalapeno Pepper and Lime that is spread on the corn. I decided to make it to serve with the grilled corn.

Finally we made Shrimp, Leek, and Pine Nut Fried Rice from The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking. from Barbara Tropp’s cookbook. The secret is to scramble the eggs separately from the rice and then just blend in the egg to the rice. It makes for a very light rice. You can get the recipe from our blog of April 20, 2010. Click the date to get the recipe.

We ended the dinner with fresh Cherries from the Hollwood Farmer’s Market.

Recipe: Grilled corn with tequila-lime butter – LA Times

 Grilled corn with tequila-lime butter

Total time: 1 hour, plus chilling time for the butter  Servings: 8

Note: This butter can be made a day ahead and stored tightly wrapped in the refrigerator.

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened to room temperature

3/4 teaspoon minced, seeded jalapeño

1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest (about 4 Mexican limes)

1 teaspoon lime juice (about 1 Mexican lime)

1 teaspoon tequila

1 tablespoon minced cilantro

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 unshucked ears corn

1. Make the tequila-lime butter. Beat the butter, jalapeño and lime zest in a bowl until creamy. Beat in the lime juice and tequila. The mixture should be very soft, but there should be no liquid showing; if you want, add a little more tequila. Beat in the cilantro and salt. Taste and adjust the seasoning. The mixture should be very forceful (it will be much milder when spread over the corn), but it should be evenly balanced between lime, butter and salt. Add more salt, lime or tequila as needed.

2. Spoon the butter onto a sheet of plastic wrap in the shape of a log and roll it into a cylinder. Twist the ends of the plastic wrap in opposite directions to firm the cylinder and roll it gently on the counter to eliminate any air pockets in the center. Refrigerate until ready to use. (Recipe can be prepared to this point a couple of days in advance).

3.. Soak the ears of corn in water to cover for at least 30 minutes before grilling.

4. Grill the corn over a medium-hot fire until the kernels inside are golden and tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the husks and most of the silk will come with them; rub off what little might remain. Slice the butter into discs and pass along

Manchurian Chicken

Life on the deck is good! After relaxing drinking wine and watching the sunset we started with a Greek Salad: Cucumbers, Red Onion, Feta, Black Olives, Cracked Bread, Cherry Tomatoes, Oregano. The salad is a delicious taste of summer.

Cathy also made a fantastic Succotash from Fresh Grilled Corn, Summer Shelling Beans and Bacon. It was a winner!

For the main course we made an interesting chicken recipe: Manchurian Chicken. It was from a recipe in the New York Times. It doesn’t come easier than this. The key ingredient is: Ketchup! You can get the recipe from our blog of: Sep. 23, 2008. Click the date to get the recipe. 

Corn Pasta

In the morning I had taken Bea to the doctor to analyze the abnormal results of some tests that she had taken. The doctor had a great response to the test. He explained that in her case the test was meaningless and the proper course of action was to never take the test again. I loved it!

We invited Bea over to celebrate her good medical news. She brought us an exceptional white wine. We started with another Tomato Salad just like the one we made for July 4^th. We then planned to serve Corn Pasta. This would be the first corn pasta of the year. Corn is late this year in the market. The recipe is excellent and is available on our blog of: August 12, 2008. Click the date to get the recipe.

While eating our salad we discussed that Barbrix was making appetizer sandwiches with soft-shelled crab. We couldn’t resist. We called the restaurant and asked if they had them on the menu. They did. So, we got up in the middle of our meal and drove to Barbrix and had Soft-Shell Crab Sandwiches and champagne. The sandwiches were great!

We then drove back to the house to continue our meal. The corn pasta was made but we realized we weren’t hungry for a pasta any more. So we went directly to dessert. Luckily we had some left over desserts from July 4^th that Daryl and Robert had left with us.

The next night Cathy and I had a Salad with Fresh Apricots and Prosciutto, followed by the Corn Pasta we had cooked but never eaten. One has to be flexable.