Sunday was a Fun day!  We spent most of Saturday packing our lives into boxes, so Sunday was reserved for anything but that.  JP and I went surfing while Lea stayed home and sewed.  To each his/her own…

 

We started at the jetty in Halfmoon Bay.  Waves were gradual and easy riders.  Better than Linda Mar on Friday, for sure.  We were starting to feel a little graduated from the ol’ jetty, so we drove north to try another beach.  Montara.  I haven’t looked-up its meaning, but I imagine it would translate to, “Monster.”  This is where man-eating waves come to feed.  This adventure was probably equivalent to taking our training wheels off and jumping into the final sprint at the Tour de France.  Or mastering the bunny hill and marching straight to the ski jump.  Insane.  These damn waves beat the ratatouille out of me.  Us, rather.  I never would’ve gotten out past the break were it not for a friendly rip tide that gave me a lift.  But what a rush!  Once behind the big waves, I thought I’d spend a little time to reflect on what I was about to try to do.  Conditions were so sloppy, however, that it was near impossible to read a breaking wave and I returned the beach fruitless, but in one piece.  Oh, and a little sunburned…

 

After struggling all afternoon to paddle through those wet monsters, we really worked up an appetite; but we were also really tired.  So we decided on a deliciously simple meal of kebabs on a bed of rice and a side of sweet corn.  It probably sounds like more work than it is, but kebabs are one of my all-time favorites because they’re quick, easy, and taste like they should’ve taken a lot more effort.

 

1. Porkloin skewers with pineapple, red onion and green peppers

We bought a Hormel teriyaki-marinted porkloin.  These things never look appetizing to me when I’m at the store, but they are simply the easiest thing you can ever prepare on the grill, and they always come out juicy and flavorful.  (Tip – check the date on the back to get the freshest available).  Now, if you’re using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20 minutes. You can also get the water boiling for the rice pilaf and corn.  Next, chop your red onion, pineapple, and porkloin into large hunks and build your kebabs.  There, that wasn’t so hard.  Now all you gotta do is put them on the grill until they look like the picture below.  Mmmmm.

 

2. Rice pilaf with toasted almonds

We bought a box of Near East rice pilaf with toasted almonds.  I know it’s cheating, but I want to eat more than I want to cook at this point.  Directions are on the back, but all you really have to do is boil 1 3/4 cup of water, add the contents of the box, simmer for 20-25 minutes…Bam!  So good.

 

3. Corn-on-the-cob.

Lea picked-up the corn from the Brentwood Family Farms table at the Burlingame farmer’s market.  Eight ears – nearly all that was left – and met a crowd of scornful faces on her way out from fellow patrons who would not be enjoying sweet corn that night.  At least not this stuff!  Instructions are simple: shuck it, throw it in a pot of boiling water for ~8 minutes.  Dress it with whatever you want, but don’t lift your head from it until you’ve finished the row.  That would be impolite.  🙂

 

4. Dessert: grilled pineapple with cinammon, blackberries and greek yogurt.  Oh, and sticky.

This dish was originally just going to be berries and yogurt.  Then Lea got the idea to toss a little cinnamon/sugar combo on the left0ver pineapple and finish it on the grill to get it warm and bring the fruit to maximum ripeness.  Angels sang.  You may have even noticed a ray of late dart through the clouds.  In a bowl, JP dolloped some greek yogurt and sprinkled on some fresh blackberries.  Once he added the pineapple on top, there was no going back.  The only thing we could possibly do at this point to improve this dish was to open a bottle of late harvest Traminer (dessert wine) –  Oh. Ma. Gawd – I almost lost my mind.  The balance on your palate from the sour yogurt, tart berries, acidically sweet pineapple, washed down with a cold sip of Sticky…is poetic.  Look at these:

 

Wine:

2008 Kim Crawford Unoaked Chardonnay, New Zealand

We opened a bottle of White while we were preparing dinner, naturally.  This one is recommended.  And here’s a rant that explains why:  It’s been argued that a few influential wine reviewers have “ruined” the wine industry. Namely, Robert Parker, who, for example, loves oaky, buttery Chardonnay.  Winemakers know (or hope) that if they make wine to his taste, they may get a good review and sell a few extra cases.  This also becomes a benchmark for the industry, and competitors follow suit.  Unfortunately, Mr. Parker and I do not see eye-to-eye on Chardonnay.  I like to taste the fruit.  So I look for steel fermented, or “unoaked,” Chards.  They aren’t as easy to find, but you can usually find this info by reading the back label.  This Kim Crawford says it loud and clear, right on the front.  So we tried it, and we liked it!  It’s got some buttery notes from the malolactic fermentation (we’ll get into that later), but you’ll notice the fruit first.  Try it out.

 

 

2004 SKN (Screw Kappa Napa) Merlot, Napa Valley

I’m finishing this bottle as I finish this post.  It’s almost better today than it was Sunday.  Yum!  And at $8.50 a bottle, anybody can enjoy this without any guilt.

 

2007 McGuigan’s Late Picked Traminer, Australia

This wine (pictured above) is for special ocassions.  Special ocassions like…when you open it, your night suddenly becomes very special!  It’s not overly sweet like some dessert wines, but sweet enough.  By the way, when we refer to “Sticky,” we usually mean desset wine (for those of you still paying attention). Be prepared; they really make you work for it.  Check out JP’s experience with the wax seal!

 

Totally worth it…

 

 

Cheers!