Love Me Some Lidia...

OK, so maybe it's not "cooking" per se, but it's about cooking, so it counts, right? Besides, it's just freakin' cool. What a fantastic event.

Good Golly, Miss Molly

Last week, I was cold and wet. THIS week, it's almost 9:15, it's sweltering, and I'm in line outside Molly Moon's Ice Cream on Capitol Hill. No, I didn't make it. No, there's no wine pairing. Instead, it was just a damn fine single scoop of creamy, cold Balsamic Strawberry. I couldn't be happier.

Kyle D.T. Reynolds

Cold and Rainy in August??

I'll admit, at first I was a little bummed by the rain. I'm no sun-worshiper, but in August, it's pretty much de rigueur.

As another busy Saturday came to a close, Kelly and I decided to open a bottle of the 2009 Bruno Giacosa Dolcetto d'Alba to drink after work. It's fantastic. We both just sat there swooning over it - that is, until her ride showed up early. Since she had to run, I was left with the lion's share of the bottle. Well, I couldn't just let it go to waste... ;-) Kelly's parting words echoed in my mind - "You've gotta make something amazing for dinner to go with this."

And so I did. Sitting down at 10:00 (hey, I don't get off work until 6:30!), I relished a plate of ragù of veal, dotted with pancetta, over a bed of gnocchi, delicately dusted with freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and black pepper.

By that point, the Dolcetto had opened up beautifully. Rich yet elegant purple-black fruit, laced with hints of star anise and black licorice, a touch of skin tannin on the tongue and a solid core of bright acidity. It was the perfect complement to my hearty meal - AND a perfect antidote for a cold, rainy August night.

Kyle D.T. Reynolds

A little taste of Spain...

The other day, the beautiful ladies at Bavarian Meats gave me a nice chunk of their Hungarian paprika salami along with the half-pound of sliced I asked for. So what'd I do? I chopped it up into squares, fried it in a little olive oil, turned off the heat and then added a sliced garlic clove, letting it warm through. I then blanched some sliced kale in lightly salted water, squeezed it dry, then threw it in with some cooked white beans. The juice of one lemon, some red wine vinegar, lots of good olive oil, plenty of black pepper and a little salt... Delicious!

Along with a hunk of Iberico sheep's milk cheese from Spain, some bread and a bottle of Marqués de Riscal Rioja Reserva, and dinner was done. So easy, and SO tasty.

Kyle D.T. Reynolds