another vegetarian dinner

Second week in a row that Conrad and I found ourselves on a Friday night in our kitchen, entertaining a friend, sipping much wine, and dining on a vegetarian meal. It happens.

We had Brad over some time back - over time we've come to realize that not only do we have our swim team in common, but all three of us quite like wine. We'd been meaning to share some BC wine with him since he'd never tried it, so we planned a casual Friday together. It actually timed out nicely - I had taken a half day sick leave for a dental appointment, and that left me home early in the afternoon and able to start cooking.

I made dessert first. Whole Foods had some very good looking rhubarb in its produce section this week. Ah, the signs of spring at Whole Foods: ramps (I didn't buy any), the masses of mangoes as their season crests. Now if only they'd have fiddleheads. Anyway, I picked up the rhubarb and, recollecting a previous attempt at an upside down cake that turned out decently,

opting for that instead of a more typical crisp or pie. Besides which, it may be the Swede in Conrad or the Briton in my background, but rhubarb is something we both rather like.

The cake turned out nicely, and with that done, I did prep for the entree and set up things for us in the kitchen. By the time Brad got here, we had a bottle of Champagne chilled and an assortment of nuts, caper berries, olives, and asparagus spears (blanched and cooled) to nibble at.

Dinner was risotto. It's funny - like last week, I went a route that I seldom go thanks to our not-entirely successful efforts to reduce Conrad's carbs intake. I haven't made risotto in some time, and to be honest, it was a little thicker and stodgier than it should have been. But it tasted good, and while the two of them sat and sipped and chatted, I was nearby stirring my pot. One funny moment was near plating when I asked Conrad to grate some romano cheese for me without specifying how much. When I turned to his counter, there was a massive pile and a rind ready to discard. Whoops. A reminder on the rare occasion that I let him in my kitchen to be very precise in what I tell him to do.

The risotto was tasty, though. I had flavoured vegetable broth with dried porcini mushrooms that I subsequently chopped and stirred into the risotto. The risotto had a generous amount of leek in it (and frizzled leek atop each serving), and at the end I stirred in fava beans I'd blanched and peeled earlier.

Perhaps it didn't spread on the plate the way it should according to Top Chef, but it was nourishing.

We had a small bit of leafy greens, then on to dessert. By that point we'd finished not only the Champagne but also a BC Pinot Noir (not as good as we'd wanted - not at all bad, but perhaps not the best representation of the wines we love from back home) and were on to a Cab that Brad had brought. Being in the kitchen meant that I had a bit less than the others, I think - I felt fine this morning on my 12-mile run, though it helped that I drank as much water as wine last night. Conversation, meanwhile, flowed through team gossip, books, wines and food, travel, and elsewhere. Brad was once again fine company.

Dessert was nice. It's not a showstopper, but then, I don't make showstoppers. I make desserts I can dish up easily and not fuss with. I can feel at least one pair of eyes rolling at me as I write that, but it's true. A big dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream along side a piece of cake,

and we were sated. I sent Brad home with a bunch of risotto, a few pieces of cake, and even four servings of a quick rhubarb crisp I'd thrown together with the extra stalks. May he enjoy them through this weekend!