Not Good-Bye but Farewell

February23

We have a very good friend of our entire family who happens to be our priest.  He officiated at the wedding of our son and has been with us through difficult times and others of immense joy.  So how do you appropriately say farewell (if even for a short time) to someone that has shared these life experiences with you?  Well in our world, you prepare a special table for them and you cook your heart out.

As soon as he sat down at the dining room table he admired the china and turned it over to see where it was from.  It is a pleasure to go to the trouble of using your best china for someone who actually notices.

Two other couples were invited to join us that evening.  The menu was Sicilian as we had all traveled there at one point or another.  The first meat course was provided by one couple.  They served a bevy of Italian meats and olives in beautiful dishes that they had brought home from their Sicilian travels.

I assigned the pasta course to the maestro herself.  Conchita (Connie) was born in Sicily and resides there for most of the year.  She prepared a light and sparkling tomato sauce that was gently spooned over perfectly cooked penne; topped with a sprinkling of Parmesan.

For the salad course, I tossed red, purple and green lettuces with a classic vinaigrette.

For the main, these baby potatoes were presented with discs of tarragon butter and coarsely chopped parsley.

Asparagus had been sauteed with garlic, pancetta and pine nuts.  A squeeze of lemon offset the richness.

Two whole chickens had been roasted and frequently basted with the butter and olive oil that was first put into the cavity.  The skin was rubbed with Mediterranean herbs.  The juices were collected and served gravy style-very decadent.

Vanilla cake, grapes, three kinds of pears, chocolate truffles and a variety of cheese were served as the concluding course accompanied by tiny glasses of lemonicella.

We will certainly miss you friend.

Kath’s quote: Oh, better no doubt is a dinner of herbs,
When season’d with love, which no rancour disturbs
And sweeten’d by all that is sweetest in life
Than turbot, bisque, ortolans, eaten in strife!

Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1831-1891)

 

posted under Food Celebrations
2 Comments to

“Not Good-Bye but Farewell”

  1. Avatar February 27th, 2012 at 10:00 am Gwen MacEwan Allison Says:

    Hi Kathy,

    I’ve been watching for this post! Beautiful! Thanks again for the lovely dinner!

    Your lovely quote from Bulwer-Lytton is an amplification of Proverbs 17:1. Check it out.

    When we eat at your house, we get the beautiful food AND the beautiful friendship.


  2. Avatar February 27th, 2012 at 10:08 am Kathryne Says:

    Sorry it took me so long to post Gwen…been trying to get caught up on all of my wonderful time with family and friends as of late.


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