As Marie astutely pointed out this evening after the meal, BarufFeast could also double as BaruffEast, since I am one of two Baruffi Brothers, one of whom is in San Francisco- "BaruffWest" AKA Russ.
(Here's Marie totin' the evening garden contribution: Fresh basil and sage, Pinot Noir grape, apples, peaches and some lettuce)
So what WAS dinner? Good question. It was my parents' turn to experience BarufFeast, and I had to make it a good one!
As arugula is my favorite salad base, so yes, I went with it YET AGAIN, and dressed it up with a basic balsamic vinaigrette and added some goat cheese.
I tempted fate a bit this evening as I planned the main course: Indian food-mild cuisine for my parents. Don't get me wrong, I love Indian food, but my parents haven't explored it much, so I had to tread lightly. Well, I think I've got them hooked with this recipe from the Better Homes and Garden's Cookbook. Pay attention, all you folks striving to pull your parents from their pasta-eating comfort zones, here comes Basil chicken in Coconut-Curry Sauce (p. 427).
Basil straight from Marie's garden, 4 chicken breasts, KPs fantastic old-country curry recipe, Onion, garlic, jalapenos and coconut milk. Since coconut milk can be high in saturated fat, instead of 1 can (14 oz) coconut milk, I used 1/2 can of coconut milk and 1/2 can of vegetable stock (no complaints)
I think that sweet fruit juice pairs best with indian food, so I would choose a Mango puree, but Acme disappointed, so I opted for the next best thing: Arizona Mucho Mango (which you can mix nicely with gin or vodka).
The recipe didn't call for this kick, I added a surprise ingredient: KPs famous homemade curry!
Russ, Marie and Gia at my new low-table. Thanks G and T!
A big thanks to Russ for his help with installing my shelves!
Marie and Russ signed their names on the BarufFeast chalk-board wall, now it's your turn!Inaugural dinner to be announced tomorrow. Stay tuned!
-Baruff-East
