The house was all festive and sparkly for Christmas Dinner. See it above in it's half finished stage...my foolproof trick: hang garland everywhere. Then the, not so foolproof but definitely tricky, selection of the meat portion of the holiday meal. And so it was rather capriciously, but not completely capriciously because I had had my favorite holiday meal at Sfizio and it was porky and delicious, that I settled on pork shoulder (bone in) and then learned everything I could about it....I quizzed the man at Longs who assured me that if I cooked it just right the bone would practically fall out on it's own. Stephanie Pearl from Marche was gracious enough to give me an impromptu consult while she checked out at the Passionflower counter. I read up on it in the Joy. And then, because I was still dreaming of that great meal I had at Sfizio, I roasted squashy type vegetables with cumin and honey. There was kale salad, and dill beans, braised cabbage with walnuts and a Territorial Vineyards 2006 Pinot Noir among other good wine picks.. The pork turned out great, though it was touch and go for a while there. I feel so incredibly lucky to be able to enjoy the food bounty of the Pacific Northwest, to have so many great chefs in our midst who are so accessible, and to have so many food loving friends with which to enjoy all these things.
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