May 12, 2014 Lunch – La Choza, Santa Fe Dinner – Hamburger steaks with sautéd
onions, mushrooms and garlic and Tabouli and sliced tomato
I had to attend a hearing in Santa Fe today so I left around
11:15 so I could stop for lunch at La Choza at 905 Alarid, one block north Cerrillos
and one block east of St. Francis. La
Choza is the Shed’s sister restaurant and the one most locals go to because
there is a parking lot and no tourists, so it is usually easier to get a
table. I arrived at 12:15, which I guess
is the worse time to arrive. All the
tables were taken but I was offered a seat at the bar. I started reading my monthly book club book, Unbroken
by Laura Hillenbrand, when I was interrupted by the couple sitting next to
me. The wife had read the book and said
it was great. We spoke for a while and a
pleasant conversation developed. When she
asked how I chose to read the book, I mentioned that Unbroken was a book
club selection and that many of our book club members were Sandia Lab retirees. The wife said, “Oh, I know scientists. I took my degree from California Institute of
Technology and I knew Richard Feynman.” She highly
recommended Feynman’s book Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!
Her husband, who was sitting next to me, was an attorney who had worked
for Bruce Babbitt and Mo Udall on water issues in the West, so we talked about that
for a bit; just the usual Santa Fe lunch conversation with the usual sort of
perfect strangers you find in Santa Fe.
I ordered my usual beef enchiladas with double posole and red chili. The red chili was really hot and I had to
order a Negra Modelo, which was on the tap and very fresh tasting and
thankfully calmed the heat of the chili.
When I arrived at home after my bike ride Suzette had cleaned and laid
out a new collection of salt and pepper shakers she had recently bought for the
restaurant.
We decided to eat the PPI’s
we had, Tabouli and fresh hamburger meat bought at Keller’s Meats on Saturday. I put a few spoonfuls of the new Lebanese olives
in thyme in a bowl and then sliced a Middle Easter Pickle we had bought at Cafe Istanbul on Saturday and added that to the bowl of olives to nibble on before and during
dinner. Suzette took the Green Tomato
Chutney out of the fridge.
I sliced up four large white mushrooms and three slices of yellow onion
and the white portion of a stalk of garlic from our garden and put those in a
large skillet with 1 Tbsp. of butter and a dash of fresh Moroccan olive
oil. Then Suzette put the two hamburgers
in the Skillet and I sauteed them with the vegetables. After about ten minutes of moving the
vegetables to coat each with oil and bring it into contact with the skillet, I
turned the hamburgers and covered the skillet with a lid so the vegetables
would sweat. Suzette wanted some cheese
on her hamburger so I sliced thin slices of Dubliner Irish Cheddar and laid those on
the tops of the hamburgers and recovered the skillet.
I fetched a bottle of La Granja Rioja red wine from the basement while
Suzette plated up the hamburger steaks piled high with the sauteed onions, and
mushrooms. I then sliced a Roma tomato
and we each took a few slices of tomato and spooned a dollop of chutney onto our plate and dinner was served. We had a lovely
dinner watching the Antiques Roadshow. The
mint and parsley leaves in the Tabouli were still fresh although the bulgur had
become saturated with moisture, perhaps from the tomato liquid. Suzette recommends keeping the chopped
tomatoes separate for a fresher tasting Tabouli and only adding them when
serving the Tabouli, but I think they are fine collapsed into the Tabouli the
next day, I guess I am okay with the all-together taste of the Tabouli.
For dessert Suzette made parfaits with vanillas ice cream and her PPI
rhubarb/strawberry compote. I
transferred the rest of the Tabouli to a small container because there was
enough Tabouli left for a salad garnish.
Bon Appétit
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