Monday was my last full day in South Carolina. Unfortunately,
Carla had to work. Jake and I played a board game whose name I do not recall,
but it involved trains and train routes and I got my ass kicked (yet again). Then,
Jake and I ran some errands and met Carla for lunch at Sakura, a Japanese restaurant
in Columbia and a favorite of mine.
Jake had the Sushi and Chicken Teriyaki while both Carla and
I ordered the Udon noodles. Now, I don’t know if you have ever had Udon noodles,
but they come in a fantastic broth, along with mushrooms and a whole egg.
However, they also come in a cast iron pot that never really cools down. As a
result, I burnt my mouth (as I always do) but it was worth it (as it always is).
Sidebar: Between the Korean restaurant and the Japanese one,
I realized just how out of practice I am with chopsticks. Embarrassing!
We kicked some ideas around about dinner and, after lunch, Jake
and I stopped at Whole Foods for a few items. Back home, Jake took Whiskey for a long walk and I tried to take a nap (didn't work).
When Carla got home, we chilled for a while and then I
helped her to prep for dinner. The original idea (mine) was shrimp scampi. But,
Carla being “Carla,” she switched it around and kicked it up a notch. So, I
peeled a pound of shrimp while she minced an onion (not in my recipe). She sautéed
that in butter and olive oil and then added a LOT of garlic (definitely in my
recipe).
Since I forgot to mention white wine before shopping, she
substituted chicken broth and then added the shrimp. Meanwhile, I boiled a
pound of linguine to al dente.
Here’s where she went rogue…
Salt and pepper? Yes. Chili flakes? She has them, but… Nope,
she substituted Creole seasoning!
She added a bit of the pasta water to her sauce and then
combined the noodles and shrimp. She plated it and did NOT top it with Parmigiano-Reggiano
(WTF?)
BUT IT TASTED FANTASTIC!
I was totally “noodled out” from lunch and yet I ate all of
it!
We watched some TV until about 9:00 p.m. (I had another
piece of sweet potato pie and cup of coffee for dessert somewhere in there) and
then we all went to bed. But, before I did, I (sadly) packed my suitcase. I
then read for a while and went to bed around 11:00 p.m.
No comments:
Post a Comment