Less is More

Back from a gig in Providence, and not so much in the fridge. Some of Kenny's venison from the freezer provided the focal point for a rainbow of leftovers: half an acorn squash roasted while a quarter of a red cabbage braised and a sweet potato steamed. The last of the beet salad rounded out the brilliantly colored substrate for the buttery tender strips of meat, rubbed with salt, pepper, and ras-el-hanout. Seared up in the iron pan, they harmonized wonderfully with the complex sweet, earthy, and tangy vegetable flavors, as well as with a 1996 Hacienda Monasterio Ribera del Duero.