Ratatouille

No, not the movie (which we still haven't seen.) But a combination of old and new- some of the party leftovers (Nina's ratatouille, all the grilled veggies that didn't fit in my pie, etc.) added to a heavenly mirepoix of our own onion, fennel, celery, carrot and blessed guanciale after deglazing with a few dregs also remaining in a couple of bottles.

A word on this mirepoix: I can honestly say that of the many smells that have risen from our stove, few compare to this in depth, clarity, and sheer delight. Being able to slice off a few glistening pieces of home-cured guanciale and gently render their fat, then add the just-picked vegetables and sweat them until it's time for the wine is the epitome of hedonistic local cooking, and reveals the core secret of eating this way: it tastes better and makes you happier than any other food.















This afternoon we went to visit Juliette and Michael at their recording studio/farm (Chris and John were there overdubbing the new record) so the kids could see the animals- the new calf and baby bunnies among them- and we could give them vegetables in exchange for milk and eggs (chicken and duck.) Upon return home, I made peach ice cream with some of the milk, cream, and eggs and we had it after dinner.