Riffing

Another variation on Ma Po tofu tonight, using a bit of the pâté mixture I made yesterday in place of ground pork and carrots as well as peas. The pâté has a lot of flavor, but I still added rice vinegar, lime juice, nama shoyu, wine, and sesame oil to round it out. After it was done, the green outer leaves of a head of pan di zucchero, braised with their own residual washing water, garlic, lime juice, and sesame oil left the wok clean & shiny so dishes were a snap. We tried a 1999 François Parent Chambolle-Musigny that was better than his Vosne-Romanée we had a few nights back- ironically, given that this one is cheaper. The nose is good, but it's sour and thin in the mouth. Whether more time will improve it is hard to say; it will never be epic, but if the tartness gives way to the soft fruit and truffles hinted at in the nose it will be well worth the 20+ bucks.