Love
At first you might think of romantic love, and that's what Valentine's day is all about.
I almost forgot about this particular holiday but I went to Costco this morning for one of their excellent 5 buck rotisserie chickens, and it was filled with reminders. Boxes of fancy chocolates, and heart shaped stuff...cookies and cup cakes (red velvet!), and even red and white heart-shaped ravioli, stuffed with prawns. Could that be any good? I'll find out since I bought enough for about 10 people. This is the problem shopping there as a single woman with several cats...it's all too much. And you know I'm a person of excess...I've told you about the martinis after all.
When my ex-husband and I got married he left it up to me to decide on the wedding date. I chose February 15th. His birthday was the 16th, so I thought I could just roll all the occasions up into one large gift. It didn't work out, the union, nor have any of the others, though there wasn't another marriage, mercifully. These legal bonds can be so complicated to get out of, and also expensive, even in the simplest dissolution. Just getting someone to do the paperwork will cost you. With a boyfriend you can just leave, or treat him so badly that he leaves you, which is even better since you get more sympathy and attention if you're dumped by the bastard.
I hope I don't sound harsh. I have experienced love, and I want to tell you what true love is. A few years ago I was catering a Christmas party for a fancy law firm in L.A. I made the food for this event every year, and each year at the end of the party I vowed I would never ever do it again. But you know, a year goes by, and you forget the pain, and there you are preparing another big meal (or having a second child... they tell me). It was about 10 days before Christmas and I was dreading the Costco trip, but there was no way around it. Where else can you buy a 10 lb. ham, a 10 lb. turkey, a 10 lb. hunk of salmon, and all the other stuff...the flatware/plates/wine glasses/napkins. It was a long and daunting list. Before I left to go over I actually got on my knees and said a little prayer 'God please come with me.' There are no atheists in foxholes. Parking was horrible there, the crowds were awful...pushy verging on vicious. I made my way around the giant warehouse and I was in a hurry. Nobody was moving fast enough for me. I thought 'What is this supposed to be, a museum?' Yes, the quintessential American museum...devoid of culture, but filled with gigantic sides of beef! And look at these people! More gigantic sides of beef! My heart was hard, my shopping cart was full, and my mind was filled with venomous thoughts. I made my way to the front of the place, looking around at everyone's purchases. They wouldn't all be catering, would they? Who could possibly need that much stuff? Vacuums and vases and enormous apple pies? So as I was standing there, wondering if I would have the energy to start my prep work that day...I heard a little voice. It was inside my head and it was quiet. It said 'We're all in this together.' I started laughing out loud. A few people turned to look, but most were exhausted I'm sure, wondering if they could possibly start their prep work that day.
Everything changed after that. I can’t go to the store, or drive on the freeway, or sit in the movies without knowing this fact…that the guy who just cut me off, or is kicking the back of my seat, or is on the line for 10 items or less, but has 12, is probably a lot like me…listening for a little voice to tell him something big.
There's a sauce that I never order out because it's heavy and meaty, and in LA it just doesn't get cold enough for me to want it. Maybe in New York it might seem more appropriate, after you've come in from a snowy night, but I took the basic idea and eliminated some of the animal protein, though not all. I will have it with my heart-shaped ravioli as a kind of surf and turf pasta dish. It's easy...why you could make it tonight for someone you love...yourself.
L.A. Bolognese
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
½ yellow onion, finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
4 nice ripe fresh tomatoes, diced
½ lb chicken sausage, sliced
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
pinch of red pepper flakes
salt and white pepper to taste
Saute onion, carrot and celery in oil until fragrant, about 4 minutes over a medium flame. Add sausage and stir with vegetables for another 5 minutes. Add all other ingredients and simmer for about a half hour over a low flame until sauce reduces. Remove bay leaf, and pour on pasta. Add a sprinkle of parmesan for a lovely finish.