Menus, May 28, 2014

“You can have the other words-

chance, luck, coincidence, serendipity. 

I'll take grace. I don't know what it is exactly, but I'll take it. ” 

Mary Oliver

Add the word circumstance to that happy list, and you'll have the crowd of words that have been riding the Ferris wheel of my mind all week. By Friday, the words circumstance, coincidence, serendipity and chance were all spinning so crazily 

that I got a little dizzy about which meant what.
And then I got  vocabuqueasy
and had to throw up a little.

 As an example, this time of year one hears so many repetitions of the graduation march "Pomp and Circumstance" that it's easy to forget the title: pomp,which is such a silly word that repeating it silently to yourself will make you giggle during all the wrong speeches, and circumstance, which was once used to speak of something that was very important:

Behold, a Man Of Circumstance

And most often now means an apparently random chain of events that affect someone or something:

Behold, a victim of circumstance.

So, if a particular set of circumstances leads to a coincidental meeting, is that the same as a chance meeting?
And let's say a girl, at some random party, happens to lock eyes and later lock lips with a cute guy...serendipity, right?

Or maybe the difference between
 serendipity and disaster  may all depend...

on where you end the story.

Here's what kick-started the engine on this engaging verbal hamster wheel: Last Wednesday, errands were interrupted when I made an impulsive detour into one of those shops where women go when they need to stop and smell the candles. There, amid a hundred candles and funny aprons and cookbooks, I met and ended up spending the next half hour or so in happy conversation with this guy:

That is professional chef turned entrepreneur Tim Halls, who has concocted and poured into  bottles some of the nicest BBQ sauce you ever tasted. Not too spicy, not too sweet, not too heavy on the vinegar- but what was even more intriguing to me was the versatility contained in this little plastic shaker bottle:

"So", I asked eventually, "If I were to, say, not have a single clue about what to have for dinner next week, but I did know that I wanted to play with this tasty stuff, and that I only wanted to actually cook once or twice, ummm...what would I, for instance, be having for dinner? You know, for the whole week?"

Thirty minutes later, I had in my eager little hands two nice candles, two jars of BBQ rub, and a full week of great menu ideas. You can check out Tim's terrifically fun collection of Barbecue lovin' Texans and take a closer look at or order some of his yummy creations on his website- 

Meanwhile, I'm going to strike while the serendipity's hot and start dinner.

Wednesday: Grilled pork tenderloin and chimichurri sauce and grilled salad

Ok. There's a link here to what looks like a very good grilled pork recipe, but I'll relay to you here the instructions Tim gave to me: Trim the silverskin (that white tendoney layer of stuff. Such a pretty word for such an ordinary thing. Go figure.), rub the tenderloin with your seasoning rub (there are dozens of rub recipes on the internet if you want to make your own...)and refrigerate the tenderloin overnight. Then grill or roast it in a 350 degree oven until it reaches an internal temp of 145 (Fahrenheit) and let it stand (well, lay there on the plate really) for 10 minutes or so before serving. Tim recommends a chimichurri sauce with this, and making a double batch means enough chimichurri to use with fish on Friday and burritos on Saturday. While the grill is on, it'll be fun to try a grilled lettuce salad and make a dressing by stirring up a spoon or two of  dry rub with plain yogurt or mayo or olive oil, even though the recipe suggests blending up a homemade Caesar dressing. The recipe also lists basil leaves in the ingredient list, but then doesn't seem to tell you what to do with them....



Thursday: Black beans and rice 

Classic black beans and rice, with a little preparation twist that I hadn't seen before and am eager to try. A spoon or two of last night's sauce would be great. Beans and rice are a complete meal, nutritionally, but if you find yourself wishing for a fresh vegetable, how about tossing some tomatoes and cucumbers in olive oil and vinegar?






Friday: halibut and chimchurri  and avocado quinoa bowl

I have Tim's word for it that the bottle of rub I bought is great on vegetables and fish, especially white fish, and there's bound to be a cup or so of chimichurri left in the fridge.  Around here, the fish will find a home next to a few things that are by a happy chance on hand and in need of using: quinoa, avocados and sweet potatoes.




Saturday: Black bean and pork burritos

Here's a trick I learned from my friend Katherine: there are nights when a really great dinner means putting all the leftovers that are in the refrigerator on a tortilla. This is one of those nights, but that doesn't mean it's not a great dinner. The rest of the pork will be shredded and warmed with a shake or two of seasoning, then loaded up on to the softest pillowiest tortillas I can find. The proverbial sky's the limit: lettuce, shredded cabbage, cheese, salsa? Yes to all that.




Sunday: Vietnamese Pork Sandwiches

This was Tim's answer to the question "What's an alternative to plain old pulled pork sandwiches?" 
What a great idea!!! Tim pickles his own vegetables and there are instructions in the recipe for that, but he's a chef, and I'm not, so we may make due with a jar of pickled vegetables, or even some kim chi. No matter what, these look terrific! 



Serendipity- a happy accidental discovery. 
That's what I hope for you all week long.
Even if circumstantial evidence leads you to 
expect a week of discovering disasters.
I hope you know that
through the unexpected encounter,
the lucky break,
the random opportunity,
that chance and providence are working
a grace on you- 
and that you feel yourself fortunate,
even on days

when you could feel like fortune's fool.