Fab Weekend - Part Three

Sunday was Derf and my hiking day. GD and I did the Three Gun Spring Trail, which I’ve written about in the past. Both of us had been unable to do any serious hiking over the last three weeks so we just took our time. The weather was fabulous.

Monsoonal Clouds over Sandia Peak

Gaius Derf Contemplating His Exile from Imperial Albuquerque to the Far Province of Salt Lake City

After lunch, we both took naps. For dinner I decided to experiment. I came up with the idea of making a meat ragout from beef jerky. This came about in a search for pure, unadulterated jerky for O-I. In so doing, I found some products that were just meat and salt. They had a great meat flavor that I theorized I would create a great meat base if cooked long enough with water. In practice, I didn’t leave myself enough time. I got the flavor but needed much more time to get the texture. Thank goodness for food processors.

From Wife and my last trip to see O-I, we were introduced to the joys of Belvedere Vodka. Knowing the GD and AW both love martinis, we decided to start with a couple of those.

Wife and Gaius Derf Enjoying Martinis
(Wobbly picture on account of my intake of martinis)

After a Martini or 2 even Agent W can be convinced that peeling roasted chiles is fun

I followed up with a first course of sautéed fennel and Parmesan cheese, followed by farfalle pasta with a sauce based on my beef jerky ragout finished with flash fried fresh tomatoes and garlic. Everyone agreed that it had potential but needed further refinement. We went into the wine closet and had a1999 White Burgundy that was quite yummy and a 2003 Rhone that was ok.

Note to self – drinking two martinis on an empty stomach after a long, dehydrating hike and following it up with copious amounts of wine is not the wisest of ideas.

Agent W - "Mike's taking our picture"
Gaius Derf and Mrs. de-I - "Mmmmph"