Ekalaka, Montana-3/19/10

I've only been to the state of Idaho for about 6 hours. So I can't speak much to the beauty of the state but the pictures from the article "Backcountry Bolognese" in this month's Bon Appetit reminded me of the summer I was a camp activities director in Ekalaka, Montana. This tiny town in southeastern Montana epitomizes the vastness of the West. We drove for several hours on a dirt road just to get to the camp. The quiet that was broken only by the whistle of the wind was starkly beautiful. The pictures of this article reminded me of that summer and the special energy that fills this amazing part of the world.

The menu began with a Smoked Trout Crostini with Grilled Fennel and Red Onions. I couldn't find smoked trout at the local grocery store so I asked a smoked tuna to stand in. It worked in my opinion. Richard is less of a fish fan but I did notice he reached for another helping after his "sample". The fennel and onion were muted in the roasting and didn't overpower the more mild smoked fish.

Last year Richard gave me a pasta maker and I don't get to play with it quite as much as I would like. I got to play with it today. The Pappardelle was fun to make because of the more free form of the noodles. This kept the noodles from sticking together, a problem I haven't quite figured out how to avoid. The Bolognese Sauce was very meaty and a bit salty but very good. It coated the noodles well and stood up to the extra richness of the homemade pasta. I made the full recipe and was able to freeze quite a bit for later.

The Arugula Salad with Caramelized Onions, Goat Cheese, and Candied Walnuts is a salad with all kinds of things going for it. I loved every component of this salad and could have eaten lots more. It was a bit of a chore to make each component and took a bit longer than the average salad but it was worth it. The croutons weren't any better than store-bought and could have saved a few minutes and a few dishes.

The dessert with this menu was a bit simplistic and though easy, anticlimactic. Basically, ice cream with a coffee-chocolate sauce, there isn't much else to say. It was good but a bit too basic for gourmet. After a long day of backcountry skiing, I'd like to reward myself with a few more calories.
Smoked Trout Crostini with Grilled Fennel and Red Onions-B
Homemade Pappardelle with Bolognese Sauce-A-
Arugula Salad with Caramelized Onions, Goat Cheese, and Candied Walnuts-A
Ice Cream Sundaes with Chocolate-Coffee Sauce-B-

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