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Red Dirt Ramblings®

Firmly rooted in the Oklahoma soil

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A Feast for the Senses

21 January, 2008 By Dee Nash

by Dee Nash
21 January, 20081 May, 2010Filed under:
  • Gluten Free
  • Winter

december-012.jpgWe had a scrumptious feast a week ago Friday. It’s taken me this long to gather my information. Thanks to Kacee for having the dinner at her house and for helping me remember wine details. I’m sharing this with you for two reasons:

  • The meal was entirely gluten free and for me, dairy free; and
  • It was prepared with lots of fantastic fruits and vegetables, many of which were grown locally. Locavores rejoice!!

Last March, at the Birth Choice of Oklahoma auction, five couples pooled their resources and purchased a dinner to be prepared by Father Shane Tharp, the pastor of St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, located in Prague, Oklahoma. Believe it or not, Prague is pronounced with a long “a.” I don’t know why. It’s just an Oklahoma quirk. I was really looking forward to this meal because we’ve known Fr. Shane for a long time. He attended the same RCIA class I did and later went to seminary. He also happens to be a wine afficianado and chef, so I knew the food would be really good. Bill and I felt lucky to be sharing this time with our friends.

Now, I don’t drink alcohol. Too much bad juju in my family, but I can appreciate the delicacy of wines and how they accompany a meal. Where Kacee and I could recall, I’ve listed the wine with each course.

Sr. Barbara Joseph, a Carmelite nun, usually assists Fr. Shane, but she was sick with a nasty flu that night. We girls chipped in and helped, so I was able to see how the dishes were prepared.

As to the theme. Fr. Shane said, “It is a celebration of the coming together of family and features inspired twists on traditional winter foods from families around the world.”

The appetizer course was a sampling of cheeses, including a port wine cheese and a Blueberry white Stilton. These were served with dried Turkish figs and dates and crackers. The crackers were not gluten free, but it was easy to eat around them as they were on another plate. We also had hummus and a roasted eggplant spread. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to try either of these because folks had already dipped their crackers into them, causing gluten contamination. I had plenty to eat anyway.

On a side note, I asked Fr. Shane where he got the figs and dates, and he said Mediterranean Imports & Deli in Oklahoma City. I made a trip there last week and have been snacking on dried fruit ever since. In fact, I’m snacking on them now. I might plant a fig tree. I’ve heard they do well here, if you can keep the fruit from the birds. Stay tuned.

The first course was a butternut squash soup. It was inspired by the regional cuisine of India. I pureed the butternut squash after it was simmered with onion, curry, garlic and chicken broth. For those who could have dairy, a spoonful of yogurt was swirled into each bowl at the end. Even sans dairy, it was wonderful. The wine was Barefoot Sauvignon Blanc 2002.

The second course was a beet and fennel salad with Stilton blue cheese crumbles, pecans grown in Fr. Shane’s backyard, and a lovely homemade, mayonnaise-consistency balsamic vinaigrette. I didn’t miss the blue cheese at all. Just so you know, blue cheese should not be consumed by those with Celiac Disease even if they don’t have a dairy issue. The mold is often grown on wheat bread and can therefore make us sick. The beets and fennel were roasted enhancing their inherent sweetness. The salad was a British inspiration, and Lindeman’s Bin 65 Chardonnay was paired with it.

Moving on to the main course, we had Seared Pork Tenderloin with Cocoa Spice Rub. I know, cocoa with meat? It was really good. Fr. Shane topped it with blueberry conserve. It was served with adobo chili and garlic mashed sweet potatoes and an apple baked with bacon and cinnamon sticks. Truly, everything complimented each other. The main course was served with Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale 2002.

Because this was a celebration, Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut was served with dessert. The dessert? Anjou and Bosc pears were poached in the chianti with some cinnamon. The poaching liquid turned one pear a bright burgundy pink. Mascarpone cheese was melted over the pears. HH said it tasted like a mix between cream cheese and marshmallow fluff. Hmm . . . . Hazelnut coffee was also served with dessert. Now don’t you wish you could have been there?

Afterward, Fr. Shane said that if we bought the dinner at this year’s auction, he would make us a Mediterranean feast. Perhaps, we will.

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Comments

  1. Guruchel says

    20 February, 2008 at 6:32 am

    Very Nice! Thanks!

    Oh, thank you so much. Your comments mean so much.~~Dee

  2. Bonnie says

    25 January, 2008 at 8:10 pm

    Holy cow- my mouth is watering just reading that and I am writing down the dishes- they look amazing. Does Fr. Shane travel?? Can we bring him to Spring Fling??

    Bonnie, I wish he could, but I think he’s pretty busy. Their parish also has a shrine, so they have a “tourist season.” I think he would go if he could though. And, I know another priest who started a garden at his parish.~~Dee

  3. fransorin says

    25 January, 2008 at 5:28 pm

    Dee-

    It sounds like an absolutely scrumptious feast. The beet and fennel salad would have been the course that I would have devoured! fran

    Fran, you should make it. It wasn’t hard. Like much of cooking, it was the fresh ingredients that made it special. Thanks for visiting my blog.~~Dee

  4. Kathy says

    25 January, 2008 at 6:05 am

    Did Fr. Tharp know your special diet requirements before he started cooking?

  5. Lucy Bloom says

    25 January, 2008 at 5:53 am

    Hello Dee, some great recipes, I shall be trying some of these as I have a coeliac relative and am always stuck for recipes when she comes around.
    best wishes,
    Lucy x

  6. Kathryn/plantwhateverbringsyoujoy.com says

    24 January, 2008 at 7:11 pm

    Hi, Dee! I have a fig tree in my backyard.
    You might recall. It survived a family of bluejays and then what was left was mine.

    Did you fav me on blotanical?? I’m trying to learn to navigate my way over there. Had some techie probs. but I think I’m finding my way. THANK YOU!

    Kathryn xox

  7. dlyn says

    23 January, 2008 at 3:43 pm

    That sounds fabulous – I bet you really enjoyed it!

  8. Curtis says

    22 January, 2008 at 8:58 pm

    It all sounds so good and the Butternut squash soup that sounds so warming on a cold day like today.

  9. Robin (Bumblebee) says

    22 January, 2008 at 6:25 pm

    Invite me next time too! I adore butternut squash soup!

    I make a soup with butternut squash and apples. Serve it with a nice sauvignon blanc and it’s fabulous! A meal in itself with a crusty bread and some cheese. As I recall, the original recipe is from the Trellis Restaurant (a Williamsburg restaurant) cookbook.

    –Robin (Bumblee)

    Robin, I’ve also made a butternut squash soup that used coconut milk as its secret ingredient. It was lovely too.~~Dee

  10. jodi says

    22 January, 2008 at 6:18 pm

    MMMMMm..as we say here in the Maritimes, ‘right some good’! It’s funny how chocolate DOES go real well with meat…I used to know a lamb shank recipe that had a bit of chocolate and it was divine.

    Jodi, I just love that word ‘Maritimes.’ I had no idea that chocolate went well with meat, but it makes sense, ’cause chocolate goes with everything else :-).~~Dee

  11. jeena says

    22 January, 2008 at 2:36 pm

    Hi there you have a lovely blog. It is a shame you could not eat some of the hummus dip. 🙁

    I have some gluten free recipes on my blog here is a link if you want to check it out gluten free recipes

    Let me know if you would like to exchange links. Great blog.

    Thanks Jeena 🙂

    Jeena, thanks for your kind words. I went to your blog and saw your wonderful lentil pie. I would exchange links with you, but I didn’t see where your blogroll is? Let me know, and I’ll be glad to add you to mine. Your recipes look very good.~~Dee

  12. Lennye says

    21 January, 2008 at 8:47 pm

    Yummy! I know you had to enjoy an evening that you didn’t cook and have to clean up! (I know I would have)

  13. Martha says

    21 January, 2008 at 8:58 pm

    Wow what a meal, Dee.
    Did you forget to invite me?

    Martha, I wish I could have brought you all. That’s why I wrote about it. It was just so extraordinary.~~Dee

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