T says "it's not my favorite" dish

We started in on the allspice-cardamom roasted pumpkin that is served with a tahini-yogurt sauce, limes and chiles alongside. Despite cooking this for longer than Yotam suggested, it is still somewhat al dente although gorgeous, yes? I like the flavor combos, but T is not a big fan. I can tell he's trying to be diplomatic. In the meantime, this pumpkin-goat cheese soufflé looks divine but it was still wobbly so I put it back in. Will let you know! What I know now is that I've never used so many dishes to make one dinner. Amen for good red wine. We decided to celebrate nothing at all so opened a bottle we got at an auction a few years back: a 2001 Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It is really lovely!

Bolognese + pear crisp + Chianti = feeling stuffed and happy

YUM! This Bolognese is just divine. Because I just cannot eat baby animals for any reason, I sub ground beef for the veal. So, this is a beef-pork combo + carrots/celery/onions/wine/tomato paste/garlic/thyme. I'll post. In addition, it is worth it for this dish to get freshly cut pasta. We love pappardelle with it and are lucky to be able to head to Whole Foods and get it freshly cut. Aah. With dinner, we drank a bottle of Viticcio Chianti and kept an eye on the pear crisp bubbling away in the oven. This is a fantastic(!) recipe. Mamma mia. I'll post it too.

Celeriac-kohlrabi-potato-apple mash, good wine

I get to use my ricer! YAY!  I rarely use it but for some reason I just love it. Last time I riced, I was making gnocchi, and they were so light. Tonight I am boiling all foodstuffs in the above title line, ricing them, and then stirring in butter, s & p. I think the end result will be a lovely bowl of fluffy yum. I would also like to let you know about another really delicious wine: the Zaca Mesa Z Cuvée, a blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Cinsaut. I'm drinking the '06 but have had an earlier vintage that was equally good. My sister discovered this wine, which hails from Los Olivos, CA, in Santa Barbara County, while she was living in L.A. I hadn't seen it in years but recently discovered it at Wagshal's, for you D.C. folks. Great blended red