When the rain, sleet and snow hit town, then lingered, this week, I forgot the lovely spring-inspired foods I'd been daydreaming about and reverted back to belly-filling wintery nibbles. I got a hankering for lamb. Lamb curry. On thick, chewy noodles. And who would be the perfect dinner company for such a meal? Tangoista Darcy and Four-sides Reynolds, for sure. That would be delightful!
As with any highly-anticipated dinner party, I went through multiple iterations of the meal. The weather, at the time of the invitation, was cold and dreary, calling for stewy comfort food. Picture this: a long-stewed lamb curry, with generous hunks of lamb, falling off the fork, served on a bed of some kind of thick noodle, so thick it's a dumpling, maybe spaetzle or gnocchi, perfect for receiving the rich, tasty curry sauce.
Now check the weather report. It'll be sunny and spring-like the day of the dinner. I've been anticipating this meal for several days, but the thought of eating a wintery stew on a warm spring evening seemed like a betrayal of the seedlings in the vegetable garden that we'd so lovingly protected from the snow. There's no turning back. Spring has sprung. Time to revamp the menu.
Spring begs for lightness and simplicity. Neither of these qualities would be found in a heavy lamb curry, with no fewer than 20 ingredients, and gnocchi, no matter how light and fluffy it is (and I do make an inexplicably light and fluffy gnocchi, if I do say so myself). How can I make good on my promise of lamb curry without inviting winter to return for another couple of weeks? Vij's in Vancouver offers an elegant lamb popsicle that could get me there. Fortunately, I happen to have Vij's cookbook. I also happen to find making pasta to be as therapeutic as making gnocchi, but less messy. So spinach garlic linguine will be the way to go for this meal.
And how will this meal end? I had originally planned on chai bread pudding with cinnamon creme anglaise for dessert. There's nothing quite like a warm bread pudding, except when it's warm out. Then something chilled might be nicer, like a rice pudding...
This dinner party happens tomorrow. Anything can happen between now and then. I'm going grocery shopping. (To be continued...)
Darn the skies! I've been craving that delicious lamb curry all week long, but am honored that you've taken it upon yourself to prepare so thoroughly and with such zeal as to anticipate what we'll want on a warmer day. Whatever you come up with, we'll savor and swoon over. Can't wait!
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