Life gets really busy … especially now as we prepare for Christmas! What’s up with that? We celebrate the Prince of Peace with chaos, the Lord of Life with what brings death, Emmanuel (God with us) with isolation and busyness?
I’m part of a group where we are invited to slow our roll … to find ways to experience sabbath, to identify how and where we can simply … stop.
But there’s fear, worry, apprehension about stopping.
#SlowYourRollAdvent invites us to be ok with stopping. It’s not giving up. It’s opening ourselves and allowing room for the Spirit.
I was working this evening and I’d been thinking about slowing my roll all day. Cooking and enjoying the not hurriedness of a Friday evening at home is joyful!
I poured a glass of Malbec, pulled up a country music playlist on Spotify, and got to work. Again … this stuff is fun for me.
What gives you joy? What feeds your soul? What makes you feel like a kid in summertime?
I decided to reverse sear filet mignon, parboil then grill asparagus with a bit of miso, grill red onion, make homemade egg noodles, and make a red wine reduction for the steak and noodles.
One of my personal core values is curiosity. I believe we experience more of life, more of food, and more of faith when we’re curious and, with curiosity, comes playfulness.
I started with an idea of what I wanted on the plate and the colors, textures, and flavors. Then I searched various recipes to get some ideas.
I found a recipe on AllRecipes.com for egg noodles [link]. I didn’t have milk, so I used half and half. And I rolled it a bit thick – more like a dumpling 😬
I also decided to use a rolling pin that I got on a trip to Guyana. It’s made of a pretty purple wood.
This is the pasta rolled out and cut into thin slices. After these air dried for a while, I cooked them up in salty water.
I parboiled the asparagus in water mixed with about a tablespoon of miso paste. To stop the cook, I immersed them in an ice bath. Before grilling them at high temp, I rubbed them down with more miso … cuz … well … miso 🥰
I wanted a little red and sweetness on the plate, so I grilled a red onion.
The filet was reverse seared then grilled. It went into the oven at 225° seasoned only with kosher salt. I cooked it until the internal temp was about 120°. Then onto the grill at high temp. After resting, I plated it topped with sautéed shallots, red wine reduction [link], and parsley.
Pretty 🥰
… nuff said.
This is how I slowed my roll today. What would help you slow your roll?
Epicurious Lutheran 