Thursday, May 18

FRIENDLY FO'!!!

focaccia is too damned good.
that's what i was thinking as i tore into a little MORE of it,
as i finished eating a herculean serving of sustenance,
with a side order of exxxtra focaccia.
mmmhmmmm.
neighbors,
i did something pretty epic,
although the internet largely ignored it.
ha!
my mouth and stomach, on the other hand?
they enjoyed each and every morsel, right down to the crumbs.
that's for real.
check the teleport:

kaBOOOOOOOOM!!!
jeez, that's an awful lot of food for one person.
then again,
too much is the right amount!!!
i made sure to overdo it, and add in all the extra-exxxtras, as well.
i figured,
if i already had fresh fluffy, olive-oily, salty super-sexxxy bread,
it'd be that much easier to stack a whole sandwich up to the tippity-top tier
of the palatable pantheon of sarnies and 'guinis in heaven and on earth.
yuuuuuuuup.
tall orders are my favorite kind.
i had some homemade seitan on the stove,
and a headful of ideas about fattie-boombattie stack on stacks,
so i took the one, and used it to activate the other.
mmhmm.
i've covered baking up your very own focaccia here.
and homemade seitan gets described right over here.
so,
now that we're all caught up,
allow me to get into the dirty details-
wilted baby kale and chard are on the bottom of the toasted buns.
there's no need to butter 'em, either-
that focaccia is hella ready for that already.
anyway, the greens are on the bottom,
followed by caramelized shallots, tossed with quick-pickled hot radishes-
-
actually,
it's radish, carrot, and celeriac,
in a homemade pink salt black pepper and crushed red peppery apple-cider vinegar bath.
with a dash of sugar to really give it some ZIP, dudes.
honestly,
y'just boil the veg barely covered by the liquid, and allow it to cool.
you end up with something especially expert for the level of commitment it takes.
-
and then there's those seitan steaks.
breaded in garbanzo bean flour,
with GPOP, brown sugar, black pepper, smoked paprika, and thyme.
there's a small scoop of masa, and a small scoop of cornstarch, too.
i mean,
we wanna give it the ultimate toothsome bite, don't we?
yes, we do.
and we did.
or i did, and you will, too, if you're so inclined.
seared in a hot pan, with a tiny touch of olive oil, for a few minutes per side,
and there you have it-
another 'nother blast of awesomeness, savory and sexxxy, and ready for more toppings.
WORD.
like pickles,
and crispy fried onions.
that's the right call.
there's earthy notes from the leaves,
and sharp tang in the rad'ness,
plus complimentary caramel in those shallots,
with savory steaky substance from the seitan,
briny brightness in the pickles,
and crawnch in the onions.
what else do we need?
there's that fatty, salty softness in the bread, so we're good right?
nope.
c'mon, man.
don't be dumb.
there's always room for one more thing.
*
roasted garlic and green onion aioli???!!?!!!?!
F*ing right, bruh.
five cloves of roasty, toasty oil-browned garlic,
with 4 tsp green onion,
a dash of coarse kosher salt,
and a glug or two more of olive oil-
all mashed and maceraed in a mortar, with a powerful pulverizing push of the pestle.
that's what's up, for really real.
aioli for your buttholi!!
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
*
now, that's a sandwich for the records, friends.
heck i used a quarter of the loaf of bread for it,
that's why i had a slight pang of guilt when i went in for a little bit more of it.
i fought through it, and overcame the doubts,
and shark-gluttoned my face right off  anyway-
i mean,
rule is rules, and every good thing should be experienced to eleven.
and i did just that.
cucumber salad, with purple carrot, and cilantro, and red and gold tomatoes,
in white balsamic vinegar?
dope.
tamari-glazed fried brussels sprouts?
so dope.
fries? shoestringers? thin chips? call 'em whatcha wanna,
they're the way to go, if you're going too far into sandwichville.
and i am about that life, for realsies.
*
guys,
i made myself a magnificent meal,
after which i walked the dog through downtown north conway village,
along all save one street.
ummmmm, i'm serious.
even after hours,
the whole of the paved paths along that spot are dead to me.
yeah.
i'm just sort of like that.
hard styled and committed to the decrees as they are issued.
regrettably so, at least  for navigational purposes, anyway...
but,
off the list means off the list,
and there's nothing for it but plotting alternate routes.
***********
it's going to be in the 90℉ realm today.
that's insane.
i mean,
had the heat on high blast, just last week.
now, i'm sweating like crazy,
and the skies are hazy from the ambient temperature.
new england is some kind of fickle.
it's like the laboratory where they experiment on how to eff with everything.
....except learning.
that's been pretty much disregarded and discarded up in these hills.
ugh.
i long for better conversations.
i ache for them.
shoutouts to my competent and capable communicators.
where y'all at?
i've got sandwiches in exchange for spoken words that're worth a sh!t.
if you care to trade ideas, you can find me in the last lonely houseful of books.
the Folk Life & Liberty Fortress is open to all those who care to participate.
it's all right here, ready and willing and able to unfold,
as long as you're possessed of something valuable by way of nouns and verbs;
never quiet, never soft.....

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