A Small Respite

Tonight's meal was truly a brief respite from a whole lotta troubles-not mine so much as those of the people I love and care for. We all have moments of utter deflation of spirit:friends who die young, who don't get to see their grand kids through much life;who never get to enjoy their retirement;who don't get to savor that one last dish they love, that one last kiss from the one they love.Well,I was just very melancholy thinking of some very bad things happening to some very good people and would probably have punted as far as food was concerned, but then there was serendipity.Food does not cure problems, but when it is a creative outlet, it has the ability to distract.I was the grateful recipient of some fresh locally picked chanterelles and decided, of course, to create a meal around them. I procured a small piece of that Eel River sirloin tip steak and, after cutting it in strips marinated it in Bogle Old vine Zinfandel, lots of my own garlic, salt and freshly ground pepper and just a dash of the balsamico. Diced the mushrooms, and although there were only two of them, had about two cups of mushrooms! The mushrooms waited on the cutting board, posing like a foodie center-fold while the meat was tucked in the fridge to rest for a while. A beautiful acorn squash was halved and seeded and rubbed with canola oil and placed face-down in a baking pan with a little water to bake. I heated olive oil and a bit of butter in my Emeril sautee pan and, when it was hot, tossed in the steak-marinade and all. I did not intend to do that, but I had a glass or two of the Zin and, after adding the mushrooms and sauteeing and reducing that marinade a bit, I was rewarded with a rich garlic-infused sauce lapping tender pieces of steak and mushrooms. Those mushrooms had a slight peppery taste, followed by a sweet earthiness. Never have I had a more interesting or delicious mushroom. Oh, I almost forgot the squash. The halves became slightly caramelized around the edges and sweet and tender of flesh. They just needed a little bit of butter and salt and they sang their own song.