Easter has got to be, hands down, my favorite holiday. It's when my pagan inclinations collide with my Southern-Catholic-girl sensibilities to create the perfect mix of sensuous anticipation. After all, it's all about rebirth, renewal and reproduction, right? I especially like the activities associated with that last part. Oh, and "Jesus Christ is Risen Today" is my favorite church hymn, ever. (Yeah, I really did just connect those two thoughts, didn't I?)
Anyway, we were blessed with the presence of my college roommate - who was witness to many spring activities of years past! - and her two girls for Easter this year. As they were driving down from the Bay Area, I had plenty of time (after Mass, of course), to think about what I was making for dinner. Given that we live in LA, springtime produces an interesting combination of foods at the farmer's market: spring things like tiny green asparagus, sprouts, and new vegetables, and summer things like fresh herbs, early tomatoes, and corn. So I decided to make my favorite springy-that's really-summery pasta: A big bowl of fusilli with sauteed green beans, roasted new red potatoes, corn, and sweet cherry tomatoes, tossed with homemade pesto. (Back to my standby, Pasta Classica, for the pesto recipe. I measure the worth of a cookbook by the stains on its pages, BTW, and by now, this is a very valuable cookbook.)
Luckily, as I was roaming the rows at Ralph's, I discovered that they were running a promotion on 2005 Edna Valley Paragon Vineyard Pinot Noir. I'm really fond of Edna Valley wines. I always find that they're exceptionally well-made and yet accessible -- wines that don't need lots of 'splainin', Lucy, to be enjoyed. They're also a good price for the quality (I scored my bottle for about $17!). And while I might have usually chosen something white and crisp to go with dinner--a Pinot Grigio comes to mind-- I knew that Elizabeth would show up with her favorite libation: J Sparkling Wine.
Elizabeth got hooked on this wine because it was given to her at the birth of her eldest daughter, whose name is Jordan. E. also happens to be a bubbly fan in general, never missing a chance to sip a few glasses, especially when we're making merry with maitre d's in Paris (but that's another blog post). Elizabeth brought the Cuvée 20 Brut NV (non-vintage), made to celebrate J's 20th anniversary. A classic bubbly -- a bit of structure, a tickle in the nose, a little pear-and-honey finish as it goes down. Nice.
So we settled down on the deck out back with the the luscious pasta, fresh bread, a big salad, and the wine, celebrating the Easter sunset to the strains of Bruce Hornsby and Aretha Franklin. We had a bit of bubbly, a bit of Pinot, polished off the chow, and then held an Easter Jelly-Belly tasting with the last glases of the sparkling. Best pairing? Definitely the berry flavors. I also found out that you can make s'mores by combining marshmallow, chocolate fudge, and buttered popcorn Jelly-Bellies. Who knew?
As for the chocolate bunny ears? Well, I went into the pantry and broke off a few for snacks, after we were good and buzzed. Then went to bed, Aretha still singing in my ear. Hallelujah.
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