I'd Like To Thank The Academy

I have three kinds of memories: Real, Storied, and Gilded. The former are those things that I actually remember happening to me, say, those things that have happened in the past fifteen years or so (though there are some before that). The latter come from pictures or stories that I have heard/seen so many times, I feel as though I remember them. When I relate Storied Memories, I tell them with such detail and elan (yes, elan) that it can be hard to differentiate, even for me. Favorite/often-told Storied Memories eventually become Gilded, meaning I veer from the Story and tell it how I'd like it to have happened or with more detail than even the original picture provided.

In my earliest Storied Memory I am 5 days old. I am fussy and won't stop crying and my first-time-Mom is alone in the little apartment she and The Doc have out in Pasadena. While trying to feed me/quiet me, my Mom turns on the 54th Academy Awards. There are more awards given out back then, so the show lasts almost 5 hours. In my head I have Gilded this memory with my Grampa K's rocking chair, philodendrons hanging from the ceiling in macramed and beaded plant holders, white built-in bookcases full of most of the old medical books that currently surround me as I sit typing in my parent's library, balloons and flowers in the periphery. Also Gilt is the idea that it was somehow the awards ceremony (seeing Katharine Hepburn for the first time? The Chariots of Fire soundtrack?) was able to calm me and whenever my Mom tried to leave the room or put me into my crib I would start to cry again. And let me tell you this is not the face of a baby with whom you want to mess.

Is any of that true? I'd say about 63% of it is mostly true. But it's a fun story and I get to tell people that I've been really into films since the day I was born. It's not just hyperbole - it's an honestly true Gilded Memory!

***

And so the Oscars have a special place in my heart. I mean, what’s not to love? Gorgeous people dressed in millions of dollars worth of clothes and jewelry, making speeches ranging from heartfelt to histrionic, trying to look humble/contain their rage in the face of a win/loss.

Since this year’s Oscars fortuitously fell on the same weekend as The MCHS Gala Auction, an event for which Roomie, The Raccoon, Kev, and The Doc would all be home, it seemed like the thing to do to turn last year’s impromptu dinner party into an annual event.

On the menu this year:

Nibbles:
Homemade pesto and a jar of store-bought artichoke tapenade served with multi-grain and pumpernickel breads.

Salad:
Spinach tossed with mandolined carrots and mushrooms, chopped kalamata olives, and raw pumpkin seeds; dressed with Roomie’s Favorite Vinaigrette.

Main Course:
Caliente Fennel Spaghetti
Big Pot Sauce (BPS) over rotini and/or Ohio City Pasta spinach linguine
Cooked zucchini

Dessert:
Mom-made chocolate and yellow cupcakes frosted by The Demon Baby (for the non-vegans)
Champagne (for everybody)

Cooking this time around was a group effort. Both Roomie and Kev like to cook and I’m an excellent delegater. They made quick work of chopping and sautéing everything for BPS.

Roomie and I used to make BPS once a month before I moved down OU for grad school. Probably because we don’t have the lovely large pots that my Mom does, we had not made BPS in over a year, opting instead for the convenience of jar sauce. It’s kind of a garbage recipe (we put in whatever we’re in the mood for) but here’s the basic recipe.

Big Pot Sauce

enough to freeze, but really too good for leftovers

3-4 tablespoons olive oil
3 large shallots, diced
1 medium-large onion, diced
5-6 garlic cloves, chopped
½ tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon anise seed, crushed and divided
1 cup red wine
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1-2 green peppers, chopped
4 – 28 oz. cans of whole plum tomatoes, pureed
1 – 16 oz can of tomato paste
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
4 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2-3 tablespoons flat-leaf, Italian parsley, chopped

In a very big pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots, onions, garlic, salt, pepper, and ¼ teaspoon of the anise. Saute until the onions are very soft and translucent, stirring often.
Add the peppers and the wine.

Cook until the liquid has reduced by about half and the pepper are cooked through.
Puree the plum tomatoes in a blender (1 or 2 cans at a time, depending on the size of your blender), and add them to the pot. Add the tomato paste and stir until everything is incorporated.
Add all the fresh herbs and the last 1/4 teaspoon of anise. Stir well. Raise the heat and stir continuously until the sauce is just bubbling. Reduce the heat to low and let sit, covered, until you’re ready to eat. The longer it sits the more awesome it gets.

While the boys set the table with the salad, nibbles, and Oscar ballots,

I went to work on the spicy fennel dish.

Ever since using fennel for the DPD! I’ve been itching to use it again. I’m not a huge fan of black licorice (and brushing my teeth with Tom’s of Maine Fennel toothpaste might be the closest I’ve ever come to projectile vomiting) so I always assumed I wouldn’t like the real veggie. That I found it amazing was a delicious surprise.

Caliente Fennel Spaghetti
adapted from the January 2010 issue of Bon Appetit

2 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 red jalapenos, seeded and diced fine (see note)
2 cups fennel, sliced thin (1 or 2 large bulbs)
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 ½ cup vegetable broth
4 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped and divided
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
1 pound spaghetti

Note: the Kroger in Marion only had green jalapenos so I bought these cute little red guys that looks a bit like evil strawberries. They were simply labeled “hot peppers.” They tasted great without too much heat, but you could probably use any kind of red, hot pepper you’re in the mood for. Red pepper flakes and sriracha can also be added at the table for more heat.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, salt, and the chiles, sautéing for about a minute. Add the fennel and cook until it starts to soften.
Pour in the broth, 2 tablespoons of parsley, the lemon juice, and fennel seeds. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the fennel is really soft. Remove from heat.
While the fennel is cooking, boil the pasta according to package directions. Drain (reserving a cup of the cooking water just in case the mix is a little dry at the end. I didn’t end up needing it.) and return the pasta to the pot.
Uncover the fennel mixture and return the skillet to high heat. Cook until almost all the liquid is absorbed.

Add the fennel to the pasta in batches, stirring in between to evenly distribute. Sprinkle with the last of the parsley and serve.

***

Award for Best Quote of the Night went to The Raccoon:

“What’s this?” she asks holding up a fork-speared piece of fennel.
“Um. That’s the fennel. This is Caliente Fennel Spaghetti.” I have only said this about 60 times over the course of the evening.
“Yeah, but,” she pauses to chew, swallow and stare at some Red Carpet action. “I thought fennel was a seed.”
I choke-laugh a little on the water I’m drinking. “News flash! Seeds grow into plants!”

Roomie and Kev tied for Best Kitchen Helper.

The Doc swept the Cleaned Plate division.

And for me? Well, it was an honor just to be nominated.