the new year is here, the holiday’s are over, and it’s time to catch up on all things food! of course there was never any shortage of food over the holidays, but the most gluttonous period was the new years weekend, where my dad and me cooked up some wintery food goodness as well as partook in some meals that were simple and good. like an idiot, i took zero pictures (even though i bought a tripod so i can take more pictures, so i pilfered a bunch from the web- my new years resolution is pretty
obvious – take more pictures in the kitchen. also, cook with more pork fat.
on friday night we made osso bucco – the biggest debate was whether to do the brown sauce version (northern italy) or the red sauce version (southern italy). 
we decided on the red sauce version since i had a nice can of DOP tomatoes in the pantry. we added the traditional anchovy gremolata at the end and served it with some pretty tasty parmesan risotto that my dad cooked up. the next argument was over who got the bone marrow from my wife’s shank – we decided to share….
for new years day after a long walk, the cheese steak shop – 
that night we went to a new years dinner hosted by a friend and had the traditional san francisco holiday meal – dungeness crab. you can’t go wrong with crab, sourdough bread, and some good butter.
new years day we continued our 1 year old tradition of cooking and eating on 
new years day. we started with eggs, biscuits, country ham and red-eyed gravy for breakfast. for those of you who are unfamiliar with this great southern combo, country ham is a salt cured ham and red-eyed gravy is a combination of coffee and the fat from the cooking of the slices of country ham…it is divine.
mid morning we moved onto the cheese course, which consisted of some fresh chevre, quince jelly, and a cheese from cowgirl creamery called “drake sf” – it was a soft cows milk cheese, medium sharpness, and the rind is washed with muscat and they press fresh currents into the bottom of the cheese. they only make it during the holiday season, and not every year – lucky us, because it was delicious.
our late lunch consisted of dungeness crab (you can never get enough) and a nice bottle of muscadet, as well as watching great football.
finally, for dinner, we had the oxtails i had been braising in red wine and beef stock all day as well as my dad’s famous black-eyed peas – a southern tradition that is supposed to bring good luck when eaten on new years day. it was truly a great day! best wishes to all in 2007!
as an aside, it is now wednesday, and i have eaten nothing but salads all week…
