Going Recluse

Today was a cool and blustery day—rain this morning, some sun breaks in the afternoon, then a brief squall again about 5-ish this afternoon. After another Friday morning breakfast at Chaps, I spent the afternoon rearranging furniture—moving my computer desk from the sunroom in the far back of the apartment all the way up front into the living room. But before I could move the computer desk, I had to move a couple of bookcases and a filing cabinet out of the way, including moving everything that filled the shelves. Then I had to temporarily move the bed so I could squeeze the desk through the bedroom. By the time I got everything situated, the afternoon was gone, and I was exhausted.

With the damp chill in the air, all I wanted was something warm and comforting for dinner. With a tired body that didn’t feel like standing for very long, preparation had to be quick. I found inspiration in the bounty of tomatoes—I’ve got some from my Tolstoy CSA box and some from my friend Marg’s garden—and made a quick sauce to top the gnocchi that I had picked up a week or so ago. Dinner was ready in less than 10 minutes, and it was filling and fabulous (and pretty healthy, besides).

First, I heated a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a small skillet, then I added one giant garlic clove that I had chopped up, along with a small amount (a tablespoon or two) of chopped sweet onion. While that cooked for a couple of minutes, I cored three Roma tomatoes and cut them in half lengthwise. I put the tomatoes cut side down in the skillet then covered it to let them heat for a couple of minutes; in the meantime, I put water on to boil in a saucepan. I briefly removed the tomato halves from the skillet just long enough to peel the skins off, then returned them to the skillet and broke them up into chunks, stirring everything (onions, garlic, tomatoes, oil) together. I crumbled some dried basil over the sauce and stirred that in, too, along with a dash of salt and pepper, and turned the heat down a notch. By then the water was boiling, so I tossed in a handful of gnocchi (Gia Rossa brand from Italy, made from sweet potatoes and whole-wheat flour). After about three minutes, the gnocchi floated to the top of the water, so I drained them and placed them in a bowl. I gave the sauce one more stir then poured that over the gnocchi, topping the whole thing with a sprinkle of grated parmesan. Delizioso, especially with a little glass of cab on the side (the tail end of the Eliseo Silva cab that I mentioned almost two weeks ago, thus proving that my wine consumption at home is quite moderate, thank you).

The gnocchi was soft but had some oomph to it; the sauce was almost golden orange in color, with a delightfully fresh sweet-savory flavor. Overall, it tasted just like the season: The end-of-season garden flavors sang, but the meal was warm and soothing enough to qualify as fall comfort food.

By staying home and eating this marvelous meal, however, I missed out on the semi-annual Visual Arts Tour evening. (Most of the action is in downtown Spokane, although events are spread across the area.) The fabulous Heather O’Brien was holding forth with her blues trio at the Whitestone Winery tasting room, and there were plenty of other great events on tap as well. But after my afternoon of physical labor, I found I lacked the resources—physical, mental and emotional—to really engage with people. Basically, I was whupped. And I listened to my body (and my mind) instead of bowing to the pressure of the calendar and of social expectations.

Had I pushed myself and gone out tonight, I probably would not have been very good company. (And I would have missed out on that great meal.) Sometimes, I find, the most sociable thing I can do is simply to stay home.