BLUEDRINKS.COM

J: I had some requests a few weeks ago. I was looking for something easy, since I didn't have a lot of time to prepare dinner. I don't remember why; I think maybe I was coming back from L.A. on a Sunday after seeing Grandpa. Steve suggested a big pot-o-curry. Beth suggested a big caesar salad. Spinoz (I think) said pesto, although he didn't specify that it had to be big. I made all three. I also grilled and sliced some chicked breasts (actually, I seared them in a cast iron skillet) and served them separatey, to be added to any of the above: Chicken Caesar Salad, Chicken Pesto Linguine, and/or Chicken and Vegetable (Thai) Curry. For the salad, I made the dressing by whirring the following in a mini-chopper: 4 cloves garlic 1 small tin anchovies in olive oil, drained 1/4 cup salad oil 1/4 cup olive oil juice of two lemons 1/4 cup grated fresh parmesan 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce ground black pepper to taste I added some cucumbers, tomatoes, and red bell peppers to the romaine lettuce and tossed with the dressing. For the pasta, I maded the pesto by whirring the following in a mini-chopper: 2 cloves garlic 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted in a dry skillet until browned 1/4 cup grated fresh parmesan as much fresh basil as I can cram in, two bunches from my grocery store, about 1 cup packed as little olive oil as I can use and still make a paste, 2-4 Tbsp, perhaps For the curry, see an earlier recipe, but this is what I learned from this batch: I added the curry paste, kaffir lime leaves, and lemon grass to the coconut milk and let that simmer for a while with nothing else. When I used to use meat, I'd let the meat simmer for a while, but since vegetables cook faster, I was losing out on the flavor development by not simmering. I added potatoes first, then bamboo shoots, then onions, so they'd all finish at the same time. Last I added the vegetables -- brocolli, carrots, green beans, but no bell peppers. They were making the curry watery and bitter. I did add some sliced jalepenos, but only cooked them long enough to get hot and not lose all their flavor. It came out very rich, better than the last few times I made it with vegetables.