Gastronomical Delights
Our last full day with visiting our friends Patrick and Ann Egan here in Sarasota. And the adventures continue! Morning yoga enlivened our waking bodies before attending to a piece of citrus heaven.
We made a trek out to Mike’s homestead (Patrick’s brother) … 10 acres of burgeoning citrus trees waiting to be plucked of their lush and season-heightened fruit. We must have picked 40 lbs (1 full grocery bag and knapsack filled to the brim) of organic oranges, madarines, grapefruit, tangerines and lemons. Juicy and seedy lusciousness which undoubtedly has proven to be the best and sweetest citrus I’ve ever had the pleasure to savour. The trick will be to see if we can eat them all before they perish! Vita-Mix a.go-go. We however need electricity for Vita-Mix creative concoctions, and our next shore power stop won’t be until our weekend Houston arrival. I do believe that the fresh citrus pickings will survive for a few weeks. I must admit, this truly has been the most delightful end to our Florida stay-cation.
It’s been an incredible culinary delight over the past week, with succulent (and more often than not seafood) dishes either cooked or ordered each and every day. What a gastronomical treat! It truly feels as if we have been on vacation, with our retired hosts spending the week showing us around the city, by car, beach and boat. Today, we wanted to offer a decadent meal offering in return. When in North Carolina, we were gifted with a Venison roast that has been waiting patiently in our freezer for the opportunity to be slow-cooked. Today was the perfect day.
The garden out back of our host’s home was filled with fresh herbs that adorned our creation …. oregano, thyme, rosemary, coriander, and a hot chile pepper gave the stewed concoction a remarkable kick. A can of beer, a swig of wine and water with garlic and red onion provided a gravy of complete decadence that excelled beyond my best culinary masterpiece to date. Patrick offered a Mexican pot of pinto beans to the mix. 9 hours of simmered preparation led us to a meal of incredible taste bud divinity. A beautiful savoury spread, with plenty of leftovers for the journey ahead has completed our week of heaven in Sarasota. We’ll be back … the question, as always, is when!
On the road again tomorrow …. I so need to get back to my normal routine of earlier meals with will-power and fervent detox dedication. I swear I’ve gained 15 lbs just in the past 3 months!
