Woke up at 6 or so to see the marine layer wasn't as thick as it can be. Decided not to get up and walk around Telegraph Hill and back up the Filbert Steps because I didn't get to bed until 2 a.m. Rolled over and went back to sleep.

The parrots squawking woke me up gradually as did the workers yakking at each other in the building up the hill and the smell of fresh paint from our downstairs neighbors' project. Showered. Fixed my usual pot of espresso thinned with 1% milk and flavored with a dash of Torani caramel syrup. Read the Chron and worked the sudoku puzzle while I tried to decide between option A or option B for breakfast. A or B? A or B?

10 a.m. option B wins out. Toast the English muffin. Cook the bacon, saving the bacon fat for a morning when fried mush with butter and maple syrup is on the menu. (Bacon fat is just what fried mush needs. Much tastier than sunflower oil or canola, although, yes, less good for you.) Sliced a dry-farmed tomato from Dirty Girl Farm from the stash I picked up at the Ferry Building last Saturday.

Piled the muffin high with bits of bacon and sliced tomato. Sprinkled a dash of lavender sea salt and voilą! a tomato-bacon sandwich for breakfast with some leftover juicy tomato slices on the side. his nibs had fixed himself some huevos rancheros earlier, so I didn't have to share.

Later, we walked down to the WaMu on Grant and deposited a check. Walked back up to the garage space and took out the car. Down to Trader Joe's at Bay and Mason to stock up on supplies for the first of two open houses we're having this weekend and next: some dark San Miguel, white wines and red, plus a pink (white zin) because Kitty will be coming by this Sunday. More whole grain English muffins for me. Cognac. Single malt scotch, "lite" sour cream, cottage cheese. The necessities of life.

Came back, re-parked the car, and toted all the swag up Union to Montgomery, down Montgomery to Filbert, down Filbert ... well, you catch the drift.

After our stashes were stashed away, it was after 2 p.m. and surely time for lunch! Lunch was a reheated stuffed red pepper leftover from a recent dinner. Cut off the top of the peppers like you would the top of a jack-o-lantern, saving the top. Take out the innards and wash the peppers. Parboil the peppers to give them a headstart on cooking. Stuff them with a mixture of cooked (leftover) rice and cooked ground beef, chopped purple onion, diced fresh tomatoes, a bit of chopped fresh basil, oregano, mixed cracked pepper, salt, iirc. Put the tops back on. Prop the peppers in a glass dish. Top with tomato sauce and cover. Bake in a bain marie so the sauce won't cook dry before the peppers are done.

Today we sliced the remaining pepper in half and reheated. Served with some more sliced dry-farmed tomatoes from Dirty Girl alongside.

I'm going to be crushed when my fresh tomato fix fades with the season.

We've made arrangements for dinner at Albona Ristorante Istriano (545 Francisco St, SF.(415) 441-1040) where we'll listen to Bruno Viscovi tell us how each dish is made and which ones he learned to cook at his grandmother's knee. Pan-fried gnocchi. Braised rabbit. Roasted pork loin stuffed with sauerkraut, apples, prunes. Ymmm. Pine nut strudel. Luckily, we can walk down. Out-of-towners should grab a cable car (cross street is Mason) or a taxi. Parking is impossible. Well, not impossible, just unlikely.

Put a [+] next to Albona Ristorante Istriano. Worth a visit. Or two! We're going back, aren't we?

   posted by Sal Towse at  4:52 PM|| |