Still on vacation

Maybe I should have said "demi glace..." Found myself back at the Market again yesterday, I was actually just leaving the Seattle Art Museum (www.seattleartmuseum.org) and walking north to catch a #16 bus to Wallingford, never did get there. Got to the big intersection where all the traffic stops for pedestrians and there was still time to cross, so went to De Laurenti's (www.delaurenti.com) and ate a slice of pizza (with Salumi's mole salami) and a limonata, and wandered around the shop looking at containers of demi glace and honey. Sometimes I feel so homesick for places I am not, that are not my actual home. I'm homesick for Spain. Or perhaps for something I found there, a feeling? I'm not sure. I don't know that I want to live there, I keep telling myself that this is my home, but I want to be there, I also want to be here. Even when I've tried to move away, I always end up back in Seattle. I tell myself that the world is full of places to visit, my own country is full of places I have never been, but I often find myself booking a flight back for northern Spain. The same towns over and over. I've never been to Barcelona or Toledo or Sevilla or Granada, but have fallen in love with Sahagun de Campos, and Leon, and Pamplona. And had the best honey from around St. Catherine de Somoza, and have been seeking an equivalent ever since. Which is what I have been doing in various shops all week.

I ended up sitting in the sculpture park watching the way the late afternoon light casts shadows of trees on the massive boat-like metal sculptures, then headed over to Seattle Center to try to catch the 16. While walking across the grounds I noticed a labyrinth in the distance, so went over and walked it slowly in both directions, even though my feet were sore. It's orange, below the EMP and the pink light reflected back on it. There were a surprising number of people walking it. Did they come there to walk it or did they stumble upon it like me and feel compelled to follow the winding orange path? It was an odd find. I'm glad that it's there, but haven't a clue as to why it's there.

Need to pack to go back up to the Island this afternoon.
Peace

cooking terms

When I returned to work last week, my boss said that I could take all my time off visiting my father as sick leave, and since I had previously requested this week off as vacation, she told me to go ahead and take it. I'm at home at the moment. We're still in our heat wave and though the house got down to 80 F last night, it's already into the mid-80's inside. It's 11 am. I was going to go to the beach earlier, but my foot really hurts, so haven't done much walking yet today. All of which has given me time to search further for the term "fondo de res." It was used in a recipe I saw on vme cocina over the weekend. A plum sauce with cordero...sheep? I'm interested in the sauce, as I attempted to make a sour cherry sauce a couple of weekends ago, which turned out okay, but not great. Anyhow...the last ingredient the chef added was "fondo de res" and on tv it had a consistency of peanut butter, and from "de res" I was assuming it was beef something. While running errands yesterday I went by the Spanish Table (http://www.thespanishtable.com/) to ask if anyone knew what it might be. The man at the front didn't know, tried to google it with no luck, and then called his mom, who thought "fondito" and consume, but she wasn't sure. He then suggested I check a Mexican grocer, in the Pike Place Market, so I did. The woman at the counter had no idea, suggested another grocer down the block, who also didn't know but sold fresh corn tortillas and tamales, so I ate lunch. So...this morning I finally googled "Cooking+Mexican+Fondo de res" and came up with Mexican cooking terms, where I found the definition "broth or consume made from soup bones, or a reduced stock," at www.lomexicano.com/mexicanfoodrecipeglossary.htm#f . So some sorta' thickened broth, texture was interesting. De res would mean beef, I guess. I need to find another way of thickening/finishing the sauce, maybe butter, or a cornstarch slurry. Probably am not going to use it for "cordero" at this time.