The longest night of the year

It's not just the longest night, it's the darkest, the storm raving outside, the power going off every 15 minutes. Cold. Dark. Wet. Coyotes cry in the hills.

The good news is that the days will get longer from now on. And that the rains brought fresh tender greens to the farmer's market. As a matter of fact, these market greens are never green. The chicories range from pink to deep blood red:

And the purple kale shows a dramatic combination of grayish-blue with bright violet.
The pea shoots are green all right. They just made their first appearance this season, and they are oh so tender.

So the dinner for the longest and darkest night of the year is all about color: beef tenderloin steak with red wine sauce, sunny soft polenta, wilted pea shoots, and a salad of bitter greens with balsamic vinaegrette.

And a bottle of Bordeaux.

The spring is coming.