Just Kickin' Around On a Lazy Friday

Yesterday cvouldn't decide what kind of weather to have.  She flirted briefly with the sun and then, just as quickly, she turned on the sun and the black clouds to the northeast opened with gusto and splattered down rain.  It made for an interesting day.

We didn't have anything much to do and all day to get it done, so we first went to the Palos Verde Library book sale.  Since the weight of books already in the house would hold it securely on the ground during a relatively bad earthquake, I only bought three.

A cookbook entitle "Around the World, Around Our Town; Recipes from San Pedro" by the Friends of the San Pedro Library.  San Pedro's population has a lot of Yugoslavians, Italians, Indians, French and Mexicans and many of the recipes are labeled as to country of origin.  Also included are recipes from well-known restaurants.  Sadly most of them are now gone. 

A recipe for "Dandelion Wine" immediately caught my eye.  I thought Willie Nelson had mentioned it in a song, but it turns out to be a 1957 Ray Bradbury novel as well as a song accredited to Ron Sexsmith.  The pertinent lyrics are: 
How to dust off my heart
How to make it shine
How to take a field of dandelions
And make dandelion wine."

DANDELION WINE
1 gallon boiling water
4 quarts dandelions, mashed
1 yeast cake, softened in a little water
2 lemons, sliced
2 oranges, sliced
1 1/2 cups raisins
3 lbs. sugar

Wash the dandelions and put them in a crock.  Cover with the boiling water and let it stand overnight.  Next day, drain, put the dandelins in a large pot, add water and boil for 10 minutes.  Cool to lukewarm and put it all back in the crock, adding the rest of the ingredients .  Cover the crock with a cloth and let stand for three weeks to ferment. 

Skim, strain and bottle it, but DO NOT cork it for at least a week. 

Exhausted by the rigor of leafing through books, we took off for a spot of lunch at Harry's BBQ.  We needed some good, solid  barbecue and Harry's has the best in the South Bay area.  We both ordered pulled pork with coleslaw sandwiches and a side of molasses-baked beans and a basket of onion rings to share.  It was all very good, including Harry's personal recipe barbecue sauces - mild or spicy. 

I reviewed Harry's about two years ago when they had first opened.  I'm kicking myself for not having been back but once since then.  Major oversight on my part.

Harry's Smokehouse BBQ, 25501 Narbonne Avenue (corner of 255th Street and Narbonne) Lomita 90727  310-326-9842  Go on - torture yourselves and read the menu at   harrysbbq.com