Well… when you say “always”… 
No, but I love barley - and yes, it was definitely texturally exciting! Little pops, even though it was completely tender after pressure cooking.
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You had me at beignets… or fried chicken… or both…
But how were the beignets?
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I checked with my Chef friend, and he said it is more like a tapenade, but contains similar ingredients to a muffuletta. He used green and black olives, capers, red onion, garlic, thyme and parsley, good olive oil and a few red pepper flakes. You could also add some lemon zest or juice to brighten it up.
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Love this idea. Maybe we call it muffuletta tapenade? Thank you for sharing.
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There are many variations including: Capers, tomato, chive snipped, oregano, Evoo, High quality Red wine vinegar, both green and black olives, “guindilla” (a dried red chili pepper crushed), Evoo of high quality, anchovies, parsley, garlic clove or two, fresh herbs of thyme, and other Mediterranean species and shallot or leek.
It is usually served on a canapé toasted with an aperitif, a cocktail or a Prosecco of chilled white wine of choice.
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You read my mind! 
Oooh, the marvelous possibilities of those different “tapenade” combinations.
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^ This meal + your Dogliani wine pairing. Sounds like perfection.
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Yes, definitely on the Sunday Brunch Carte at home before we go out …
Very versatile !!! Have a lovely weekend Denise.
Best wishes,
Alejandra
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Wow! What a spectacular lunch and wine pairing!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
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Thanks so much.
It was quite delicious ! And the Barolo was amazing.
Perfect pairing !!!
Have a wonderful weekend.
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All I can think of is Bill Withers’ “A Lovely Day”.
Because it was.
I bought potting soil.
I bought Rao’s Marinara.
I bought chocolate.
I did other supermarkety and CVSey-type things.
I got some deals. 
I braved Mahoneys Garden Center just down the road from me at 2pm on a very warm Saturday May afternoon and lucked into a good parking space.
I repotted the Greek oregano, Italian flat leaf parsley, English thyme, chives, rosemary, Danvers carrots, Box Car Willie tomatoes, and Rutgers tomatoes purchased at Mahoneys. All from starter plants, because I’m a failure at growing from seed.
Several Moscow Mules were consumed after repotting and during dinner prep, and wine was consumed while dining…a Chateau Souverain Chardonnay, the first white wine I ever enjoyed back in 1978 on a visit to the winery with my aunt. It’s a good, basic white wine.
Dinner was a thick grilled Tsardusted bone-in pork chop with mango salsa (small dice mango, shallots, red bell pepper, minced Cuban pepper, parsley, lime juice, and honey). Served on garlic-herb orzo with steamed asparagus alongside.
And the wine. As I said…A Lovely Day.
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We enjoyed another outstanding dinner at Cafe Panache in Ramsey, NJ. We enjoyed fork tender short ribs with celery root puree and spinach; excellent lobster bisque with mussels; sweet corn agnolotti; and a special of soft shell crabs with the same delicious lobster bisque sauce and corn. It all went great with an excellent Chateauneuf Du Pape.
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Quiet Saturday night. Exhausted from work. Frustrated with on and off GI issues (did finally see a doctor earlier this week).
Made a martini, ordered Chinese (curry chicken with onion and broccoli, white rice, and veggie dumplings), and did some catching up on Svengoolie, my go-to for good bad horror movies. No pics of the food.
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Well the first answer is shaken, not stirred and the second question is how much vermouth do you like with your martinis? I’m 1:1 kinda guy, myself. 
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9 times out of 10 I stir my martinis. No patience tonight, so shaken it was. I usually only use a splash of vermouth, but since finding Dolin, I go a little bit more.
I used to take Noel Coward’s philosophy as gospel (“Fill a glass with gin and wave it in the general direction of Italy”) but with a good vermouth, one need not be as drastic. 
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Quesadilla for the hubs ( a few cheeses, last of the pepper jelly, and okay, I had a corner), while working on some chicken stock.
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Wow! I love that chicken from Popeyes, and I’m pretty sure we don’t get beignets.
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Cheese Stuffed, Fried Squash Blossoms, Tomato Sauce
Stuffed w/Creamy Herb Cheese & Skosh of Half & Half. Lightly Battered w/Flour, Salt & Sparkling Water. Fried & Sprinkled w/Flaky Salt. Side of Spaghetti Sauce. Turned out perfect. 
Toasted Baguette Slices, Rubbed w/Garlic & Drizzled w/Buttery Olive Oil & Sprinkled w/Flaky Salt
Spaghetti & Red Sauce w/Chicken
Finely Chopped & Sautéed Onions, Carrots, Bell Peppers & Garlic, Pureed Roasted Tomatoes, Jar of Tomato Paste, Tomato Olive Tapenade, Italian Seasoning, Bay Leaf, Crushed Dried Pepper, Mushroom Powder, White Wine, Chicken Stock, Low & Slow then added Browned Italian Chicken Sausage & Ground Chicken, Butter & Olive Oil, S&P and cooked a bit longer.
Pretty rich & delicious.
Wine was the rest of the Sparkling Organic Rose Sangiovese.
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