Menu FOOD & WINE
Manila Clams With Serrano Ham And Parsley Oil
1999 Frog's Leap Sauvignon Blanc
Light Vegetable Soup With Pistachio Pistou
1998 Mont St. John Madonna Estate Chardonnay
Olive Oil Poached Salmon With Chanterelles And Asparagus
Three Onion Risotto
1998 Mont St. John Madonna Estate Pinot Noir
Roast Pineapple Splits With Macadamia Brittle
1997 Lolonis Eugenia Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc
The Raccuglias tend their own garden and shop at farmers’ markets in the summer and fall. They also purchase organic ingredients year-round at Alfalfa’s, a chain of grocery stores specializing in organic produce. “We are lucky to live in a community where eating and living in an organic way have become mainstream,” says Raccuglia of Boulder’s health-obsessed population.
The Raccuglias’ New Year’s Eve dinner is both delicious and healthy, thanks to Taylor, chef at Dandelion in Boulder and at his eponymous restaurant in Denver. Like the Raccuglias, Taylor believes in using fresh organic produce whenever possible.
When the meal is ready, Sally calls her friends and family into the dining area from the airy living room, filled with mid-century furniture, a classic Stickley chair and Persian rugs. The dining table, made from recycled wood, is set with steaming bowls of manila clams flavored with Serrano ham, charred tomatoes and parsley oil. A light vegetable soup follows, enlivened with the bite of a pistachio pistou (the French name for pesto). The conversation ranges from a comparison of secret mountain bike trails to an explanation of the various eco-friendly attributes of the house, with Arn Asker, the builder and contractor for the Raccuglias’ home, leading the discussion. (For example, the wood for the floors was salvaged from a Denver Air Force base, and the bathroom tiles were made from recycled glass bottles.)
The main course is poached salmon served with asparagus, chanterelles and a risotto made with three kinds of onions. Healthy eating only goes so far, however, on New Year’s Eve. Dessert is a rich pineapple sundae with macadamia brittle, neither low calorie not entirely organic. No one seems to mind. As midnight approaches, Raccuglia leads the table in a toast to a healthy new year. “We used to have one toast too many,” he admits, “But now we look for the same balance in our celebrations as in our lives.”