Think On It

Little things

June 14th, 2008

When it isn’t pouring, that’s what the skies look like here lately. That is the same sky and the same point of view as the banner at the top of the page, only this was shot yesterday. We are slowly going mad here, as we are constitutionally not able to do the mole thing. Yesterday in the late afternoon a thunderstorm came up and it was as dark as 20:45. I had to light all the lights.

This, by contrast, was one year ago.

So here are some June shorts.

Father’s Day. My father’s birthday is in June. I would buy him the complete works of Zane Grey if he were alive now, because that was his favorite read. There are hundreds of Zane Gray books. If you still have a father, I recommend you buy him what he likes to read, not what you think he should read. That would be a good thing. If you like, you can click on the Amazon store in either the USA or the UK at the right of this page, but get your dad something from somewhere. I know it’s a Hallmark holiday, but saying I love you is never a waste.

Eggs. You know how it is always said that a new egg when boiled is messy to peel, and an old one is easy? New ones are hard to peel, but an old one can be too. I don’t know why. This morning 2 out of 3 were a mess, the third shell slipped off like a sock. There are no guarantees of ease, but a guarantee of difficulty if the egg is new.

Herbs. We now have to wait for the hot weather herbs to grow. They haven’t liked this weather and are stalled. Basil, parsley and leaf celery are just not ready to use yet. In foods that usually get those herbs, I am using perennial herbs, like thyme, mint, oregano and tarragon. Use your judgment, because if you switch mint leaf for leaf with basil, you are in for quite a rude surprise. But a little makes for a change and can be quite good.

Flavor. If you buy, as I do, the variously jarred artichokes that are marinated, farmer style, or sott’olio, don’t throw away the liquid. It has quite a lot of artichoke flavor and can be used to make vinaigrettes, as part of the dressing for potato salad or to drizzle over a vegetable served as an antipasto or a contorno. Add a bit of this or that and it is really tasty.

Entry Filed under: Italy, kitchen tips