But it isn’t really penance if you enjoy it, right?
The simplest of dinners was in order after the weekend’s feast: Steamed asparagus with browned butter-spring garlic-lemon sauce, one egg over easy, and a sprinkling of sea salt, parm/reg and black pepper.
And I aim to please. With gorgeous weather predicted for this Memorial Day weekend, I knew I’d have to break out the smoker, and what better way to kick off the summer than with a 7 1/2-pound pork butt?
Last night’s meal came courtesy of odds & ends from our kitchen and my deep and abiding love of tomatoes. With the abundance of lycopene in my system at any given time, it’s a real shame I don’t have a prostate, for if I did, it would surely be the most beauteous specimen in all the land. Neither showy nor unapproachable, but a humble and gracious gland, welcoming pilgrims from distant lands spurred to their journey by the appearance of the long-foretold wonder.
Or it would at least win many blue ribbons at county fairs.
But no, I’m just a girl, so my husband has to reap the benefits of my obsession, though our driveway isn’t exactly flooded with pilgrims or civic-minded ribbon-awarders, now that I think about it.
The odds & ends worked their way into a meal by virtue of me having no clue what to cook for dinner and remembering a couple strips of bacon, a few slices of sopressata and some onion hanging out in the fridge, the remnants of whole canned tomatoes I stuck in the freezer a few weeks ago, and a little bowtie pasta that looked pretty lonely in the pantry. Some garlic cloves demanded admittance to the party (as they always seem to do, the pushy little buggers) and hot pepper paste arrived masked as tomato paste and barged in before I realized what happened.
No, really — why is the packaging so similar between tubes of tomato and hot pepper paste? I didn’t realize anything was wrong until I’d put about a tablespoon of it into the pan and noticed it wasn’t the right color, consistency, or smell, so I looked at the tube to make sure it hadn’t expired and realized my mistake. Well, my screw-up turned out to be a stroke of luck. The paste added a real zing to the sauce I wouldn’t have gotten from pepper flakes alone, so now I have another ingredient in my arsenal I wouldn’t have if I’d been paying attention.
This wasn’t the typically meat-free meal I like to make on weeknights, but if I eat vegequarian 90% of the time, I don’t mind treating myself every now and then; it’s the only way to stay sane. And let’s face it, pork is the penultimate treat.
The ultimate? Tomatoes, of course.
Today’s post is brought to you by the letter P. You may recognize it from such words as Parsley, Pecorino, and my favorite word of late, Procrastination.
Last weekend’s kitchen adventures were spent in the service of Cinco de Mayo with a chicken and hominy soup and a recipe for beans that took the better part of a day to make, but were worth every last stinkin’ second.
But by the time the fifth rolled around, I just couldn’t bring myself to post anything about it.
What’s that word again? Oh yeah, Procrastination.
Which brings us to today.
The aforementioned soup.
Moules frites is a classic for good reason:
mussels + wine + butter + cream + parsley + shallots + garlic + fries = delicious
No picture of the frites, sorry. The mussels were the star of the show.
When life gives you rosemary…
make rosemary syrup!
Use it to top your couche-couche…
and start researching cocktail recipes that make use of it for later in the evening.
recipe after the jump
Make this.
Now.
I used dough from our favorite local pizza joint and a bit more cheese than I’m entirely comfortable admitting to, and it was still so good I’m considering purchasing a bigger pizza stone just to make more of these at once.
Why are you still here? You should be hunting down ramps and grating fresh mozzarella!
Scoot!
Hi, everyone. This is a rare post that has nothing to do with food, dogs, or flowers, and, I’ll admit, is lifted in its entirety from Gil’s blog. So read on, and if you or anyone you know can help out, it would be a huge blessing to this family.
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It’s your opportunity for a mitzvah, dear readers! My pal Elayne has asked me to put out word for any of you who are in the NYC/NJ area to help out her friend who’s battling lymphoma. He needs blood and/or platelets, so I hope you’ll help out, if you’re able. If you’re not able, but you know someone in the NYC/NJ area who is, please pass this along. All details are in Elayne’s request below, with a followup note from her friend’s wife.
Note: this request does not apply to my readers who are
* * *
Gil,
My close friend Nathanael is at Sloan-Kettering in NYC undergoing a very trying battle with lymphoma. Is there any way you and Amy could link the following into your blogs? Any donor type is acceptable, and the platelets are directly sent to Nate, with any leftovers going to other needy patients. Thanks in advance. A note from Nate’s wife follows. Nate is 38 years old, with a four-year-old daughter, Ava.
Love,
Elayne
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NATHANAEL SANDSTROM Needs Blood & Platelets
Nathanael is currently a patient at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. His treatment for lymphoma requires regular blood and platelet transfusions.
Nathanael, his wife Laura and family would deeply appreciate your donation of blood and/or platelets and hopes you will ask others you know to donate. Donations not used by Nathanael will be released for use by other patients many of whom are children.
Designated donations for Nathanael must be made in the Blood Donor Room of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Please visit www.mskcc.org/blooddonations for complete information about donor eligibility and the donation process for blood or platelets.
For answers to questions and to schedule an appointment that is convenient for you please CALL:
Mary Thomas @ 212-639-3335
Coordinator, Blood Donor Program
or call the Blood Donor Room at 212-639-7648
Appointments are necessary
The Blood Donor Room Is Open Every Day
Fri Sat Sun Mon: 8:30am - 3:00pm
Tues Wed Thu: 8:30am - 7:00pm
1250 First Avenue (between 67th/68th Streets) NYC - Schwartz Building lobby
FREE parking is available for donors at our garage 433 East 66th Street corner of York Avenue.
The process for donating whole blood takes approximately 1 hour.
The process for donating platelets takes about 2.5 hours.
All blood types are acceptable
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Update from Laura:
Thank you in advance to all who are able to do this. Nathanael’s condition, still undiagnosed, is unchanged at best, with his mental state steadily worsening (from depression, drugs, side effects, and the perpetual unknown). Doctors continue to focus on the bone marrow and potential diseases within as explanations for non-generation of cells, and also on the spleen as a potential destroyer of blood cells, though depending on who’s talking, that spleen theory is debatable. In any case, this is why he receives daily transfusions, which is why they are doing the blood drive.
No one is yet able to explain why any of this secondary problem is happening; it may be caused by the chemotherapy that destroyed the tumors, or by an as-yet unproven spread of the lymphoma, or by an independent factor. One thing that everyone agrees on is that nearly everything about it is “extremely rare.”
We are so sad and scared, and appreciate your help so much.
–Laura
