Favorite time of the day: when I'm making dinner.
Nothing special, just your mid-week whatever.
No stress. A nice glass of white Rhone wine
and the Wednesday crossword as the red sauce simmers.
Croutons crisping in the oven. Fennel and parmesan
shaved, tossed with romaine. The last of the cherry tomatoes.
Some fresh basil. Some Italian parsley.
This is also my favorite kind of meal: to come home
and peruse the supplies and just work with what is there,
no last-minute run to the store. Making-do.
Of course, one must keep a relatively well-stocked larder
for this system to be successful, but it's even fun
when shopping day looms, and the shelves are approaching
vacancy. And dessert? Blueberries, butter, sugar, flour....
(For extra zip in that red sauce pinch-in some cinnamon
and some cayenne. Just! A! Pinch!)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt took years of following the recipe for me to develop the instincts (and the confidence) to perform this kind of improv in the kitchen. But you're right--it's a LOT of fun! I always tell my family, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: I'll never make this exact same dish again."
ReplyDeleteSometimes these seemingly ephemeral culinary creations prove poignantly memorable. A friend of my daughter's craves another serving of a fruited raita I threw together one time when she was here for supper. I know it contained snippets of dried apricots, but did I use cardomom or cinnamon or...?
The answer is lost to time.
P.S.
ReplyDeleteI always wonder about those "comment deleted"notices so I'll go ahead and disclose the reason behind mine! I'd originally included this sentence:
"And so we savor the taste of serendipity." Then I realized that although I liked the sound of it, serendipity wasn't the word I wanted after all!
Thanks - I always wonder why comments get deleted, too!
ReplyDeleteAnd when I'm in the mood, I too love that sort of pleasurable puttering creation of food. Very evocative description there!
Sara
Nita: I made a BBQ sauce a year ago on the fly, using bits and pieces from the cupboard and fridge, and can't for the life of me remember which recipe I used (or I should say, which recipe I started with.) Nelson said it was the best he'd ever tasted, and I can't seem to reproduce it. Ephemeral indeed!
ReplyDelete