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Posts Tagged ‘recipe’

hot and spicy oregano

I must say that it is hard to eat these days. No worries. I’m not wasting away. My survival instinct is pretty strong and when I need to eat I most definitely track down some food. What seems to resonate most right now is intensity of flavor. I’ve been disappointed a few times of late when I order something spicy and it is not spicy to me. I’ve been reading how taste buds, as well as appetite, can be affected by grief/loss. Mostly I cope at present by thinking about food creatively. I look out on the porch and see what’s there. The basil I gifted but the jalepenos I’m using. And then there’s the hot and spicy oregano. I’m trying out a marinade of oregano, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and so on on some salmon tonight. We’ll see.

Given events of late I did not fertilize the tomatoes on the porch enough. Lots of foliage that smells wonderful but not much fruit. Just one ripe one so far and I decided today to purposefully slice and drizzle it with olive oil and white wine vinegar and some sea salt and black pepper. You see what I mean? Intense flavor. It was a lovely appetizer. And yes I know it was only one small tomato but the exercise I think helps to reawaken the taste buds.

Didn’t photograph the baked salmon but the portion I had was good. Needed more hot and spicy oregano and maybe some lemon. On the porch the pepper plant still flowers, there are tomatoes that are small and green and I will endeavor to give them a bit more love. Tarragon, rosemary, thyme and the various oreganos. As the summer season progresses I think there will be plenty of opportunities to be creative and stir the tastebuds … and still to gift on occasion. 🙂

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lettuce

tomatoes

radishes

pumpkin blossoms

(and later a little onion)

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Let’s see.  Besides potatoes, I’ve been growing lettuce indoors.  Mesclun greens, their seeds meant to sprout in shallow soil and then the green leaves snipped early to top other dishes.

But my dish with shallow soil was kind of large and so I found myself with many greens that I decided to form into a nest.  And on this nest I placed a handful of brussels sprouts, chopped, and a couple of small leeks, chopped, and a bit of oyster mushroom found at the bottom of the fridge, also chopped. Before I placed them in their nest, these veggies and the fungi were sauteed in olive oil, butter and garlic and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Okay, there was some meat added at the end of the porcine variety but no pictures do I have of crisped bacon, and so this is as much of the recipe that I can share in images.  Í’ve placed the large dish aside until I decide what to sprout next.  So many seeds in the world.  I feel quite lucky.

 

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That was my intention when I walked out of the Brazilian grocery store with the bag of dried rose petals.  To mix rice and roses.  Perhaps sprinkle the petals on top of steamed black rice.  Or photograph them as they fell upon a bit of mochi ice cream.  But so far I’ve just let them sit in a small bowl in the kitchen, catching that light, their pinks and golds stirring my imagination.  I did find this really cool recipe for rice with rose petals.  The ingredients of the recipe read like a poem. I’m not into pomegranate and I don’t think I can afford saffron.  We’ll see what variation on a theme unfolds in my kitchen this winter.

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Why have a potted nasturtium in the kitchen?  Well, they are easy to take care and when it’s late and you’re hungry and you’re trying to eat healthy, simply pull a few leaves from the plant.  Layer the leaves on a saucer.  Slice a couple of tomatoes.  Pile the slices on the leaves.  Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Glass of white wine or water on the side.  Done. Prep time?  About a minute and thirty seconds or so. 😉

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As I sorted through these images taken at Friday’s Copley Square Farmer’s Market, I realized that one of the most unexpected pleasures of this year (so far) has been discovering the flavor, texture and just plain visual beauty of the oyster mushroom.  Sauteed in olive oil with garlic and black pepper and served on toast …. delicious! Hmmm. I do wonder what the winter holds. 😉

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Ingredients Found Around the Kitchen

3 slices of smoked salmon

teaspoon of chopped red onions

3 shredded red basil leaves

3 slices of a campari tomato

a little salt and pepper

a dollop of Steve’s homemade aioli

Served with 3 crackers and a glass of cold sparkling water (including 3 ice cubes). 😉

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Stack five to six slices of bacon.  Cut along short end into smaller pieces.  Then cut those slices in half to make chunks.  Toss into cold cast iron pan and cook over high to medium-high heat until brown.  Remove browned bacon pieces and set aside.

While bacon is cooking, dice half a medium onion and set aside.

Once  bacon is cooked, add 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of large peeled and deveined shrimp to bacon grease.  Cook until shrimp are  pink, 1 – 3 minutes.  Remove shrimp.  Add onion to remaining oil, cook for 1 – 2 minutes, then add two cloves of minced  garlic.  Stir and cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Add one 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes to pan.  Stir to mix onions, garlic and tomatoes.  Add 1 T tomato paste and mix in.  Reduce heat.

Add herbs of your choice (italian seasoning, oregano, etc.) salt and pepper to taste.  Add cayenne pepper to taste if you want a little kick.  Add in six to 7 leaves of fresh basil, cook over med heat until sauce thickens a little. Add bacon and shrimp and heat through.  Add more salt and pepper if needed.

Serve over pasta of your choice.  Thin spaghetti or thin linguine are good choices.  Or just serve with rice and good, crusty bread to dip in juices.

Photography copyrighted Cynthia Staples.  Recipe copyrighted LMM.

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