Random Thoughts On Cooking, Bike Riding, and The Sacred Journey of Everyday Life
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Two solid cement pink flamingos.
(Yup…these babies are solid cement…as if the plastic ones aren’t tacky enough…saw them at the curb tonight in someone’s trash and couldn’t pass them up…they now sit proudly amongst my tomato and pepper plants in the front yard.)
Yes, I’m still attempting to eat my way through the giant zucchini that two measly plants are producing this year (this post could easily be one in a series titled: things that can be made out of zucchini). Anyhow, I made a stove-top frittata out of it…it was delicious and simple to make (I’m not tired of zucchini yet…the key word here is “yet”). Here’s how I made it.
Grate some zucchini along with 1/2 an onion and mix it with a clove of minced garlic, a little kosher salt, a minced hot pepper (I used a small cayenne from the garden), and a little minced basil. Heat a skillet with olive oil and saute the zucchini mixture to release and evaporate some or most of its natural juices (this concentrates the zucchini flavor and makes a more stable egg dish…less watery).
Transfer the cooked zucchini to a bowl and stir it for a minute or two to cool it slightly. Then add a little Parmesan cheese and a couple of eggs. Add a little more olive oil to the pan and heat it over high heat. When the oil is hot add the zucchini/egg mixture.
Lower the heat and after a few minutes flip the frittata over, gracefully or not, and cook it on the other side. If necessary cover the skillet with a lid to facilitate it cooking throughout.
It was enormous…too big, in fact, for me to eat. I was home alone tonight and fed the remainder to my two pugs, who, when finished, looked at me with love in there eyes that a dog can only give to it’s owner.
>Yes, I’m still attempting to eat my way through the giant zucchini that two measly plants are producing this year (this post could easily be one in a series titled: things that can be made out of zucchini). Anyhow, I made a stove-top frittata out of it…it was delicious and simple to make (I’m not tired of zucchini yet…the key word here is “yet”). Here’s how I made it.
Grate some zucchini along with 1/2 an onion and mix it with a clove of minced garlic, a little kosher salt, a minced hot pepper (I used a small cayenne from the garden), and a little minced basil. Heat a skillet with olive oil and saute the zucchini mixture to release and evaporate some or most of its natural juices (this concentrates the zucchini flavor and makes a more stable egg dish…less watery).
Transfer the cooked zucchini to a bowl and stir it for a minute or two to cool it slightly. Then add a little Parmesan cheese and a couple of eggs. Add a little more olive oil to the pan and heat it over high heat. When the oil is hot add the zucchini/egg mixture.
Lower the heat and after a few minutes flip the frittata over, gracefully or not, and cook it on the other side. If necessary cover the skillet with a lid to facilitate it cooking throughout.
It was enormous…too big, in fact, for me to eat. I was home alone tonight and fed the remainder to my two pugs, who, when finished, looked at me with love in there eyes that a dog can only give to it’s owner.
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My gardens are not doing that well this year…partly because of the crazy wet summer we’ve had, but also because of my lack of weeding and trimming (not to mention what the rabbits and slugs have pilfered)…it really is out of control. At any rate, I am finally starting to get a few things, and the items picture above really do spell summer in Western New York. One of my favorite dishes to make with these few items is ratatouille, or French vegetable stew (it normally contains eggplant as well but there’s none on either of the few plants hidden in the weeds). This is a dish that can be eaten hot, cold, or at room temperature; served as a side, or over rice or tossed with pasta…I chose the latter. It’s a very simple recipe, and one that doesn’t need ingredient amounts…this is how I made mine.
Dice everything up…I also included an onion and a couple cloves of garlic. Heat olive oil in a pan and saute everything except the tomatoes.
Just as things begin to brown add whatever seasonings you like…I added fennel seed and crushed hot peppers. Saute that for a minute then add the tomatoes. Normally this dish requires a little water or white wine form moisture to cook the vegetables…I chose to add chicken broth for flavor and to make the dish more substantial and nutritionally rich.
Simmer the liquid until the vegetables are cooked and most of the liquid has evaporated…in the case of broth this translates to pure flavor because the broth becomes concentrated, almost viscous. Toss it with pasta (I used whole wheat) and cheese (I used Pecorino Romano). I ate it two days in a row…day two tasted better than the first.
>My gardens are not doing that well this year…partly because of the crazy wet summer we’ve had, but also because of my lack of weeding and trimming (not to mention what the rabbits and slugs have pilfered)…it really is out of control. At any rate, I am finally starting to get a few things, and the items picture above really do spell summer in Western New York. One of my favorite dishes to make with these few items is ratatouille, or French vegetable stew (it normally contains eggplant as well but there’s none on either of the few plants hidden in the weeds). This is a dish that can be eaten hot, cold, or at room temperature; served as a side, or over rice or tossed with pasta…I chose the latter. It’s a very simple recipe, and one that doesn’t need ingredient amounts…this is how I made mine.
Dice everything up…I also included an onion and a couple cloves of garlic. Heat olive oil in a pan and saute everything except the tomatoes.
Just as things begin to brown add whatever seasonings you like…I added fennel seed and crushed hot peppers. Saute that for a minute then add the tomatoes. Normally this dish requires a little water or white wine form moisture to cook the vegetables…I chose to add chicken broth for flavor and to make the dish more substantial and nutritionally rich.
Simmer the liquid until the vegetables are cooked and most of the liquid has evaporated…in the case of broth this translates to pure flavor because the broth becomes concentrated, almost viscous. Toss it with pasta (I used whole wheat) and cheese (I used Pecorino Romano). I ate it two days in a row…day two tasted better than the first.
Two loaves of freshly baked bread.
>Two loaves of freshly baked bread.
I planted six broccoli plants this year….four of them were doing exceptionally well. I use the past tense, were, because this is all that remains of them. A couple days ago these leafy plants were about two feet wide but this is all that’s left…stumps. It seems like rabbits are everywhere in the city this summer…cute as they are they are having a devastating effect on urban gardeners.
>I planted six broccoli plants this year….four of them were doing exceptionally well. I use the past tense, were, because this is all that remains of them. A couple days ago these leafy plants were about two feet wide but this is all that’s left…stumps. It seems like rabbits are everywhere in the city this summer…cute as they are they are having a devastating effect on urban gardeners.
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A really big zucchini.
>A really big zucchini.
Two cardboard boxes containing a rented DVD, Chinese take out food, an Artvoice paper, a cable lock, and $62.00 in groceries.
>Two cardboard boxes containing a rented DVD, Chinese take out food, an Artvoice paper, a cable lock, and $62.00 in groceries.
I posted this video about six months ago but it is so beautiful (I think) that I had to post it again. If you’ve seen it before I know you’ll watch it again. And if you haven’t watched it yet it is worth the seven minutes. Turn of the television or radio and turn up the computer speakers because the accompanying music is lovely. The videographer appears to be riding on the front of a tram and everyone wants to be in the film. They all look so happy…and the bikes look so graceful. I still find it interesting how many bikes there are because this style, the forerunner of those we ride today (opposed to the type with one big wheel in front and a teeny one in the rear) were brand new at the time. Anyhow, it’s an excellent video. Enjoy.
>I posted this video about six months ago but it is so beautiful (I think) that I had to post it again. If you’ve seen it before I know you’ll watch it again. And if you haven’t watched it yet it is worth the seven minutes. Turn of the television or radio and turn up the computer speakers because the accompanying music is lovely. The videographer appears to be riding on the front of a tram and everyone wants to be in the film. They all look so happy…and the bikes look so graceful. I still find it interesting how many bikes there are because this style, the forerunner of those we ride today (opposed to the type with one big wheel in front and a teeny one in the rear) were brand new at the time. Anyhow, it’s an excellent video. Enjoy.
The government should offer cash rebates for people to buy bicycles instead of more cars (ie, the ill-fated cash for clunkers deal). I really wonder if gas prices were a tad higher and there were more incentives to use alternative means of travel if more people in America would take the bicycle more seriously…that it is truly the most ingenious machine ever built…and the most economical (on many levels.)
Urban Simplicty