The First Signs of Summer

The first hints of new lemons are appearing on the lemon tree on my balcony. I am less-than-patiently waiting for them to become juicy, fragrant drops of yellow joy to cut through the harshness of summer in the city. If I had my way I would cover every inch of my balconies in fruit trees and potted herbs and looking out the window it would all just be green. And yellow. And perhaps a little orange, here and there.

I think it's safe to say that summer is officially here to stay and it brought with it 30°+ temperatures that kill both my appetite (I don't want to consume anything but copious amounts of ice and Spritz) and my productivity. Apart from sustaining myself on a liquid diet I knocked together a quick and refreshing pasta with lemons and rucola.

- 2 Lemons, Juice of 2 and zest of 1
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 75-100g. Parmesan cheese
- 1 Bunch finely chopped basil leaves
- 1 Bunch Rucola
- Circa 250g. Linguine 

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and add your Linguine. Add the juice of two lemons and the zest of one to a small bowl and whisk together with the olive oil. Stir in your Parmesan and season (pay attention as depending on the Parmesan you use it may be quite salty already). Finely chop a small bunch of basil leaves. Note that depending on the ratio of lemon to Parmesan you'll end up with a mixture that is more or less creamy or acid.

When the Linguine are ready, pour in the mixture and stir to coat. Add the chopped basil leaves and rucola. Sprinkle a little black pepper when serving and you're good to go!

Branzino Selvatico - A Sunday Seabass

I found this fantastic, wild Seabass at my local fish market the other day and served it up as a Sunday lunch in the garden. It filled the air with the fresh, tangy aroma of lemons and rosemary that brought everyone out in the sun for an early glass of wine. I love the combination of citrus and rosemary; it reminds me of the Mediterranean, of the smell and sights of summer evenings, and of chilled glasses of white wine. 

Less is more (particularly so on lazy Sundays) and this definitely applies to the lovely juxtaposition of the delicate meat of the fish against the crunchy, starchy potatoes. Despite its simplicity it's such a fulfilling meal!

- Potatoes

- Dried peperoncino (flaked)

- 2 Sprigs of rosemary

- Seabass

- 1 Lemon, sliced thinly

- 1 Piece of ginger, sliced thinly

- 4 Sprigs of rosemary

- 3 Cloves of garlic

Turn on your oven to 220°C. Cut a few potatoes into boats, or cubes, or whatever little chunks you prefer and season with a little peperoncino and olive oil. Toss them so they are evenly coated, add a couple of sprigs of rosemary and they're ready for the oven. They'll largely mind themselves, but stir them once or twice scraping them off the hot dish. They need approximately 35 minutes and should be golden and crispy when done. Sprinkle them with a little salt and perhaps just a grind or two of black pepper.

I usually ask my fishmonger to clean the fish and tend to just give it a quick rinse in the sink. Season the fish with salt, freshly ground pepper, and a little olive oil and lay down on a sheet of aluminium foil. Cut a few thin slices of lemon and ginger, leaving the peel on, and bash two or three cloves of garlic with the side of your knife and add them together with the rosemary to the inside of the fish. Wrap the fish in the sheet of aluminium foil and add whatever leftover rosemary, garlic, etc. you may have, give it a tiny drizzle of olive oil and close the aluminium packaging. Pop it on the grill for about 10 minutes on each side. When you open the packaging, the skin of the fish should be easy to peel back, if not close it back up and give it another minute or two. 

I like to drizzle a little olive oil over the fish as I serve, but it stands beautifully on its own

II like to drizzle a little olive oil over as I serve, but it stands beautifully on its own..

Not Entirely in Medias Res

This is not entirely unlike the first, crisp blank page of a new notebook, when you are filled with the excitement of the possibilities and the slight trepidation of what the first words to fill those pages should be. I've been very tempted to start this in medias res but I think that it is (strangely?) deserving of some kind of an attempt at an introduction - unbearable as it may be.

It has been a long time that I have been thinking about jotting down these first words and in the meantime, in my head, I have probably come up with paragraph after paragraph of zesty, interesting commentary while chopping, grating, and ladling. A mountain of pictures has slowly built up, season after season, while my hesitation has kept me from sharing them. Blogging has always seemed a rather self-important occupation to me, even when just practiced in one's spare time. Nevertheless, I suppose that the same way I take pleasure in sharing meals and drinks with my friends and family I will enjoy sharing this with you, and much in the same way that I cook as much for myself as for my "audience" I write this as much for myself as I do for you...