As June turns into July, the enveloping humidity starts to take over our world. A walk in the park becomes a drippy shower; a run to the park turns into a sweat bath. But the birds seem to like it. As I wake up, work and later, go for a walk, I experience the bird world at its peak. I hear their singing as I lay in bed not yet ready to get up. Through the windows at work, I see their flying shadows. Later at the park, in the open meadows, we see them flying into the wind, before finally settling down in the trees. Blue herons, cardinals, crows and hawks cross our path. At home, hummingbirds come to visit our feeder. And on a recent jog along the Millrace, I see two Baltimore orioles fluttering around a tree. This bird world reminds me that my world is only one of many that I share with other beings on this planet.
But back to the humidity: I find myself slowing down, my brain not thinking straight and sweating everything I drink. After a long hot day at work, the first thing on my mind when I get home is a cool beverage to quench my thirst before I even start to think about solid foods. So for this week, I choose the motto “Keep it simple”. I focus on foods that do not require a lot from me and yet come through in all their flavour. Good bread, tasty cheese and fresh greens become an old standby. But during these summer months, I think of all the foods in the raw that offer flavours of all sorts to keep me happy. In the woods, nuts and berries bring substance and sweetness. Mushrooms add earthiness. From the fields, sweet corn, tender soybeans and baby potatoes give me starch and grains. In the garden, radishes, baby turnips, greens, carrots, broccoli, green onions offer crunch and freshness. And let’s not forget the garden of herbs (or garden of delights!) with mint, cilantro, thyme, oregano, basil, parsley, chives and sage. I can see already that this list could go on forever and each of you could add your own favorites.
So on a recent summer night, I pulled out my new green marble mortar and pestle, went out and gathered basil, thyme, oregano and parsley, threw them into the mortar with a couple of cloves of garlic and a little bit of salt (advice from my friend, Margaret, and yes, it adds friction to make my work easier) and ground these herbs into a pulp. Then I took some potatoes and sliced them into finger sized pieces, tossed them with some olive oil and the herb mixture, then roasted them in the oven for about an hour. As the potatoes slowly released their aroma, I cooked some sweet corn and Jim fired up the grill to cook some jerk chicken. As dusk fell, we sat out on the porch, watching and listening as the birds settled down, and ate our simple feast along with some crisp baby turnips. Fresh cherries for dessert with maybe a bowl full of Chief ice cream brought the meal to a perfect end. What more would a queen ask for?
So this week, think simple. I include a recipe for Jerk spices that I use on chicken or pork. The meat can be eaten as is or served with the fresh pineapple salsa recipe of a few weeks ago. I also use it in a salad, with mangoes, oranges, fresh pineapple and greens. Or put the meat in a sandwich. Brush the bread with a mixture of olive oil, lime juice, a little bit of sugar and black pepper. Add meat, greens and slices of sweet red pepper. That’s how simple to leads to simple!
Jerk spices
2 t. chili powder
1 t. allspice
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. black pepper
1/4 T. cayenne pepper (or more if you like it hot)
Combine all ingredients. Place meat in a ziploc bag along with the spice mixture and a little bit of olive oil. Let marinade at least two hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Cook as desired.
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