Late yesterday I went to purchase a few ingredients for lunch with Tony today. Marsh had a pound of raspberries for $4.49. Throughout the year, despite storesin Indiana now getting their produce from as far afield as South America, we still experience seasonal abundance and consequent cheap prices that I like to take advantage of—whether it is asparagus or Florida oranges or Mexican mangoes or, in this case, Michigan raspberries! I like the idea of my diet corresponding in some way to the seasonal cycle of the part of the earth I inhabit. It also lends creativity to my cooking.
Anymore I cook without recipes. For lunch I fixed the raspberries with hand-torn, red leaf-lettuce, lightly dressed with aged balsamic vinegar, olive oil and fresh squeezed lime juice and a few grindings of fresh pink, red and white peppercorns. I've dispensed with salt altogether and don't miss it at all.
For the hot part of the one-platter lunch, I made a simple stir-fry. I reheated chicken-breast nuggets I stir-fried the other day. Having ingredients like this in the refrigerator makes putting together whole meals a snap. I added strung fresh snow peas, sliced green onions, and shelled whole peanuts and a couple tablespoonfuls of Trader Joe's Thai green curry simmer sauce.
TJ simmer sauces are a quick way to make something special. I ignore the directions on the bottle and use them as part of my flavoring armamentarium. A shelf-full of dried spices, fresh herb cuttings from the garden, a supply of various sauces, kitchen stocks of pre-cooked ingredients, and, of course, imagination: this must be how restaurants manage to serve the variety of dishes on their daily menus!
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