The Last of the Blueberries
It was cool this morning as I dropped off some blueberry and peach cobbler to a friend. After several weeks, the blueberries are at last winding down. A few days ago, I picked the last handful, some full and blue, some tiny and purple; the rest will be left for the birds and bugs. There are yellow leaves appearing on my flowering maple out back, and I know that change is in the air.
Walking to the store for an artichoke, the signs of transition are present. A neighbor was out weeding his flower bed out on the parking strip; I stopped to let him know how much I had enjoyed watching his zinnias grow. "I didn't put any in, but I'm enjoying everyone else's." He smiled, "That's Portland for you." I think he's on to a bit of truth-- so many of us enjoy the efforts of others to make our city lovely. Further down the block, festive hardy fuschias trail over stone walls, reminiscent of a ornate party decorations, colorful baubles. Dahlias and zinnias cheering 'summer summer summer' with their bright hot colors. My own front yard is a glory of tomatillo-looking Chinese Lanterns, the orange calyces are my gift to passers-by; some have stopped to admire them or take photos.... I have offered quite a few stems for people to dry for indoor color later, when the leaves fall and the summer blooms fade.
Fall feels like it's peeking round the corner. The squirrels and crows, seeming mortal enemies, have made their peace for now, sharing the spoils of the walnut tree down the street, the green fruits crushed in the road, nutmeats exposed and ripe for the pecking and picking. My tomatoes are still green, and the chard's going strong, but lettuces have bolted and been removed. The long, dry white leaves left by the day lilies trimmed to the ground with mulch atop to blanket them until next spring. Two mornings ago, we needed to turn the heat on, the house was too cold. There's change indoors too... after years of applying for public sector jobs, Joe has finally been hired by the State of Oregon. It's been a long journey for him, and one which will be better for his work/life balance. He's happy to go from Director of IT to Senior Systems Admin, thoroughly done with managing people and excited to do more focused, technical work. It will be an adjustment as he will have to commute to Salem two days a week, but we hope that the reduction of evening/weekend work and on call hours will make up for the time on the road.
Kiddo's also a rising freshman this year. If there is any one single thing I am most grateful for, is that our relationship with our teen is good at present. We are in a sweet spot right now, and I'm going to savor that for as long as possible, and hold onto it when times get rougher. (After that first onboarding week, ha ha.)
The past few weeks have been intense. What I had previously thought would be a root canal ended up being an infection, which got a lot worse before antibiotics were finally prescribed. Without going into too much detail, it was miserable at times, I ate the most pureed food I've had since I was a baby, and the blessing in it all is savoring how wonderful it is to have that particular pain gone. Part of the experience of regaining the ability to eat solid foods was the joy of cooking flavorfully again. So I'll leave you with yet another little recipe, something I was craving, a spicy, zesty shrimp with tomatoes. I served it with foccacia bread to grab up the sauce in the bowl and separately prepared some green beans, which can be eaten on side or thrown in the sauce depending on the person eating. You could also serve this over saffron rice and chickpeas. This recipe is allium-free and uses meyer lemon, parsley, green olives and red pepper flakes to help build flavor. This was a delight to make and Joe declared it 'restaurant worthy'. Enjoy!
Zesty Shrimp and Red Sauce
makes two servings
1 14 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, pureed (I like Muir Glen)
Note: For this dish, it helps to create a mise en place with all ingredients on hand as this recipe moves very quickly.
1. Pat shrimp dry, salt and pepper them. In large, non-reactive skillet or wok, heat 1 T olive oil to shimmering hot, then add shrimp, working in batches not to crowd the pan. Sear on each side (less than two minutes for smaller shrimp, more than this for larger), then move to a plate. Shrimp will still be raw on inside, but will finish cooking in the sauce.
2. Once shrimp are done, add tomatoes, chopped olives, parsley, salt, some black pepper, red pepper flakes and lemon zest. Let sauce cook for a bit, then return shrimp to sauce to finish cooking, about 4 minutes or so. Taste, then add in half of the lemon juice; taste again and add more if you wish. I like a more acidic kick to this, but if you prefer more subtle flavors, you can pull back on the red pepper flakes and lemon juice. Serve in bowls and eat immediately.
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