Friday, July 4, 2014

Stynke or Bust

Garlick maketh a man wynke, drynke, and stynke.
Thomas Nash, English poet and first husband of William Shakespeare's granddaughter Elizabeth Barnard (1593–1647)

I look forward to Friday night dinners because I can indulge in my love of garlic and have two days to 'recuperate'. Tonight I harvested some basil from my window herb pot and delighted body and soul with a bowl of fresh pesto. A divinely inspired combination. What's more, I find the working of the ingredients between mortar and pestle to be very satisfying.

While Mr.  Nash may not have approved of my meal, I am supported by Mrs. W. G. Waters, who published The Cook's Decameron: A Study In Taste, Containing Over Two Hundred Recipes For Italian Dishes in 1901 and wrote, "Garlic used as it should be used is the soul, the divine essence, of cookery."

Moreover, as an added benefit, tonight I am protected from any vampires. ;-)


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2 comments:

  1. JohnJuly 7, 2014 at 5:04 AM

    I'm told that stinging nettles can be used as a substitute for basil... ????

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  2. ShariJuly 7, 2014 at 11:08 AM

    I ate stinging nettles (once) in Greece and survived. Nettles and needles are too close in my brain processing. I think I will keep with the Italian tradition on this one. But thanks for the idea! ;-)

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