Our neighbor Richard, at the market this morning, enthused about the sound of swifts round the barn and the big blue sky.
On the drive home a hare peeked out to sniff the air–checking on Spring and whether it was safe to cross the road.
The bees are buzzing and beginning to busy themselves around the Judas tree.
The donkey up at the farm just eee-awed.
The walnut trees are leafing out at last.
Something is happening here (and you don’t know what it is–do you Mr Jones!*)–and it’s about time!
A good day–perhaps–to tempt fate with an early summer lunch dish–roast red pepper halves.
I see they featured just over a year ago with chèvre(goat’s cheese); todays’ will be with the thinnest slivers (easier to do than say fast!) of garlic and anchovies, melting into the tomato juices.
for 2
2/3 red peppers–carefully halved so they sit level on the baking tray
6 tinned (canned) tomatoes–halved
2 garlic cloves–sliced as thin as can be
4 anchovy fillets
olive oil
salt and pepper
a few thyme stems
set oven to 200C/400F
- Cover a baking tray with foil–(saves time scraping after the tray has been in a hot oven).
- Brush with olive oil to avoid the peppers sticking.
- Place the peppers side by side on the tray.
- Fill each half with tomato pieces, three or four slithers of garlic and an anchovy fillet on each.
- Season well with salt and pepper.
- Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over each half.
- Bake in the hot oven for 3/4 hour–checking after half an hour–but they need to be thoroughly tender to be delicious.
from Ballad of a Thin Man by Bob Dylan–-lyrics
Robin Ellis 