Kitchen Wench

For a while I thought that there was no way I could write about any sort of scandalous or juicy exploits in my life. Of course, there was the privacy issue, but mostly, my life is pretty uneventful.

Culinary exploits aside, (and, mostly, I am still too broke to have very many culinary exploits) there are some weird and/or unsavory things that seem to happen as an urban dweller in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood. I thought it was time I started keeping a record of all those “What was I thinking living here?” moments.

Tuesday, July 18th. I move in to my new aparment. As Lee unlocks the front gate, he apologizes for the scent of urine permeating the entranceway. Homeless folks like to pee on the yard next door. The urine smell subsequently returns every time it is particularly hot and humid (e.g. the entire summer in Washington, DC).

Wednesday, July 26th. I begin to notice that my walk to and from the metro station usually involves passing through a gauntlet of Hispanic men, who invariably fall silent and then one of them mumbles something to me in Spanish. I can’t understand and suspect that it’s better that way.

Sunday, August 12th. I spot a strange shadow of a person’s legs through our living room window. Later that evening, Lee and I discover a paper bag stashed behind the bush in front of our apartment. “What do you think it is? A dead baby?” I ask. “Maybe it’s a drug drop,” Lee replies. We then gleefully contemplate the possibility of our house being the site of a police sting and possibly a major drug bust. However, our dreams are quickly shattered when Lee reaches into the bag and pulls out… a Jane Fonda workout tape.

Sunday, August 20th. There is a drunk man in our alley. He is passed out… in our parking space.

As I near the end of week three at my new job, life is finally starting to feel routine. So routine that I’m starting to grow tired of doing all my cooking with 1 measly Calphalon pan while awaiting the moving truck from Minnesota. That said, I’ve been able to do quite a bit with a handful of utensils and a kitchen that’s only 8 feet long.
Personally, I blame Trader Joe’s. Six bucks for a big filet of wild salmon, four dollars for a bottle of wine, imported cheese that isn’t $20/lb, and this fabulous hydroponic Boston lettuce… At the rate I’m going, they should hire me to write The Trader Joe’s Cookbook.

Cooking lately has been strangely liberating. At school, I would have to carefully plan a meal for my housemates; I don’t know about you, but most of us can’t just throw together food for ten with things lying around the house. But with only two people, I can just go to the store and impusively buy whatever looks delicious. The challenge then is to come home after work and figure out what I can do given my base ingredients. All my cookbooks are in transit, so I’ve been doing practically everything off the cuff.
Cookbooks are really inspiring and also are really important for learning technique. But it’s also been good to be recipe free for a while. When you first start cooking, it can be difficult to even follow a basic recipe. It was hard for me to imagine the day when I wouldn’t need measuring cups and spoons. But, that day has come. And with it, comes the measurement-less recipe. Cooking in often instinctual, and good ingredients can often make or break the meal. So, here’s my version of a caprese salad. Get some fresh ingredients, make it to taste, and it will be delicious.

Alicia’s “Caprese” Salad

I’ve seen a number of caprese salads in my day; some I’ve liked better than others. All of them feature tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella in some combination, but I think the balsamic vinegar is really where it’s at. There aren’t exact measurements because this recipe is pretty much idiot-proof. You can adjust as you like.

• 4 small-medium heirloom or other good quality flavorful tomatoes
• 2-3 oz fresh mozzarella “pearls” or perlini or dice a ball of fresh mozzarella into 1/4″ cubes
• fistful of fresh basil, chopped
• extra virgin olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• salt, pepper, sugar to taste

1. Chop tomatoes and place in a large glass bowl. Sprinkle with salt and sugar to bring out flavor.
2. Add basil and mozzarella.
3. Toss with equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Be sure to use good quality oil and vinegar, since the flavor will make all the difference. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. If you have time, place salad in refridgerator to marinate for 20-30 minutes before serving.