tick, tock, tick, tock

time doesn't seem to want to slow, so here i am, with another dose of accomplished dishes:

escarole soup with rice
escarole is a slightly bitter lettuce looking leafy green that is usually located right beside the lettuce section. it has a bright green, almost white, leaf colour while its rib (of the thicker part) is white. i had never previously thought of making any sort of lettuce into a soup, but apparently, it's rather common in italy - or so the book would make you think. who knows... this adventure went down rather uneventfully, but it marked the beginning of my new found self-proclaimed "judgement" on whether or not to use all the oils  that are actually called for in the dish. granted that usually, the oils serve a purpose, often times, i find myself wondering if by eating 1 tbsp of the dish, that i'd just shaven off a year of my life. so, there marcella! take that! no, but seriously, the soup wasn't bad and it can definitely be cooked and left on the stove at LOW for a long time. it definitely tastes better overnight and having sat in the fridge and rewarmed.

tuna sauce with tomatoes and garlic
for those of you who are going to start lent and fast from eating meat during the lenten period, this recipe's for you. for those of you who are on a budget and like tuna, but are sick of eating it straight out of the can (not that there's anything wrong with that!), this recipe's for you. for those of you who just want to use up stuff in their pantry, try it out too. the premise is some good tomato sauce made with EVOO and tuna thrown in near the end. maybe it was just that specific can, but i felt like i could taste the metal "tin" that the tuna was stored it. not so pleasant. also, be sure to add lots of parsley because a) it's good for you, b) it looks pretty in the dish and c) (most importantly) it makes it taste 10000x better!

celery and potatoes braised in EVOO and lemon
the title doesn't do justice to the subtle flavours that come from this dish. granted that it really doesn't jump out as super seasoned, it's the simplicity and subtle nature of the flavours of this dish that really make it shine. celery is usually given a bad connotation, but i guarantee you, here, it's all lost. it just becomes mellow. be sure though, to season well with salt. also, grate in 1/4 of the rind from the lemon and thrown in the "emptied" lemon shell with the dish while it's braising. it imparts a mild lemon fragrance throughout the dish, that is only accentuated by the use of a fruity olive oil. be sure not to serve this after a strong dish (like steak alla fiorentina) because then, the beauty of it disappears.

3 more down, 478 to go!