Four: Cook with fresh herbs from our own wee little herb plant, Herbert.
There are a few entrees in our family menu that I never touch. Grilled Cheese and Spaghetti are two of them. My husband has mastered each of these delicious dishes and is always more than willing to prepare them if I so desire. I know what you're thinking – these are two of the simplest entrees to prepare. But I would advise you to refrain from such comments until you have tasted a Ben Glass Grilled Cheese special. (It's so special, in fact, that the infamous hot sandwich accompanied one beautiful diamond ring and one very important question two years ago. It was with this promise to keep me well fed that I said said yes to his proposition.)
My husband has perfected the cheese to bread ratio and puts enough butter on the bread to crisp it the second it hits that hot pan. He reaches for olive oil and butter when preparing the cooked spaghetti noodles and I try to ignore it, convincing myself that it's like that tree that fell in the forest and didn't make a sound because no one was there to hear it – the butter doesn't go immediately to my hips because I never actually witnessed the large amounts that went into the dish.... right? Regardless, I am well fed.
Tonight's spaghetti dinner was extra spectacular, though. I purchased a somewhat fool-proof pot of herbs about a month ago on an outing with two very educated plant women – my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law. They were so patient with me as we wandered through a beautiful nursery and I asked question after question about the thriving plants around us. I so desire to grow things and keep them alive, but every green thing that has made it's way into my hands has unfortunately left them in a crisp, brown brittle state. The nursery seemed to be prepared for my kind as they brilliantly provided pre-potted herb selections. I was drawn to the Italian Tastebuds grouping and asked my mother-in-law to choose one for me. She carefully took each stem in her hand, softly rubbing the leaves between two fingers and then sniffing them, educating me the whole time about how to prune the herbs, shade versus sun, what signs to look for when watering, etc.
I am proud to say that it has been an entire month and our little plant (affectionately known as Herbert), is thriving. Though beautiful and delicious, fresh herbs are so pricey at the grocery. I purchased a pot of five herbs for only $16.00; that's what you would spend on four fresh herbs for only one use! I chose some basil, Italian parsley, oregano and rosemary from our little plant and went to chopping while Ben worked his magic with the bread, the noodles and the sauce. He looked like such a chef selecting freshly chopped herbs and tossing them into pots. We put rosemary on the broiled bread and basil in the marinara sauce. Our table was decorated with a beautiful bright sunny orchid that Ben got for me today (seems like we're getting a bit cocky with the success of our first plant/child, huh?). It was a lovely spring supper with a perfect touch of fresh – just divine.
