A couple of days

Merwin has a green thumb; he is able to keep his cyclamen going from year to year. It goes virtually dormant in the winter sitting in an East facing window and then responds to the lengthening days of late winter. Yesterday was the first day of spring, by the way.

Dear Friends and Family,

The main event of yesterday was my trying a new recipe from last Wednesday's NYT Food section. The food section gets worse and worse with the changes instituted by the Times, but this was a good one:

Here is it:

Potato Leek Gratin, adapted from the version by Melissa Clark, NYT Wed 16 Mar 2011.

Have on hand, 2 large leeks, 2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, butter, half & half, an egg (if you wish), thyme or equivalent, nutmeg, bay leaf, 1 clove garlic, salt and pepper, freshly grated Gruyere cheese. Also, a frying pan and a gratin pan.

Preheat oven to 350.

1. Prepare a large frying pan with about 2 T of butter; heat slowly.

2. Winter leeks are very large and can be dirty. After cutting off the heads (the hard root with broom-like strands) and tails (the green part that you do not use), cut the white piece in half lengthwise and wash the inside thoroughly, separating the leaves and discarding dirty bits. Pat dry. Put back into shape and cut into narrow half rings. Place in the frying pan, still very low heat with a couple of sprigs of thyme (I didn't have thyme, but basil worked quite well) and with a very finely chopped large clove of garlic.

3. peel and slice very thin 2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, and dump into a buttered gratin pan. I use a sturdy round ceramic pan. Toss with ¼ t black pepper and ¼ t salt and spread out the pieces.

4. By now the leeks are beginning to collapse. Raise heat a bit. Remove the thyme. Add 1/4 t. ground black pepper and ¾ t. salt (or less) and stir around until the leeks are golden.

5. Pour the leeks onto the sliced potatoes in the gratin pan.

6. To the frying pan, add 1 C half & half. I turn off the heat at this point because my electric stove retains its heat for at least 10 minutes. Add a bay leaf and, at the end of about 5 minutes, ¼ t. of freshly ground nutmeg, or already ground nutmeg. Stir up browned bits. Remove from heat and mix in a beaten egg, if desired. This is to make up for the heavy cream the recipe calls for, but it is optional. Pour liquid over the potatoes and leeks in the gratin pan, scraping to get the stuck pieces.

7. Sprinkle on top ¾ to 1 C of Gruyere cheese. The recipe called for ¾ C but 1 C might be nice.

8. Cover the pan with foil and bake in the pre-heated oven for 40 min. Uncover the pan and bake about 20 minutes more till the top is golden. Keep baking if it is not golden. Allow to rest outside the stove for several minutes.

9. Cut into slices and enjoy! This is supposed to serve 6 but that must be with another dish. We ate 2/3 of the recipe as a main course, with a side salad.

The recipe basically has four main ingredients and some spices.

It turned out very well. By chance, Harvey phoned us around 8 a.m. today on his way to buy supplies for a brunch he and Sandy were having with friends. We told him how much we had enjoyed making and eating the gratin. Later in the day, he and Sandy phoned to say it had worked perfectly. A success to add to the brunch repertory.

We went to one of our Baroque concerts today, a celebration for Bach's birthday. Sadly, Sonia Grib, the group's art director and harpsichordist, was absent, recovering from an unspecified illness. Taking her place as director is the inimitable Louise Schulman, whose enthusiasm is inspiring. I love the way she pretty much recedes into the background when her viola serves a supporting role, but then when she does take a leading position she is totally there, moving and swaying, her whole body playing the music. What a good group today, including an oboe player, and a harpsichord player to take Ms. Grib's place—the two sharing the same last name: father and daughter? husband and wife? The group's Administrator greeted us by saying how much better I looked this time. Is it good that I look better than I feel? All I can say is "thank you."

The news has kept us at the TV every moment we get. It's amazing. I am sorry that international events have overcome the attention to the draconian leadership of the Republican governor of Wisconsin, who illegally savaged the union. A court has decided he did wrong, but what happens when it get to higher courts is up for grabs. More than any other time in my life the courts are partisan and far from neutral. The unions are the reason we have a middle class of working people. Teachers, fire fighters, police, and very few other groups are the only remaining unionized workers in our country. The principal reason, I believe, that Republicans are trying to eviscerate unions is that they are the last left-leaning group that can counter the big bucks paid by the ultra-rich Koch brothers and their ilk to buy elections for Republicans. The Bush Supreme Court made sure that money would buy elections by deciding that corporations could be considered as people and that campaign donors did not have to disclose sources. Oh my, too much to write about now, but very troubling. And is the U.S. going to be sucked into a third Middle Eastern war? I think I will watch a movie instead!

More troubling personally is my condition, with constant itching, difficulty walking or doing almost anything without help. Hard to soldier on. I sound better than I feel, too. Stand by me, dear ones.

Love to all,
Bernice

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