GOODBYE MY FRIEND

It is not without a little sadness that I inform you of the removal of my gallbladder.  This small, inconspicuous organ that has served me so well for 73 years has literally been pulled out of my abdomen, where it has been quietly tucked away beneath my liver.  Some gallbladders can become cantankerous, getting inflamed or infected, or accumulating stones that interfere with the proper functioning of other organs, in which case it is imperative that they be removed.

In my case, there were stones, but they were not causing any discernable symptoms   The GB was removed more as a precautionary measure, a small source of guilt on my part.  But the major source of my guilt comes from the fact that Billy’s GB has served him so well for all these years.  Let me explain.

The GB serves as a reservoir for the bile salts produced by the liver.  These salts are critical for the digestion of the fats that we eat, This unheralded organ recognizes the fats that reach the stomach and small intestine and releases some of its contents to do the job they are intended to do.  Because of the tireless performance of my GB I have been able to enjoy two of my favorite foodstuffs…Olive Oil and Sausage.  So you can understand some of sadness at the turn of these events, losing an organ that has served me so well for so long.

LUNCH WITH DAD part 2

In today’s post I would like to focus on the food. We have all been well informed about the important role of fresh ingredients in any meal preparation, but like most people, this time of the year I must rely on the local supermarket. Mine is the Krogers on Park Avenue in Paducah and they have served me well.

Of the many new culinary experiences during my month in Italy the one I have incorporated in my own meal preparations at home is the simple use of olive oil and fresh lemon juice. I suspect that this in not a revelation to many cooks, but it was new to me, and I loved it. Here is one way I have used it.



The ingredients:

2 slices of your favorite bread…mine is Josh’s ciabatta at Kirchoffs…toasted.

Prosciutto…I like the packaged prosciutto at Krogers. It’s a good as any you can buy locally, although a far cry from the prosciutto my father used to make. But that’s another story.

Mozzarella…Galbini’s mozzarella fresca…sliced. An alternative is their mozzarella balls in olive oil and spices.

Fresh asparagus spears nuked for 2-3 minutes.

Not seen here but a great addition is a sliced fresh tomato. I have decided that winter supermarket tomatoes are better than NO tomatoes, and prefer the ones sold on the vines.

Finally good olive oil and fresh lemon juice, and if desired, a small dollop of basil pesto in the middle of the plate.

Preparation is simple. Toast the bread, drizzle with olive oil and top with the asparagus spears. Then add the fresh lemon juice over the asparagus and repeat the olive oil and lemon juice over the tomatoes.

Salt and pepper to your taste. Oops…almost forgot…grate some Parmesan cheese over the asparagus.

Mangia bene.