On my most recent trip back to Philadelphia, the home of my past, I visited the Italian Market with my mom and sister.
If you know about the Italian Market, you know that you need to go to this market with purpose, not to dilly dally, or you’ll just be in someone’s way. And we were three dilly-dalliers, knowing only that we would be making a salad for dinner, all ingredients TBD.
“I don’t care, which color pepper do you want?”
“Do we want romaine or a spring mix?”
“Fresh herbs? Which herbs?”
I was overwhelmed as usual;
so many smells,
so many people,
so many choices!
My mom and sister were no help. Ultimately, after several trips up and down the isles, looking at the same produce over and over, all necessary supplies were gathered.
We left with plump tomatoes, crisp romaine, bright cucumbers,
and a fat bag of shallots for a future plan………
In my sister’s kitchen, I sliced up these lavender alliums and transformed them into a sweet and tangy jam.
Slowly slowly
Patient Patient
I let these babies go on low for quite a bit with olive oil and butter before adding balsamic vinegar into the mix.
I left my sister, Megan, with the jam,
fast forward for now:
I’m back home in Fall City, WA, and a very special person enjoyed the last of the shallot jam–
my sister’s 13-month-old baby boy.
She mixed the jam with pasta, parm, some veggies, and her little babe couldn’t get enough of it.
From 3,000 miles away, it warms my hear that my sweet, little nephew enjoyed what I left behind.
Cheers!
Earthen Kitchen 