A hot, hot day

AAAAAAK! The weather is horrifying! It is in the 90’s, I am sure. It’s “lie in the house with one’s tongue hanging out, gasping for air” weather. Nonetheless, Ana and I braved the heat and prepared a lovely, colorful, and tasty dinner. I had been wanting to make the “Pope’s Risotto” for quite some time, but not a one of the folks I usually cook for cares much for risotto. I personally think risotto is one of God’s gifts to the world. That is not, however, why it is called Pope’s Risotto. Rather, when the pope came to New York, someone served this dish to him in his posh Papal Nuncio digs. It was not only yummy, but was an amazing color. The picture in the New York Times looked more like risotto ordinaire, and was not green at all. Having seen that photo, I was astounded when mine turned such a fabulous hue. I wondered if I had done something wrong to make it so green, but I suspect that the picture accompanying the article was not the real thing. Since I had moral support from Ana, I was brave and made it in my pressure cooker, so heating up the kitchen was not really an issue. It cooked in 5 minutes rather than 20. The recipe called for ramp leaves, and that was a little arcane for me, so I used green onions - in fact, I used green onions to replace the ramp, the leeks, and the scallions. I am not a fussbudget gourmet. Ana created a salad of great tomatoes, basil from my very own garden, and mozzarella from a farmer’s market, made from the milk of local cows. Then we made strawberry ice cream for dessert! Waaay yummy! And a perfect hot weather meal.