Turn, Season

When I first started this blog, I thought I wanted it to be like Moby Dick, or the Old Farmer's Almanac my parents had when I was little: Open to one page and read an argument for the ontological disposition of whales. Turn to another for a limerick or story, short enough to digest with breakfast. Instead, I wound up writing mostly about bands I saw during what I think of as the "Wonderful Underworld" epoch of North Brooklyn; and then once that was over, little essays about my feelings and a brooding annual evaluation of my Progress as a Rake. 

But now that I have settled a bit, I would like to write more often and more in the Almanac mode. So here is a morning chapter:

The best tuna salad in the world

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

One can of tuna from the store

One or two stalks of celery, diced

One shallot clove, minced

About half of one kosher dill pickle, seeds removed, minced (a couple of Claussen's "sandwich slices" work well for this)

One large spoonful (like a soup spoon) of mayonnaise

One tablespoon sriracha

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Ground black pepper to taste

Mix the mayonnaise, sriracha, paprika, Italian seasoning, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl. Discard any excess oil from the can of tuna and add the tuna to the bowl, using a fork to flake it apart. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix well. Put the tuna salad into a sandwich or enjoy with crackers or something.

A pretty good green salad

Yield: 1-2 servings

Salad parts:

A couple of big handfuls of arugula and baby spinach leaves

One handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

One handful of baby carrots, sliced into thin rounds

One scant handful of dried cranberries

One handful of walnuts, crumbled by hand 

Dressing:

A splash of extra virgin olive oil

A splash of apple cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon of spicy mustard (Kosciusko Spicy Brown Mustard works well for this)

1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano

A splash of lemon juice

Ground black pepper to taste

Whip the dressing ingredients together, then pour over the the salad parts.