The first ones I ever ate were at Cafe Milano, in Georgetown, Washington DC. They were arranged in a circle on a big white plate. I ate them with my mother. They were delicious.
The ones above were eaten under the tree in Cape Town, at No. 9, and where did they come from? I remember the plastic tub that contained them...I see a shopping basket. Help me, Mama. Ha - I remember: Joostenberg, the deli on the way to Paarl, which also makes good boerewors but refuses to correspond with me on the subject of boerewors recipes.
We ate them one day, we three - Vince, my mom and I, as you see, with olives and brown buttered bread and one of many Caprese salads, of which I have never yet had enough. Except here, where buffalo mozzarella is $9 a pop. The pink wine is probably Graham Beck rose, sparkling, one of the nicest bubblies I have ever drunk - fine, light bubbles, perfect finish, no yeasty aftertaste - and one of the least expensive. It holds its own well with Champagne.
So there it is, a memory of a lunch. The depth of the bread with its creamy, cool butter and the incision of vinegary anchovies, cutting against the moist, bland bread, the muting butter. The mediating sip of sparkling wine. The bright sunlit garden all around.
We two had lunch under the tree today - hot, hot, hot with only the slightest breeze. It would have been cooler inside. We ate little pies from the samoosa ladies at the KIrstenbosch plant fair. I forgot my carefully marked plant catalogue - plenty of guessing and memory jogging.
ReplyDeleteMy flower shop used to be in the courtyard behind Cafe Milano.
ReplyDeleteWe could have met. We could have sat next to each other at lunch.
I would have found you dazzling.
xo J,
The anchovies sound wonderful, but where else can I find them in the states? Mitchell and I are the folks who expect anchovies on our Greek salad and he usually asks for all the ones that are left over from the folks who said "no thanks" for the past week.
ReplyDeleteSpring is here - lunches under a tree are a definite possibility - soon.
Hello Hen - looking at the fat moon, and wishing for samoosas...xxx
ReplyDeleteJane - how funny, really?! I like to think that you may have found me dazzling. x
webb - hm. I have a local source at Sahadi's and have seen them at other stores. Maybe not always called boquerones, but perhaps marinated anchovies, as distinct from the salted ones? Maybe I could overnight some to you. Willing to try? You and Mitchell are my kind of people :-)
Oh, I SO agree with you on the Graham Beck Rosé! It is one of my favourites and totalyl world class. Love the pic - makes me think of impromptu picnics on my mom's bedroom floor that we used to have as kids after school :)
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