Branzini

The kids and I spent the morning out, and after getting home and eating lunch, J immediately changed into a formal work outfit: white pants, button-down shirt, tie, wool blazer. All this for quiet time. At present, he's eating pretzels in his room while wearing this outfit and reading. I wonder where this is all heading... At the market today, we got all the ingredients for the fabulous meatballs, and also some gorgeous, whole Branzini. I love that word, and I love that Branzini are a Mediterranean fish. Don't they just sound bronzed and tan as if they've been swimming around Crete all day? Alas no, these are sustainably farmed and are silver, but nonetheless, Branzino is a much more appealing moniker than flounder or mackeral. I thought I might be brave and filet these myself but almost instantly, I lost the will and asked the seafood woman to do it for me. She was watching the children bounce around and seemed to think my choice was a wise one. I asked for the heads and other refuse so that I could make a good fish stock, but I don't think she included them. Maybe next time.

Anyway, they sounded lovely and fresh for tonight so I might poach them in olive oil and lemon and serve them alongside a pearl couscous or something. OH, and I bought some gorgeous Italian plums and think I must make a plum cake with them. Italian plums have such a pleasingly languid shape as opposed to the perkiness of the standard type plums (also delicious) we usually have here. It's like they adopted their Italian heritage and grew accordingly.