in good taste, vol. 56: to each their own
skittles, jewelry cleaner martinis, and a creamy salmon pasta
Finding myself powerfully incapable of writing an introduction this week. Instead, apropos of not much, here are some bite-sized philosophies on getting wild with language and syntax:
“Commas are servile and they have no life of their own, and their use is not a use, it is a way of replacing one’s own interest and I do decidedly like to like my own interest my own interest in what I am doing. A comma by helping you along holding your coat for you and putting on your shoes keeps you from living your life as actively as you should lead it and to me for many years and I still do feel that way about it only now I do not pay as much attention to them, the use of them was positively degrading.” - Gertrude Stein on Punctuation
and
“Would you convey my compliments to the purist who reads your proofs and tell him or her that I write in a sort of broken-down patois which is something like the way a Swiss waiter talks, and that when I split an infinitive, God damn it, I split it so it will stay split, and when I interrupt the velvety smoothness of my more or less literate syntax with a few sudden words of barroom vernacular, this is done with the eyes wide open and the mind relaxed but attentive. The method may not be perfect, but it is all I have.” - Raymond Chandler
HIGHLY TASTEFUL READING ON TASTE AND TASTES
Practically breathless to include this late-breaking news about green Skittles
Following that line of thought …
“‘My tastes are simple,’ Winston Churchill, a great aristocrat as well as a great prime minister, once breezed. “I am easily satisfied by the best.’”
Tastes change: our companions are a major reason why
What does a jewelry cleaner have to do with a martini?
CREAMY SALMON PASTA WITH PEAS
There is nothing virtuous about this dish, not even the salmon. It’s comfort food to the hilt, what with the butter, the cream, the insistence on an entire thing of goat cheese. On the upside, it comes together quickly, so it’s an ideal weeknight dinner after a stressful day.
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp. butter
1 shallot, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 salmon fillet, skin removed and cut into chunks
½ cup, cream
8 oz. goat cheese (I like the herbed variety)
1-2 cups frozen peas (depending on your affinity for peas)
Salt & pepper
¼ tsp. nutmeg (optional, but highly recommended)
Small pasta, like shells or rotini
Reserved pasta water (a couple of tablespoons)
WHAT TO DO
Pat salmon completely dry and season with salt & pepper on both sides. Heat a large, high-sided skillet and melt butter until foaming, then add shallots and garlic and cook until golden and fragrant, on medium. Turn the heat down to medium-low, and add in cream and nutmeg and a touch of salt & pepper to season, stirring to combine. Add salmon to the mix, cooking low and slow.
At this point, prep pasta noodles according to directions on the box. Before you drain the noodles, hold onto a couple of tablespoons of the pasta water.
Add peas, cook for about 5-6 minutes, then add the goat cheese. Let it melt and stir to combine. Throw in the pasta water, then the pasta. Remove skillet from heat and let the dish thicken for a few minutes. Serve warm.