They'rrre back!

No, not those underworld, white noise creatures from your old T.V. – Do T.V. stations even play the National Anthem and go off air nowadays? – No, it's the original tocayos back and fully recovered from what ever old man winter threw at us last the last two weeks. Our noses are clear, coughs gone and looking forward to the Yankees being on the plus side of the series with Boston. Ahhh, can you smell it? Spring is in the air!

The piles of laundry and unmade beds will just have to wait as we attend Little League parades, baseball and softball games, track meets, and take long walks with a winter logged dog. Isn't this is why Saturdays were invented?

Before Mario and I realized it the sun was setting in an orange hue sky and it was quickly approaching 7:30pm and we still needed to prepare for dinner. Like super heros sliding down the pole to our secret cave we opened up the pantry, pulled out our aprons and orange crocs, slid them on and with wind blowing though our hair – okay, Mojo's hair – declared our arrival "We'rrre baaaack"!

On this menu we tackled the Branzino alla Griglia - Grilled Whole Black Bass with Onions, Olives and Red Chard (page 296). As scary as our opponent sounded we knew that after tackling his side kick the Red Snapper (Daddy! Don't Do It! Saturday, January 29th) we were more than capable of handling anything this dark bass could throw at us!

We started off by preparing our side dish of Concia di Zucchine - Marinated Zucchini (page 447). The recipe was simple enough and Mario and I felt our old sea legs coming back to life. After the first zucchini we developed a technique to slice them a 1/4" think as requested by our Captain.

As soon as the zucchini was sliced and fried we prepared the black bass with a bath of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Now, like a majority of New Yorkers, I dont have access to a gas or charcoal grill, but thanks to the former world champion, I do have access to a George Foreman. Compact, electric, and surprisingly efficient this small but robust grill eagerly welcomed the 3lb black bass I had rangled and managed to shlep home form NYC. Within 20 min we were ready to serve.

As we sat down to eat we had only three at the table. The day was long and we lost Mariesa early. She spent the day at a track meet with a "friend" and as  her cheeks filled with a sun kissed tint, her eyes slowly closed and she bid us a farewell for the night. Mario had pitched his first game and after helping us prepare for our first dinner back he quickly faded away. Angela and I cleaned up the kitchen and continued to talk about the day. Conversation and the lingering smell of dinner filled the air while the kitchen started to return to normal. We laughed how tired the kids were and realized that today was just the start of a very busy Spring Season.

Ciao,
Mario & Mario
The Three Tocayos