Music on Wednesday

On Wednesday mornings, Patricia comes to my house and we play the piano. We began playing forty two years ago, and it's a wonder that we are not better at it. But we are what we are, and we like it. After a world of interruptions while our lives went on here and there, we have continued our playing together and have expanded our repertoire as we've gone along.

Right now we are playing Ma Mere l'Oye by Debussy, Jeux d'enfants by Georges Bizet, a diabolically clever composer (only the few of those that I can play) , Valses Nobles et Sentimentales by Ravel, The Dolly Suite by Gabriel Faure, Reflets d'Allemagne by Florian Schmitt, The Petite Suite by Debussy, and others too numerous to mention. No, that is really about all--with tryouts once in a while with other things that we don't really keep working on.  We used to do the Mozart duets long ago, and the Schumann one about views of the East--that is lovely. Perhaps we'll take them up again.

It's hard to find good duets. Good new ones. There's lots of music transcribed or written for two pianos. I am thankful to one of my nameless sisters, a really gifted pianist,  for the names of some of those compositions above. She used to do two piano work until her partner passed away, and has lots of music for duet and two pianos. But she lives in Brownsville, TX, far far away from me.

After we play for a few hours, I usually make a lunch for Patricia.  My menu rarely varies much from the homely stuff I'd make for a family lunch.  I am fond of the French art of making soup out of leftovers. Any scrap of zucchini with its cooking water, string beans, tomato, onion, go into a jar in the refrigerator and they are all cooked up for a really good soup whenever I need one. Does anyone know about the minestra?  Skillet, olive oil, chopped onion, garlic, tomato, simmered...that is where the word minestrone came from. That is what you add to the soup to really whomp up the flavor.  Chicken broth in cans is a good thing. I used to make my own stock. It is lots better; it has backbone and flavor and can literally stand up on its own.

To go with the soup, there's often a salad. I like green salads that have lots of things in them, including rings of  raw onion.  And slices of hard boiled egg are not amiss. Start there, with a good olive oil (meaning to me, a fresh one) and your choice of vinegars, and you have a winner on your hands.

If a salad isn't enough, there is always the wonderful quesadilla. You spray a skillet with grapeseed oil or safflower oil, lay on a corn tortilla, add some cheese and whatever else you want, top with another tortilla, spray it, flip, and grill until the cheese is melted. Cut it into triangles with your  pizza cutter or sharp knife and serve. Yummo!

I was going to write about frijoles today but did not want to encourage any untoward humor amongst you rowdies out there, so tomorrow will be frijole day, and Friday, cornbread. That's a promise....YAZZYBEL