AFTERNOON DELIGHT #6

Good morning, bella! For tomorrow’s afternoon affair, we start today with preparations.
At your grocery store, buy a pint of strawberries, one lime, one plump orange and a good bottle of Spanish cava or Italian prosecco. Add to this list a hearty crunchy country style bread, half a dozen eggs, plus a medium size tomato and an onion. Both should fit in your palm. At home, I hope you have a wholesome honey, garlic and Spanish or Italian olive oil (to match your choice of wine.)
Ready?
On the morning of your grand little affair, do prepare your fresh sheets with a spray of lime and verbena, so refreshing in the hot hot hot summer. (My advice here is to also find a bathroom cleaner in the same scent as your sheets. Doing a bit of cleaning with this before your Delight arrives adds a delicious fragrance to the whole afternoon, cara.)
Then, begin your sangria. First, chill your wine for at least 4 hours.
Mix 3 T. of honey and a dash of cinnamon to washed, quartered strawberries. Add a few dashes of pourable brown sugar—or fine white so that it dissolves easily. (No graininess, please!) Add the juice of the lime and throw the rinds into the strawberries. Cut 3-5 luscious slices of orange and half them. Throw them in, too. Refrigerate to let the strawberries breathe and ooze their luscious red juices in the sweet lime and pungent orange. Every hour or so, stir the mixture. Fix the sweetness if you need more. But don’t make it too rich. You want to taste your wonderful bubbly wine when you add it at last!
Just before your Delight rings your doorbell, dice up the tomato and onion and one clove of garlic. If you have tears in your eyes when he arrives, do let him think you were crying in anticipation of the coming joy of the afternoon.
Then, when the two of you have decided refreshment is most welcome, pour 1/8 cup of olive oil into a very hot skillet. Brown your onion first, bella, so that it begins to caramelize and bring out the sugars, then add your garlic to translucence. Beat your eggs. Pop your loaf of bread into a 375 degree oven as you add your eggs to the hot skillet and scramble them with the garlic and onions. Add the diced tomato as the eggs begin to stick. Either serve as an omelet or a light scramble.
Have your Delight put your strawberry mix into a pitcher. Have him add 10-14 cubes. Then, have him pop the cork on your light wine and pour it into the pitcher. Stir.
Serve your sangria in margarita glasses, if you have them, or a small bowled glass. You want to be able to pick out the strawberries and the orange slices and feed them to each other.
A delightful, sinful little repast for two lovers who need to replenish their energies for the rest of the afternoon!
Until next time, bella, drink lightly, eat thoughtfully—and love wholly!
(copyright 2009 Cerise DeLand)
CIAO!
Cerise