It was less of a barn raising and more of a barn covering. A covering of what one hundred and ten years of hard weather can do to a barn. We thought about just pulling it down. We’d never build it on the same site. It would be behind the farmhouse not between us and our beloved river view! Yet, the idea of destroying any part of this property’s history is not something that Ralph or I could do. And more importantly, Dad loves the barn so as soon as he started to build the new doors we were committed.
Ralph and Dad set up a make shift work shop in the the main bay of the barn and the work began…
The first day saw fifteen hours of power tools, climbing ladders, instruction from Dad, help from Josh, a few bruises and a lot of sweat. It was amazing to watch the transformation.
The last board on the front side went on just as the sun went down.
After working for fifteen hours, you don’t worry about calories. I’ve wanted to try this dish for a while but I couldn’t get my head around all the olive oil. Today was guilt free. Interesting that I’m guiltless despite having not worked on the barn! Although the broccoli was delicious, it wasn’t good enough to justify all the oil…sigh
Fresh Broccoli Poached in Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 lb broccoli, trimmed and cut into 6 pieces
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and slivered
½ red onion, peeled and cut into ¼ inch slices
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
In a heavy bottomed casserole placed over medium low heat warm olive oil.
Add remaining ingredients and toss well.
Place a cover askew on pot so the steam can escape.
Saute for one hour, stirring often.
THE LOVE: Keep your heat low to allow the broccoli to caramelize.
one year ago: blackberry sour cream muffins
two years ago: blueberry corn muffins
Thanks for reading.
