By Mid-July. Caleb and Miriam's offer was accepted. Closing is in three weeks. They'll move at the end of August. Caleb is selling the trailer. He has had it since 2017 — the year of his first arrest. The trailer has been many Calebs. He is letting it go. He is moving up. The arc.
I started thinking about a wedding present for them. A real one. Not the wedding cake. Not the catering. A thing for the new house. I have been welding all my life. I will weld them something. I started sketching Tuesday at the kitchen table. Hannah looked over my shoulder. She said: a kitchen island. I said: too big. She said: a coat rack. I said: too small. She said: a ladder. I said: a ladder. She said: a kitchen pot rack. I said: a kitchen pot rack. The hanging kind, suspended from the ceiling, with iron hooks for pans. Their kitchen is small and a pot rack would expand the storage. Hannah said: that's the present. I said: yes. I started fabricating Wednesday.
The garden is in midsummer mode. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, beans, squash. Canning has started. Hannah and I are at the kitchen table most evenings putting up the day's harvest. The pantry shelves are filling. The freezer is solid. The summer rhythm is the summer rhythm.
Wednesday Linda Walkingstick called. She wanted to talk about my November talk. She said the title would be: "Welding the Past: Cherokee Tools and the Hands That Make Them." I said: that's a title. She said: yes. I said: I'll need to write the talk. She said: I'll help. I said: thank you. The talk is going to be about thirty minutes long, with thirty minutes of Q&A. The audience will be sixty to a hundred people. I will be terrified. I will do it anyway.
With the pantry shelves filling up and Hannah and me at the kitchen table most evenings working through whatever the garden gave us that day, I started looking for things we could put up that weren’t just another jar of tomatoes. Marinated broccoli is one of those quiet workhorses — it keeps, it travels well, and it tastes better the longer it sits. It felt right for a week where things were being built and preserved at the same time: a pot rack taking shape in the shop, a marriage settling into a new house, a summer being stored against the winter ahead.
Marinated Broccoli
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 5 min | Total Time: 20 min (plus 8 hrs marinating) | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 2 large heads broccoli, cut into florets (about 8 cups)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup sliced black olives (optional)
Instructions
- Blanch the broccoli. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add broccoli florets and blanch for 2 to 3 minutes, just until bright green and slightly tender but still crisp. Drain immediately and transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain well and pat dry.
- Make the marinade. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, oregano, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper until the sugar dissolves.
- Combine. Place the broccoli florets, sliced red onion, and olives (if using) in a large zip-top bag or an airtight container. Pour the marinade over the top and toss well to coat everything evenly.
- Marinate. Seal the bag or container and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight. Toss or turn the bag once or twice during marinating so everything stays coated.
- Serve. Remove from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before serving. Taste and adjust salt or vinegar as needed. Serve cold or at room temperature as a side dish, on a relish tray, or straight from the jar.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 155 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 8g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 320mg