The Lane With the Geraniums in Tins

I went down for bread this morning and, for no reason I can defend, turned left at the top of the lane instead of right. The left way is longer, it narrows into stairs about halfway down, and it comes out behind the piazza instead of in front of it, which is exactly why I never take it. It was foggy enough that the houses on the far side had gone soft at the edges and the streetlights were still on at nine, glowing in the wet. Halfway down there’s a courtyard with geraniums growing in old tin cans along a wall, and a cat sitting in the middle of the steps with the air of a landlord inspecting the property. I stepped around it. It watched me do it.

I got the bread and came home the same way, which felt like cheating, but the loaf was still warm and I wanted it on the table. Then I did the kitchen properly — the whole business, not the tidy-up: counters, sink, the floor on my hands and knees, the rag rinsed and hung. And after that, the reward I’ve started giving myself: a cup of herbs. Rosemary and mint, a few leaves of each, hot water over them, and a saucer set on top of the cup. That last part matters. The good in rosemary and mint lives in the oils, and the oils leave with the steam, so you cover the cup and let them fall back in. Uncovered, you get something that smells wonderful and tastes like hot water. Dried herbs want the same respect — dark jar, cool shelf, away from the stove. Mine live in a tin in the cupboard, not on the windowsill where they’d get cooked twice.

Supper was a frittata, because eggs and a little onion and whatever herbs are going spare is a meal that never argues with me. Six eggs beaten with salt and a spoon of pecorino, a sliced onion softened slowly in oil, the eggs poured in and left on a low flame until the middle stopped wobbling. Lid on at the end, no flipping — you get a pale top and a soft middle. The parsley went in off the heat so it stayed green. I ate it in slices with bread, standing at the counter as usual, and the fog stayed outside where it belonged.

Recipe: Frittata con le Erbe

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 40 g grated pecorino or parmesan
• a handful of soft herbs (parsley, mint, basil), chopped
• salt and black pepper

Preparation

1. Warm the oil in a small non-stick or well-seasoned pan over low heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook slowly 10 minutes, until soft and sweet but not browned.
2. Beat the eggs with the cheese, a good pinch of salt, and pepper. Stir in the chopped herbs.
3. Pour the eggs over the onion and cook on the lowest heat, undisturbed, 10–15 minutes, until the edges are set and only the centre still trembles. Cover the pan for the last few minutes to set the top.
4. Slide it onto a plate, or serve from the pan. Good warm, and just as good at room temperature in slices, with bread.