Come talk about restaurants, cooking, eating, and whatever food-related matters are on your mind Wednesday, May 30, at 11 a.m.

Would you order whole roast chicken at a restaurant like Craigie on Main? Will you be sad to see the end of Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations," as he leaves the Travel Channel to create a new show on CNN? Are you looking forward to watching Patricia Yeo on "Top Chef Masters" -- and which other local chefs would you like to see attain food television stardom? And how 'bout it: Melnea Cass as future dining destination. We'll discuss that and more. Hope you can make it.

This is the famous Coronation Chicken (later called Chicken Elizabeth) invented by the Cordon Bleu Cookery School in London and prepared for the queen upon her elevation to the British throne 60 years ago. The story is in tomorrow's Boston Globe. To make it, you poach chicken breasts, prepare a curry mayonnaise, and a big, colorful rice salad tossed with vinaigrette dressing. It takes ages, but the finished dish is pretty wonderful.

Coronation Chicken

Serves 8

CHICKEN

8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 cup water

1. Set the oven at 400 degrees.

2. Sprinkle the breasts with oil, salt, and pepper. In a large roasting pan, arrange them, tightly packed, skinned side up; do not overlap. Pour in the water at the side. Cover with parchment paper and cook for 25 to 30 minutes or until the chicken is firm to the touch and cooked through.

3. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Transfer the chicken to a container to chill. (Use the cooking liquid in any recipe calling for chicken stock.)

MAYONNAISE

1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 cup tomato juice

1 tablespoon apricot jam

2 teaspoons red or white wine vinegar

1 cup mayonnaise

1. In a skillet, heat the oil and cook the curry powder over low heat, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the tomato juice, jam, and vinegar. Cook, stirring, until the jam dissolves. Bring to a boil and let the mixture simmer over medium heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until it reduces by half. Set aside to cool.

2. In a bowl, whisk the mayonnaise until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons of the curry mixture and blend well. Add more curry, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mayonnaise is a pourable consistency.

3. Transfer to a container and refrigerate. Refrigerate the curry mixture separately.

RICE SALAD

3 tomatoes, cored

Salt and black pepper, to taste

2 1/2 cups long-grain white rice

1/2 lemon

1/2 cup slivered almonds

4 carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced on the diagonal

1 cup golden raisins, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes and drained

2 yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into 1-inch strips

1 1/2 cups green peas, thawed and rinsed with cold water

1/2 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 bunch fresh watercress (for garnish)

1. Bring a stock pot of water to a boil. Drop in the tomatoes, count to 10, and use a slotted spoon to transfer to a bowl of ice water.

2. Generously salt the water. Add the rice and lemon half. Cook over high heat, uncovered, stirring often, until the water returns to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-high heat and cook exactly 12 minutes, checking after 11 minutes  (the rice will not absorb all the water). Drain into a colander and with the end of a wooden spoon, poke a dozen holes in the rice. Set aside to cool. Discard the lemon.

3. Peel, halve, and seed the tomatoes. Cut them into thin strips.

4. In a skillet, toast the almonds, tossing constantly, for 2 minutes or until they are lightly golden.

5. In a saucepan of salted water, cook the carrots for 3 minutes or until they are tender but still have some bite. Drain and rinse with cold water.

6. In a large bowl, combine the rice, tomatoes, almonds, carrots, raisins, yellow peppers, peas, and cucumber. Toss gently.

7. In another bowl, whisk the vinegar, salt, black pepper, and mustard until smooth. Gradually whisk in the oil until the mixture emulsifies. Toss the rice mixture with the dressing and 1/4 cup of the parsley. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like.

8. Arrange the rice on a large platter.

9. Cut the chicken into large strips and transfer to a bowl. Whisk the mayonnaise until smooth. Add more of the curry mixture, if you like, to make a sauce that is a pouring consistency. Add enough mayonnaise to the chicken to coat it all over. Set the chicken on the rice and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup parsley. Sheryl Julian. Adapted from The Cordon Bleu Cookery School

Totally thrilled. What a hubby. Orange striped patent leather Dansko clogs (they also come in "blue wave," not nearly as wonderful).

If you've never worn Dansko professional clogs, you need a full size larger than your regular size. And trousers that are a speck too short -- to show off your glowing feet.

I'm putting out the Food section today, far from a back porch and the grill. So we dusted off the Weber kettle last night and made a memorable, smoky feast. I took everything hanging around the veg crisper and tossed it in a bowl -- sweet onions, skinny peppers, a bright yellow bell pepper, one lone tomato. When I was all done, I found a bulb of fresh fennel in the other crisper drawer and added that too. I steamed a few haricots verts and asparagus (both are a nuisance to grill and we needed something bright green and crisp).

The shrimp are from the Gulf coast. Of the many ways you can cook them, grilled in their shells is the best. We peel as we eat, which makes quite a delicious mess.

A note on the Weber: Every year my husband and I have the same discussion as we sit near the grill in our tiny shade garden. Why is this grill so poorly designed? Why are the parts outside the kettle itself so flimsy? This drove my father, an engineer, nuts. He once wrote to the Weber company offering his design ideas. He never heard back. Silly them.

I'm thinking about my Dad today because he was a career U. S. Army officer and at one of his early posts -- at Watertown Arsenal, when it was a working ordinance facility -- he learned to grill. He had met a fellow officer at a picnic on base. Families would gather in an outdoor area where there were tables and big brick grills anyone could use. This other officer, a West Point graduate whom my father admired, came from Texas. He made steaks with barbecue sauce. My father, raised in Brockton by a widowed mother who spoke no English, had never had anything like it and spent the rest of his life perfecting his own sauce.

At one point, we lived on an arsenal outside Philadelphia in a house that was so large, you could stand in the fireplace. (The building was cut up into apartments soon after we lived there.) When my parents entertained, my father cooked right in the fireplace, steaks with barbecue sauce, all seasons.

Memo to customer service at Weber: Had you listened to my father, you might be sending a great product into the marketplace today. Something everyone I know would not complain about. Dig out that letter. 

Food section contributor Sally Vargas, who is also a photographer (this is her shot), brought these exceptional crackers to my house this week. She was sick of paying through the nose for similar crackers that are commercially made, so she started making her own. They take a little patience, but the results are remarkable.

Been working on Coronation chicken, the dish the girls of the Cordon Bleu Cookery School made for Queen Elizabeth at her elevation to the British throne 60 years ago. Chicken breasts sit on a bed of rice tossed with carrots, tomatoes, almonds, raisins, vinaigrette, and more. The white meat is covered with a delectable curried mayonnaise. I learned it at the London CB and have been making it ever since.

Forgive the less than elegant background. I shot this while it was waiting to go onto the "set" in my dining room a couple days ago, where talented photographer Michele McDonald took a real shot for publication.

Did not begin with many whole birds, bone out the breasts, and poach them as we did at the CB. Also did not make mayo from scratch, especially for this, since the curry mixture, something like Worcestershire, is the dominant taste. Began with boned breasts, of course (oh, the convenience!)  Wanted to give the platter a little sprucing up, but since it's glorious to begin with, only added micro arugula to the edges.

Look for the recipe in the Boston Globe on Wednesday, May 30, in time for the Queen's jubilee.

Last month, I spoke to several sophomore English classes at the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science in Roxbury. The students there are working on a food-writing project, for which they are composing culinary memoirs and reviews. (See some of their reviews here. They have pretty good taste in restaurants.) During the classes, teacher Ian Doreian and I had them taste different kinds of cheese and write descriptions of each. The two best descriptions would win a prize: attending a review dinner with me and their teacher.

All of the students were amazing, but two descriptions clearly stood out, written by Brysen A. Greene and Gabriela Maldonado. The four of us shared a dinner at the Painted Burro, which I reviewed this week. I asked them to offer their takes, as well. Here they are:

Photos/Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe

"The food, which was not much my taste, was okay. The spicy corn appetizer, however, stands out the most. Corn is not one of my favorite vegetables, but this was a dish I had to remember," writes Brysen A. Greene.

By Brysen A. Greene

Over my Spring Break, I had the pleasure of dining with Devra First, my English teacher, Mr. Doreian, and one of my peers, Gabriela. We went to The Painted Burro, a unique Mexican restaurant. The paintings, lightly placed on each wall, caught my attention the most. Through the dim lighting, and loud conversation, I managed to focus on the artwork throughout my entire experience. The food, which was not much my taste, was okay. The spicy corn appetizer, however, stands out the most. Corn is not one of my favorite vegetables, but this was a dish I had to remember. Dessert, as always, was my absolute favorite. The avocado coconut ice cream and tres leches were probably the best part of my whole night.

I may not go to the Painted Burro for a meal, but I will definitely be dragging my Dad there for dessert in the next month!

"Let me say I congratulate their guacamole for being so creamy and soft. It went well with the chips that were set on the table in small buckets. I found the buckets to be rather creative," writes Gabriela Maldonado.

By Gabriela Maldonado

The Painted Burro was indisputably surprising; I didn't expect there
to be a bar directly across from me, loud chatter, and waitresses who
insisted on taking away my salad. It was a dimly lit rectangle with
hardly anywhere to move. The waitresses had about them a flirty feel,
with a pound of makeup on their faces and serious expressions. What
were very acceptable to me about this restaurant were the waiters
constantly walking up and down the aisles to refill my glass of water.
It was unnecessary to ask or take the pitcher up myself; they did it
all. As I took a look at the menu, I became appalled by the strange
dishes and the even stranger names given to them. I read "Chupacabra
tacos" (which by the way were delicious), and I panicked a bit. The
only thing recognizable to me was the word "Salad" and I picked it. I
received a huge mountain of green salad with old cheese sprinkled on
top. I would've liked it more without the old cheese, but it was
pretty good. Above from the unusual names, the feel of a Friday night,
and the shouting, there was the taste of the food in general. Let me
say I congratulate their guacamole for being so creamy and soft. It
went well with the chips that were set on the table in small buckets.
I found the buckets to be rather creative. The tacos, as I mentioned,
had the most tender, juicy meat my teeth had every ripped apart. My
entree followed the chips, and I chose the Street Cart Chicken. They
gave me half of a chicken with fried plantains. Accompanying the dish
was a very large knife to cut it with. I thought this was very cute,
and liked it very much. The meat of the chicken was sweet and easy to
bite into. The plantains were more than I could ask for. They were
delectable. The dessert was next, and I admit, I became excited. I
applaud their tres leches because it did not fall apart like others
I've had; it remained intact the whole time I was attacking it. The
chocolate mousse was rich. However, the only addition to the dessert
that ruined it was the overflowing, bitter taste of the cranberry
sauce on top. It was hard to get past it to the mousse. Overall, the
desserts were incredible. I believe that the restaurant has a talent
for making the food erupt with taste and flavor. Perhaps, if it wasn't
a Friday night, it would be a lot quieter. Nevertheless, the
restaurant was an enjoyable place to talk and eat.

Not sure why we never went to Montreal and Quebec City in one long trip (though several visits to Montreal only). We ate extraordinarily well, beginning at Le Comptoir Charcuteries et Vins, (above) which was very crowded when we arrived without a reservation. In Montreal, establishments cannot serve wine at the bar unless you're also eating and all those spaces were spoken for.

We had walked three miles in the rain (though not uphill and backwards, only uphill) -- we kept thinking it would be on the next block, then the next block -- past other favorite spots like Schwartz's Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen, where the smoked meats are stacked in the window (it's now owned by Celine Dion, her husband Rene Angelil and others; a hotelier told us there are rumors of expansion to the U.S.) and Moishe's steakhouse, a remarkable spot we visited years ago.

We told the young man doing the seating at Le Comptoir that we had no idea we would need a reservation to have a drink and a nibble, were visiting from Boston, had trekked for miles, etc. He settled us into two high stools by the glassed-in vestibule from which we ordered a platter of housemade charcuterie, pork sandwiches, several glasses of hipster wine and other delights. Three more miles back to the hotel, which we needed after all that pig.

The next night we reserved at Au Cinquieme Peche (I don't know how to put on accents, but Peche has an aigu on both e's; translation is "At Fifth Sin," which is gluttony). A platter of seal cooked several ways (sausage, cured, sauteed until rare) did seem like an exercise in gourmandise. The  French-born co-owners are brothers Benoit (above, left) and Benjamin Lenglet. Benoit is in the kitchen, while Benjamin works the dining room enthusiastically explaining the blackboard menu and touting one of their many natural wines. The closest restaurant we have in Boston to Cinquieme may be Jason Bond's cozy Bondir.

Later that week in Quebec City, we sipped Quebecois wine at the bar in the luxurious Relais & Chateaux Auberge Saint-Antoine (the only thing we could afford there), before walking to the edge of the water to the rambling, boisterous Cafe du Monde, which was filled with locals and a handful of tourists (it's slightly off the beaten track). This amiable brasserie with its friendly staff offers a menu of Quebecoise classics, all adequately done, none spectacular.

In our travels, we met a law professor from Virginia who is a serious foodie and told us about Panache restaurant in the Auberge Saint-Antoine, which he loved, but he warned us about how expensive it would be. That's all we needed to know. Instead, we sought out Panache's trendy new offshoot, Bistro B on Avenue Cartier (the street where I would live if I lived in QC).

Bistro B has the chummy feel of a neighborhood haunt and sports a large open kitchen. Not just a place you can peek into, but four chefs working and plating food in the center of the bar, so you can watch the choreography. These are skilled chefs. But somehow the food wasn't as good as the show. Sweetbreads were delicious and a little crusty outside, salmon tartare was remarkable, but a plate of spaghetti with a pork sauce (not that we have anything against repurposing pork from last night's dinner) was warmed-over chop suey.

On the way home, we stopped at Osteria Pane e Salute in Woodstock, Vt., to say hello to a pair of our favorite restaurateurs, Caleb Barber (above, left), an extraordinary cook, and the charming, effervescent Deirdre Heekin, and made a detour to their home the next day to look at the gardens, greenhouses, orchard, and vines that supply vegetables, herbs, and flowers to their tables.

Now (boo, hiss) it's back to real life. 

The Boston restaurant community is an uncommonly generous one. And when a friend is in need, everyone bands together to help out.

This time, the guy in need is Vinny Sapochetti of Neptune Oyster (above). At the end of April, a car accident left him with a brain injury. His recovery is going to take some time. Colleagues, friends, and family are banding together to raise money to help pay his bills while he is out of work.

To that end, a fund-raiser and auction take place Monday, May 28, at the Hotel Commonwealth from 5-10 p.m. (Find all the details here.)

To understand the generosity of the restaurant community, just look at the long list of businesses stepping in to help: Neptune Oyster, Toro, Vee Vee, Eastern Standard, Island Creek Oyster Bar, Les Zygomates, Sorriso, Strip T's, Sweet Cheeks, Uni, Oleana, Citizen Public House, The Gallows, Russell House Tavern, bridgestreet, Silvertone, Trina's Starlite Lounge, Sofra, Flour, Sam's, Ruby Wines, MS Walker, Martignetti, Horizon Beverage Company, Harpoon, Inspired Beverage Inc., Night Shift Brewing, Craft Beer Guild, Jack's Abby Brewing, Rapscallion Brewing, Berkshire Brewing Company, and Peak Organic Brewing Company.

With that group, the food and drink are guaranteed to be excellent. Tickets to the event are $105 and include food and two drinks. Or make a donation here.

We'll admit to being a little in love with the analytic tool known as the quad chart.   There's seduction in the way it gives clarity to certain kinds of ideas one struggles to achieve by other means.

The quad above is a result of our interest in a phenomenon we've been watching for a few years now:  the fashion among younger wine enthusiasts and the retail shops and sommeliers who cater to them away from well-known wine producing regions and international varietals toward lesser known regions, hyper-local cultivars, and a naturalist approach to winemaking.  It's been clear for some time now that what once was a modest outpost of wine counter-culture is migrating toward the normative -  not at your local Abe & Louie's certainly, but in smaller, independent, mostly urban restos/wine bars with a claim to have their fingers on the pulse. 

In this world, the height of cool is the bar where you don't recognize anything on the wine list and whatever is there can say (with a degree of plausibility) that it pretty much made itself.

Today the Globe writes about local success Pretty Things. Are you a fan of their beer?

We also review the Painted Burro in Somerville this week. Have you been? What are your thoughts?

Tim Cushman of o ya wins a James Beard award. Guy Fieri is in town. Shake Shack is coming. We'll talk about that and more at 11.

AXA is a big French insurance company that also owns a number of important wine properties. The wine part of the business is run by Englishman Christian Seely whose blog I peek in on now and then. I don't normally find it the most interesting writing on the web, since it often has a promotional tone to it that's rather off-putting. His most recent post explains why it's worth the occasional look in.

It's a four video tour of AXA's Domaine Disznoko property in Hungary where the miraculously luscious Tokaji Aszu is made. The films are each just a few minutes long, but the quality of the content is very high indeed and as an explainer of how the process works it's like nothing I've ever seen.

The short films show the multi-stage, two-month long harvest of shriveled, botrytized grapes, and the vinification and aging of the wine that was once one of the world's most sought-after luxuries and a fixture at the Tsarist and Austro-Hungarian courts.  

The production values are extremely high, though I suggest you click the link that takes you directly to their Youtube channel where you can view in full-screen HD. 

Breaking my heart now that when I was in Hungary three years ago, Tokaj wasn't on the itinerary. 

Globe Staff File Photo/Mark Wilson

Olives has been unofficially feeding people for a few days now, getting back in gear and using guests as guinea pigs to try out dishes new and old. (The food was free, but they paid for their own drinks.) Thursday, the reopening is official.

"So many people have come up and said, 'We're so happy to have you back,'" says chef Todd English.

But don't expect English and crew to be serving the kind of Big Food pictured above, the way Olives served customers circa 1996.

"I find more people want to eat a little less. My generation, we're all watching our figures," English says. "They want to go to the bar and eat a few snacks, have a couple of cocktails or glasses of wine, and go home. People don't sit down at the table and have a whole three or four courses."

The bar at Olives previously sat 15 people. Now, English says, it seats about 45. The restaurant has been renovated, and the bar is right at the center of things. "You can't get a seat at the bar all night long right now, and we're not even open," he says. "I bought more bar stools than I bought regular chairs." There will be plenty of wines by the glass, including some special-blend keg wines from California.

The menu reflects the shift in the way we eat. It features small plates, three or four kinds of bread one can order a la carte, pasta dishes, plenty of sides and salads, and some larger plates for those who want them. The dessert menu follows suit. There will be classics like souffles and chocolate cake, but also bite-size options.

"We are going to have a section on the menu that just says 'feed me,'" English says. "We'll charge $20 and send out small plates. There will be some classic stuff, like the carpaccio that's been on the menu for 20 years, the tortelli that's been on since Day 1, the tartare." But there will also be plenty of new dishes. A few he's especially excited about:

- Duck with Berber spices that's cooked buried in ginger, with duck leg confit and foie gras. "It's so very aromatic."

- Sweet pea panna cotta with morel Parmesan sauce.

- Ceviche with tamarind and soy.

- Tarts topped with classic roasted tomato, mortadella and Fontina, asparagus and duck egg, and more. "The tarts I'm really excited about," English says. "I've been playing around with the dough. I don't want to do pizzas there because we do them down the street [at Figs]. It's kind of like a mille-feuille meets pizza dough for the tarts. We roll butter into it and bake it in the brick oven. It's coming out pretty delicious."

English brought over many Olives staffers from Mohegan Sun, including executive chef James Klewin, who more recently worked at David Burke Prime at Foxwoods. As for English, "I'll be there a lot," he says. "My schedule in the summer dies down a little, so it's not as crazy, and I'll definitely be there to get the place open and make sure it's on the right path." Also staffing the place this summer, his kids: Isabelle, 19, will be at the door, splitting her time between Olives and cupcake spot Curly Cakes. Simon, 16, has been cooking a lot with his father, and perhaps he'll turn up in the kitchen -- "depending on his acting career," English says. He got called back for a part in an Adam Sandler movie that's filming in Marblehead. (Oldest son Oliver is following in his father's footsteps, too. He graduates from Cornell's hospitality program this year and spent last summer in Paris, working for Alain Ducasse. "Hopefully I'll hand him the keys and he can take over," English says.)

And the rest of English's family? The brick-and-mortar kind?

Well, Kingfish Hall appears to be done. "There's a new landlord, and I'm trying to renegotiate, but it's probably not going to happen," English says. "I'll probably just move on from there and look for something else down the road. Right now I want to focus on Olives anyway. Things have to change. Twelve years in Faneuil Hall, that's a good run for a restaurant." The New York Olives, temporarily closed, has been renovated and is open again. In the future, he says, he would think about opening something on Boston's bustling waterfront. (He had first crack at the Del Frisco's space but didn't have the resources to do it at the time.) And, naturally, the casinos would be an option. "I've already been talking to those guys."

"I'm still ambitious," he says. "I'm not retiring by any stretch of the imagination."

This season on “Food Network Star,” 15 contestants (including North Attleborough pastry chef Linkie Marais) were hand-picked to work in teams of five with one of three mentors, Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis, and new addition Alton Brown. Flay spoke with us yesterday about the show, the new era of television chefs, and where he likes to eat around Boston. “Food Network Star” returns with a two-hour premiere Sunday at 9 p.m. on Food Network. There is also a casting special Saturday at 9 p.m.

Internet search engines have taught us the usefulness of the 'more like this' function. Find one thing that hits the spot, then ask for more results that deliver more or less the same goods.   

When suppertime rolled around last Sunday night and I had an open bottle of a favorite red wine standing by (2008 Closerie des Alisiers Hautes Cotes de Beaune), I decided not to trek down to the cellar for another bottle - even though what was coming out of the oven made the choice a bit incongruous

It was fresh flounder filets, rolled into fat little packages, capped with sliced Tiny Tom tomatoes and baked under a sheaf of parchment paper.  Also on the plate, a slice of potato tart from a photo shoot earlier in the week, and a bundle of the season's first native asparagus bought that morning at Wilson Farms.  

I knew the wine to be light, fresh, and juicy - certainly lighter than any number of whites one might replace it with.  It seemed like a perfect time to revisit the question of whether red wine and fish can routinely make a successful team or whether the old rule that enjoins avoiding the match-up is worth heeding.

The answer: you can happily sip red wine (at least this red wine) with your fish (at least this fish)  . . .  you just can't sip red wine with fish and asparagus! 

Stephen Meuse can be reached at bytheglass@globe.com

Todd English's Olives has miraculously reopened. Michael Schlow's Happy's Bar & Kitchen opens Wednesday, when Boston Speed Dog's new truck debuts. Noma is No. 1 on the list of the world's 50 best restaurants again,and the James Beard awards are coming right up. We'll talk about food and restaurants, local and beyond, on our food chat Wednesday, May 2, at 11 a.m.

My friend whose (now ex) husband went on to greener pastures decided to throw herself a divorce party last weekend. The cake reads:

I do

I did

I'm done

Wife goes on

Notice the little leg sticking out from under the wedding cake! The upside down confection was made by Jen Day, owner of Le Cookie du Jour in Duxbury. Guests raved about the cake -- what it said and how it tasted. 

A friend in Western Mass was out the other day and discovered a field of wild ramps. They are also known as wild leeks. The bulbs are white with purple tinge and though many people put them into all kinds of dishes, they are very strong, almost garlicky.

Here is what Ingrid MacGillis wrote from Western Mass:

"I was just out in the woods behind the house to pick ramps. And voila, 40 minutes later, I have a big bowl of pesto. I make it differently each time, so I can't deliver a fixed recipe, but there are so many online if you want a specific one.

"This time I used pecans (only because I was out of walnuts) and I chopped them separately because I wanted nice chunks, not pecan meal. Then, let's see what cheese I had. There, about 1 cup of Parmesan.

"I tied the big fat bunch of ramps together with a long twisty tie to make the transfer from blanching water to ice water easier, then drained the bunch in a colander, spread the leaves on a kitchen towel, rolled them up, and added them to the cheese in the food processor. Whir, whir, pour in [my daugher] Lucy's olive oil, then transfer the green pulp to the bowl with the chopped nuts, add a bit of salt. Mmmmm.

"All in an hour, including the nice stroll in the woods."

It's easy to forget that at one time the celebrated  vineyards of northern Europe were nothing more than wooded hillsides. The Romans, who generally took the long view of things, planted vines wherever they thought there was a chance they would thrive. The further north they moved, the more challenging viticulture became. In higher northern latitudes the cold can be severe enough to winter-kill vines; sunlight so meager grapes do not ripen sufficiently to make a  stable, palatable wine.