I have decided my new favorite salad is zucchini cut as thinly as you can, close to paper even, and then tossing them with a little salt, olive olive oil, balsamic and lemon, not so much balsamic so that you can’t taste anything else, but enough to know it’s in there.  Over a very low heat in a dry pan, toast pine nuts until barely golden.  Thow those in with the zucchini, using about about 4 parts zucchini to one part pine nuts.  Add the same amount of raisins as pine nuts.  Drizzle tiny arugula leaves with olive oil, lemon and salt.  Combine everything and toss.  Add some finely diced shallot or if you have the energy, roasted onion that has been roasted with balsamic, sugar, orange juice and olive oil, and then sliced when it is completely soft and cooled from the oven.  Resist grating cheese in.  It is important to taste things just as they are sometimes.

This is beautiful with a piece of absolutely fresh fish that has been grilled over a wood fire.  When the fish is done, just drizzle with a little of your best olive oil, sprinkle with salt and squeeze with lemon.

Half my group has gone to Florence today and half of them have gone to Siena.  There is no telling when they go off to a big city what time they’ll be back.  It is hard in an Italian city, not to be seduced by nearly every turn that leads to just beyond where you are.