Calabrese

By mid morning I have the black Orpington cockerel plucked and butchered. The carcass and thighs go straight into the slow cooker with a bottle of red wine and a handful of fresh Ceps.

As the day draws to a close, we sit on the porch with a pastis, watching the light fade through the newly unwrapped windows. Owen picks three huge cobs of corn and cooks them in the air fryer. They’re delicious.

Meanwhile, potatoes barely out of the ground are in the steamer, the coq au vin is thickening in the pot, and the calabrese is waiting for a short blast of steam. We carry the pots down to the veg store and eat in style as the sun sets and the wind rises.

Bottles of wine come and go. The night completes its descent. Owen, and then Nick, stumble off to their beds. I close up the chicken coop and fall into my bed. What a good day.