Canarino Tea

Today may be the first day of spring but from the weather outside you might not know it. The day started with a ferocious downpour of rain. In the late morning there was a burst of sunshine that lasted until mid-afternoon. During my late afternoon walk with the dog I was once again pelted with rain (without my umbrella) along with some some fierce winds. Hmmm, maybe this is fairly typical spring weather after all …

While I am feeling pretty glad to see the end of winter there will be a few things that I will be sad to see go with the end of the season. Braises and soups, scarves and sweaters, reading by the fire. Happily, there is still an amazing array of citrus fruits that should be around for at least a few more weeks. The last culinary gasp of winter.

My dear friend Sarolta is making a big batch of blood orange “limoncello” this week and we have been eating a whole lot of citrus salads with fennel around here. The Meyer lemons at the neighbourhood grocers are so inspiring and I have plans tomorrow to make a new batch of preserved lemons. I promise to post a recipe for these soon and until then I will leave you with a wonderful tea that I have been enjoying on these west coast chilly (and rainy) afternoons. A lovely and invigorating tisane, no matter what the weather.

Canarino tea (named for the colour of canaries) is an end of the meal staple in Florence. Purists make it with only the peel of lemons steeped in hot water but it is always nice to add a bit of a herbal note with some sprigs rosemary. Fresh bay leaves or sprigs thyme works nicely here too.

The perfect thing, served alongside your favourite cookie, for a blustery, early spring afternoon.