I decided to avoid turning on the oven this time; it’s the medium I use to prepare shrimp using my more usual, and probably favorite, simple recipe. I think the alternative I chose, that involved several pans on top of the range, may have heated up the kitchen and breakfast room more than the oven would have, but it was a pleasant change, and delicious.

• squid prepared mostly according to this recipe of Josē Pizarro, using a pound of cleaned squid from American Seafood Company, one yellow onion from S. & S.O. Produce Farms, red fingerlings from Norwich Meadows Farm, peperoncino Calabresi secchia from Buon Italia, one spring/fresh garlic bulb from Berried Treasures Farm, fresh thyme from Stokes Farm, Columela Rioja 30 Year Reserva sherry vinegar, and flat leaf parsley from John D. Madura Farms
• a mix of red grape tomatoes from Kernan Farms and golden cherry tomatoes from Alex’s Tomato Farm, heated gently in a little olive oil, seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, with a mix of chopped herbs remaining from a couple of recent meals sprinkled on top
• the wine was an Italian (Sicily) white, Baglio di Grìsi Grillo 2016, from Eataly Vino
• the music was an inspired mix of the song of our resident garden Mockingbird and Ravi Shankar’s 1956 album, ‘Three Ragas’