Back from Florence

I just returned from a brilliant set of conferences in Florence. The joint paper with Rob Lamb on Fenelon went without a hitch. We had some pointed questions, but I think we handled our selves amicably and astutely. In general the conference on the Passions and Virtues was academically very rewarding. The papers were tightly composed. The crowning event, in my estimation, was a newly retired professor, Nick Phillipson from Edinburgh, presenting on Adam Smith. It was a flowering of a lifetime's work and scholarship. His erudition on all manner of subjects was astounding, and he brought all of this together in a honed performance.

The other conference I attended in Florence was evaluating Early English Books Online. This was fabulous . Academically rewarding as well as technically stimulating. I am something of a geek, so I'm excited about how this sort of internet service really leverages much of what the internet can do for academics. I learned quite a bit about using EEBO, and I think I helped other people explore its possibilities through my report on how I use it in my research.

I got back into England last week, and Ahreum and I celebrated our two year dating anniversary. I was inspired by all the wonderful food I was fed in Florence, and I pulled out all the cooking stops to recreate something of a Tuscan feast. Of course I can't help but improvise, so whether what I made was in any real sense Tuscan is open to doubt, but it borrows the spirit and the feel of Tuscan cuisine.

My prized creation, in Ahreum's opinion, was a newly invented pasta dish, at least for me. One uses spaghetti (enough for two large or three medium sized portions. 4 or 5 cloves of garlic. A package of ricotta cheese (UK sainsbury's or Tesco's standard size, I think a US package is likely to be two large), a little milk, about 4 good handfuls of young spinach, and a dash of nutmeg. Begin by bringing some olive oil to a low/medium temperature in a saucepan. In another saucepan or stock pot, bring some water to the boil and put in plenty of salt. Dice the garlic, season with salt and pepper and lightly fry for about two minutes. Don't let it brown up, or this will damage the flavour. Then start adding the spinach a handful at a time with salt and pepper to season. At this point the spaghetti should go into stockpot. When the spinach has wilted and been nicely cooked add in the ricotta cheese and stir so it melts and breaks down. Grate a bit of nutmeg in. Not too much or it will be overpowering. Then use an immersion blender to blitz the sauce into a finer consistency. A splash of olive oil and a splash of milk (or potentially cream) finish the sauce. When the pasta is finished drain and put it into the spinach sauce. Return to the whole dish to the heat and stir together for about a minute or two. Done.

Tomorrow, I am back to the teaching grind at Exeter. But at least Ahreum is here to visit this weekend. And today is her birthday, too. Happy birthday to Ahreum. I am told her age is sensitive information, so I can't really say how old she is. But it is somewhere between 1 and 100, I assure you all.

Once more into the breach,

Ben