Page 47 of Songs of Summer

one onion, diced,

four cloves garlic, minced,

one cup mushrooms, roughly chopped,

one cup zucchini, diced.”

“What’s the difference between minced, diced, and chopped?” V asked her wordsmith sister.

“I think minced is the smallest, then diced, then chopped.”

V nodded and continued setting aside the items in the recipe.

“Half a cup carrots, diced,

half a cup bell peppers, diced,

one bay leaf,

one teaspoon paprika,

one pinch saffron,

a quarter cup white wine.”

“To Mom,” Bea said, before taking a swig.

They both chuckled.

“Two cups short grain rice,

five cups lobster stock,

one pound cockles.”

“Oh my God, remember how hard we used to laugh when Mom said, ‘Hand me the cockles!’ Did you even buy cockles?” Veronica inquired.

“Nah. I just got littlenecks.”

“One pound mussels,

one pound squid,

one pound shrimp or langoustines, peeled and deveined.”

“I’ll leave the seafood in the fridge till we’re done chopping, but I got all of it,” Bea assured.

“A half cup peas,

a quarter cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped,

salt and pepper, to taste,

lemons, for serving.”

“And that’s it!”

“You know we have to quadruple all of this,” Bea informed V.

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