Natural medicine

I read at least two articles from each issue of the New England Journal, Neurology, and Current Infectious Disease Reports. Part of this week's reading was this case from NEJM. Told he was not a candidate for fecal transplant but still seeking relief from his symptoms, the patient performed a home fecal transplant. Home fecal transplant. HOME FECAL TRANSPLANT. I don't even want to think about how he actually performed this procedure.

Ready to eat?

This is bush basil. There are actually several cultivars that can go by that name, including spicy globe basil, Greek bush basil, and dwarf bush basil; I'm not sure which this is. All three varieties are intensely herbal and are particularly good to eat raw both because the leaves are so tiny they don't need to be torn or chopped, which can be unsightly if the edges oxidize, and because they have no trace of the bitter funk that your classic basil can get. Also, my internet research tells me that in western Africa, particularly Sierra Leone, bush basil is used as an antipyretic. Now I can work at Bellevue with no fear of Ebola!

I muddled some of it with my fancy olive oil and a drop of lemon juice for these flatbreads, and sprinkled more on top. There is also fig, fresh corn, caramelized onions deglazed with white wine, and ricotta, with a healthy sprinkle of black pepper. I put some raw bush basil leaves on top.

Using red wine vinegar and the olive oily tomato juice from yesterday's cobbler, I made a quick vinaigrette for an arugula salad topper. This is possibly the best vinaigrette ever. Make the cobbler just so you can make this vinaigrette.