Mustering the troops

I’m getting ready for a week of Roman cookery.

spicy cheering squad is less blurry in real life than in this photo

I inspected the spice pantry to see what I’d need to pick up tomorrow. At a cursory sniff, they all seem to have stored well since the last Roman banquet, even though it was a long while ago. I can substitute fresh oregano, mint, and a few other herbs from the garden if those disappoint.

(spoiler for Monday’s guest post on Roman food: I did not sniff the asafoetida, even though, as I recall, this brand isn’t nearly as strong as the batch I got from a tiny little herb shop the first time I cooked Roman style.)