Recipe

Many years ago, I came across a copy of The Best from Libby Hillman's Kitchen: Treasured Recipes from 50 Years of Cooking and Teaching (Woodstock, VT: Countryman Press, 1993). I had never heard of her, but at the time we were living not very far from the Vermont town in which she lived. I learned that she had been quite a teacher and cookbook writer in Great Neck, NY, before moving up to southern Vermont to live near her daughter, who ran a restaurant, and also to live near Marlboro College, with its great summer music festival (she was also a musician; a Julliard graduate, as a matter of fact).

We had been going to the West Brattleboro Farmer's Market waaaay back then, and I finally put the redoubtable lady determinedly going from booth to booth with her basket under her arm together with her author photo on the dust jacket. It was secretly thrilling to see an actual author ambulate about the proceedings.

Although I don't cook very often from her book, there is a little recipe that goes with EVERYTHING. She called it Dry Rub, but we call it Libby's Rub, and you will not want to be without it ever again. It goes with beef, pork, chicken, oven roasted potatoes—well, you decide. We double this:

1/4 cup kosher salt
1 T pepper
1/2 t dry mustard
1/2 t allspice
1 T each thyme and marjoram
1/4 t cayenne pepper

Mix up and store in a lidded jar.

Still looking up, Betty! I think we made it. Are you ready for another go in JUNE??