Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo? Well, it’s Valentine’s Day so really, what other tale of star-crossed love, murder and suicide could I possibly blog about on this day of hearts and romance than Romeo and Juliet? Seriously though, during my recent move, I finally found my huge book of Shakespeare’s plays which had been lost for awhile, and decided to browse through it and see what culinary inspiration I could find.

I’d forgotten what a beautifully written play it is, and for a tale filled with men fighting, bloodshed, poison and death, it’s actually quite hilarious in certain parts. The Nurse, for example, is a marvelous comedic foil to Juliet’s drama, and I never truly realized how wonderful the character of Mercutio is, by turns witty, sarcastic, declamatory and with some really humorous lines, though he is also pretty crass at times, especially at the Nurse’s expense. There…