the good juice

 I’m not sure what I like more…the look on my husbands face when I drink the “green juice” or the fact that I get a healthy bolt of energy after drinking a glass of freshly juiced fruits and vegetables.  It’s probably both.

With an increased effort to take my nutritional intake up a notch I’ve invested in a top of the line juicer to help me achieve this goal.  I use a Breville juicer  to make a blend of spinach or kale, celery, cucumber, carrot, and some fruit- either pear, apple, pomegranate, plum, peach, or pineapple and a small piece of gingerroot for a spicy kick.  

    

An efficient and well-designed juicer extracts all the liquid and nutrients from fruits and vegetables, peel and all.  It couldn’t be easier.  I also love the fact I can go through my refrigerator and use up all those leftover veggies before they cross over the “line” if you know what I mean.

But more than health, more than nutritional balance, more than even the time-saving benefits of a cleansing breakfast in a glass (or the look on my husbands face), the reason I love to juice everyday is because of my “inner budding scientist” and that “artist at heart”.  

Juicing allows me to bring my own creative interpretation to nature’s bounty, to bring some order to the chaos of the fruit bowl and a little sense to the vegetables.  Juicing lets me take A + B and make C.  What’s more, there’s lots of noise, and things splash about, and different sizes and shapes go in and liquid comes out, it may be slushy or smooth or frothy and thick, and sometimes it’s sunset pink but other times deep crimson or vivid green.

There are few times in life when you can give such free rein to your inner artist and feel safe in the knowledge that the results will rarely be less than excellent or beneficial. What could be better?

Enjoy!

Shannon

Green Machine

This has become my favorite morning starter, but it changes depending on what I have on hand.

For 2 servings:  Juice 1 unpeeled cucumber, 1 good handful of greens-spinach, kale, or Swiss chard, 1 apple, a celery stalk and a 1-inch piece of fresh ginger in an electric juicer.  Divide between 2 glasses.

Suggested reading: Squeezed  250 juices, smoothies and spritzers  by Jane Lawson

a little inspiration and some soup

Garlic may be available year-round, but the season for young garlic is terribly short, only a few weeks in spring and early summer. At a recent jaunt to the farmers’ market I stumbled across a crate of these naked-looking new bulbs, soil still clinging to their roots and stalks. Their nearly skinless, barely formed cloves have a crunch similar to Granny Smith apples. These immature heads when harvested early are filled with a milky juice that is both pungent and sugary.

For the time-pressed cook, young garlic has a practical payoff: there is no need to remove the annoying raspy skins, as with mature garlic. You can slice and sauté an entire head like an onion, and the green parts of the young garlic are also edible.  Young garlic is an excellent candidate for soups, roasting alongside meats and puréeing for mashed potatoes, aioli and the like.

Coming away from the market with new found inspiration as well as a bunch of beautiful young garlic, some spinach and a couple of potatoes, I rushed home and got cooking.

Enjoy!

Shannon

Young Garlic & Spinach Soup
Inspired by Heidi Swanson

serves 4-6

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

3 young garlic bulbs with green stalks, bulbs cut into small dice, and green stalks sliced into 1 inch lengths*

2 russet potatoes, unpeeled, ½ inch dice

1 bunch spinach

1 quart chicken stock

¼ cup crème fraîche

½ tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Start by washing the spinach really well in several changes of water. Spinach tends to hold dirt on the leaves and stems. Rinse until the water runs clear. Set aside.

In a good sized soup pot melt the butter over low heat until it is softly foaming. Add the young garlic, stems and all and cook until softened and translucent, 5-8 minutes. Add potatoes to the garlic along with the stock and simmer, covered for 20 minutes until potatoes are tender. Take off the stove and add the spinach, stir in until wilted. Purée in small batches using a conventional blender (or you can use an immersion blender if you have one). If using a conventional blender use caution. The hot liquid can create pressure and burst out of the top. To insure against this, use a kitchen towel over the lid holding down firmly. Once puréed add back to the pot and heat gently. Whisk in crème fraîche, add freshly grated nutmeg and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve, garnished with chive blossoms if desired.

*If you have trouble finding the young garlic, a substitute of 1 bunch green onions and 3 cloves of garlic would be fine.

a little lunch and a word on labne

I love the back-palate fieriness that radishes give. Pair that with some hard-cooked farm-fresh eggs, a bit of flaky sea salt and a simple toasted crostini smeared with some homemade Labne and you have a perfect breakfast, lunch or mid-day snack.

Labne is a cheese made from drained Greek style yogurt. It is a Middle Eastern favorite and very easy to make at home. It is delicious used as a spread and can be used as a substitute instead of butter.

When raw materials are this alluring, it just makes me smile.

Enjoy!
Shannon

Line a fine sieve with 2 layers of damp muslin, allowing the muslin to overhang. Combine thick natural yogurt, such as Greek-style yogurt, and a little salt in a bowl (this helps draw out the whey). Spoon into the muslin. Draw up the corners of the muslin to cover the yogurt mixture and knot securely. Thread a wooden spoon through the knot and place over a bowl to drain in the fridge for 2-3 days or until the yogurt is very thick. Labne can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

alla primavera

“Primavera” literally means first spring. Pasta primavera is an Italian-American dish that consists of pasta and fresh vegetables. Some recipes include chicken, sausage or shrimp, but the focus of primavera is the vegetables themselves. The dish is typically highlighted by light flavors, aromatic herbs and bright colors.

I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of English peas and fava beans, (also known as broad beans) at my local farm stand. Finally on a recent outing I found them, a little mound of each just waiting for me, and thought they would make a lovely addition in a pasta primavera.

I decided on a simply cooked pasta, tossed with some fresh ricotta loosened by a little of the pasta cooking water. Topped with a sprinkling of freshly torn mint and green onions it made a wonderful spring luncheon dish that was perfect served at room temperature.

This kind of dish works well with a simple roasted chicken, or a small rack of lamb, and if the weather warm, this would be a wonderful meal savored outside.

Enjoy!
Shannon
 

 
Pasta Primavera
serves 4

1 pound fresh English peas, shelled
1 pound fresh fava beans, shelled (double podding*)
1 pound pasta (spaghetti or linguine)
1 cup ricotta cheese
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
¼ cup mint, torn in pieces (plus more for garnish)
½ cup sliced spring onions
Olive oil
Salt & freshly ground pepper


Fill a large stockpot with water toss in some salt and bring to a boil; meanwhile prepare an ice bath. Place fava beans in a sieve, and lower into the water. Let water return to a boil, about 1 minute; blanch 1 minute more. Remove sieve from water, and place beans in ice bath. Transfer to a colander; drain. Peel and discard tough outer skins; set favas aside. Using same blanching water and sieve, blanch peas until just tender and bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove sieve from water; transfer peas to ice bath. Transfer peas to a colander, drain and set aside.

Discard blanching water; fill stockpot with fresh water. Add some salt and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente.

Meanwhile, combine ricotta, Parmesan, mint, and some salt and pepper to taste. Just before pasta has finished cooking, add 1 cup cooking water to ricotta mixture; stir to combine.

Drain pasta, and transfer to a serving bowl. Add a glug of olive oil and toss. Add ricotta, reserved fava beans, and peas. Toss to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle with mint leaves and green onions; serve.

*Double podding fava beans may seem a bit tedious, but it transforms them from a tough, dull vegetable into tender beans that are beautiful to look at and a treat to eat.

soups on

Here is a tasty option for some of those Thanksgiving leftovers once the stuffing and gravy have been finished off. By adding some stock, and diced turkey, along with a little bacon (never a bad idea) and a few winter vegetables you can create another meal that will warm you up on a chilly evening.  And thankfully you don't have to even turn on the oven. 

Enjoy!
Shannon


Roast Turkey and Winter Vegetable “Chowder”
Adapted from The Thanksgiving Table by Diane Morgan

3 slices bacon
1 large yellow onion, cut into ½ inch dice
2 ribs celery, cut into ½ inch dice
2 large Yukon potatoes cut into ½ inch dice
1 butternut squash, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and cut into ½ dice
7 cups turkey stock or canned low-sodium chicken stock
1 medium zucchini, cut into ½ inch dice
2 cups chopped, de-ribbed swiss chard leaves
2 cups ½ inch dice of roast turkey or one Rotisserie Chicken
1 Tbsp. fresh sage, torn
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
Salt & freshly ground pepper
In a heavy 6-quart stock pot, cook the bacon over medium heat, stirring frequently, until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon to plate. Set aside.

Pour off all but 2 Tbsp. of the bacon fat, and return the pot to medium heat. Add the onion and celery. Sauté until the vegetables are soft, but not browned, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the potatoes, squash and turkey stock. Bring to a boil, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Partially cover the pot, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Add zucchini, swiss chard, turkey, sage, thyme and the reserved bacon. Cook 5 minutes longer.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and serve.

dinner

I have never enjoyed shopping for my dinner more than in the last few weeks. The air is crisp…at least in the morning, and the farmer’s market stalls are groaning with root vegetables, cabbages, beets and potatoes. Apples are in abundance and are so juicy; the pears are still a little hard and would probably hurt your gums. I am still finding quince and even some sweet plump figs in small baskets tucked here and there. I also spotted some chestnuts that were quite large and firm, just ready for roasting. But what caught my eye are the squashes; the tiny crinkle-edged patty pans, the striped delicata, long-necked butternuts and others as fat and round as a football. I tend to prefer moderately sized fruit, squashes whose skins a thin enough to cut without resorting to an axe and small enough to bake within an hour. I usually make a soup of some kind or purée for a later use or simply roast them with butter and thyme.

A roast pumpkin is a side order rather than a main dish, though it would be lovely with brown rice and a thick tomato sauce, or incorporated into a savory bread pudding, even some caramelized sausages alongside would be a welcome combination for a cold night.

Enjoy!

Shannon

Roast squash with thyme

4 small to medium squash

2 Tbsp. butter

A glug of olive oil

Fresh thyme

Set the oven to 350°. Cut the squashes in half and scoop out the pulp and seeds from the center. Lay the squashes cut-side up on a baking sheet. Cut the butter into thin slices and put a slice in the center of each squash, together with a little olive oil, a good pinch of thyme leaves, a sprinkling of salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

Roast for an hour, checking them occasionally to see how they are doing. You want them to be sweet smelling and the flesh to be totally tender when you pierce it with a knife.

Serves 4

slight digression

It has been quite an eye-opening experience this whole “blogging” thing. My limited computer skills have come up a notch, be-it-ever-so-slightly, and my favorite food blog sites are increasing as well.

There are some truly beautiful food blogs and some remarkably talented people out in cyber space. One in particular that is new to me, but I am enjoying very much is not without salt. Besides being a talented photographer, and chef, her writing is a joy to read. It was actually from her site that I heard about the National Blog Writing Month (nablowrimo) as well as another project called Food A-Z. Food A-Z is a vehicle where we can practice our photography skills with the help of a weekly assignment. We are using the alphabet as a guide and are just finished with “B”. I thought I would share my final submission with you…a Brussels sprout stock. Now I’m on to “C”.

Stay tuned,
Shannon

P.S. In case you’re wondering, the quince paste is resting nicely. It will have its photo op tomorrow.

keeping up

I must say that participating in the NaBloWriMo this month has brought to the surface a few areas in my life where I am falling a little behind. If we were to list out all of the things that fall into the category of “keeping up” what would they be? Mine would probably be paying bills, laundry, and blogging, just to name a few. I’m sure I am not alone in this. We are probably all too some degree trying to keep up. Many of these require some basic organization (easier said than done I find).

There is also another element of “keeping up” that I didn’t realize I was “falling behind” in, which is proper or current word usage. Thank goodness for my college age daughter and friends (whom I adore) to fill me in on this little matter. Yes, apparently this 40 something lady uses some goofy words. It happened yesterday, as my hubby and I took a day trip up to see her in Santa Barbara (homemade brownies in tow no less). When one of these “words” came out my daughter and friends would begin laughing. Now, I do try to take things lightly and like to joke around, but this wasn’t a joke. It was my choice of words that seemed to give them a giggle. They told me it “was cute”, but honestly now I’m paranoid. Perhaps instead of purchasing another cookbook I should look into buying a thesaurus, this might be a good idea.

So today to give myself a little encouragement, that yes in fact I can actually keep up in other areas. I decided to give the dog a bath, vacuum and dust in record time. I pulled out of the freezer some pumpkin puree that I had made a while back for a quick dinner of some simple roasted chicken and pumpkin risotto. So you see, a little planning ahead on roasting those pie pumpkins made a quick and easy dinner option.



My gracious… if this doesn’t sound like keeping up I don’t know what does.


Enjoy!
Shannon


Pumpkin Puree
4 small pie pumpkins

Cut the pumpkins in half carefully with a heavy sharp knife.  Scoop out the seeds and pulp (reserve seeds for another use).
Place pumpkin halves face down on a jelly roll pan and cover with foil.  Stick in a preheated 375°F oven and roast for about an hour until tender.  Place the pan on a rack until cool enough to handle.  Then scoop out the flesh and put in a food processor.  Puree until smooth.  Place in airtight containers or freezer bags.  The puree should be fine in the freezer for up to a year.

makes about 6 cups

al dente

al dente isn't probably the first word you would use as a descriptor for zucchini, but for this vegetable side dish it is the best one.

We need to give a shout out to Jamie Oliver for this innovative approach.

This recipe is incredibly simple. With nothing more than a few zucchini, a vegetable peeler, a squeeze of lemon juice and a glug of olive oil you can enjoy this crunchy side dish too.

Raw yet delicate. Zippy with a kick!

And yes, there is yet another use for zucchini!

Enjoy!

Shannon


Zucchini Ribbon Salad
adapted from Jamie Oliver

4 zucchini, (i used 2 green zucchini and 2 yellow crookneck squash)
juice of half a lemon, or a whole if it's stingy
a glug or two just to moisten
salt and pepper

Wash zucchini and trim the ends if needed. Then with a vegetable peeler take the outer section of each squash making thin ribbons, I stop once I get down to the core. Then squeeze on the lemon juice, a glug of olive oil and salt and pepper. You can serve immediately or let set for up to an hour. If you have any leftover it is a great addition to some freshly cooked linguine and Parmesan.

Serves 4

courgette's

There are some words I love to say, and look for opportunities to squeeze in whenever I can. One of which is...courgette [Koor-zhet]. Basically it is a zucchini, but how fun instead to say courgette adding a little French accent (even though I don't speak French, I pretend when I get the chance). But who cares, I love the way it sounds.

Technically, for sake of this post we are only using the blossoms of the zucchini (courgette) and not the courgette itself.

A few days ago I was part of a conversation in which courgette (zucchini) blossoms came up in the discussion (surprisingly I did not bring them up, but yes did participate). One person asked "What do they taste like?" Another chimed in "Why on earth would you want to eat those?" Still another, "Those are way too much work".

Well, to answer the question about what they taste like I guess you could say that they're mild and squashy, with a texture that's soft and delicate when raw or steamed, crisp and toothsome when fried. As good as a fried courgette blossom is, it's even better if you stuff it with some kind of soft white cheese - ricotta, goat or mozzarella. When the blossom, lovingly twisted shut, hits the hot oil, several magical things happen at once. The cheese begins to soften, picking up the flavors of whatever herbs you've added as it warms. The outside of the flower rapidly crisps, like a fine layer of pastry.

No question, courgette blossoms are an ingenious and elegant packaging material - tastier than a wonton wrapper, prettier than parchment, and way less work than phyllo. And they fry up into crumbly golden shells. Also, they're produced in crazy, profligate profusion. So if nothing else, plucking those blossoms during their brief summer window is a highly effective form of zucchini birth control.

As to the comment of too much work...well, I guess the only thing I can say is that anything worthwhile takes a little effort. And frankly these little beauties don't require that much work, just some basic prep.

The recipe below is in my opinion definitely worth trying. It has been adapted from a Wolfgang Puck recipe. The tempura batter is totally his, which I think is brilliant; very light and crispy. The filling I have modified a bit from his original recipe.

I hope you might try these. Even if you choose not to fill them, just fry them up using the tempura batter, and when they are just out of the fryer toss on a little sea salt, they are delicious.

Enjoy!


Shannon



Tempura Fried Squash Blossoms with Tomato Sauce

Tempura Batter:
1/4 cup rice flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. cayenne
3 cups soda water

Filling:
4 oz. mild goat cheese, softened
4 oz. ricotta
5 sprigs thyme, leaves removed and chopped
2 Tbsp. chopped chervil
2 Tbsp. chopped chives
1 Tbsp. chopped tarragon
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1-2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
16 squash blossoms
Tomato Sauce, recipe follows
Fried Basil Leaves, recipe follows

Directions

Tempura Batter:
Sift together all of the dry ingredients. Whisk in the soda water, a little at a time, until the right consistency is achieved. The batter should coat the back of a spoon, but some excess batter should run off the spoon. Allow to rest in the refrigerator at least 1 hour before use.

Filling:
Combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Shape the mixture into 1 tablespoon balls. Or alternatively put mixture into a pastry bag with a large tip and pipe into blossoms that way. Make sure blossoms are well cleaned, I take out the stamens as well. Open the flowers and insert the cheese mixture in each flower. Gently press the filling into the base of the flower. Cover with the petals and pinch the top to seal. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat a fryer or a deep pot halfway filled with peanut oil to 375°.
Hold the squash blossoms by the stem. Dip each into the tempura batter, making sure to coat completely. Let any excess batter drip off. Place the blossom in the oil and fry until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes, turning often to brown evenly. Remove to a paper towel lined plate.

Place some of the Tomato Sauce on the bottom of a plate. Top with squash blossoms and garnish with fried basil leaves.

Tomato Sauce:
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 Tbsp.
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
Pinch chili flakes
2 cups peeled, seeded, and diced tomatoes
Salt and Pepper
1 tsp. sugar
4 thyme sprigs, leaves removed and chopped
4 basil leaves, chiffonade

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and heat. Add onion, garlic, and chili flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add the sugar and stir to combine. Lower the heat and cook until the tomatoes start to disintegrate and mixture is of sauce consistency, about 15 minutes. Add the thyme, basil, and remaining olive oil and mix well. At this point I sometimes put the sauce in my food processor and give it a few good pulses to puree it for a smoother consistency. If you have any leftover sauce it's great on pasta!

Fried Basil Leaves:
Vegetable oil or peanut oil
8 basil leaves

Heat about 1/2-inch of the oil in a steep-sided saute pan to 350°. Or heat a deep fryer to 350°. Pat the basil leaves dry to remove any surface water. Carefully drop the basil leaves in the hot oil. The oil will spit and splatter as the moisture in the leaves fries. Fry for 10 seconds or just until the leaves start to become translucent. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate.

well preserved

No matter how many times I recite that familiar mantra on the way to the farmers market "I will not overbuy, I will not overbuy", something happens to me when I get there. I get out of my car, grab my fabulous expandable shopping bag, all the while remembering self control is a good thing.

But as I walk in and smell the strawberries, see the plethora of lovely lettuces piled high or notice those yellow zucchini blossoms...something happens. I inevitably end up in some sort of fresh fruit and vegetable trance, and then proceed to go to town filling up my shopping bag.

Once I get home with half of the market in tow, I usually get that "You need to join a group" look from my husband. Now in my defense, I have been cooking up a storm, finding new and creative ways to use up all of these wonderful finds. But still, I must confess there are those times that I open up my fridge and see those beauties, that don't look quite so alluring as they did at the farmers market days before. I feel guilty when I see them wrinkling, browning and bruising, just waiting for me to get inspired.

So to ward off some of the guilt as well as preserve some of the bounty that is in season. I have been boning up on recipes and techniques for putting up small batches of seasonal foods to enjoy later in the year.

To that end I will be sharing with you my findings...the first of which is preserved lemons. I actually used Meyer lemons, while the trees produce fruit throughout the year, the majority of the crop is available in winter. It is native to China, and thought to be a cross between a true lemon and a mandarin orange. The fruit is yellow and rounder than a true lemon with a slight orange tint when ripe. It has a sweeter, less acidic flavor than the more common lemon and a fragrant edible skin. Which makes it a perfect candidate of preserving.

Preserved lemons are a staple in Moroccan cuisine, but can be adapted to many other dishes. They add a wallop of flavor to any dish that calls for strong lemon flavor, including condiments like homemade mayonnaise and vinaigrette. However, they are intense and should be used in moderation. There are about a thousand recipes for preserved lemons out there. This one, I like best and is a confluence of many. I like the tangeriney quality of Meyer lemons, but you can preserve any kind of lemons with this recipe.

Preserved lemons are a type of pickle made by the dry salt method: brined in salt and the lemon's own juices. After the curing process, they are stored in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Shannon

Preserved Meyer Lemons

makes 2 pints
10 Meyer lemons, regular lemons, or a combination, scrubbed

1/2 cup kosher salt

With a sharp knife, remove the stem ends of 6 of the lemons. Slice the lemons into quarters from pole to pole.

Bring 2 wide-mouth pint jars and their bands to a boil in a large pot of water fitted with a rack. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove jars with tongs (the tongs don't need to be sterilized). Simmer new lids in a small pan of hot water to soften the rubberized flange. When the jars are dry but still hot, shove the lemon wedges into the jars, trying not to crush the fruit too much, but do pack them in, sprinkling 3 tablespoons of salt per jar as you go and making sure the salt is well distributed throughout. Meyer lemons are softer than regular lemons and therefore easier to squash down in the jar.

Juice the remaining 4 lemons. Top each jar with 1 final tablespoon of salt, then distribute the juice between the jars, making sure the lemon wedges are completely covered with juice. If you see air bubbles along the side of the jar, slip a butter knife down into it and press aside the fruit to allow juice to fill the space. You may need more juice depending on the juiciness of your lemons. Set on the lids, and screw on the bands fingertip tight. Let the lemons ferment on your kitchen counter for 2 weeks for Meyer lemons, 3 to 4 weeks for regular lemons, which have tougher skins, and ferment until they are soft enough to tear. Turn the jars upside down every other day to make sure the salt stays well distributed. The lemons will become soft and the salt and juice mixture syrupy. Transfer the fermented jars to the refrigerator, where they will hold for up to 6 months.

To use, remove a lemon wedge and scrape off the seeds. If you see white stuff on the lemons, don't worry: it's just a precipitate of salt, oils, and whatever from the pith. Scrape the pith off the lemons before using. For a milder taste, rinse before cooking.

ode to the cauliflower

The quest continues on finding new ways (or variations of old ones) for elevating to culinary greatness those precious veggies that I receive from my local organic farm.

I believe I have found a winner. This is based on some research done on some unsuspecting friends we had over for dinner the other night. I am not sure they knew what they were in for. Although I did warn them that they would be guinea pigs for some recipe testing I was doing. They seemed up for the adventure. Until, they spotted the cauliflower. That white bulbous thing that most of us have had only steamed until it was mush and then doused in some processed cheese sauce. Frankly, I would run too! But I reassured them to hang in there. And after the drinks were refreshed, appetizers were served, I continued on with the dinner preparations.

Well, it was time, the moment of truth. We sat down. Gave thanks (I said a little prayer for the cauliflower) and the platters were passed. Slowly the comments started. By the time the cauliflower went around a second time I was getting questions "What is in this sauce?" and "How did you cook this?" I was more than happy to go into every last detail on the process.

So there you have it, the cauliflower was a hit. So much so, that my guests who were proclaimed cauliflower "unbelievers" have now been converted. But I can't take all the credit. I will give that to the salsa verde that accompanied the lovely caramelized slices of cauliflower and perhaps the little prayer.

Salsa Verde, the classic green sauce of Italy, is traditionally made of olive oil and chopped parsley flavored with lemon zest, garlic and capers. It adds a lively freshness to almost any dish. Flat-leaved Italian parsley is my preference, but curly parsley is good too. Fresh parsley is the star of the show, but almost any other fresh, tender herb can enhance salsa verde: tarragon, chervil, cilantro, and chives are good choices.

Zest, is the thin outer layer of the lemon's skin (or lime, orange): avoid grating any of the bitter white part called "pith" beneath. The zest brightens the flavor of the sauce, so don't be shy with it. My tool of preference for zesting is a microplane.

For a little variation try adding a little chopped salt-packed anchovy fillet, or chopped shallot, or finely chopped jalapeno for some extra zip.

Don't hesitate to experiment. I make salsa verde more or less thick depending on what I am using it for. I tend to use less oil when it's for roasted meats, and grilled/roasted vegetables and more for fish.

This recipe is an adaptation from the "classic" Italian salsa verde. But the amounts used here translate to any combination. Be creative!

Enjoy!

Shannon

Caramelized Cauliflower with Salsa Verde

1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped

1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves

2 small or 1 large garlic clove, minced with a pinch of salt

zest of 1 lime

3 Tbsp. lime juice

4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

for the cauliflower

1 medium cauliflower (2 to 2 1/2 pounds)

salt & pepper to taste

extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 450 F.

First, prepare the salsa verde. In a medium bowl, combine the jalapeno, cilantro, garlic, lime zest, lime juice, and olive oil. Whisk to combine. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, whisk and taste for seasoning. Set aside at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to an hour to let the sauce develop in flavor.

Wash and dry the cauliflower. Put on a cutting board stem side down, and slice vertically into 1/4 inch slices, starting from the top going through to the core. You will probably only get 4 or 5 slices that remain in tact. The rest will be broken up, but not to worry.

On a heavy, large, rimmed cookie sheet carefully place the slices of cauliflower. Brush olive oil on both sides of the cauliflower and season with salt and pepper. The smaller pieces can be tossed in a bowl with some of the olive oil and then seasoned with salt and pepper. Place the smaller pieces on the cookie sheet with the slices of cauliflower. Be sure not to crowd or it will steam rather than roast.

Bake until the cauliflower is tender, golden, and deeply browned in spots, 20 to 30 minutes, turning once with a spatula.

Serve hot or warm, with the salsa verde on the side for drizzling.

Yield: 4 side-dish servings or 2 larger servings

basket o' veg

I have an obsession. Well, one could argue more than one. But for this post (and most likely many more) it will be regarding food. Food in all it's forms. This journal (i.e. "blog") is an attempt to help organize the chaos that swims in my mind. I will only give you a small glimpse into this complex (well, okay maybe not complex) let's say, "jumbled" stream of thoughts that swirl around in my head regarding food.

For example, today..."will the guy at the farmers' market have the squash blossoms again?"..."what's the name of that funky mushroom that looks like coral?"..."another idea for ice cream..vanilla with black pepper..or something kind of spicy...cinnamon..or maybe ancho chile..like a spicy raisin."

And that my friends was before my latte macchiatto with an extra shot this morning.

Now onto the "basket o' veg". A favorite stopping spot for me in my hometown of San Juan Capistrano is a local organic farm. They have a program called CSA, which stands for Community Supported Agriculture. For about 20 years or so CSA has become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. Here it is in a nut shell: a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Typically the share consists of a basket of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a "membership" or a "subscription") and in return receive a basket (bag, box) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season. If you know me, you know I love this.

So, trying to follow in the culinary steps of Alice Waters, I am determined to use whatever the basket delivers and elevate those precious vegetables to epicurean glory.

And to that end. I will keep you posted.