Dare I say I’ve gone strawberry crazy?

I am quite happy to inform folks that I have bushels of strawberries in my possession. I excitedly contemplated all the delicious things to make: wine, jam, ice cream, scones, lemonade… As I thought, I realized I was quickly eating through my stash. So sweet in their natural state, I started thinking, Applying them to a dish would be sacrilegious! (They do much better in my belly unadulterated.)

The more sensible part of me methodically began pulling stems and lining the berries on a baking sheet to freeze, then bag for a future use (as there was no way all could be eaten before spoiling). As I lined a cookie sheet with strawberries I realized how nicely uniform so many of them were. In fact, they appeared to be a perfect little army dressed for strawberry battle in some distant fruit land– perhaps protecting Strawberry Shortcake (the cartoon or the dessert)? Each berry was outfitted with a gnome-like cap. (How adorable.)

As I admired my infantry, the Giant of Terror in the Land of Berries approached. Oooo, strawberries! D exclaimed as his colossal hand reached into my helpless army patch and snatched up soldiers. One after another he ate my freshly stemmed friends. “Stop eating my strawberry army!”

“Uhhhh… Your what?”

“Nothing… They’re just my strawberry army. You can’t eat them, eat these.” I shoved over the random piling of discarded strawberries sprawled on the counter, not perfect enough to join my forces.

So now sits a bag of berries marked “not for giants” awaiting recipes in the freezer. If I can rein myself in they will be saved for a blistery day in late December. While I ponder future berry times I’ll whip up an occasional strawberry smoothie: 2 parts frozen berries, 1 part heavy cream. It is the purest and sweetest milk shake I ever had.

Strawberry Smoothie
Serves 2
1.5 cups fresh frozen strawberries
3/4 cup heavy cream (or whole milk)

Method: Place ll ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth. Add more heavy cream to thin out if necessary.

If you can still find some fresh berries this late in the season a favorite application was in salad. You may add or subtract from any of these ingredients.

Strawberry Salad
Serves 4-6
1 head romaine, or similar crisp lettuce, washed and separated
1 handful arugula, washed
1 bulb kohlrabi*, sliced into matchstick size cuttings
1 bunch fresh herbs (thyme, basil, parsley work well), loosely chopped
1 cup sugar snap peas, washed and stemmed
4 ounces goat cheese or fresh ricotta, crumbled
1/2 cup strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
mustard vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Method: Toss all prepped ingredients and serve with dressing on the side.
*Kohlrabi is an odd looking vegetable, but worth a try (it’s very high in vitamin C). The flavor is similar to cabbage, but crossed with the crispness of a perfect apple. It is a great addition raw to coleslaw or salad. Just cut off the stalk and slice (I don’t even peel mine).

Mustard Vinaigrette
This dressing will keep so make enough and store in a small glass container. Season to preferred acidic taste.
1 part whole grain mustard (Dijon makes an excellent one)
1 part lemon juice
1 part olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin

Method: Add all ingredients to a jar and shake just before applying to salad. (This dressing is great over fish like halibut or salmon.)

NOTE: This strawberry salad recipe was entered into Healthy Cooking’s recipe event, because hey, what’s more healthy than fresh ingredients? No substitutes needed!

I love winter. Silly to say now, as we all, myself included, embrace the spring with an unrelenting hold, despite the mild rainy interruptions. Maybe it is easier to say, as it is on its way out, but I love the crisp smell of decay in the air as winter begins. I love hot chocolate, sledding, snowmen, sweaters, ice formations, and enormous fireplaces to snuggle up next to with a cup of broth. I love the first taste of root vegetables– sweeter on the east coast than the west coast because the bitter cold and vegetable’s death allows the sugars to concentrate more (take that west coast weather!). Perhaps it is because mine and D’s birthdays both fall in the dead of winter, or the stews, roasts and braises that beckon friends over and keep them long into the night because no one dares go outside.

Admittedly, I also love the spring. That first warm rain and pop of bud on the trees, the first inkling of cherry blossoms and that initial push through frost from the ground. It’s the promise of harvest all over again, springing to green.

D and I spent the winter eating from our CSA’s winter share. Pretty much root vegetables for the past 4 months– most not posted. Although I think D is convinced it was less of a winter share of mixed vegetables and more of a beet share. Needless to say we were both overjoyed at the first glimpse of green as we took a walk through the greenmarket a few weeks ago, even if it was just broccoli rabe, asparagus and scallions mixed with some cellar-over carrots and potatoes, it was pure heaven. In the past two weeks I have purchased over six bundles of asparagus, broccoli rabe and scallions and threw in one bunch of spinach I spied last week.

I once heard a chef say something to the effect that Nature got it right: when we eat by seasons we’re sure to get sick of something, but you don’t have to worry– by the time you’re tired of it, the next season comes around. When I tried to explain this to D he seemed less than pleased: “All I’m saying is you better work on your canning and preserving skills.” (Might D be a little bitter the tomatoes I canned over the summer only lasted until January?)

The above salad is the first real green salad of this year. I say real, because while I’m sure we have had a salad in a restaurant over the winter, they were few and far between and hardly compared to the freshness of this baby. You know that’s true from D’s response: “I never thought I would be so happy to eat a salad.” (Remember that one come mid-summer when D refuses to eat another salad.) We added broiled salmon on top and a few boquerones, or white Spanish anchovies and a parsley-sour cream pesto. You can add whatever protein you have, or just eat this as a side.

First Spring Greens Salad
Serving Size= 2. Active time= 15 minutes.
1 pound salmon fillet
6 boquerones (optional)
1 bunch arugula
6 radish
1 spring onion or 2 scallions
1 carrot

Parsley “Pesto”
1 large handful parsley
juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic (optional)
2 Tablespoons sour cream
2 Tablespoons olive oil

1) Preheat broiler and sprinkle salmon fillet with salt and pepper. Broil 4-6 minutes, depending on thickness, until slightly blackened for medium-rare.
2) While salmon is broiling, wash and chop the arugula, radish, spring onion and carrot and distribute amongst two bowls.
3) Place parsley, lemon juice, sour cream and olive oil in a blender and puree until thick and evenly chopped.
4) Once salmon is finished, lay over salad, top with boquerones and add a few dollops of the parsley pesto over everything.

For months D and I have been eating our way through beets. About eight pounds every three weeks for four months. As D proclaimed time and again, “there are only so many beets a person can take.” That person is obviously not me. Still, it is true there are only so many pounds of beets a single person can consume when her partner in eating has sworn them off. After a recent Passover dinner I managed to squeeze a variation of this salad on the menu. D sleeps content knowing the beets are exorcised from the refrigerator.

While I know these storage babies would keep another few months in the fridge, I also know once Community Supported Agriculture season hits us June 5, we’ll be finding a home for more blushing beauties. (Note to D: Prepare yourself.)

Over the months, to hide the offensive vegetable from D, I was able to work them into pizza, gnocchi, ravioli (beet-blue cheese filling tucked into whole wheat orange zested pasta), chocolate cake, soups (of course a borscht as well) and even pickled them for holiday gifts handed off to D’s father, who shares my love of beets. I contemplated ice cream most recently, but bowed out of that thought when all the fresh mint began hitting my senses.

Over months of experimentation, the above salad was one application where I managed to get D to enjoy his beets without sausage, pesto or chocolate poured on top. It is a favorite dish of mine because it doesn’t involve a multi-step process with the beets, just roast, slice and chill.

This salad is a colorful reminder that Spring is here, a bounty of vegetables await us, but we can make do with our storage supplies until Mother Nature decides to kick in. I think it is best with a little crumbled cheese, feta or goat, tossed into it. For Passover I made due without the cheese, substituting a tahini-citrus dressing for creaminess, also good. A number of herbs work equally well depending on taste, what is around or what you are serving this with: cilantro, purslane, parsely, celery tops or basil.

Beet and Orange Herb Salad
Serving Size= 4 persons. Cook time= 1.5 hours. Active time= 15 minutes.
4 good sized beets (a little smaller than a fist), golden or red
2-3 navel oranges (grapefruit, clementines or tangerines would work too)
1/4 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese
1/2 cup packed mint, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh ground cardamom
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil

1) Preheat oven to 350 F. Scrub beets under running water, remove greens, reserve for another use. Place beets on a pan over a large sheet of tinfoil. Sprinkle beets with olive oil, salt and pepper. Wrap the beets in foil, bake 45 minutes, turn, bake another 45 minutes or until a fork punctures both sides easily. Remove from oven, unwrap and let cool 5 minutes. Using two paper towels, work the the skins off the beets by pushing and sliding the paper towels around, starting at the tops and working around the beets. Slice beets into bite size pieces, about 1 inch long by 1/2 inch thick. Refrigerate while prepping the remaining ingredients.
2) Slice top and bottoms off oranges. Lay oranges flat then work around the orange slicing off the skin. Slice into bite size pieces, about the same size as the beets. Place in serving dish.
3) Add cheese, mint, cardamom, salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil to oranges. Toss to incorporate. Add beets and toss briefly to just incorporate trying not to let too much of the beets bleed into the oranges or cheese. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
NOTE: Try a variety of other herbs. Instead of cheese, add 2 tablespoons tahini. Add croutons to make the dish a light dinner or lunch.

My fondest memories of holidays were spent at my grandmother’s house, packed with relatives and friends, and tables piled high with Latvian sauerkraut, kielbasa, honey ham, savory meat-filled pancakes and Jell-o. Thinking back, these were probably the best holidays because they meant toys and candy were soon to come my way. I’ll believe in anything imaginary as long as I get my basket of jelly beans!

Easter always involved a production, which is why I loved it so much. My family arrived at my grandmother’s house early in the morning. My grandmother, cooking since 6 AM, would be studding her massive loaves of saffron raisin bread before they went in the oven. A few dozen eggs boiled away in onion peels on the stove and set up on the kitchen table were the “children’s eggs,” store-bought kits for us to dye eggs. (Thinking back, I now realize these eggs were the “throw aways” for us kids to hide, break and maybe find, while my grandmother’s natural eggs were the table’s centerpiece and center of conversation.)

With eggs dyed and breakfast consumed, the adults hid eggs. We used to stay in-house, but the year after the still discussed “disappearing egg” was found rotting behind a book a few months after Easter, all egg activities were moved outside. My brothers and I followed the adults, baskets in hand, destroying the house then digging up the garden, searching for eggs. We were rewarded with an early dinner and a basket of sugar.

But always, through the years, my grandmother’s eggs stuck with me. She dyed eggs a vibrant marbled amber with a handful of onion peels and some vinegar. I worked with this, and a few other colors for an upcoming article. Above are my results.

The onion peel eggs are at top, the lighter marbled egg was wrapped in peels, secured with rubber bands and boiled for 15 minutes. The darker one was boiled loose in the peels for about 25 minutes. Top right, the striped one was wrapped in rubber bands and dyed in beet juice (who knew that beet juice, which turns everything magenta would turn eggs a dull grey-green). The speckled egg next to that was boiled for 15 min in spinach then left overnight to soak. Blueberries are the indigo eggs (1 cup frozen blueberries, 2 cups water, 1 tsp vinegar, boiled 15 min). The one in the middle had star-shaped stickers adhered before dying (just make sure the egg is totally dry before removing stickers or they will run– I lost a dinosaur with running dye!). At left, my favorite surprise, are turmeric dyed eggs. These were left about 15 minutes in 3 cups water, 1 teaspoon vinegar and 1 tablespoon turmeric. They are true golden eggs. I dripped blue crayon on the one at left to produce the polka dots.

I thought of mixing blueberries with turmeric to get a vibrant green. I bet it would be fantastic. And I’ve heard red cabbage, boiled 15 minutes with 1 teaspoon vinegar and left overnight produces a fabulous teal. I heard soaking in pomegranate juice produces red, but mine turned out a putrid brown.

Natural egg dyes turn Easter into a fun guessing game and a fabulous science experiment. They are also safer than store-bought dye kits which, though they are “food safe,” processed food dyes are mostly coal tar-based (and many of them are banned in the EU).

So have fun, use your imagination with regular household items, have a wonderful holiday, and enjoy your egg salad! I’ll link to my story once it is out.

What is with me and beets? You ask.
What is this recent obsession with using them in strange applications? You wonder.
An early start on Valentine’s Day?

I wanted pink pasta. No, truthfully I am still looking to use up my beets in interesting ways. I have eaten them plain, braised, pickled, in chocolate cake, and now beets have fallen into gnocchi. I really wanted to utilize that unique coloring that I love into something that would be truly fabulous. I think this takes the cake. How fabulous they are, both taste and visually. Look at them! Lovely magenta dumplings! So bold on a plate, screaming to say, look at me at eat me!

With my new food mill a willing collaborator, I had to give these babies a try.

Step back. Food mill?

I know, it sounds very old fashion, right? Even D was a doubter (and now newly converted). For months I have been looking into purchasing a new potato masher. No joke, months. I take my kitchen purchases very seriously. I have been using an old pastry blender with wires that just don’t stick in place. (Poorly constructed.)

Debating between hand-held mashers, I could not bring myself to make the buy. Not enough uses for a single instrument that can cost a good deal for the style I wanted. Potato ricers are great, but they ultimately feel like giant garlic presses to me (they also do a lousy job pushing celeriac through I recently found out borrowing a friend’s). So after much contemplation I went with a food mill. Good not only for mashing or ricing potatoes, but will bring sauces and soups smooth, make applesauce, and somewhere down the road can make baby food or grandparent food (zing!).

So with my new food mill I pushed potatoes and beets through and out came what D exclaimed as the “Sweeney Todd Special.” Pot pies anyone? I am ecstatic I have this instrument.
Really, the beet in this recipe is so faint it is difficult to detect. Another great way to slip beets to the haters. I also think it’s a great way to get kids interested in vegetables. Forget slipping it into their food, how about letting them make pink pasta, black pasta (with sepia), brown (chocolate), you get it. I had fun, I’m sure a child would have even more. (And how rewarding to make something delicious the whole family can enjoy).

This recipe made a good deal of gnocchi, enough for two portions and plenty to freeze for later. The best part of gnocchi is that once it’s frozen, it just takes an extra minute or so in boiling water to bring to temperature. Easy, delicious and easy on the eyes. Make the beets a day before to cut some time off.

To make regular gnocchi, just remove the beets from the process and reduce the flour amount (or follow this link). Beets have so much moisture that a good amount of flour is needed to counteract the stickiness of the dough Alternatively, I could have used less beet, but I love how this gnocchi radiates (really, sort of radioactive).

Beet Gnocchi
Serving Size= 8-10 portions
Special equipment: box grater, potato ricer or food mill
2 large (I used 8 small) russet potatoes
2-3 beets
2-3 cups flour
2 eggs
2 teaspoons salt
pepper to taste

1) Snip greens from beets and boil until soft, 30-45 minutes. Remove skin under cold running water, set aside. Boil whole potatoes, skin on, until soft (do not puncture initially with fork). Work carefully and quickly with two towels to slip potato skin off (you want to rice the potatoes while still warm).
2) Working in batches, place potatoes and beets through the ricer and spread gratings over a cookie sheet to dry out as you work.
3) Create a mound with the potato and beet shavings. Add the flour, salt and pepper to the center and create a moat, cracking the eggs inside. Work and knead the dough together, adding more flour as necessary, until dough is no longer sticking to fingers. (As D said, until it looks like a giant pancreas, see photo left).
4) Working in batches on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into snakes a little thicker than the width of your thumb. Slice into 1-inch pieces. Finish shaping on a lightly floured cutting board and imprint with a fork (this helps hold the sauce and cook more evenly). Assemble, slightly apart, on a cookie sheet and freeze if saving some for later use (this keeps the gnocchi from forming one giant gnocchi). Transfer to freezer bag once frozen through.
To Cook: Boil salted water. Add gnocchi and cook 3-4 minutes, until gnocchi float to top, remove with slotted spoon.
Note: Use your gnocchi just like regular pasta, though in my opinion, stay away from tomato based sauces as this will just be a large bowl of reds. Light olive oil and Parmesan, cream sauces or pesto, work very nicely with these. More in the days to come.

It’s been a crazy week here at Just Braise. In the midst of some freelance writing on deadline, I filled a friend’s shoes and helped cater a restaurant opening for 200 people. I have never catered an event before (other than my own parties of no more than 25 people) and thought this might be a good experience. Plus, I would get to work with some trained chefs.

Key words are “restaurant opening” with a restaurant (including kitchen) that was not workable until 5 PM the evening before the event. We had to set up and organize not only the kitchen, but the walk-in refrigerator, and dry storage all the night before the event. All prep and cooking for those 200 folks happened day of the event. It was a haphazard day, but we pulled through– with a few menu items nixed, a successful event none the less.

Due to a day a recuperation this post will remain short.

I made this salad the other week with the leftover wild salmon from the Gnocchi with Green Bean Pesto. I even had a little of that delicious pesto left and threw it on top as a dressing. In my mind, this salad is so similar to the Nicoise Salade made almost one month ago, but looks and tastes entirely different. Really, in comparison, these two salads are totally different. Perhaps it is the vivid colorings of both that make it seem so similar? Maybe it is because both use such brightly hued fish.

The salad is a brilliant reminder of a summer departed. At least in the Northeast, one can still find most of these ingredients locally (which equals extra tastiness).

Note: I mentioned previously that I often boil, blanch and prep items when I bring them home, even if I do not know what I will make with them. The work may take an hour or so, but the effort is worth it. With pre-prep I was able to throw this salad together in just minutes– proving you can have a delicious meal even when pressed for time.

While this salad is a great use of leftovers, you can easily make this salad without the green bean pesto. Just toss the salad with olive oil, salt and pepper or your favorite dressing. (My favorite homemade dressing has a base of dijon mustard, tahini and olive oil. Add to that roasted garlic, anchovies and fresh garlic, lemon juice, or anything else you can think of and it’s delicious).

Salmon Pesto Salad (Remember Summer Salad)
Serving Size= 2 people. Active time= 10 minutes.
2 salmon steaks (already prepared or a quick 2 minute sear each side w/ salt and pepper)
3-4 cups loosely packed arugula
1 red pepper
3-4 new potatoes (already boiled or slice into quarters and boil 10 min)
1/4 cup cherry tomatoes
green bean pesto (see Gnocchi w/ Green Bean Pesto)

1) Boil potatoes if not already cooked. Sear salmon if not already cooked.
2) Char red pepper in a skillet set over high heat. Rotate to cook 3-4 sides until blackened, 2-3 minutes each side. Remove stem, core and seeds and chop.
3) Wash arugula and cherry tomatoes.
4) Arrange salad. Place arugula in serving bowl. Add tomatoes, red peppers, potatoes. Set salmon over and top with a scoop of green bean pesto (or favorite salad dressing), salt and pepper.
Optional: Top this salad with chopped walnuts or pecans or blue cheese.

We have been eating a lot of salads this summer. Mostly because it is an easy solution to our weekly vegetable drop, but really because it gets us in and out of the kitchen in record time. And as long as I can cover vegetables in a blanket of protein, D is happy.

My favorite protein in salad is fish. Salmon, tuna, monkfish, you name it, I can probably find a salad solution for it. Because of this, it is difficult for me to walk past the fish monger without stopping in. He must know this, and places all the calamari, clams and shrimp in the front window for me to spy on. Inside is the real gold mine. Wild salmon, lobster tanks, oysters, crabs, pompano, and the catch of the day line the shelves. I can walk up to each fish, sniff, eye and poke at it, then declare it mine.

Tuna is what catches my eye more often than not. It might be its arresting pink hue. It might be that I tease the fish monger about sushi grade tuna just to hear him laugh and say, “You kiddin’? You can’t get any fresher than this!” So I bring it home time and again, wrapped in paper and await mealtime.

This past week, how lucky we were to receive the proper fixings for a classic Salade Nicoise. It is one of my favorites because it is a hearty and playful salad where almost anything goes once you have the basics. D loves it because he can correct my French accent while I practice my pronunciation.

But I think the true love in this salad is the color display. How can you pass up something that looks this fresh?! I say go out and buy that tuna steak now. You will not be disappointed.

The biggest risk you have when cooking tuna steak is drying it out by overcooking. Tuna needs a scant 30-60 seconds per side over hot heat. Remember, this limited cook time leaves the center of the cut rare. As always, when dealing with any sort of protein, buy the freshest cut possible.

To cut down on prep time I slice and boil my vegetables when I bring them home, storing them in the fridge for quick prep or an easy snack. It makes assembling a salad like this a real breeze. It may be some work day 1, but there is nothing like being able to reach into the fridge and have everything done and ready to go. Here are a few tips, some used in this salad. All of these should be stored in sealed, air tight containers.

- Quarter potatoes, boil until soft. Storage time: about 1 week. Pancakes, salads, home fries.
- Trim and blanch green beans, 2 minutes. Storage time: about 3 days. Dip, salads, snack.
- Char red peppers in skillet. Storage time: about 5 days. Sandwiches, omelette, dips.
- Trim and boil beets until soft. Store in reserved liquid, 1 week. Sandwiches, salads.
- Peels and cut carrots. Store in water (change every 2 days), 2 weeks. Snack, soup, salads.
- Wash and cut celery. Store in water (change every 2 days), 2 weeks. Snack, soup, salads.
- Cut corn from cob, saute with butter 2 minutes. Storage time: about 1 week. Salad, soup, omelette.
- Boil and peel eggs. Storage time: about 5 days. Use in sandwiches, salads.

But let’s get back to the salad and this “fusion” I mention. I marinated the tuna steaks in a soy sauce-ginger-lime mixture, coated them with sesame and seared them. This presented a fabulous citrus snap to the salad. I tied the sesame theme into a tahini-based salad dressing (tahini is sesame seed paste). Together the tastes blended smoothly into the whole and create a fabulous play on a traditional salad.

Salade Nicoise
Serving size= 2. Cook time= 3 minutes. Prep time= 15 minutes.
For the Marinade:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
juice of 1/2 lime plus zest
1 glove garlic, crushed
1- 1 inch piece ginger, minced
1/2 cup sesame seeds, set aside on a flat plate

For the Dressing:
2 cloves garlic, crushed
10 anchovy fillets
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red cider vinegar
3 tablespoons tahini
1/4 cup olive oil
salt/ pepper to taste

For the Salad:
3-4 new potatoes, quartered and boiled until soft
1 tomato, sliced in 8 wedges
2 soft boiled eggs
small handful green beans, blanched
1 small head red lettuce (optional)
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
1 tablespoon capers
1- 1 lb fresh tuna steak

1) Prepare the marinade. Mix soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, zest, ginger and garlic in a bowl. Set tuna in mixture and marinade while continuing. Set the sesame seeds on a plate, aside.
2) Prepare the dressing. In a small skillet, heat the garlic with the anchovy fillet. No oil is needed as the fish has enough. Heat until garlic turns translucent and anchovies break down. Once ready, place in a bowl and mix with the remaining ingredients until well incorporated. Set aside. Turn tuna steak over in marinade.
3) Wash and prep the vegetables for the salad and assemble.
4) Begin warming a skillet with about 1 tablespoon peanut oil on medium high heat. Remove tuna from marinade and pat dry slightly. Place on plate with sesame seeds and push down slightly so sesame seeds adhere to steak. Flip and press again. Place in pan once hot, cook 30-45 seconds, flip and cook for 30-45 more seconds. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices. Assemble over salad.

Note: This recipe makes extra dressing. Refrigerate and use it at a later date. It will keep about 1 week. Just bring to room temperature and mix well before use.

As summer pushes into full force, we all know how important it is to stay out of the kitchen. That, or simply keeping the stove off as long as possible is key. With these beautiful days (finally it’s not deathly humid) nobody wants to spend more time than is needed wrapped in an apron, laboring over dishes. With that in mind, in the coming weeks Just Braise will highlight easy, quick cooking recipes.

These past weeks have offered up an abundance of zucchini from my CSA. It is so much that I am almost running out of unique ideas. So much zucchini, let me count the ways I used them: there was grilled zucchini, broiled zucchini, zucchini bread, zucchini in salad, zucchini and eggs, pickled zucchini, visions of zucchini soup, and the above, zucchini “burgers.”

I have made similar zucchini pancakes before. It was a great way to get D to eat this vegetable he claims to not like (so far though, the bread, full of nuts and chocolate chips, was the best trick). This time, I bulked the zucchini pancakes up to make them more burger style. Topped with a basic raita (yogurt based sauce) this burger proved refreshing served warm or cold.

What I love most about this recipe is that it can be used in a variety of ways. A frittata was easy with most of the work done– just break apart the burgers over a pan, add eggs, cook and done. Ditto with veggie tacos (on a shell with salsa), a side (or base) for hummus, or a topping in salad.

Veggie Patties
Prep time= 15 minutes. Cook time= 8 minutes.
1- 15oz can black beans (or chickpeas)
2-3 zucchini, 7-9 inches long
1 carrot (also 7-9 inches long)
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons tahini
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 tablespoon olive oil

1) Wash and drain the black beans and place in a medium sized bowl. Using a potato masher, crush the beans until they form a paste.
2) Lay out 2 paper towels. Shred zucchini and carrot and place on paper towels. Cover with 2 more paper towels, pressing down to drain off water from veggies. If you find there is still a lot of moisture to them, repeat process. When they no longer release moisture, add to bowl with black beans, along with garlic, tahini, bread crumbs and egg.
3) Use a hand to incorporate all ingredients evenly, squeezing the batter to check stickiness. Add another egg if you find it is too dry, more breadcrumbs if too wet.
4) Warm a saute pan on medium high heat with olive oil in the pan. Once warm, create patties with hands of the vegetable mixture and place on pan. Cook about 5 minutes, until brown, flip, then about 5 minutes more, until brown on other side. Serve warm on burger buns, bread, cold, or as suggested above.
NOTE: The above photo is bread with olive paste, avocado slices, a veggie burger, arugula and topped with a homemade raita. This raita was a 1 cup plain yogurt mixed with 1/2 cup diced cucumber (chopped parsley or mint optional).

D and I recently had some friends over for an intimate feast. We prepared many items we had never attempted before, something I often shy away from when we have guests– there is nothing worse than messing up something you have never attempted before. But cooking, like any passion, is all about trial and error and you’ll never get better without an attempt. All in all, the 5 hours spread ended deliciously well, mishaps included.

All vegetables, and most fruits, were brought to us by our local Community Supported Agriculture program. Each week I am thankful that we have invested in our farm and I proudly brag about “my farmers” who brought me my organic vegetables– just picked yesterday!

This weekend we celebrated the spring bounty.

The evening began calmly as pictured above. I started prepping items 1 week in advance: spanakopita (spinach from “my farm” with local sheep feta), rhubarb syrup (rhubarb from last week’s CSA drop boiled down with water and sugar) and a rhubarb tart (crust prepared and frozen and rhubarb chopped and frozen). The rest was finalized and started the night before arrival…

We welcomed guests C and M with choice of champagne or a strawberry rhubarb “martini.” I like to call drinks served in martini glasses and made with vodka “martinis,” as do most bars and restaurants. I suppose because it makes the drink sound more sophisticated. D is angered by this and claims it is a merely a mixed cocktail if it has no vermouth. Our Strawberry Rhubarb “Martinis” contained rhubarb syrup, vodka, mashed fresh strawberries and were topped with champagne. We also eventually threw some mint in there.

Next was the spanakopita. I received pounds of spinach, amongst other greens last week. S

o much I feared we could not eat it, but didn’t want it going to waste. I could not bare to simply freeze the spinach so bought some filo and feta, steamed and chopped the spinach, added nutmeg, crumbled feta, wrapped in filo and froze. Laborious to wrap individually, yes (a spanakopita pie would have been easier), but well worth it.

An assemble-one’s-own course followed next. I like the idea of the guest doing some work, it allows them to understand flavor combinations you use a little more and how they work together. If they don’t cook, it also makes them feel like they are creating something. You can see the beginnings of this course spread out above: Buttered and toasted crostinis, fig spread, goat cheese and topped with prosciutto.

The fig spread is a treasured find of mine and D’s. We uncovered it in the Middle Eastern section of one of our local markets– the one I can easily spend hours walking down the aisles because they have floor to ceiling goodies from all over the world. This spread hails from Lebanon and has three simple flavors: fig, sesame, anise. It is a fantastic addition to sandwiches, crostinis

and is really a power secret ingredient. It would be simple to make, but at$2 for an 8oz container with such a pure ingredient mixture, why bother? The prosciutto was from a local Italian deli.

We entered the main of our meal. The moment D said C and M would be over for dinner I proclaimed rabbit would be the headliner. I held fast through D’s skeptism. My thought: no matter what produce we would receive from our CSA, rabbit would be a perfect compliment. D still thought it was slightly disturbing to serve “rabbit salad,” so we broke the salad into more of a side.

We wanted the rabbit sweet to compliment the warming weather– a more savory base is fitting for fall and winter. I found a marinade based in orange juice, honey and cayenne which seemed perfect for this. I wanted to incorporate nectarines into the dish and thought to make a nectarine mousse. Unfortunately, as witnessed in the picture above, the mousse never set properly (recipe now in the works). It ended more a thick sauce that we poured over the rabbit and topped it all with crumbled bacon. The salad, red bib lettuce, sugar snap peas and radish were provided by our CSA.

Gluttony followed.

My newest acquisition is an ice cream attachment for my Kitchen Aid. I’ve been itching for an ice cream maker for a few years now and with a few Am Ex gift certificates in hand, it was a real steal. I went all out and made two treats for this meal. The first was a lemon-lime-ginger sorbet. This was a great sweet-tart intermission though I would add a little more ginger next time.

This was followed by D’s conquest: foie gras.

Let’s just put out that I know both sides of the foie gras debate before we get all the comments coming in. I think Gastronomica Magazine has a great article about it in their Winter 2007 issue. Let’s just say I can rarely afford it so rarely eat it. (But it is delicious.)

At this point my local butcher thinks I am crazy. Each day I go in I discuss and request more from them: free range veal, grass-fed beef, truffle butter, truffles, and this weekend, I asked if they would put rabbits and foie gras aside for me. They know me by site now and if I ask for a simple steak they ask if something is the matter– just steak?

We couldn’t afford the entire “foie” so we split if with one of the butchers who was happy to take home the other half. I asked for his discount, but he denied. Note to self: get in with butchers until discount is granted. D took care of the prep, slicing it in thirds, de-veining, salt, pepper nutmeg, layer, port, cognac, repeat. For whatever reason our most trusted cookbook failed us for the first time when it failed to mention that the foie must sit for a few good hours post-cooking to re-set– many recipes suggest 1-3 days. While we knew some sitting would be necessary, the foie was a little loose when served, still delicious (and is a great topping on salad for a luxurious dinner another night).

Lemon-lime-ginger sorbet repeat and then the finale.

I found a rhubarb streusel tart recipe on epicurious that I knew would be perfect. Not only did we receive rhubarb from our CSA the previous week, D is a big fan of anything with streusel in the name. How can you not love butter and brown sugar? Instead of mixing almonds into the streusel as called for I used the handy new ice cream maker and created my own almond ice cream.

This I believed was my true triumph. Something D couldn’t imagine tasting good– “almond ice cream just does not sound good,” yet he keeps coming back for more and requesting me to churn out new flavors– dare I attempt arugula custard? Not just yet… a cognac creation is next.

MENU:
Rhubarb Spritzer
Spanakopita
Fig-Goat Cheese-Procuitto Crostini
Roast Rabbit w/ Spring Greens & Nectarine Mousse
Lemon-Lime-Ginger Sorbet
Foie Gras
Lemon-Lime-Ginger Sorbet
Rhubarb Streusel Tart w/ Almond Ice Cream

It was an event we had not planned for. We toyed with a grand feast but soon rejected the notion, it would be too much work, our friends work in the restuarant industry and would be occupied, it was too difficult to organize. We dropped it.

But we live in a neighborhood of many Greeks. Many religious folk, both Greek and non- alike. When Easter comes around, there is no stopping the call of lambs… Especially when two Easters fall on the same day.

We had heard stories: walking out the door on Greek Easter, following a trail of red to find it end in a slaughtered lamb being hoisted to the spit. We had seen the evidence: families roasting meats into the night for a celebration of Spring and birth, we could smell it all day in years past.

We retold these events Friday night to some friends, R and T, transplants from New Orleans. They wanted in and with a burst of emotion D invited them over for a feast. We didn’t realize what we had gotten ourselves into.

We pushed our way through the crowd gathered at the butcher to take our ticket and left to shop. We returned one hour later only to wait an additional hour for our number to arrive.

You could see people drooling for the blood: What number are you?

57.

Oh, I’m 80.

No, I’m I-57, see, you’re J-80. You have a long way to go.

He was defeated. But our ticket came up and somehow, we were fooled. We kept saying, just one lamb leg, just a leg. Only two people were confirmed, any more meat would have been too much. Yet somehow we left with half a lamb. A whole half, the right half– we let another customer take the head.

Was it the shopping carts of full carcasses, ready for the spit and our jealousy in their setup that got us buying more than we needed? Was it the utter craziness of people willing to wait hours for a piece of meat? Was it the recent viewing of the film Killer of Sheep? Was it the sly upsell to half a lamb when we saw half a leg and thought it looked a little meager?

We dragged our meat home and examined our bags– what had we done?

I planned the menu while D examined his different cuts and attempted to reassemble the animal. I think that’s a spine, oh look, marrow! These parts in the freezer for soup, random bits for kebabs, separating the chops. The main event was the lamb and the rest of the menu would follow a Greek-inspired theme as well as some leftovers we were looking to get rid of.

We started with a simple and savory appetizer platter. Figs in a Blanket (pictured above) were the highlight. Taken from a Martha Stewart appetizer cookbook my mother sent me. D exclaimed that this was definitely the best recipe in the book (he has never opened the book). These were a huge hit that D added would be our appetizer of choice here on out. We served our kebabs, marinated in a spice mixture and lemon juice and olive oil. A selection of cheeses R and T brought accompanied all this. When R and T entered the cheese shop and told the man behind the counter they were looking for cheese that would pair with wine braised figs wrapped in bacon the reply was, “niiiiiiccccce,” with half-closed eyes and a dreamy look. It was all very nice indeed.

The next course was a “palate cleanser.” Salt and peppered lamb chops quick seared accompanied some freshened up leftovers. I know, that whole “leftover” thing doesn’t sound that great, but it was rich and decadent: D and I bought a duck the other week (pictures to come) and part two of the duck was braised duck legs in red wine. We added potatoes and parsnips to the braise and had plenty leftover. We mashed the wine-infused potatoes and parsnips up, added a good heap of butter and some milk, fresh scallions and voila. A totally decadent side that had traces of duck fat and wine.

The next part of “The Grand Tasting Menu,” as the event was soon called was the lamb legs (plural). Half a lamb gives us 2 legs, both butterflied by the butcher. These were marinated a few good hours in a spice mixture I made heavy in garlic and fresh ground coriander. D seared them on our largest Le Creuset and threw them in the oven for about 1 hour. Served with a simple Greek salad.

We were bursting when the meal ended. Luckily, for all members of the party this was the only meal of the day. Still, when a meal reaches past the 4 hour mark, Gluttony may be knocking at the door.

We took a needed walk where R decided he needed a taco from our beloved man that sells out of a truck down the street. We returned for dessert.

I knew this meal would be heavy and chose a light angel food cake for dessert, baking them in cupcakes and stuffing each one with a fresh strawberry (pre-cooking) for individual servings. While we were on the walk, we decided ice cream would pair nicely with the light cake and picked up a quart. Somewhere along the way, the dessert also jumped the shark (although you could really say the meal jumped the shark with the purchase of the lamb). The leftover syrup from the braised figs was kept on reserve and rum was added with strawberries around the appetizer section of the meal and left to soak. Angel food cupcakes stuffed with strawberries, a hefty scoop of vanilla ice cream and a heavy dose of strawberries soaked in a balsamic-wine reduction with rum.

I would say the meal on whole was a long, dreamy, eyes closed halfway nnniiiiiiccccce. We wish we could have shared it with more– although there is a good amount of lamb leftover if you want to bring the wine.

Recipes to follow shortly.