SobaAddict70

Ricotta gnocchi with asparagus, mushrooms and herbs. Steam asparagus until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Shock in ice water, then set aside. Slice mushrooms (I used crimini and shiitakes) thinly, then cook in 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter and 1-2 white shallots, chopped, along with a pinch of salt. Cook until mushrooms become tender and golden brown. Finish mushrooms with a squeeze of lemon juice. Stir. Return asparagus to skillet. Heat until asparagus are warmed through. Give vegetables a couple of stirs, taste for salt and pepper, scatter garlic chives and sage on top, then serve at once.

Hi Jenni. A favorite of mine is roasted cauliflower with asafoetida and aamchur. Make roasted cauliflower as normal, then sprinkle a 1:1 mixture of hing and aamchur on top, then serve at once. That other dish is dry-fried green beans and potatoes with Indian spices, lemon and coconut. Recipe here: http://spamwise.wordpress.com/2010/07/24/dry-fried-green-beans-and-potatoes/

Fried egg; Filipino fried rice; asparagus with anchovy butter, lemon and capers Filipino fried rice -- 1 cup leftover steamed rice; 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced; 2 scallions, minced; 1 teaspoon patis; white pepper, to taste. Fry garlic in oil until garlic takes on a little color, then add scallions and rice. Stir-fry until rice takes on a pale gold sheen and is heated through, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with patis and white pepper, then serve immediately. If you don't have patis (fish sauce), light soy is a good substitute. Asparagus with anchovy butter, lemon and capers -- Steam asparagus until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Immediately shock in a bowl of ice water, drain and reserve until needed. Melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 anchovy fillet. Whisk until anchovy disintegrates, then add lemon juice and capers. Give a few stirs, taking care not to burn the butter. Cook for an additional minute then remove from heat. Spoon sauce over asparagus and serve at once.

Good morning. I'm in the middle of prepping brunch so here are some of the obligatory pantry and fridge pix in the meantime. The plastic bags have garlic and white shallots in them respectively. That container full of brown stuff is aamchu (dried mango powder). The container full of white stuff on the top shelf is dried coconut. Feel free to ask me any questions. Be back in a little bit.

I haven't forgotten about the ricotta gnocchi. That's for dinner Thursday night. Tomorrow I'll be in NJ for part of the day and probably won't get back until after 9:30 pm. Here's the demo in the meantime. I wrote this a while ago and posted it on my regular blog, the one that's linked in my signature. The recipe is adapted from Suzanne Goins' Sunday Suppers at Lucques. I make ricotta gnocchi quite regularly ... about once every six weeks. Her method is absolutely foolproof, which is more than I can say when it comes to my potato gnocchi. The latter never turns out as feathery light as I'd like. Prior to making the gnocchi, you’ll want to drain the ricotta of any excess moisture. You can place it in a strainer or colander or double-wrap it in cheesecloth. Suspend over a bowl and let it drain for 8 to 24 hours, refrigerated. Cheesecloth is more efficient as it absorbs moisture from the ricotta while gravity does the rest of the work. Combine 1 cup ricotta cheese and 1 cup flour in a large bowl and mix with a fork, making sure to break up any large lumps. Ideally the mixture should eventually look like this: Make a well in the center, add 1 egg, a pinch of kosher salt and some freshly milled black pepper. Starting at the inside of the well, slowly fold the egg into the flour with the tines of a fork in a circular motion or until the mixture forms into a soft, pliable dough. You’ll want to knead the dough as little as possible. Shape the dough into a ball, then divide it into four portions. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Lightly flour a cutting board or your work area. You want enough flour so that the dough won’t stick. If you add too much flour, the dough will be difficult to roll. Take a portion of gnocchi dough and roll it out into a long, thin cylinder and cut into pieces. You can leave them as is or run them on the reverse side of the tines of a fork to fom ridges that characterize traditional gnocchi. Drop a few at a time into salted boiling water. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until gnocchi rises to the top. Lift out with a slotted spoon. Ideally, your sauce should be ready once the gnocchi are done. Top with sauce and serve immediately. When I make ricotta gnocchi, I usually pair it with some kind of vegetable. It depends on the season and what's available at the market. Some ideas: Winter -- cabbage and leeks; shaved turnips and cheese; cauliflower and rocambole garlic Spring -- asparagus and mint; ramps and upland cress Sheep's milk ricotta gnocchi with chanterelles, zucchini and nasturtium flowers Summer -- summer squash and mint Ricotta gnocchi with Sungold cherry tomatoes and shiitake mushrooms Autumn -- wild mushrooms and pumpkin; sweet peppers and heirloom tomtoes; hazelnuts and Gorgonzola More later.

hm Quattro's sells chicken (either whole or parts), turkey (in season), pheasant, venison and duck. They occasionally have pheasant and quail eggs but my understanding is you have to go early because those sell out rather quickly. A friend of mine recently had quail egg omelettes for lunch. These are rather, ahem, dainty. You need at least 6 of them to make an omelette for one. Haven't seen drumfish at all. What are those like? Breakfast later this morning will involve something Filipino which might make prasantrin happy. I know I will be.

Shelby, I wonder if you couldn't grow a few nasturtium plants at your place? They are usually really easy to grow from seed. Mind you, they can be aphid magnets when I grow them in coastal BC, and they tend to reseed so if you don't want them anymore, you have to work a bit to remove them. But the flowers are so expensive in the markets, and they really are tasty and so colourful. They also make a lovely vinegar - you don't need many flowers - just immerse them in white wine/champagne/cider/rice vinegar. They only take a few weeks and you get a beautiful colored vinegar with a peppery taste that goes well with salads, etc. I'll have to look them up and see how they do in the hot Kansas sun. I have plenty of places I could plant them for sure! I wonder if you could do them in pots? Thanks for the idea! Soba, your fish looks like it just hopped out of the sea! So fresh! Soba, the strawberries are crying out to be used on top of fast baked/stovetop bread goods. I know you've got zero counter space, but there's no reason that you can't whip up a quick griddle cake or cornmeal shortbread (these recipes take one bowl plus your range, and no big messy anythings or power tools)..... Those would be a great second breakfast. I'll swing by the market on Friday again (I lost Wednesday due to cpu trouble) so I'll add that to the list of possibilities.

Hi soba - I laughted when I saw this because I automatically chose the zuni cafe cookbook - I have wanted this for a long time but never purchased. then I realized I have Marcella's cookbook, one of Madhur Jaffrey's books (world vegetarian, and many other vegetarian books), yet the one I want and gravitated to when I first read this is the one I don't have! Maybe I should just break down and buy it already! Even though I never post my cooking on egullet (not a big fan of taking or transferring pictures), I always love seeing your posts on the dinner thread. Your cooking style is much like mine, lots of vegetarian even though we do eat meat. The colors of your dishes are spectacular and very artistic. Count me as another that is jealous of the NYC green market. I am from western jersey and always go when I am in the downtown area. Here in NJ, our farmers markets don't start until the end of June. Heh. I don't have any of the first three and I have quite a few of the last one (i.e., vegetarian cookbooks). I'm such a sucker for new ideas involving vegetables. Protein is boring to me ... it's either grilled, broiled, baked, in a stew, in a soup or by itself. Although I have to admit that food porn featuring steak is an attention-grabber. It's just not very interesting to blog about, I think. Thanks for the compliments.

I don't know what the dimensions are, but it's slightly bigger than my bathroom. Something around 6' x 9' approximately. As for the strawberries: Sliced strawberries, macerated in vanilla sugar, black pepper and mint, with light cream. Another idea is to sprinkle sliced and hulled strawberries with 1:1 mixture of fresh squeezed orange juice and sugar. Proportions are for each 1/2 cup of berries, 1 to 2 T. worth.

Thanks Kim.

Thanks, luv. Chickweed is a late spring/early summer offering here in NYC. It has a crisp texture and a flavor reminiscent of corn silk. There's a pale sweetness that's quite lovely when paired with gentle acidic notes. It doesn't do well when exposed to heat which seems to be why there aren't very many recipes that I've come across that use it as a cooked ingredient.

Broiled wild black sea bass with fresh thyme, chickweed and Jersey tomato salad. Chickweed and tomato salad: chickweed; 1 tomato, diced; sea salt; black pepper; juice of half a lemon; walnut oil.

I have black mustard seeds in the spice cabinet but didn't have them ready. Oops.

When you've got fish this pristine, it'd be a crime to treat it less than what it deserves. Just a scant pinch of salt, black pepper and chopped fresh thyme. I have it sitting in a Pyrex dish for about 10 minutes, after which I'll drizzle some Umbrian olive oil, then pop it in the oven for 15 minutes.

Late lunch today. This is technically my fourth meal today. 1: glass of water with 5 grams creatine, followed by a whey protein shake with 1 tablespoon olive oil (for the calories) 2: poached eggs with pan-fried potatoes, tomato and spinach, 2 glasses of milk 3: protein shake with 1 scoop of peanut butter, nonfat milk, yogurt, banana and weight-gain powder For lunch, it'll be broiled wild black sea bass and chickweed-tomato salad. Pix later after I get my UGSM pictures loaded up. Today's calories will be on the high side because when I cook, I don't stint on butter, cream, cheese and olive oil. All the food porn that you're seeing this week isn't what I normally eat during the week. I can afford to do it like this because technically I'm on vacation this week. However, if it were a normal workday, it's a little more mundane. Meals 1 and 3 are usually the same on gym days. 2 is some kind of high protein/moderate carb and fat breakfast, like a fried egg sandwich with turkey and cheese on a kaiser roll, dash of Tabasco. 4 is usually something like a tunafish sandwich with honey mustard, lettuce, onion and tomato or a LOADED turkey sandwich with mayo, lettuce, onion and roasted peppers. The idea is to consume something with protein every meal, something with high to moderate carbs before my workout, and something with high protein after my workout. 5 is either beef, chicken, fish or rarely, pork and 6 is either a whey shake or a bowl of cottage cheese. Calorie count ranges from 3,500 to 4,000 calories a day, protein comes out to 200 to 250 grams. Strawberries were in abundance this afternoon. Strawberries and rhubarb. I couldn't resist buying a pint ... that'll feature in tonight's dessert. By the time I got to the Greenmarket, temps were in the mid 80s and the fish guys were gone, so I moseyed on over to Eataly and bought a fillet of black sea bass. Even on a Monday, the place was jam-packed. I REALLY hate crowds in tight-enclosed spaces so I bought a couple of things, took one picture for the Foodblog and left. Lunch pix in a little bit.

All right, I'm headed off to the gym in a little bit, then to Union Square Greenmarket where I'll be taking a boatload of pix. I'm thinking what I want for lunch ... if the fish people have anything left, I'll pick something up. Have to see what's there. Ricotta gnocchi for dinner tonight, still unsure what will go with it. More later.

I have made my own ghee before. I alternate between the stuff I get from Kalustyan's (where I'm assured it's 100% cow-butter ghee) and homemade. I use commercial ghee out of convenience. Yes, I've strayed from the pack.

About 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted; 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds, a small handful of dried curry leaves and 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced. When mustard seeds pop, add garlic and cook until the cloves turn from pale white to a light gold. Then add potatoes to the skillet along with a generous pinch of salt. Ordinarily I'd use ghee but my supply ran out a while ago and I haven't had the opportunity to visit Kalustyan's. I'm going tomorrow or Wednesday and will take pix (if I can). Cook until potatoes become golden brown, taking care not to burn. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice, stir once more, then remove from heat and set aside. In the same skillet, melt another tablespoon of butter on medium-high heat, then add shallots. Cook for a few seconds, then add tomatoes, a pinch of salt and a pinch of turmeric. Cook until tomatoes turn a brilliant red and are halfway between a solid and liquid state. Difficult to give a time estimation ... I sort of just "know" when. Add spinach, turn heat down a notch and cook until spinach wilts, about 1 minute. Return potatoes back to the skillet and cook for 2 more minutes. Taste for salt, finish with a squeeze of lemon juice, scatter some chopped cilantro over the top (if you have any; I didn't). Serve at once. Poached farm egg, pan-fried potatoes, spinach and tomatoes with Indian spices Time: About 45 minutes, including prep. edit: spelling.

Good morning. Stuff for 2nd breakfast: Clockwise from upper left: La Ratte fingerling potatoes, spinach, garlic cloves, white shallot, tomato, eggs from Quattro's Game Farm More pix in a little bit.

I have that Williams-Sonoma cookbook, Fresh From the Farmers Market. It has some really good things in it. Christine It does have great recipes but I've moved away from the mode of "going to the market with a list of things to get" to "going to the market, seeing what looks good and planning meals based on what's available". Very often I don't have any idea what I'm going to make until I get to USGM. I've made less than a handful from that cookbook, but I keep it around for ideas.

Hi Nikki, and thanks. Ricotta gnocchi is one of my staples. I usually serve them with some kind of vegetable feature though. I have a few things planned for tomorrow, not the least of which is a demo on how to make ricotta gnocchi. I'm afraid I've never been to The Spotted Pig and have no plans to go anytime soon. That being said, I took a look at this recipe for the gnudi and it seems to me that it's not all that much different from Suzanne Goins' version. Suzanne's method is my preferred recipe. I have some raspberry white chocolate ice cream waiting for me once I get the dishes washed. Until the morn. Soba

I'm following Dave's commandment -- eat more chicken skin. Re the chickweed -- I'm afraid any distinguishing characteristics it might have had disappeared once I tossed it into the pan. That, or I cooked it for 20 seconds too long. I didn't use all of the chickweed. There's still a healthy chunk left, enough for a small salad tomorrow.

I needn't have worried. Chinese white-cut chicken, with scallion-ginger sauce; stir-fried chickweed, mushrooms and young onion; steamed rice, with white pepper and scallions. Thanks Shalmanese! That recipe is a keeper. I should really cook more Asian. That's definitely an area I haven't explored much.

Thanks Heidi. If I can inspire people who might not normally like vegetables or even certain kinds of vegetables to try something out of the ordinary, then I'll have considered that a victory.

They're a big business here in NYC. They're especially popular with the midtown lunch crowd, although sometimes I want to tell people that it's a crime paying $6 for dumplings when you can go to Chinatown and get 5 for less than $2 (as evidenced by the Anita Lo dumpling truck). 2 orders of dumplings + water equals $14.