SobaAddict70

really nice roast chicken. I don't think there's ever a season where that goes out of style. Spaghetti with fennel, anchovy and raisin, topped with fried breadcrumbs, parsley and mint Recipe from here: http://siciliancookingplus.com/pasta/35_Pasta_with%20_anchovysauce_fennels.html

One of my favorite ways to prepare zucchini is to steam them in butter and olive oil. Sort of like sweating them but not as refined. Chop zucchini coarsely (you can dice them or cut them into large, irregularly shaped chunks), then add to a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven along with 2 to 3 tablespoons each unsalted butter and regular olive oil (NOT extra-virgin olive oil). Partially cover and steam for 10 to 15 minutes (20 minutes if you've got a lot of zucchini) over medium/medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. If there's too much water, remove the lid and let the liquid evaporate. Conversely, if the zucchini seems too dry, cover completely. At the end, taste for salt, then stir in some chopped herbs. It's ok if the zukes brown. You want to cook them to the point where they're about to collapse, while still retaining their integrity. When made in this fashion, the texture transforms into "silk". Seen here, combined with fresh linguine, wild arugula, diced Jersey tomato, Italian parsley and pecorino romano cheese.

I love greens cooked Southern style. Brown sugar is a new one though, never heard that before. Stewed squid with lamb's quarters (wild spinach) I must've used something like half a bottle of white wine making this. Very tasty.

Purslane and golden beet salad, with roasted asparagus, shiitake mushrooms, summer squash, ricotta salata and sourdough croutons

Breakfast for dinner: Purslane omelette, chopped tomato salad Not shown: crispy toast with leftover tomato salad Strawberries with crème anglaise for dessert.

A light Greenmarket dinner: Salade Lyonnaise Strawberries w/ vanilla sugar and cream 2008 Riesling Rheingau

Garlic scapes Still jonesing for corn. This week: sugar snap peas, purslane, lamb's quarters, wild arugula, herbs, eggs, tomatoes, a baguette, salad greens, cream, STRAWBERRIES and CHERRIES.

I never peel ginger and I'm obviously very much alive. I also eat lots of it -- been doing so for 30+ years.

Cholent.

Leftover curd rice. Strawberry sorbet for dessert. HOWEVER, I did make a batch of bhel puri. Turned out well for a first time, I think. Potatoes, tomatoes, onion, sev, puffed rice, lime juice, mint, cilantro. Golden raisins for sweetness. Served with a coconut chutney.

They're pigeon peas.

Soba - What's curd rice? That looks amazing! It's spiced full-fat yogurt mixed with cooked rice. Low-fat and non-fat yogurt is just vile, in my opinion. You can substitute buttermilk instead of the yogurt, however it will have a different flavor profile. This version isn't very spicy -- recipe is on the blog.

Curd rice with golden beets and Persian cucumber, served with green mango pickle

Making beet raita tonight. golden beets yogurt ghee black mustard seeds salt black pepper curry leaves combine chopped beets and yogurt along with a little salt and pepper. heat ghee in a saucepan. add mustard seeds, stir. let them "pop", then add sesame seeds and curry leaves. when sesame seeds have started to toast, fold ghee mixture into the yogurt. serve right away or chill overnight.

Pasta with roasted asparagus, roasted shiitake mushrooms, cow's milk ricotta and soft-cooked eggs Think of it as a rendition of "pasta primavera" except this one doesn't involve ramps or peas. Roast asparagus and mushrooms for 10 minutes at 350 F, with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bring a pot of water to a simmer, drop in two room-temperature chicken eggs and boil for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly, peel and chop coarsely. Remove eggs, add pasta to the same pot of water. Cook per package directions. Or you can use fresh pasta and cook until desired doneness is reached. Drain. I used fresh ricotta (1/2 cup cow's milk ricotta + 1 ladleful boiling water, stirred together). Add a pinch of salt, black pepper and 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil. Stir. Mince some chives. To assemble, once pasta is cooked, add directly to the roasting pan. Add ricotta cheese. Toss. Taste for salt and pepper. Plate each serving, scatter egg and chives atop, then serve at once. Time: About 35 minutes total, including prep.

Just saw on an Italian foodblog (since the author lives in Italy) a recipe that fits this thread perfectly: http://divinacucina.blogspot.com/2010/05/spring-is-here.html

Potatoes and greens It's actually a little more complicated than that. The basic template is: greens and potatoes cooked separately, then pan-fried in olive oil with your choice of onions, garlic, shallots, garlic scapes or even ramps. Stir in some diced tomato at the end, taste for salt and pepper, drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil and serve at once. You can use all sorts of greens: lamb's quarters, beet greens, turnip greens, spinach, chard, escarole, chicory, etc. Be sure to taste for salt at each step. Finishing touches can also include fried breadcrumbs (for a Sicilian kick), soft-cooked, fried or poached eggs. This version has beet greens and upland cress, a type of mustard green that has a spicy, nose-tingling taste. It makes your hair stand up. Recipe on the blog for the quantity-challenged.

The danger with letting me shop at USGM is that I'll go there with a plan to spend no more than $20 and buy stuff for twice that amount. Cherries (unlike some people, I believe in showing everything, perfect produce and blemishes alike) -- this is more "real" to me, and a personal preference Strawberries, from Migliorelli Farm So for this week: cow's milk ricotta from Tonjes, heirloom tomatoes, summer squash, zucchini, mushrooms, Persian cucumber, upland cress, herbs, a baguette, golden beets and eggs. Pasta tonight with greens and mushrooms, maybe ricotta gnocchi later in the week. And I think a salade nicoise for tomorrow's lunch.

Thanks Kim. dcarch -- I adore flowers in savory dishes. Salad looks great. For tonight: Spaghetti "carbonara" It's not a true carbonara b/c the eggs were hard-cooked instead of raw. There were other deviations such as shallots and a minimal amount of white wine. Madelines and mint tea for dessert.

Ask who? Host? Waiter? Manager? Everybody in view? Majority rules, or single blackball voting? etc? I typically use nonflash whenever I'm in a restaurant. Of course it wasn't always like that, especially when I was starting out as a foodblogger. Education evolves over time. As for policy, I ask the reservationist when making a reservation and again when confirming. I've never had a problem with this approach.

Thin spaghetti with slow-roasted tomatoes, tomato oil and herbs These were made with canned whole tomatoes (slow-roasted at 250 F for 7 hours, with garlic, shallots, good quality olive oil, salt, pepper and a scant teaspoon of sugar) -- cooked in this manner, folks in cold-weather climates can come close to experiencing some of the pleasure that in-season toms have to offer. Tomato risotto The recipe consists of three parts: slow-roasted tomatoes, tomato purée and the risotto itself. I'll be making this again this year later in the summer but one change that I've been contemplating is using tomato water in the risotto, very likely as a finishing touch. (Full detailed recipe on the blog.) Another idea (well two, really) are variations on gazpacho. A white gazpacho using tomato water, white grapes and toasted almonds, and a melon gazpacho (honeydew or cantaloupe, tomato water, seedless cucumbers and heirloom tomatoes). I'll let y'all know how those pan out. Spaghetti with quick tomato confit So many of my recipes involve pasta. It's kind of embarrassing. These were a handful of Jersey tomatoes roasted in an olive oil bath at 325 F for 90 minutes, along with salt, pepper, basil and parsley.

Re the stems -- you can make mushroom stock out of them. Good stuff, especially if you eat a lot of mushrooms. Save the stems (they can be frozen indefinitely), wrap them in cheesecloth or a bouquet garni (or you can just toss them in the pot), immerse in boiling water. Reduce heat and simmer for about one hour. Strain. Use in soup, risotto, sauces, or just about any recipe that calls for vegetable stock.

Gnocchi with wild mushrooms, ramps, lamb's quarters and puntarelle Warm radish and asparagus salad with mint vinaigrette That was the last bunch of ramps I had -- no more until next year. Apparently I had forgotten all about it, as it was in the back of the bottom tray in the fridge. Lamb's quarters is also known as wild spinach or goosefoot. Depending on where you live, it is sometimes thought of as an invasive weed. Use in recipes that call for spinach. It's tasty simply sautéed in olive oil, with a bit of garlic, lemon and red pepper flakes. Puntarelle is a green whose flavor is a cross between endive and chicory. Its leaves are similar in appearance to dandelion leaves. Cooking tames its otherwise assertive flavor. The salad is just roasted asparagus, shallots and French breakfast radishes, then tossed with green leaf lettuce and dressed in a mint vinaigrette (a ratio of 1/4:1 Japanese rice wine vinegar to extra-virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and finely chopped mint). Recipe capsules on the blog.

Try using crème fraiche for creamed spinach (use as you would heavy cream).

If you're paying $7 a pound for tomatoes, you're shopping at the wrong vendor. In May. Try the asparagus instead. Or the plethora of greens at Migliorelli. Of course you'll be paying through the nose for tomatoes (because it's early in the season, for starters). Most of us usually wait until late summer or early fall, when the markets will explode in tomatoey goodness. You'll be oozing tomatoes out of your eyes, you won't know what to do with them. If you shop carefully and more importantly, in-season, it's possible to go home under $40 and be able to feed yourself for a week. I know, because I shop there weekly and I've been blogging about it for over two years. When I hear people complain about USGM, I usually think they have an axe to grind. And you know what? 99% of the time, I'm right. PS. Farmers have to make a living too -- all that beautiful produce doesn't magically appear out of thin air. I'm late in posting -- for this week: heirloom beets, French breakfast radishes, lamb's quarters, puntarella, rocambole garlic. Flounder from Blue Moon Fish; bacon ends from Flying Pig Farms. The most wonderful baby potatoes from Mountain Sweet Berry.