Beet and Orange Salad

1 medium golden beet
1 medium red beet
lettuce
1 orange zested and segmented with peel removed
thinly sliced red onion crescents
toasted pecans

Cranberry Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup cranberry juice
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 medium shallot, peeled
1 small garlic clove, peeled
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt and ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
orange zest

Roast beets covered in an oven until tender all the way through. Remove skins and slice in half lengthwise and then in 1/4 inch thick crescents.

Place lettuce in serving dish and top with beets, oranges, onion, and pecans.

Mix all vinaigrette ingredients together and serve with salad.

Early Summer Pasta

eggplant
tomatoes
red onion
chopped garlic
olive oil
salt pepper
whole wheat pasta (rigatoni)
rosemary
thyme
red pepper flakes
parmesan cheese

Heat the oven to 400 F.

Chop the eggplant, tomatoes, and red onion into chunky pieces. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake until the vegetables are soft and starting to color.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta. Drain the water and return to the pot, but remove from the heat.

Add the baked vegetables, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and red pepper. Stir and top with grated parmesan.

Pea Pesto

shelled English peas
shelled fava beans
clove of garlic
tarragon
mint
salt and pepper
olive oil
spring onion
pepitas

Briefly blanch the peas and beans in boiling water and then shock in cold water. Leave to drain.

Finely chop garlic and add tarragon, mint, salt, and pepper.

Remove the skins from the fava beans. Add peas and beans and mash all together with a mortar and pestle adding olive oil to thin the consistency.

Finely chop the spring onion and stir into mix.

Add pepitas and mix with warm pasta.

Sweet Potato and Carrot Risotto

Resurrect the winter ingredients and flavors when a cold day makes an appearance in Spring.

1 small sweet potato
1 yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1 small carrot
olive oil.
1 cup short grain brown rice
4 cups boiling water
chunk of parmesan rind
1-2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
chopped fresh sage

Bake the sweet potato whole in an oven until soft and tender. Remove skin, mash in a bowl, and set aside.

Dice the onion and carrot and finely chop the garlic. Heat the oil in a pan and saute until the onion and carrot are soft. Add the brown rice and stir until rice is coated with oil and begins to toast. Add parmesan rind. Add water in increments stirring in between waiting until most of it has been absorbed before adding more. When the rice is nearly finished cooking, add the mashed sweet potato and grated parmesan and stir together. Season with salt, pepper, and sage.

Spring Miso Soup

1 packet instant miso soup mix
asparagus spears, chopped into 1 inch pieces
brown rice udon noodles
edamame beans
wild garlic leaves, chopped into ribbons
spring onion sliced

Bring some water and the miso soup mix to a low boil.
Blanch the asparagus pieces briefly and then shock in cold water.
Add noodles and edamame to broth and cook until noodles are al-dente.
Add asparagus pieces and cook until noodles are tender.
Remove from heat. Stir in wild garlic leaves and top with spring onion.

Slurps up!

Somewhere over Europe
April 2009

Placa de Catalunya, Barcelona
April 2009

Holland Park, London

March 2009

Aegina Island, Greece
February 2009

Warm Winter Cabbage and Potato Salad

4-5 leaves Savoy cabbage
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 small, thin-skinned potatoes
1 small red onion, quartered
1 egg
fresh sage, chopped
salt and pepper
olive oil

Par boil the potatoes until nearly cooked through. Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 200 C. Chop cabbage into half inch strips.

Halve or quarter the boiled potatoes depending on their size. Place on a baking sheet with the onion quarters. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake until potatoes begin to crisp and turn brown and the onions are soft. After removing from oven, immediately sprinkle sage on top.

Heat oil in a frying pan and add garlic. Saute briefly and add cabbage. Saute adding a small amount of water to create steam and cook down the cabbage slightly.

Poach the egg in simmering water just long enough to cook and maintain a soft yolk.

Place the cabbage on a plate. Break apart onion wedges into pieces and place on the cabbage with the potato wedges. Top with poached egg and season with salt and pepper.

Current Read

The Wild West, shoot-outs, drugs, outlaws...and philosophy.

No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

Cupboard Bean Salad

Made with ingredients mostly from the cupboard since I was low on fresh produce.

Ingredients:
Dried cannellini beans
Dried chickpeas
White onion
Potato

Dressing:
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
Clove of garlic
Salt
Pepper
Dried mint
Dried parsley
Dried rosemary

Soak the beans and chickpeas in water for 24 hours.

Cover beans and chickpeas in a pot with water and boil until tender (upwards of an hour).

Meanwhile, boil the potato and cut into cubes. Dice the onion and saute lightly until tender. Set aside potato and onion.

In a jar, mix oil, lemon juice, chopped garlic, salt, pepper, and dried herbs. Shake well to combine. Taste and adjust ingredients to preference.

Combine potato, onion, beans and chickpeas. Cover with the dressing and stir. Serve hot or cold.

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