melange of heirloom tomatoes with burrata and whipped tomato purée
serves 4
what you need:
5-6 beautiful heirloom tomatoes, various colors
burrata cheese (as needed)
fresh sweet basil leaves (as needed)
quality olive oil (as needed)
gros sel de Guérande or kosher or sea salt (as needed)
freshly ground black pepper (as needed)
8 yellow or orange heirloom tomatoes, juiced (seeds and skins discarded) Read the rest of this entry »
deep roots, significant growth, and organically so:
McGrath Family Farms and three fresh salads for spring
kale and turnip slaw with mustard seed dressing
strawberry and wild arugula salad on a Ciabatta plank
spring pea and fava bean salad with fava leaves
Mustard seeds are powerful things. When I was a girl my mother gave me a necklace with mustard seeds in a little locket. It represented a parable about the power of faith and how significant growth can come from humble beginnings (tiny seeds). It was also significant to me because her family came from generations of famers. I wore it all the time and when it broke I was girlishly devastated.
My draw to the mustard plant was not unique. In 1868, Dominick McGrath, a sheep herder from Northern California, journeyed to Southern California where he discovered six foot high mustard plants. Significant growth from tiny seeds. Dominick McGrath had found fertile soil and the place where he would sow seeds and plant his family’s roots. McGrath Family Farms was born. I recently visited the McGrath Family Farm and as I picked (and ate) my way through the organic fields, it was the very soil underneath my feet which inspired our lunch that day and this week’s simple pleasure: three fresh salads for spring (and yes, one includes mustard seeds).
wild arugula and strawberry salad on a Ciabatta plank
serves 4
what you need:
1 loaf of quality fresh Ciabatta bread (or pan de mie or country bread)
from the farm
1 cup sliced strawberries, stems removed
2 generous handfuls of wild arugula, trimmed
½ cup rapini leaves
red or green mustard frill leaves (as needed)
fresh arugula flowers (as needed)
small strawberries with stems
dressing
1 packed tablespoon light brown sugar
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon sel de Guérande (or sea salt)
2 tablespoons quality olive oil Read the rest of this entry »
hungry no more: The Hunger Games Menu
Peeta’s nut and raisin bread with Prim goat cheese
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Rue dandelion salad with tracker jacker dressing
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Katniss’s rabbit (or chicken) chasseur
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Roasted blackberries on a vanilla pod bow with vanilla seed ice cream
and fresh violets for Gale
Impossible for me to resist. I love food. I love books. The title is The Hunger Games. Coincidentally the book (part of a trilogy by Suzanne Collins) is a fad among tweens and teens and it was race with my eldest daughter to see who could finish the book first. She won. We both loved the book and the food references throughout sent my creativity into orbit. However, the power of this book goes beyond the ability to encourage a child’s love of literature, it can also encourage them to eat good food (unbeknownst to them), and as I quickly turned the pages, this week’s simple pleasure, a Hunger Games menu, was born.
“Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor.”
“Gale holds up a loaf of bread with an arrow stuck in it, and I laugh. It’s real bakery bread, not the flat dense loaves we make from our grain rations.” (page 7)
green salad with mustard frill, watercress and pea tendrils
serves 4-6
what you need:
1 handful red mustard frill
1 handful green mustard frill2 handfuls mesclun
½ cup watercress, stems removed
1 handful trimmed pea tendrils
cucumber, watermelon radish and celery cru
stats:
serves 4
55 calories per serving Read the rest of this entry »
Those who took the “be a 10” challenge (October 6, 2011 post) received 6 Thanksgiving side dish recipes for their $10 donation. It is not too late. If you would like to receive recipes for:
wild mushroom and brioche stuffing with chestnuts and fresh sage
lazy days of summer: watermelon and heirloom tomato salad
Nothing says summer more than juicy ripe watermelon and vine-ripened tomatoes. We enjoy them separately and find ways to include them in various meals. Together these two fruits are devine (as well as good for you and keep you looking young) and for these reasons a watermelon and heirloom tomato salad is this week’s simple pleasure. Read the rest of this entry »
Alsacian slaw with lardons and apples
stats:
serves 4-6
what you need:
1/2 pound (8 ounces) thinly sliced green cabbage
4 ounces diced granny smith apples Read the rest of this entry »
kale and red quinoa tabbouleh
stats:
serves 8-10
what you need:
1 cup red quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups blanched kale (tuscan and curly), stems removed, finely chopped
1 red onion, diced brunoise
3 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, minced
3 tablespoons finishing olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon fleur de sel (or as needed)
1/2 teaspoon Xérès or Spanish vinegar (Vinagre de Jerez)
how to:
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