Spring Fling
I’ve been experiencing food euphoria. The Farmer’s Markets opened. I’ve got beautiful kale, chard and lettuce producing. The carrot seeds…they came up! Even though we’ve had a tease of a spring (actually typical in Oregon – some false spring weather gets us in our cropped pants and sandals and digging around in the garden and then bone-chilling relentless rains send us scurrying for the coffeehouses again), I can’t feel down, because I’ve already tasted spring and it is delicious!
A Farmer’s Market is such an inspiration and automatically turns my mind to simpler, flavor-packed preparations. I wasn’t sure how I would use the rhubarb that I bought on the Market’s opening day, but I couldn’t resist its gorgeous hue. Try this recipe for jam (see small-batch strawberry jam) — it’s perfect for those of us who don’t want to “put up” and just want enough to eat some now and maybe share a jar. No equipment, no technique, just a skillet. You can do it if I can. Really, you “can.” It only takes a few minutes, but the domestic goddess glow will stay with you for days.
rhubarb and strawberries from the farmer's market prepped for preserves. It's only the second time I've ever used rhubarb. It has a nice bright tart flavor like a green apple. I just subbed in some rhubarb for some of the strawberries in the recipe.
sauteed in the skillet with lemon juice and sugar - less sugar than many recipes call for...
spread on homemade bread (see recipe in previous post)...
Other memorable recent meals have been inspired by the Market too. Tastebud Farm serves pizza straight from the wood-burning brick oven with toppings from neighboring vendors such as sauteed collards, spring onions and pecorino romano.
...oh, I forgot about the lardons. That really was delicious.
At home, I’ve been improvising my own versions, this one with mushrooms, duck salami, roasted asparagus and a buffalo-milk cheese. (I prefer very thin crust, and no tomato sauce. Pizza is never round in our house. Sometimes the shape of Africa, but never round). Here’s the pizza dough recipe that we love.
Before I get in a rut or a rush and pick up a prepared dinner that is overly salty and sweet from Trader Joe’s (as I did recently), I have to remember this dish — maybe the best nosh of recent memory — a simple dinner of roasted asparagus, gruyere, salami (Mario Batali’s dad’s brand), on fresh bread. Here I made the bread, but Pearl Bakery or Grand Central would be great. Yum!
It’s actually pouring rain as I wrap this up. But I’ll be back in my little garden as soon as I can.
