Open-Face Fava and Egg Salad Sandwiches

Peas of Mind

Over the weekend I started getting my garden ready for the spring. I waterproofed the floor of my greenhouse, started my pumpkin and cantaloupe seeds, and planted the English peas that I had started a few weeks ago.

Because I have done this, we are now supposed to have a torrential downpour that will last for days starting on Wednesday. Had I known that I could make water fall from the sky by the bucketful just by working in the garden, I would have started at the beginning of January. Now I just have to hope that my plants will survive the beating.

This year I opted not to plant fava beans along with my peas, and I am now regretting that decision. After finishing in the garden and feeling rather pleased with myself, I sat down with my lemonade and Sunset magazine, and pretended that I was the kind of person who would normally be enjoying the spring-like weather while reading Sunset. (I really would like to be that person, who is a gardening bad ass, but it’s just not true. If I am successful it usually dumb luck.)

Anyway, while thumbing through the March issue, I spied a recipe that made me stop in my tracks. Open-Faced Fava and Egg Salad Sandwiches. What could say “The Winter produce doldrums are over!” better than that? It’s so simple, but the bright green color of the favas screams Spring, and the picture made my mouth water. After noting that it included a recipe for tabil by Kitty Morse, one of my favorite Moroccan cooking teachers, I knew I would have to try it. Now I will regret not having the fresh fava beans from the garden.

For now, I will sit back and be happy for the rain, and cross my fingers that my peas will survive…and wait for fresh favas to appear at the market.

Open-Face Fava and Egg Salad Sandwiches
Recipe adapted from Kitty Morse and myrecipes.com Read more…

Celery Root-Apple Slaw with Pecorino, Parsley, and Pine Nuts

Seeds of Change

I’m restless and bored. It happens every year. It’s a vicious cycle. This time of year the produce available is less than exciting and, to add insult to injury, my seed catalogs start arriving in my mailbox.

Note to self: You should never look at a seed catalog when all you have been eating non stop for the past few months is cabbage, root veggies and squash. It’s kinda like the rule that says you should never go to the grocery store hungry. You’re going to come home with way more than you need—not to mention a few things that you will never eat.

My Burpee seed catalog has so many flagged seeds and plants that it has a fringe. Really? Do I need 14 different types of tomatoes? My color-deprived palate says yes. The husband? Not so much. And lets not forget the current rain situation, and the fact that I am not farming commercially. Space is actually an issue. (Though I could start my own CSA…hmmmmmm.)

Needless to say I have been on the hunt for something to brighten up the winter produce blahs and, I think I found it in the February-March edition of Fine Cooking magazine. They have a spread on winter slaws, and they are all gorgeous. There is a Fennel Slaw with Grapefruit, Cracked Pepper and Pistachios that looks way too pretty to eat.

My personal fav is the Celery Root-Apple Slaw with Pecorino, Parsley and Pine Nuts. It’s perfect with a simple Roast Chicken which, for us, is a weekly staple.

Hopefully, these options will help brighten up your plates until the coming of peas, asparagus, fava beans, and cherries. Let the countdown begin, and pray for rain!
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Jumbo Pico Salad

Tahoe Time
As you read this, I am up at Tahoe with the family for the annual trek to the Lake. Life’s pretty good right about now. My toes are most likely in the sand and my face in a book as I lounge in a chair on the beach at Sand Harbor. Dinner is most likely marinating in the fridge waiting for us to come home and throw it on the grill. We’ll throw together a quick salad to go with it and probably have a cocktail or five on the back deck. I know. It’s a really tough way to spend your days.

For the past few years, I have made a point to pick any vegetables in my garden that are even close to being ripe and bring them up to Tahoe with us, especially the tomatoes. Gotta have a tomato on your beach sandwich, right?

This year I will do the same with the intent to make my new favorite tomato salad. I got the recipe from The Pioneer Woman, and I love it because it is kind of a no-brainer, “Duh!” salad.

If you like Pico De Gallo you will know why this Jumbo Pico Salad makes sense. It’s really good and it goes well with anything grilled. It’s also tasty for lunch on the beach the next day… Read more…

Watermelon and Arugula Salad

The Ripe Stuff
Last week I was out in my garden, and noticed that one of my watermelons “looked” like it was ready to be picked and devoured. Silly me. After many years in the grocery business, not to mention growing my own food, I assumed I would be able to figure out if a watermelon was ripe. Oh the arrogance! I was wrong. I was so, so wrong.

When I cut open the melon, it was totally white inside. No ruby red juiciness. Not even a lovely shade of blush. It was straight up flavorless, white melon flesh. I was mad, I was sad, and I was frustrated. Why couldn’t Mother Nature have come up with some handy little device that would tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that the bounty in your garden was ready to be enjoyed? Kinda like one of those pop-up things that comes in your turkey. That would be awesome, wouldn’t it?

Alas, it was not meant to be. So instead, I went in search of tricks to knowing when your produce is ripe. Some of the info I got was pretty cool. For most fruits and vegetables, it can be as easy as looking at the color. Bananas turn yellow, tomatoes turn red, and carrots turn orange.

It’s not always about looks. Sometimes you need a trick from an expert. So, I went our produce manager for a tutorial. Here are a few things I learned:

To test if artichokes are ready to eat, squeeze them. If they squeak they’re good to go. If they don’t they’re probably old. It’s the same with Zucchini. If they squeak when two squash are rubbed together they are ripe.

Peaches may look ready, but when you get them home they are either too hard and flavorless or too soft and icky. Color is a good indicator but not always accurate. The best way to know if a peach is ready is to push gently at the top where the tree stem should be. If it is soft it’s ready. For nectarines, if the skin on the outside is shiny, it’s not ready yet. The skin should be matte in appearance for a perfect nectarine. I learned these tips a few years ago from Fitzgerald Kelley who provides us with his tasty peaches and nectarines. I haven’t had a bad one since.

Melons probably present the most challenges when trying to determine their ripeness and, apparently, watermelons are the hardest of all, which made me feel a little better. The best way to check a watermelon for ripeness is to thump it with your finger. If it sounds hollow, it’s ripe.

Muskmelons, like Cantaloupe, are easy. The more fragrant they are, the riper they are. Also, if you push on the blossom end and it gives a little bit, then it’s ripe.

Honeydew Melons are the most fun though. Honeydew is ripe when you run your fingers across it’s skin and they stick. If your fingers slide easily across the skin, it’s not ripe yet. The reason is that as the melon ripens, the sugars from the fruit are released through the skin thus making it “sticky”. Not honey sticky but, well…sticky. Try it next time you’re in the store. It’s kinda cool.

So when you find that perfect watermelon, enjoy it right out of the fridge or, better yet, try this Watermelon and Arugula Salad adapted from the Barefoot Contessa. It’s a super fast great Summertime salad! Read more…