The chard that I’m able to get at this time of year has wide stems that I can sometimes cook and serve with the leaves but occasionally reserve for another day. Here I braised the stems in some lovely chicken broth just made from a roasted bird, then used the remainder of the broth as [...]
Archive for April, 2010
Brown Rice with Chard Stems and Preserved Lemon
Posted in Gluten-free, Grains, Greens, tagged Gluten-free, Grains, Greens, Preserved lemons on April 27, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Tomato and Pumpkin Soup
Posted in Gluten-free, Pumpkin, Soup, Sweet potato, Tomato, tagged Gluten-free, Pumpkin, Soup, Sweet potato, Tomato on April 27, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Continuing to eat out of the pantry before the spring growing season, I roasted the remaining cheese pumpkin from the late fall harvest, which had kept surprisingly well, and combined it with a home-canned tomato soup base that was stretching its viable shelf life. Our local CSA farm grows several heirloom varieties for canning, with [...]
Mint and Rosemary Herb Jellies
Posted in Can Jam, Herbs, Preserving, tagged Herbs, Preserving on April 19, 2010 | 4 Comments »
For the April Can Jam, I was excited to see herbs as the focus, partly because my little pot garden – the first sign of spring around here – is sprouting mint, rosemary, lovage, tarragon, thyme, oregano, sage and chives, which overwintered. However, what excited me the most about this assignment is that I tried [...]
Sea Scallops on Tomatillo Sauce
Posted in Potatoes, Preserving, Seafood, Tomatillo, tagged Gluten-free, Preserving, Seafood, Tomatillo on April 18, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
In the absence of tomatoes for canning last summer, I got lucky with an abundance of tomatillos and put up numerous jars of sauce, flavored with lemon juice for the acid. I found this worked much better than vinegar, since the lemon flavor complemented the tartness of the tomatillo. I wrote about this experience HERE. [...]
Pasta with Broccoli Pesto and Roasted Tomatoes
Posted in broccoli, Pasta, Pesto, Tomato, tagged broccoli, Pasta, Tomato on April 18, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
During the still-cold days in the transition from winter to spring, there is still a yen for warm, tasty comfort food coupled with a push toward fresh vegetables, which for us are not yet local. This dish is another example of my philosophy of walking in the door after work, setting a pot of water [...]
Orange-roasted Lobster Salad for Paper Chef 51
Posted in Citrus fruit, Paper Chef, Salad, Shellfish, tagged Citrus, Salad, Seafood on April 11, 2010 | 1 Comment »
I love how, in Paper Chef and other challenges, the random selection of ingredients, sometimes complementary, sometimes incongruous, evokes an emotional response. I have a few memorable gustatory experiences with lobster and a few favorite ways of cooking shellfish, all with citrus, typically orange. So the combination of lobster, orange, apricot and ginger was a [...]
Layered Cabbage Stew à la Provence
Posted in Cabbage, Soup, Stews, tagged Cabbage, Soup on April 5, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
There are several cookbooks on my shelf, not necessarily bestsellers, which I consult again and again for inspiration and just plain good recipes. They assume a certain status after I’ve cooked over a dozen successful recipes from their pages. Among those is a volume dating from the mid-90s entitled Cooking Provence, Four Generations of Recipes [...]
Beet Salad – a Medley
Posted in Beets, Salad, tagged Beets, Salad on April 5, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
I recall that, when I briefly lived in Vienna as a student, the schnitzel was typically accompanied by a raw beet salad – grated or shredded. I’m fond of roasted beets during the winter. However, looking forward to a warmer season, raw food appeals, as it feels more refreshing. Although I promised in February to [...]
April: Herbs in Pots
Posted in Garden, Herbs, tagged Herbs on April 4, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Living in town and surrounded by large old trees, I have little opportunity to have a full-fledged garden. I do ascribe to the “lawn to garden” philosophy and have always, wherever I’ve lived, had a small patch of ground for growing something. For years, I’ve had a perennial herb garden grown in pots that has [...]
