Writing about the food I love has been a pretty incredible journey, and one of the best things about blogging is the community of other bloggers, food writers, and food eaters out there. So I was thrilled to receive an invitation to a fantastic dinner party with some of my very favorite foodies. The lovely Veronica hosted on her roof deck overlooking the city, and the guest list included an intimidating mix of old friends (Kimberley and Barb), new ones (Kasey), and bloggers and foodies I’d long admired but never met (Cathy, Nicole, Sarah, Yossy, Kate, Diana, Sarah, Kristin, and Laura). I wanted to bring a dish, and needed to make something good. [Read more…]
green garlic: now in season
Green garlic, otherwise known as young or spring garlic, is now available at local markets. It’s one of many springtime garlic variations–garlic chives and scapes being others. Milder than its full-grown counterpart, spring garlic can be used anywhere you might add garlic or onions. Because it’s more mild than garlic, green garlic can play a mellow role in spring-friendly raw garlic dishes like pesto. [Read more…]
now in season
This is stinging nettle and mushroom lasagna; unfortunately it looks, and actually also tastes, a lot like spanakopita. Really good, but not in a lasagna way. Though highly delicious, it’s far from what I set out to achieve and there will be no recipe. Instead we will use the lasagna as means to review spring eating in all it’s glory.
To start, we have the lasagna with stinging nettle pesto and mushrooms. Stinging nettles frighten me but I cooked them anyway. They tasted a lot like spinach, except scarier. Apparently they are really good for you, and so is the cooking liquid, but the thought of drinking something that contained stinging nettles was too much for me. For the sake of information the chemical sting is neutralized by prolonged exposure to hot water, but you never know.
From our small rooftop garden we have perennial chives, oregano, and thyme, as well as recently planted red sorrel, arugula, baby chard, garlic chives, fennel, chervil, and parsley. From the farmers market we are enjoying tuscan, russian, and flowering kale, ramps, tender bok choy, broccoli rabe, and escarole. A friend recently told me about over-wintered parsnips sweetened by the frost; I have yet to try these, but am really looking forward to it.
I am so happy to have so many fresh, new foods to choose from. Thank you spring.