It’s official: Spring is in full swing here in Los Altos Hills, California — the days are getting noticeably longer, the pea plants in my garden are exploding with fresh peas, and the winter greens (collards & kale) have bolted to seed…
Weeknight Recipes
Potato Gratin with Caramelized Fennel and Leek
March 27th, 2008 | by Jen | published in Cheese, Delectable Dairy, Fennel, Honorable Herbs, Leek, Most Popular, Potatoes, Thyme, Veritable Vegetables, Weeknight Recipes
Nettle Soup
March 20th, 2008 | by Jen | published in Around the World, Most Popular, Nettle, Veritable Vegetables, Weeknight Recipes
Let me guess, you’ve never cooked with nettle before? Well, NOW (early spring) is the time to try it! Nettles seem to resist mass cultivation, and only grow wild or semi-wild, and only during a short period of the year. In the words of…
Honey Roasted Rutabaga
March 16th, 2008 | by Jen | published in All, Most Popular, Rutabaga, Veritable Vegetables, Weeknight Recipes
In all honesty, I’d never given rutabagas much thought until quite recently. Besides beets, root vegetables aren’t really my every day go-to’s, but I’ve started experimenting with turnips, parsnips, and rutabaga…
Collard Greens with Spaghetti
February 25th, 2008 | by Jen | published in All, Collard Greens, Most Popular, Veritable Vegetables, Weeknight Recipes
Sometimes I like to make what I think of as ‘Terry Riley’ or ‘Mark Rothko’ dishes — minimalist cooking, if you will. I find myself craving dishes where the flavors and clean and simple, and the taste and texture…
Wrinkled Roasted Carrot
February 23rd, 2008 | by Jen | published in All, Carrots, Veritable Vegetables, Weeknight Recipes
This might just be the easiest dish you ever make. With just three ingredients, you get delicious side dish that is exponentially greater than the sum of its parts. Last weekend I was at the farmer’s market…
Chard Stem Gratin
February 19th, 2008 | by Jen | published in All, Chard, Cheese, Delectable Dairy, Food Politics and Issues, Garlic, Honorable Herbs, Most Popular, Parsley, Succulent Spices, Tomatoes, Veritable Vegetables, Weeknight Recipes
Chard stems!? In a recipe?! Grimace. What?! Huh?! Chard stems were something that always went straight from the cutting board to the garbage can until I came across this preparation method in Alice Water’s…
Roasted Broccoli Romanesco
February 18th, 2008 | by Jen | published in All, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Most Popular, Veritable Vegetables, Weeknight Recipes
First things first. Even though it’s called Broccoli Romanesco, it’s actually a lot more like cauliflower in taste and texture than it is like broccoli. It is, in fact, a cross between the two…
Wilted Dandelion Greens with Garlic and Pecans
February 11th, 2008 | by Jen | published in All, Dandelion Greens, Garlic, Nuanced Nuts, Pecans, Shallots, Succulent Spices, Veritable Vegetables, Weeknight Recipes
A new twist on an old saying — one woman’s weed is another woman’s dinner. It’s true, I really enjoy eating a few plants that are typically thought of as weeds — dandelion greens, sorrel, purslane…
Ever-So-Slightly-Sweet Mashed Turnips
February 2nd, 2008 | by Jen | published in All, Most Popular, Potatoes, Turnips, Veritable Vegetables, Weeknight Recipes
Turnips, along with brussels sprouts, parsnips, rutabagas, and radishes elicit the ‘ewww’ / ‘ick’ / ‘ughh’ / ‘do we have to have that?’ reaction from many people. Their tastes are strong and assertive, and…
Braised Caramelized Fennel
January 23rd, 2008 | by Jen | published in All, Fennel, Most Popular, Veritable Vegetables, Weeknight Recipes
When I used to live in downtown San Francisco, I would take the commuter train each morning from the 22nd Street station, an oddly quiet, dilapidated and desolate platform situated under…
