4/6 spring vegetable ragout

A veritable spring bounty that included sugar snap peas, asparagus, leeks, and spinach arrived in my Eatwell box last week. This is sort of a "fancy" dinner that made use of some leftover polenta. In addition to my CSA Box veggies, I also got fava beans, oyster mushrooms and tiny baby carrots from the regular grocery store. Besides prepping all the veg, it was actually quite easy to put together. Ragout is a one-pot dish where the veggies that take the longest to cook are added first. The "sauce" is simply water and the juices of the veggies plus lots of butter and a nice handful of herbs. The flavors were great - everything tasted fresh and green.

3/26 starch and veg improvisation

One of my favorite basic and yummy recipes involves sautéed carrots, celery, and spinach (or another soft dark green leafy, like chard) tossed with hearty noodles (either buckwheat or whole wheat) and french lentils. I had umbrian lentils in my pantry, already cooked whole wheat noodles, and leftover boiled potatoes, which I added to the mix. Blending starches can be fun! I spiked the sauce with a good dollop of creme fraiche (Tom's "secret ingredient") and topped with parmesan cheese. The results were yummy and used up leftover ingredients - a win-win!

3/31 fava bean and dill braise with poached eggs

I admit it, fava bean season gets me all in a tizzy. I know I'm supposed to complain about the picky two-step process to prep them. First you remove the clever little beans from their fuzzy shells and then peal off their charming jackets (which can be quickened by par boiling them, but I prefer the texture when you peal them raw). It's all good to me - it only means I'll be eating favas when the job is done!

Fava beans have a slightly pea-like flavor with a bit more attitude. They're a spring bean and they grow like mad in the Bay Area's Mediterranean climate. They pair nicely with other spring delights, like bunches of green garlic and dill. I sauted these three together for a few minutes before adding a couple of cups of water and letting it simmer (covered) for about 15 minutes. Then, I made a several wells right in the braise and added a couple of drops of rice vinegar and olive oil to each well. In went the eggs, which poached for about 5 minutes.

Serve over rice and eat immediately.

3/22 Another kind of pie....banana cream!

It seams like Tom and I never post desserts. For me, that used to be because I never made desserts. This is not because I don't like them; rather, it had to do with the fact that I was learning so much about cooking main dishes that adding a dessert into the mix seemed overwhelming.

However, based on my newfound confidence with homemade pastry crusts/shells, I've been expanding out of the savory and into the sweet. I decided to bring a banana cream pie to a communal dinner and even upped my own ante by making homemade caramel sauce. This was the most stressful part of the whole process (much more so than making pastry cream - another first. It came out lump free with no problems). I read a couple of food blogs about making home made caramel sauce that made the whole thing seem akin to playing russian roulette ("have a bowl filled with ice water ready to plunge your hand into in case caramel splatters everywhere; wear long sleeves; don't think of "rhinoceros"). However, for a first attempt I think it was okay - nice dark golden brown but not burnt.

So let's review the elements of this banana cream pie (from a Bon Appetit mag recipe which I am embarrassed to say I thoroughly enjoy):

Whole wheat chocolate pie crust
- layer of caramel sauce
- layer of pastry cream
- sliced bananas
- more pastry cream
-more bananas
- whipped cream and more caramel sauce.


Left overs make a great breakfast.