Risi e Bisi, Risi e Bisi, Risi e Bisi

How much fun is it to say risi e bisi? Go on, say it ten times fast, this can wait.

For those not in the know, it's a traditional Venetian dish of soupy rice with peas. My understanding is that its seen as child-like comfort food, soft, easy to digest, easy to like. However, because it is so simple, all the ingredients must be top-notch.

Having the horrible problem of not being able to follow a recipe, even a traditional one, I tweaked it. Instead of peas, we used fava beans. While in season, we must eat them at least once a week. They're a pain to prep but if you and a partner tag team, its less time consuming. And you can say risi e bisi aloud while you're doing it.

Risi e Bisi (sort of), adapted from the Food of Italy by Claudia Roden

I hesitated posting this because the beans at the market were starting to get too big and starchy, but some new vendors came with young tiny ones. If you can find the small ones, use favas. If not, you can always use peas, fresh or frozen.

2 slices pancetta or bacon , chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 TB olive oil
6 cups stock, if you use fresh peas you can make pea stock
1 cup Arborio rice
chopped parsley
pecorino, if using favas or else use parmesan

Saute pork with onion and olive oil until onion is translucent and soft. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the rice. Season with a good amount of salt and pepper. When rice is almost done about 15-20 minutes, add the favas or peas. Once everything is cooked, stir in the parsley and cheese. Serve.

This is supposed to be a first course, but it could be dinner with a salad or used as a side. Venetian grandmas must be tut-tutting me.

P.S. Anyone out there who can give me some photo hints? When I try to post a vertical photo here, it gets flipped around. I use Picassa for photo editing and I tried using the Blog This function, but it happened anyway. Help, please!

Down the Rabbit Hole

I know, I know, is this girl ever going to stop talking about this? Almost, I swear. If you're tired of this whole thing, you can just look at the pictures. I'm about to get verbose.

Yesterday was fantastic. I learned a good deal and I got my first real taste of what life behind the swinging doors is like. I think I'm going to like this cooking thing.

I arrived at 11, shortly after receiving the bad news that my parents weren't going to be able to make it due to unforeseen circumstances. I was really upset and spent a while trying not to be visibly so. After I got my head into it, I was able to let go and get down to business. I was stationed in the pastry department section again, after making myself familiar with it last Saturday when I helped out for a wine event. This time I actually got to cook though.

In the beginning of the day, people were being mellow, completing their tasks at a leisurely pace and visiting, seeing what other people were up to. I had two courses to put out and I was worried about time from the very beginning, so I tried to work quickly. Thank goodness, because as you shall see later, time was going to be of the essence for me.

First up, I began on my cake. Made the pistachio paste, learned how to put together the very fussy giant stand mixer and filled up my thirty individual cake cups. Into the oven they went. And this is how they came out:

Oh shit.

Totally unsalvageable. My previous emotionally fragile state makes a run for the surface. I fight back. Chef comes over takes a look and gently asks me how I feel about them.

"They're ugly."
"Let's unmold them and see how they look."

We try to take one out but it falls apart. Chef pops a bit in his mouth and likes how it tastes. At least they have that going for them.

"Would you be proud to serve this?"
"No."
"I wouldn't either. What do you want to do? We haven't printed the menus yet. ", implying that I can do something else or we can use something all ready produced.
"Start over."
"Do you have time to do that?"
"Yes."

But I've used the last of the corn syrup and need to wait until someone can run to the store and get more. Crap. Moving on.

Next up, custard. I grate what seems like a small mountain of cheese but it's only a quarter of what I need. P comes over and rescues me and my mental health by risking her fingers and using a handle-less microplane. We grate side-by-side. Meanwhile, people are popping by and nabbing bits of fallen cake. It does taste good. Not so much on the looks though. Finally, all twenty ounces of the pecorino are prepped and I can whisk together the eggs and milk, making a quick calculation of how much manufacturing cream (40% butterfat) I need to add to the 2% milk so its as if whole milk was used. Brain melting; the small amount of high school algebra I retained leaves my head and I make something up. Custards get placed in the water bath and as I put them in the oven I make a quick prayer, godless heathen that I am, hoping they come out all right. One baking disaster is enough thank you.

One less thing to worry about.

It's inching ever closer to the 5 o'clock start and I am obviously now pressed for time. One of the kitchen assistants, bless his heart, takes over the task of peeling my fava beans, which I now realize I never would have been able to do. My buddy A, of duck fame, helps with the dicing of strawberries. One of my co-chefs de cuisine helps by mincing shallots. I get cracking on my compote; time continues to fly by and the corn syrup has yet to arrive. At that moment everyone is done with their prep and they are hanging out, chatting and looking like everything is under control. I am silently freaking out.

The fava bean salad comes together quickly after I abandon using the mandoline that was shredding my lemons. I end up slicing them by hand which isn't as haute cuisine as it ought to be, but for now, it will do. Cordon Bleu, I am not. It looks a like a bowl of springtime, and its one more thing that is ready to go. The cheese course is almost finished now except for the a la minute broiling and final decoration.

At 3:30 pm, Chef hands me a bottle of syrup and I start anew. Calculating that if I get the cake in the oven at 4, it will be out at 4:30p which will leave barely enough cooling time for the tasting for the front of house staff at 5. Cake goes in at 4:30, and comes out at 5:30, after people have all ready started arriving and after I begin to fear that there will be no dessert at all.

We all get a chance to present our final plating to the staff so they can describe the menu to the customers. They all seem to like everything. My dessert isn't ready yet, but after service begins, I prep a plate for them. Compliments are received that still make me blush. I take a deep breath and watch as the kitchen action picks up. My cohorts leap into service but since my courses are at end, I can relax a bit.

Evolution of lobster panna cotta. My favorite version has the antennae sticking out.

How to make Duo of Ahi

Bourride of Black Cod with Local Ridgeback Shrimp and the clearest fish fumet you'll ever see

Seared Duck Breast with Rhubarb-Tangerine Chutney, White Bean Puree and Watercress


<--finishing touches

final product--->

The Last Course: I am proud to serve this however.

By the end of the evening we've sold about 20 covers. We've prepped for thirty though. I wonder what will happen with the last of my custards and compote. By 9:30 service is more or less over and as the last student standing I stumble home into shower and then bed.

Course the Fifth: Pistachio Cake with Rhubarb-Strawberry Compote and Orange-Blossom Scented Whipped Creme Fraiche

Long title, tasty sweet.

We had this with Kalyra's Gewurztraminer "Sticky Wicket". Yummy.

Again, professionally written per one serving. Multiply as needed.

Pistachio Cake with Rhubarb-Strawberry Compote and Orange Blossom-Scented Whipped Crème Frâiche

pistachios 2/3 oz shelled
sugar, granulated 1/3 oz
light corn syrup 1/3 tsp
orange 1/8 tsp zest finely grated
orange blossom water 1 drop

sugar, granulated 1 oz
butter, whole 1/3 oz
egg 1/5
sour cream 1/3 oz
vanilla extract 1/12 tsp
orange blossom water 1/12 tsp

flour, all-purpose 1/8 cup
baking powder 1/8 tsp
baking soda 1/12 tsp
salt pinch

rhubarb 2 oz cut into ½-inch pieces
vanilla bean paste 1/8 tsp
sugar, granulated .5 oz
white wine 1 TB
strawberry 1 oz trimmed, small dice

cream, heavy 1 TB
crème frâiche ¾ tsp
orange blossom water 1 drop
orange 1/16 tsp zest finely grated

pistachios 2, whole shelled
sugar, powdered 1/8 tsp
cardamom tiny pinch

Method: Grind pistachios finely in a processor. Heat sugar, corn syrup and 1/8 tsp water to 225F. Slowly pour hot sugar mixture into processor while running to make a smooth paste. Add orange zest and orange blossom water. Mix well.

Preheat oven to 325F. In processor, combine pistachio paste, sugar, room temperature butter, egg and sour cream until smooth. Pour into a bowl. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gently add to the pistachio mixture and stir until just combined. Pour batter into a buttered 6-oz muffin tin cup to fill between 2/3’s and ¾’s full. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean. Cool on a rack and remove cake from cup.

In a saucepan, combine sugar and ¼ tsp water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and let turn brown without stirring or burning, about 5 minutes. When brown, add rhubarb, vanilla paste and white wine. Let cook until rhubarb just begins to fall apart and becomes jam-like, about 15 minutes. Let come to room temperature and stir in strawberry.

Whip cream, crème frâiche, orange blossom water and orange zest together until firm peaks form.

Preheat oven to 350F. In a bowl, toss together pistachios, powdered sugar and cardamom. Bake until nuts are toasted and sugar melts, about 10 minutes.

Plating: Place cake on one side of plate. Top with candied pistachios. Spoon compote to make a line through center of plate. On the other side of the compote line, place whipped crème frâiche.

Course the Fourth: Pecorino Custard with Fava Bean-Meyer Lemon Salad

Of all the courses in the menu, I'm most pleased with this one. In Rome, the first of the season's fava beans are eaten raw with chunks of Pecorino. This is an interpretation of that tradition.

Like the previous two courses, this recipe is written in the professional style: all amounts are for one serving only and the cook needs to multiply accordingly.

Pecorino Custard with Fava Bean-Meyer Lemon Salad

Unfortunately, I don't have access to a mini-blow torch so this custard didn't get the brulee treatment. It was still delicious.

Pecorino . 2/3 oz finely grated
milk, whole 1 oz
egg .5
Pecorino .25 oz finely grated
fava beans 2 oz shucked, boiled, peeled
Meyer lemon 1/8 whole lemon quartered, thinly sliced
shallot 1/8 tsp finely minced
extra-virgin olive oil 1 ½ tsp
salt
pepper

Method: Preheat oven to 325F. Combine Pecorino, milk and egg. Pour into a small buttered ramekin and bake in a water bath until custard only slightly jiggles when you move it, about 15-20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and turn out onto serving dish. Sprinkle with Pecorino and brulée until cheese is lightly browned and crisp.

Combine favas, lemon, shallot, oil, salt and a good grinding of pepper in a small bowl.

Plating: Spoon beans around custard and serve.

Course the Third: Lamb Tagine with Apricots, New Potatoes, Baby Artichokes and Moroccan Butter

More updates below. This is also written in restaurant style. As is, makes for one. Multiply as needed.

Lamb Tagine with Apricots, New Potatoes, Baby Artichokes and Moroccan Butter

We had this with a very tasty Beckman 2004 Grenache.

lamb shoulder 4 oz trimmed, in 1-inch cubes
cinnamon, ground ¼ tsp
coriander, ground ¼ tsp
smoked paprika 1/16 tsp
saffron 1/16 tsp
olive oil 1 tsp
onion 2 oz diced
preserved lemon peel ½ tsp fine mince
dried apricots 2/3 oz rough chop

potatoes, new fingerling 2 oz cut in 1-inch pieces, boiled
artichokes, baby 2 oz trimmed, cut in quarters, boiled

butter 1 TB
cilantro ½ tsp minced
parsley ½ tsp minced
mint ½ tsp minced

smoked paprika 1/16 tsp
cumin, ground 1/8 tsp
salt
pepper
chives 2 fine mince

Toss lamb with cinnamon, coriander, smoked paprika, saffron, salt and pepper. Heat oil in a pot over medium heat, when hot add lamb in a single layer. Cook until browned on all sides. Drain off all but 1 tsp of fat. Add onion and stir to combine. Cook until onion is translucent. Cover with water and scrape up any browned bits. Bring to a simmer and add preserved lemon peel and apricots. Cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until lamb is fork-tender.

Combine butter, cilantro, parsley, mint, smoked paprika and cumin in a bowl. Toss mixture with warm potatoes and artichokes. Salt and pepper.

Place vegetables and tagine side by side. Sprinkle with chives.

Course the Second: Halibut on a Bed of Sauteed Asparagus, Wild Mushrooms, and Pea Vines with Saffron Aioli

This recipe is written like a real honest-to-goodness restaurant recipe. The ingredient, amount and what to do with it all on the same line and then the instructions below. As is, it only makes one serving. I'm sure that you can multiply, if necessary.

If anyone makes any of these recipes, I would be most grateful if you could let me know what you thought of them. Thanks!

Sauteed Pacific Halibut on a Bed of Asparagus, Wild Mushrooms, Pea Vines and Saffron Aioli

I call for halibut, but any mild, white fish would be lovely.

white wine 1 tsp
saffron 1/16 tsp
garlic 1/16 tsp finely minced
fresh mayo 1 TB
halibut 3 oz skinned, boned
olive oil 1 tsp

butter 2 tsp
oyster mushrooms 1 oz trimmed, rough chop
asparagus 1 oz trimmed, in 1-inch pieces
pea vines .5 oz trimmed, rough chop

pea vine flower (from vines) 1
salt
ground pepper

Heat wine in a saute pan and add saffron. Set aside for 10 minutes. Stir mixture into mayonnaise with garlic. Pour into squeeze bottle.

Salt and pepper halibut on both sides. Heat olive oil in a saute pan. When hot, add fish. Cook 4-5 minutes, or until fish is slightly browned, then turn. Cook another 1-2 minutes or until fish is cooked through.

Meanwhile, in a saute pan, melt butter. Add mushrooms and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Cook mushrooms until slightly browned. Add asparagus and cook until stalks turn bright green, about 4 minutes. Add shoots and stir until slightly wilted.

Place vegetables in center of plate and put fish on top. Decorate with aioli and pea flower.

Course the First: Chilled Pea Soup with Mint Cream and Radish Crostini

Lots of updates today. See below for more.

Chilled Pea Soup with Mint Cream and Radish Crostini

This soup tastes of springtime: light, barely sweet and ephemeral. The nasturtium and radish crostini help keep the sweetness in check. If nasturtiums are not available, watercress would make a fine substitute. We enjoyed a bottle of Ojai Vineyard Viogner 2004 with the soup and the two complimented each other well.

2 lbs English peas in shell
1 large bunch spring onions, sliced thinly and divided
5 branches parsley
2 tsp butter
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tsp fresh mint, finely minced
8 nasturtium blossoms, stamens removed

Shell peas and reserve pods.

In a soup pot, combine the reserved pods, the equivalent of three spring onions, parsley and 4 cups of water. Bring to a simmer and let cook twenty minutes. Strain broth and set aside.

Heat butter in soup pot over medium-low heat. When melted, add 1/2 cup of onion. Let cook until barely translucent, 2-3 minutes, being careful not to brown onions. Add 1/2 cup of broth the stew onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups broth and peas to pot. Cook until peas are still al dente, about 4-5 minutes, then remove from heat. Add sugar and salt to taste.

Working in batches, puree soup in blender until completely smooth, about 1-2 minutes per batch. Add more broth if the consistency is thicker than cream. Chill until cold.

One hour before serving prepare the cream. Combine cream and mint in a bowl. Cover and chill.

Plating: Pour mint cream into a squirt bottle. Give the soup a good stir to recombine. Ladle soup into bowls and decorate however you see fit with cream and nasturtium. If you choose to serve them, don't forget the crostini like I almost did.

Serves 8

Radish Crostini

I found watermelon radishes at the market on Tuesday, which explains the deep pink color. Any kind of radish, as long as it is freshly picked and not too woody, would work well here.

8 very thin slices of baguette
4 TB room temperature butter
2 tsp mint, julienned very finely
5 young, fresh radish leaves, julienned very finely
zest of half of a lemon
2 large radishes, or equivalent, sliced very thinly
sea salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Arrange baguette slices on a baking sheet and bake until lightly browned and crisp, about 8-10 minutes. Set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, combine butter, mint, radish leaves and zest. Mix well.

Right before serving, construct toasts. Spread crostini thickly with butter and cover with radish slices. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve.

Serves 8

Amuse Bouche: Deviled Egg with Smoked Salmon, Wasabi and Caviar

My practice run went swimmingly last night. Much thanks to A and M. Pants for their heroic clean-up efforts after I was too tired to move.

Deviled Eggs with Smoked Salmon, Wasabi and Caviar

We served this with Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut, my favorite sparkling wine. I'm trying to keep my menu mostly local and I've heard talk of Laetitia having some good bubbly. Obviously more research is needed.

4 large cage-free eggs
1/4 -1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 oz smoked salmon, finely diced
1 1/2 TB dill, finely snipped
1 1/2 TB chives, finely snipped
1 small shallot, finely minced
1 1/2 tsp dry wasabi
1/4 oz sturgeon roe

Place eggs in a medium sauce pot. Add enough cold water to cover and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. As soon as water begins to simmer, cover pot and take off heat. Let eggs sit in pot for ten minutes. After the time has elapsed, drain eggs. Crack the wider end of the eggs but do not remove the shells. Return the cracked eggs to the pot and cover with cold water and a few ice cubes. Let stand until cool, then peel.

Gently cut eggs in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop out the yolks and place in a bowl. Set aside the whites. With a fork, mash the yolks until smooth. Add the smaller amount of mayo and all remaining ingredients, except for the roe. Combine well. If mixture is too thick, add more mayo until easily spoonable. Fill egg white crater with enough of the filling so it has a slightly rounded dome. If not serving immediately, gently cover and chill until needed.

Right before serving, add a dollop of caviar to each egg half and garnish with a tiny dill sprig or more finely minced chives.

Serves 8

The Big Reveal

Remember when I mentioned my top secret project? Well, the time is almost nigh for me to turn it in and I'm so gosh durned proud of it; I would like to share it with you, my adoring public.

One of my classes is taught by Jeremy Tummel, the executive chef of The Wine Cask, a fancy schmancy restaurant in town. Our first day of class, he assigned us to make a tasting menu with some sort of theme. The menu that he likes the most will be featured for one night at his restaurant and the creator will get to stage in the kitchen. I started schemeing about this from the moment he told the class. I'm normally not a competitive person, but I want this.

The project is due next Monday and I'm in the last stages of testing. Here it is:

Deviled Egg with Smoked Salmon, Wasabi and Caviar

Chilled Pea Soup with Mint Cream, Nasturtium and Radish Crostini with Radish Greens Butter

Crispy Striped Bass over Asparagus, Pea Shoots and Wild Mushrooms with Saffron Aioli

Lamb Tagine with Apricots and New Potatoes and Artichokes Tossed in Moroccan Herb Butter

Pecorino Custard with Fava Bean and Meyer Lemon Salad

Pistachio Cake with Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote and Orange Blossom-Scented Whipped Creme Fraiche

Over the next few days, I will be posting the recipes and pictures, so stay tuned, and cross your fingers for me, pretty please.

Transitioning: Vegetable Ragout

The space between the seasons is most interesting to me. I love the nature of being inbetween. My favorite time of day is at dusk, the moment right before or after a rainstorm, the sensation of being just waking but still dreamy, or slipping off into sleep...

So far the official start of spring brought us cloudy gray skies and a few showers. With the last of the Brussels sprouts and the first of the asparagus, a vegetable ragout for the transitioning seasons was made. We welcome the spring.

Vegetable Ragout with Herbed Dumplings, adapted from Vegetarian Suppers by Deborah Madison

The original is more of a wintery dish, but I springified it here with leeks, green garlic, asparagus and chives.

2 TB butter
1 leek, sliced thinly
1 green garlic bulb, sliced thinly
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 TB chopped parsley
juice of half of a lemon
2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup white wine
1 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
4 oz asparagus, in 1-inch lengths

1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup warm milk
3 TB melted butter
1 egg
3 TB chopped parsley
3 TB snipped chives

Melt butter in a large saute pan with a lid over medium-high heat. When foam subsides, saute leek until soft. Add mushrooms, green garlic and parsley. Cook until mushrooms begin to brown, then add lemon juice, stock and wine. Salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer then add Brussels sprouts. Reduce heat to low and cover. Let cook 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In another bowl, combine milk, butter, egg and herbs. Pour into flour mixture and stir until just combined. You will have more dumpling batter than you need.

To the ragout, add the asparagus stalks, but not the tips. Using a spoon, drop dumpling batter over the ragout, leaving space for expansion. You'll probably use about 3/4 of the batter, depending on the size of your pan, or make about 12 dumplings. Cover and cook for 12 minutes. When there are two minutes remaining, add the asparagus tips. Serve, giving each person about 3-4 dumplings.

Serves 4

P.S. I am currently working on a top secret project and I have my first test run tomorrow. Hopefully, all will be successful and I shall share soon!

It's Spring! It's Spring! (Boing! Boing!)

I cannot tell you what a boost it is to see things growing and blooming right now. At the market on Saturday, it seemed like everyone was in great cheer and I'm sure the extra sunshine had a lot to do with it. I love these first few tentative steps into springtime. There were the first of the season peas, strawberries and favas. The strawberries still need a few more weeks of warmth but the peas and favas are (were) great. We were also pleasantly surprised to see Barbara with her tomato plants and we spent about 20 minutes at her stand trying to pick out which lucky ones were going to go home with us. In the end, we chose Aunt Ruby's German Green, Royal Chico and a Sweet 100. Yesterday afternoon was spent in the garden, planting our new acquisitions which also included some more herbs and flowers for the rose bed.

Last night, we had a celebration of the changing of the seasons on the table. While my love affair with Bon Appetit is dwindling, they still manage to publish a few interesting recipes in an issue and I had my eye on the grapefruit-avocado salad. So there was that, as well as tagliatelle with favas, homemade ricotta and spring herbs then a meyer lemon-buttermilk sorbet. I was disappointed with the sorbet. It was almost overwhelmingly tart and the elderflower syrup that I snuck into it was totally lost, as was the meyer lemon. Ah well, they can't all be winners. We cracked open a bottle of bubbly some friends gave us and toasted the season. Hurray!

Grapefruit-Avocado Salad with Cassis Dressing, adapted from Bon Appetit

The original recipe calls for sherry vinegar, but we were out, so I subbed in the grapefruit vinegar from TJ's. Any mild vinegar would be fine here, champagne, perhaps, if you have it handy. A Kir Royal is an excellent accompaniment.

1 TB fresh ginger, finely minced
1 TB shallot, fine dice
1 1/2 TB olive oil
1 1/2 TB mild vinegar
1 1/2 TB cassis, black currant liqueur

1 pink grapefruit
1 avocado, sliced into eighths
1 small head of lettuce, or equivalent

Combine ginger through cassis in a bowl. Taste for salt and pepper.

Using a paring knife and working over a bowl, carefully remove all of the rind and pith from the grapefruit. Cut between the membranes of the fruit to loosen the segments. Set aside.

Line plates with lettuce. decorate with grapefruit segments and avocado. Taste the dressing again, if it's too sweet, you can add some of the grapefruit juice. Whisk dressing to reincorporate and drizzle over salad. Salt and pepper

Serves 2

Tagliatelle with Ricotta, Fava Beans and Fresh Herbs

If you decide to make your own ricotta, and I hope you do, you can have the leftover cheese drizzled with honey for breakfast the next day. It's what I eating right now, actually. The picture is what the dish looks like when everything is combined and tossed. The directions below make for a much nicer presentation.

2 lbs favas in pods, shucked, parboiled and peeled, you'll end up with 1 1/2 cups beans
8 oz tagliatelle, cooked, 1 cup cooking water reserved
fresh spring herbs, we used chives and green garlic
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 cups fresh ricotta (we use Heidi's recipe)
pecorino romano

Toss hot pasta with favas, herbs, zest, juice and enough reserved pasta water to help evenly distribute. Salt and pepper. Divide on plates. Dollop each portion with ricotta. Serve, passing pecorino.

Kir Royal

Special bonus recipe! You didn't think that I would hold out on you, did you?

sparkling wine
cassis

Method 1: Place 2 tsps cassis in the bottom of a champagne flute. Gently pour wine into flute.
Method 2: (My favorite) Gently pour wine into flute. Drop 2 tsps cassis into wine. Watch cassis sink to bottom.

RECIPE: Fresh Fava Bean Soup

Adapted from Jack Bishop's Vegetables Every Day

Pretend that there is a picture of a big red bowl filled with a pretty light green colored soup. I was too tired and forgetful to take a picture last night.

Assemble:

3 lbs fresh fava beans
4 cups vegetable broth
2 TB olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped

If you are going to make your own stock, now would be the time to start. Shuck favas. Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to a boil. When ready, add favas to water. Boil 3 minutes. Drain beans and rinse with cold water until cool enough to handle. Peel favas. (If you are making your own stock, it will probably be done by now.)

In a soup pot, saute onion until soft. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Pour stock into pot and add favas. Salt and pepper to taste. Bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until favas are tender, about 7 minutes.

Puree soup in batches in the blender. Be careful, the soup is hot and if you fill the blender more than half full, you might have a hot soup explosion all over your kitchen and yourself. I have learned this the hard way many times over. Return soup to the pot and reheat gently. Taste for salt and pepper.

This soup is good with some parmesan grated on top. I suspect that a little lemon zest, chopped parsley or basil would also be tasty.

MENU: Mothers' Day Supper *****UPDATED*****

Have I mentioned how much I love making lists? And by relation, menus too? I do. I believe that if I have a list, I can do anything. It is so very satisfying to cross something off a list, even if it is just for the grocery. Am I revealing too much of my slightly obsessive nature? Says the woman who posts her plans for dinner every week.

Moving on...

The partner's mum and dad are coming over next weekend for an early Mothers' Day celebration. K, the mum, wants to take us out for her day(!) and we have insisted that we make dinner ourselves. They haven't seen our new digs yet, so we can show off our garden and cute-as-pie neighborhood.

I am rapidly becoming very interested in simple French-ish food, so our menu so far is this:

Minted Butter and Thinly Sliced Radishes on Baugette Slices with Sea Salt adapted from Local Flavors
Beet "Caviar" with Goat Cheese(?) from Local Flavors or Trio of Salads (too many salads, how about soup?)
Elixir of Fresh Peas from Local Flavors
Nouveau Salade Nicoise (with seared Ahi, not canned tuna)
Almond-Lemon Curd Tart on a Shortbread Crust with Fresh Strawberries

I'm thinking that I might want another munchy thing or a different first course. First, I thought of a mini-souffle, but then I came back down to earth and realized that I do not want to make myself crazier than necessary. If it is chilly, do I want to make a simple soup instead? (*****Yes, I do*****) Also the Boy's dad, M, cannot ingest too much acid, so I am concerned that a salad with little dressing will be boring and that the lemon curd might be too much for him to handle. Any thoughts?

RECIPE: Tagliatelle with Asparagus, Brown Butter and Almonds

Looks like browned butter with nuts is my new party trick. I'd been eyeing the tagliatelle at TJ's for a while and I caved and bought a package. We had some asparagus that the boy's mommy sent us home with that needed to be eaten. Here's what I did.

I think that I started off with a pound or so of fat spears. My new asparagus trick is to snap off the ends instead of cut them off. The spear seems to know which part is good for eating and which part is good for stock. Then the spears were cut into quarter lengths. Boil up some salted water, threw in 8oz of pasta. While cooking the pasta, 8 minutes only , not the 10-12 the instructions said, I melted about 4 TB butter in a saute pan and added about 1/4 cup of slivered almonds. I let the butter and nuts brown a bit before taking the pan off the heat and adding the zest of a Meyer lemon. I would have preferred a Eureka for its tartness, but one works with what one has. Also, how ridiculous is it that I'm complaining about having too many Meyer lemons? I am spoiled. 2 minutes before the pasta's done, I added the trimmed asparagus. Drain the pasta and veg together, threw back in the pot. Salted, peppered, buttered squirted with lemon, and Parmesan cheesed.

I loved the texture of the pasta, very satiny. I felt like I was eating ribbons. Delicious! I will definitely make again, probably with more butter and nuts.

RECIPE: Easter Dinner Eggstravaganza!

After volunteering to make dessert for the boy's family's Easter supper, I ended up making the whole thing because I wormed my way into his mommy's kitchen, with her permission, of course. The best part is that we made it sans recipes (mostly) and in under two hours!

We had: Salmon Roasted on a Bed on Meyer Lemon, Brown Butter Orzo with Almonds and Dill, Steamed Asparagus and Broccoli and Homemade Ricotta with Balsamic Berries. Everything turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself.

For the Salmon: Preheat oven to 450F. Slice two large lemons (Meyer, if you've got them) very thinly and place half of the slices on a baking sheet. Rub a big piece salmon with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper on each side. Place salmon atop lemon slices. Put remaining lemon slices on top of fish. Bake until salmon is cooked through about 15-25 minutes depending on how big the piece of salmon is.

For orzo: Cook a pound of orzo in boiling salted water. While orzo is cooking, melt 1 stick of butter in a saucepan. Add 3/4 cup slivered almonds. Cook until butter and nuts begin to brown. Drain pasta. Toss with butter, nuts, and 1/3 cup snipped dill. Salt and pepper. Add the zest of one lemon and the juice of half of a lemon.

For the Ricotta with Honey and Berries: Make ricotta. While ricotta is chilling, prep about 4 cups of assorted berries (we had strawberries, raspberries and blackberries). Toss fruit gently with 3 TB sugar and 3 TB balsamic vinegar. Let sit for 45 minutes. Taste for more sugar or vinegar. Mix drained ricotta with 1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 cup of honey. Mix well. Taste for salt and more honey if desired. In a bowl serve a dollop of cheese with the berries. A sprig of mint on top would be pretty.