Shaved Asparagus Pizza

The shaved asparagus craze continues!  Last Saturday, my dad prepared a fine shaved asparagus salad, as seen here.  It was doused in a lemony vinaigrette and crowned with dabs of goat cheese and cherry tomatoes.  There was no raw edge whatsoever!  A vegetable that I once only knew in its cooked form (and a lovely form it is!), asparagus has reinvented itself as a shaved and raw delicacy.  Asparagus is having a (unique) moment.  I will say that the shaved asparagus echoes a zucchini carpaccio I have known and loved.  I will have to dig that one up again when zuke season rolls around.  Any day now ...

 Smitten Kitchen also featured shaved asparagus this week, though hers was shaved but not raw, adorning a simple white pizza.  I thought this was some kind of divine suggestion, so I heeded and made the pizza last night, after returning home from a work-related party.  The preparation allowed the asparagus to really shine.  I've done my share of asparagus pizzas (remember this?), and they are tasty, but this elevated asparagus pizza to a whole new level.  The shavings, plus lack of sauce, created a delicate texture and a clean taste.  It was simple: asparagus, mozzarella, parmesan, green onion, and a smattering of red pepper flakes.  I wavered at first on the white pizza aspect, snagging a can of marinara to bring home with me in case I felt desperate and untrusting.  I am not one to respect a recipe.  But sometimes I just have to take a leap of faith, and I am thankful that I did.  I think the most this pizza would benefit from would be a couple halved cherry tomatoes, but even that would detract from the simplicity and clean flavors. 

 If you like asparagus, and if you are intrigued by the shaving phenomenon, I recommend this pizza!  One caveat - mine got pretty wet.  I think it was a combination of a mile-high pile of green veggies plus the fresh mozzarella.  Next time, to cut down on the liquid, I would use a regular mozzarella from the deli aisle, like the kind you would use for a killer twelve-pound lasagna, and eschew the fresh mozzarella.

 Also, a tip.  Shaving the asparagus isn't quite as labor intensive as one would imagine, assuming you employ an efficient technique.  Keep the woody ends of the asparagus attached, rather than snapping them off.  Use these as a handle, and use a veggie peeler to shave in one motion from woody end to tip.  I found it easiest to work at the very edge of the counter so that my hand didn't hit its surface in the middle of the shaving motion.  I also didn't obsessed over shaving down the last part as thinly as the first couple of strokes.  If the remaining stalk was a bit thick, I used my knife to slice it in half lengthwise, or just broke it in two pieces.  There is beauty in non-uniformity with this pizza!  The variety of texture adds interest to an uncluttered palette.

P.S. A quick search shows that I am, indeed, a bit tardy to the shaved asparagus party.  Food & Wine featured a shaved asparagus salad in June 2003.  Martha shared one in April 2007.  But it's new to me, so I'm going to continue to believe that asp. v. 2.0 is a novelty.

Shaved Asparagus Pizza
Adapted, just barely, from Smitten Kitchen
Note: You can use your own pizza dough recipe here.  This recipe makes one 12-inch pizza, so plan accordingly.  Of course I prefer homemade dough, but when you get home at 8 on a work night and didn't make it in advance, that's just not part of the narrative.  I used Trader Joe's dough because it has reliable, if thick, results.

pizza dough - enough for one 12-inch pizza (such as Trader Joe's prepared dough)
1 bunch asparagus, washed
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 pound mozzarella, sliced into small cubes or shredded (hint: try a low-moisture version)
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt & black pepper to taste
3 green onions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
red pepper flakes

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.  Pizza likes a hot blast when it goes in, so make sure it heats for at least 20 or 30 minutes; if you use a pizza stone, place it in the cold oven and then turn it on to preheat.

If your dough needs to rest for a few minutes before rolling out, do that as you prepare the asparagus.   Make sure you place the dough on a well-floured surface while it rests at room temperature.

To shave the asparagus, use a vegetable peeler; hold the woody end and shave from the woody end down toward the tip in one motion, repeating to create long shavings.  Any thicker remaining slices can be cut with a knife or snapped in half.  Use the tips!  They don't shave very well, and that is totally okay.  Shave your whole bunch and place in a medium bowl.  Add the olive oil, plus salt and pepper to taste; stir using tongs.  Set aside while you prepare the pizza.

On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough into a 12-inch circle.  Drape onto a pizza pan dusted with cornmeal or flour, or onto a cornmeal-dusted pizza peel if you will be using the pizza stone.  Sprinkle the parmesan over the dough, leaving a one-inch border for the crust.  Spread the mozzarella over the parmesan, then add the asparagus with your tongs.  Arrange it so that most of the surface is covered.  Sprinkle with red pepper flakes.  Pop it in the oven and bake for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and browning in spots, and the crust is golden brown.   Let it site for 2 minutes before slicing, otherwise you will have a melty mess on your hands!

Memorial Day: family, eats, and treats.

Memorial Day was a special weekend for us, filled with family and food.  My dad and step-mom came to visit from Dallas, and we all met up at their vacation home in Clear Lake.  The scenery is absolutely beautiful; Clear Lake is the largest natural lake entirely in California, and it is a wide blue expanse perched up in the mountains of the North Coast Range.  Their house lies in the shadow of a dormant volcano called Mount Konocti.   We love to head out of town for Clear Lake whenever we can to relax, enjoy the stunning views, and eat like kings.  If there's a three day weekend coming up, you can bet that we are angling to spend time up at the lake house.

 We drove up Friday night, wicked dogs in town and car packed to the gills with groceries (including the contents of our box), board games, and clothes (the latter being my own neurotic issue - I can't just pack for three days).  My parents arrived only minutes ahead of us.  And our weekend of wine and food began!  We spent the next two days eating a drinking our way through Lake and Sonoma Counties.

 On Saturday, we slept in and got up to drink coffee, nibble toast and eggs, and mull over our dining decisions.  My dad and I planned to make dinner that night, and I strove to use as many of our CSA veggies as possible.  I brought only one cookbook with me: Deborah Madison's "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone."  I settled on a spring vegetable stew, similar to the one that I tossed together sans recipe a few weeks ago.  I was able to use the asparagus, sugar snap peas, and carrots from our box.

 My dad made not one, not two, but three dishes!  He is quite the chef.  He made a bruschetta with tomato, fennel, goat cheese, and chives:

Plus a peach-basil-prosciutto appetizer (I didn't get a picture of this sucker, but the peach was dredged in a cumin vinaigrette - very tasty!).  He also lovingly prepared a shaved asparagus, cherry tomato, and goat cheese salad to accompany our stew.  This was absolutely delicious!!  Shaving the asparagus seemed laborious and was time-intensive, but the results were tasty and much appreciated.  The twist to this dish is that the asparagus was served raw.  I think that the raw preparation is all the rage right now; I have never heard of it until recently, and I have seen it in more than one place this spring.

On Sunday, we went to Healdsburg, in Sonoma County, for lunch at the wonderful Dry Creek Restaurant (a Charlie Palmer spot - I saw it on Martha Stewart only days before my step-mom told me that this is where we were going!).  I had gnocchi with pickled red cauliflower, cauliflower mousseline, and ricotta salata.  It was delectable.  After lunch, we headed to the Dry Creek Valley for some wine tasting.  My dad took us on a driving tour of some of his favorite wineries, including some quirky stops that were to honor an oddball ambiance or two.

 

We especially enjoyed the quaint Yoakim Bridge winery.  I made friends with Isabella the bulldog puppy:

 

 Look at that face!  Their property was lovely, boasting lush rose bushes and foxglove.  Foxglove always reminds me of a nursery rhyme garden, with a hint of the Alice-in-Wonderland subversive.

After our Sonoma tour, we headed back over the winding mountain road to Clear Lake.  My step-mom made a tasty white bean-sundried tomato-roasted garlic dip (again, no picture ...).  We were still full from lunch, so we didn't really eat dinner (though of course I had to eat a bowl of spelt-berry salad, my prepared food obsession from the Sacramento food co-op).

Sunday morning, to celebrate my dad's birthday, I whipped up a couple of frittatas featuring asparagus, onion, feta, herbs, and prosciutto (for the meat-eaters).  I used the basic recipe here, but subbed out the kale and instead sauteed about half a bunch of sliced asparagus, plus added feta.  It was a delicious way to end a weekend chock-full of great food and company.  I am already looking forward to the next occasion that we can sneak away to our beloved lake house!

Spring Vegetable Stew
Adapted from Deborah Madison, "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone"

Note: Crumbled goat cheese would also be nice here.  You can add to the top of the stew after it is spooned into serving bowls.

4 to 6 carrots (use fewer if your carrots are larger), scrubbed, peeled, and sliced into medium thick coins
1/2 to 1 cup sugar snap peas (I used almost a cup), washed, strings removed
6 small radishes, scrubbed and cut into l-inch pieces
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 3-inch pieces
6 green onions, white and light green parts sliced into 3-inch pieces
4 small turnips, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup vegetable stock
leaves from about 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped chives
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon chopped tarragon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
grated parmesan

Cook each vegetable separately.  Bring a stock pot of water to a boil; add one tablespoon of salt.  One type at a time, blanch each type of vegetable by simmering for a couple minutes until tender; remove immediately using a slotted spoon or small strainer and submerge in a bowl of cold water.  When all of the vegetables are blanched, drain the bowl.  Vegetables can be made a few hours ahead of time.

Heat the butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat, then add the blanched veggies and veggie stock.  Cook until heated through, about four minutes (you can cover the pan to facilitate heating).  Stir in the herbs and salt and pepper to taste, and cook for one minute.
Stir in the lemon juice immediately prior to serving.  Serve over pasta, gnocchi, or a bit of rice, and garnish generously with grated parmesan.

What's in the box? Plus an asparagus gnocchi dish.

Happy Wednesday!  In our household, that means ... BOX DAY!  Hooray!

Here are the week's spoils, for 5/12 through 5/18:

* Asparagus
* Fava Beans
* French Breakfast Radishes
* Strawberries
* Collards
* Spring Onions
* Lettuce

More fava beans!  This time, I think I'm going to take the advice given by the farm, and remove the favas from their pods but leave the individual skins on the beans.  I've got a recipe in mind that I will share later this week.

Check out those strawberries up close:

They look positively succulent!  We couldn't help but taste one - it was sweet and juicy.

More French breakfast radishes.  I have an idea in mind to incorporate them into my lunch tomorrow.  Stay tuned ...

I am actually really happy to see collard greens again!  They are a sturdy green, perfect for filling and rolling (cabbage-roll style).

Tonight's dinner made use of this lovely asparagus.  I used a package of ready-made gnocchi and whipped up a veggie saute as a kind of sauce, with a bit of veggie broth, some butter, and a few dabs of goat cheese.  Ohhhh this was good!

Here's what I did:

Prepare the vegetables: Thinly slice two of the green onions from my box.  Clean and slice three carrots.  Rinse one bunch of asparagus (box), and cut into 2-inch pieces.  Drain and rinse one can of garbanzo beans.  Meanwhile, place a pot of water over high heat for the gnocchi and bring to a boil.

Cook the veggies: Heat about one tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and cook for about five minutes.  Add the carrot and cook for another 3 minutes.  Add 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 minced garlic cloves (I used frozen TJ's garlic).  Add the asparagus, plus about 1/2 a cup of veggie stock (or a bit more - keep it on hand), the chickpeas, herbes de provence, and salt and pepper to taste.  Cover, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for about 3 minutes.  Add juice from 1/2 a lemon, and adjust the seasonings as needed.

While the veggies are cooking, cook the gnocchi according to package directions in salted, boiling water.  To serve, spoon the veggies and some of the broth atop the gnocchi, then top with a few dabs of goat cheese.

Amazing Race - FINALE in SF.

 Sunday was a very big night in our home.  ***WARNING!  If you haven't watched the Amazing Race finale, and you plan to - STOP READING!***

As you may already know, I am a devotee.   My husband and I have probably watched at least 6 seasons of this show, from beginning to end.  It has become a very elaborate ritual in our home.  On Amazing Race nights, I cook a dish inspired by the cuisine of the country that the contestants will visit during that week's episode.  So for example, previously the teams raced through China - and I made moo shu vegetables (with homemade crepes!).  The one week that really stumped me, probably three seasons ago, was Kazakhstan.  Good luck finding a vegetarian-friendly, palatable meal in K-stan.  They primarily consume ... offal.  And other bits and pieces of animals that we are not accustomed to eating.  It's difficult to do a vegetarian riff on horse balls ...

Often times, we invite friends over to celebrate our Amazing Race obsession alongside us.  We have two friends in particular who are game.  We love sharing the experience of eating new food and rooting on our favorite teams.  Early in the season, we all pick a team that we think will win the big prize - $1 million!  The team that makes it to the final pit stop first (the finish line), after traveling through all of the countries in the race, wins.  My team never, ever wins.  This season was no exception!

But ... we were excited to like two of the final three teams in the race.  The third team included the Miss Teen South Carolina girl who talked about maps and "the Iraq" and became a You Tube sensation for her inability to cobble together a sentence.  She (20 years old) raced with her obnoxious cross-eyed model boyfriend (28 years old ... see a problem there???).  Our favorite team, Jet and Cord, were cowboy brothers from Oklahoma - actual cowboys.  They had lovable personalities and never allowed nastiness to infiltrate their race strategy.  We were really rooting for them, even though neither my husband or I officially picked them to win - they were the obvious favorites.  They came in a close second, behind the ultimate winners, Dan and Jordan (also brothers). We didn't mind seeing them win, though it was bittersweet because the cowboys were our emotional pick.  But at least it wasn't Miss Teen South Carolina, Caite (yes, really), and her obnoxious cross-eyed model boyfriend, Brent.

So what does one eat for the finale of the Amazing Race?  Anything from my box would do for the occasion, since the final pit stop was in ... San Francisco!

Our farm, Full Belly Farm, services both the Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area.  I thought it would be appropriate to really make anything using my local produce, since it would be SF-inspired no matter what.  We had a wonderful spring panzanella (bread salad) recipe, from Smitten Kitchen, and a lovely Apple-Rhubarb Betty.  The Betty recipe came from Deborah Madison, a great vegetarian culinarian and the owner/chef of the prominent Greens restaurant, a true San Francisco institution with an all-vegetarian menu.  I have yet to eat there, but I will one day.   I'm going to devote a separate post to the Apple-Rhubarb Betty - it was a fun treat to celebrate the Amazing Race finale.

Panzanella is a bread salad, made with baked or pan-fried croutons.  I have had recipes using both methods (Ina Garten's is pan-fried and fantastic!).  This base of this recipe, the bread cubes, are simply fantastic - PARMESAN croutons!  These aren't your usual salad bar suspects, crunchy and flavorless.   These are savory little morsels that soak up the vinaigrette and pair beautifully with the spring veggies and white beans.

This recipe benefits from day-old bread; if your bread is younger than that, you can toast it a bit longer in the oven to compensate.  I find the salad maintains its structure better with the older bread.

If I were to do anything different, I would saute the leeks rather than simmer them.  I thought the texture of the leeks was a bit loose and wet, but they tasted good and didn't detract from an otherwise fabulous salad!

Spring Panzanella
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

For the bread cubes:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 generous cups of day-old bread, cubed (I used all but the ends of a pugliese loaf)
6 tablespoons finely grated parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste

For the vinaigrette:
1/4 to 1/2 a red onion, finely diced (select the amount based on your personal taste)
2 to 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Juice of half a lemon (I used a bit more)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

For the salad:
3 leeks, green and root ends trimmed
salt
1 bunch asparagus, cleaned and sliced into 2-inch pieces
1 can (15 oz) white beans, rinsed and drained

Make the bread cubes: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Mix together all of the bread cube ingredients in a big bowl; spread on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes (plus another minute or two for fresher bread), stirring once or twice.  You want the bread cubes to be crunchy but still a bit tender on the inside - definitely not dry all the way through, like boxed croutons. Set aside to cool while you prepare the other components.

Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, mix the red onion with the vinegar and lemon juice; let sit for a few minutes to remove the rawness from the onions.  Whisk in the olive oil and mustard, as well as salt and pepper to taste.

Make the salad: Place the croutons in a large bowl.  Add the leeks, asparagus, and beans to the bowl and mix.  Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss well.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Favas: A Love Story

I am truly enamored with fava beans. They are buttery, melt-in-your mouth succulent, a very special spring treat. You will see them pop up as a component in a fancy restaurant meal, studding the risotto or enveloping the lamb chop in their soft pureed arms. I always think of favas as an Italian ingredient, perhaps because they pair so well with lemon and pasta, or atop crostini. The word "fava" itself is Italian, however, favas are not inherently Italian. Rather, they hail from the Middle East and are ancient plants, first cultivated thousands of years ago alongside such staples as lentils and peas. They can grow in relatively harsh climates or in relatively poor soil, and they have been used historically as a cover crop. In the Middle East, favas are often eaten for breakfast in the dish ful madames. They are also a key ingredient in the Egyptian version of falafel.

Favas in their complete form.

After the initial shelling.

Favas are also known as broad beans, and they grow encased in a long, spongy shell. When you peel open the outer shell to expose the beans, they resemble limas. However, unlike limas, they require an extra step. Unless your beans are very young, you should blanch them quickly and then peel or pop them out of their skin. This will yield the buttery, tender inner bean, which can be sauteed, pureed, etc.

To me, there is something so enticing about favas, and I think it is rooted in their fleeting harvest season. Plus, they are so labor intensive for such a small volume of beans. I think they are simply special. With favas, you must strike when the iron is hot, and relish the moments spent shelling and coaxing the beans from their skins.

Last night**, we ate our favas as part of a spring minestrone, another Heidi Swanson recipe from her book "Super Natural Cooking." (Check out her blog, www.101cookbooks.com) This is really a light broth enriched by rice and spring veggies, including asparagus and favas. I like to brighten the flavors with lemon and add a salty kiss of parmesan. Some fresh basil wouldn't hurt either, though I balked at paying $2.29 for a limp packet of basil this time around, and nobody noticed its absence. (I need to get started on an herb garden!)

Our favas were particularly tiny last night. Our farm newsletter indicated that we could eat them without doing the second peeling process, but I thought that they looked a bit tough in their skins. I forged ahead with the full two-step shelling process.

The results of shelling and peeling a big bag of favas. For comparison, a 32 oz. bag of rice.

Veggies prepped for stock.

A big bowl of stock, flecked with thyme.

I like to eat this soup in the spring when the favas pop up at the farmers' market, though you can replace the favas with regular peas and/or sugar snap peas. Because the broth is such an elemental part of this dish, I recommend making your own stock. I am including a recipe inspired by Heidi's basic stock recipe below, though any light veggie stock will work well.


Spring Minestrone
Adapted from Heidi Swanson

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, sliced thinly
3 small stalks of green garlic, sliced thinly, or 2 cloves regular garlic, minced
3/4 cup brown basmati rice, rinsed
6 cups of vegetable stock (see recipe below)
fava beans - start with about 1 pound in their shells - this will reduce down dramatically
1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed and chopped into 1-inch pieces
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
Grated parmesan for garnish

Prepare the fava beans: Shell the beans out of their first layer (the spongy outer bean pod). Boil a medium pot of water. While the water is heating, make an ice bath. Add the beans to the pot; cook for one minute then strain immediately and place in the ice bath. After a minute or two, strain again. If your beans are young and tender, you can just pop them out of their second layer (the skins). Alternatively, use a small paring knife to slice each bean individually, then pop it out. [Practice patience - this is a repetitive task.]

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and cook for about 4 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add the rice and cook for one minute, stirring frequently. Add the stock and salt to taste, if needed; bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 35 to 45 minutes, until the rice is just tender.

When the rice is done, turn the heat back up to medium or medium-high (you want it to be simmering), then add the asparagus and favas. Cook for 3 minutes, making sure that the veggies remain bring green and don't get overcooked. Add salt and pepper to taste, plus the lemon juice. Ladle into bowls and top with parmesan.

Enjoy a little slice of spring!

Vegetable Stock
You can double this recipe by adding twice as many of each veggie, and twice the water. I like to use stock to make rice, couscous, pan sauces, etc. You can also freeze stock in ice cube trays and pop them out as needed.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, quartered
2 shallots, quartered
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
Trimmings from any other veggies left over from the week - I used the woody ends of a bunch of asparagus
1 garlic clove, peeled and lightly smashed
Thyme - either a couple fresh sprigs or a sprinkling of dried
salt to taste (about 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt)
2 quarts filtered or spring water (that's 8 cups)

Heat the oil in a stock pot over medium-high heat and add everything except the salt and water. Saute for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veggies begin to brown. Add the water and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes (you can simmer longer if you like). Taste; add additional salt if necessary. Strain into a large bowl, removing all of the vegetables.

**You will note that last night was Sunday ... an Amazing Race night. Spring minestrone won out over week two of Chinese food. We ate out on Friday and Saturday due to gardening fatigue, and I knew I wouldn't have time tonight or tomorrow night to do the favas justice. So we compromised on making the global-inspired AR dish, in favor of enjoying spring's fleeting bounty!

Kitchen sink dinner.

In our house, Tuesday night dinner falls in either one of two camps:
1 - The cupboard is bare. We've eaten everything from the box and we're just counting the hours until tomorrow night's box pick-up.
2 - We've got to use up the rest of the veggies!!! But how do we put them all together in a coherent dish?

Tonight was definitely a #2 night. When I got home tonight, we still had: green garlic, Tokyo turnips, asparagus, sage. I managed to get three of those four items into our dinner tonight. (DANG! Just realizing I forgot to use the sage.) Plus, I used up most of the ricotta that was left over from the calzones this weekend. It was a real kitchen sink dinner!

We had baked polenta topped with herb ricotta and a veggie saute, plus roasted balsamic asparagus and turnips on the side. I meant to sneak some sage in there but forgot. Oh well!

This was an easy dinner that was on the table in about 35 minutes, perfect for a meal after a wonderful 3.5 mile run at the gym. I took my new shoes on an inaugural spin tonight - Brooks Defyance running shoes. My last pair was Saucony and they were definitely more cushy and plush, but I wanted to try something different since I've been experiencing a bit of knee/leg/foot pain as I increase my mileage. Despite one little foot cramp after I got off the treadmill, it was wonderful to be in a pair of new shoes!

So how did dinner get on the table? (Does anybody have a good source for a dinner fairy? I could use one sometimes ...)

Prep the veggies: Preheat the oven to 425. Clean and chop the turnips, then place on a baking sheet and douse in a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pop them in the oven and set the timer for 25 minutes. Clean the asparagus, breaking off the woody bottom parts (you can save these for stock) and chopping the spears in half. Put on a baking sheet and add a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Slice a premade tube of polenta into 1/2 inch slices. Add to the asparagus sheet (make sure you've got some cooking spray on there). Pop these in the oven.

Get the saute veggies ready: thinly slice half an onion, one stalk of green garlic (or some regular garlic), a carrot, and some red bell pepper. Heat about one tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and add the onion. After a couple of minutes, add the rest of the veggies and saute while the items in the oven roast. For the last couple of minutes, I added some water and lowered the heat to low to braise for a bit.

Finish the oven items: After about 10 minutes in the oven, pull the polenta out, flip, and top each slice with herbed ricotta (ricotta + herbs de Provence + salt). Pop them back in the oven to finish cooking. When the 25 minutes are up, dinner is ready! Pull everything out, and add a bit of balsamic to the roasted veggies as well as the ones in the saute pan. Top the polenta with the sauteed veggies and enjoy! (A note - my radishes were pretty small, so I had to pull them out of the oven partway through cooking so they didn't burn. I tossed them back in for the last five minutes so they could heat back up.) This was tasty, quick, and filling! Yum!

A spring strata

On Sunday evening, we ate a strata for dinner. What, might you ask, is this intergalactic delicacy?

A strata is somewhat like a bread pudding or a bread gratin, if such a thing exists. I often see it classified as a breakfast item, great for brunch because it demands advance assembly and generous time in the refrigerator to set up before baking. The allure is that you can whip it up the night before your guests arrive, then - voila! - pull it from the fridge bright and early the next morning and pop it in the oven. This requires fluid, dance-like moves (arms extended!), a vintage apron, mid-heels, and sparkling white teeth. A vacuum and a tea-length day dress don't hurt either.


But I'll be honest with you - this is my kind of dinner fare! I forgo the 50s hostess routine and instead prep in the early afternoon to serve by 7. This is a weekend or day-off kind of supper, but it's delicious and only a bit retro-inspired. I mean, bread baked with cheese for dinner? I would even sign up to host some folks so I have a fabulous excuse to eat this constantly (brunch and dinner)! It only feels a teensy-tiny bit like breakfast for dinner, and who doesn't love a little insolence in the evening?


I got my inspiration from Crescent Dragonwagon's "Passionate Vegetarian." Her version includes either zucchini or spinach, and she offers a number of variations on the theme (rancheros flavor! cornbread!). The strata has a tender, spongy quality to it, though the texture varies based on the bread used. I have had great success using crumbled leftover cornbread, as recommended by Ms. Dragonwagon; it adds a richness and sweetness that pairs very well with the egg and the savory, cheesy filling. The entire dish is brightened by lemon, which is a key flavor and is used generously in both zest and juice form. You basically use an entire lemon, plus a bit of mustard and a dash of nutmeg, for the key flavors of the dish. I added garlic because I had lovely green garlic left over from the week's box - the green garlic is a gentle but distinct flavor that I highly recommend. It pairs wonderfully with the asparagus and lemon. I will confess, I haven't made this using regular garlic as a sub for the green version, though I bet it would work if you exhibit garlic restraint. Who doesn't fight the urge to toss in a couple extra cloves every now and then? I would advise against a heavy garlic hand for this dish because the flavors are delicate, fresh, and very springy.

So pull out the mimosas and invite the gang over for brunch. You can roll out of bed exactly one hour before they arrive, serving a piping hot, tasty dish the second they arrive. Or you can be like me and horde the entire thing to yourself (and husband!) for dinner, knowing that the leftovers are destined to reemerge as lunch the next day.


Asparagus Strata
Adapted from Crescent Dragonwagon in Passionate Vegetarian

Note: You can use lots of barely-cooked veggies in this strata. Crescent Dragonwagon suggests zucchini or spinach in her recipe. I can vouch for the zucchini!

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 stalks of green garlic, thinly sliced (alternatively, you can use 2 cloves regular garlic, or omit)
1 1/2 to 2 cups of asparagus, cleaned and sliced on the diagonal in 1-inch slices
1 large lemon, including the juice and 1 teaspoon of zest
1 cup grated Jarlsberg cheese (or you could do gruyere - would be lovely)
1/4 of a large red onion, finely diced
4 eggs
2 cups low-fat milk
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Nutmeg (a few dashes)
Day-old country bread (white or wheat), equivalent to about 8 regular slices of bread - torn into large crumbs

Make the veggie filling: Heat the olive oil over medium heat; add the garlic and cook for about 3 minutes for green garlic, 1 minute for regular, stirring occasionally. Add the asparagus and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and place the mixture in a medium mixing bowl. Add the 1 teaspoon of lemon zest and the juice from the lemon to the bowl; stir to combine. Mix in 2/3 cup of the grated cheese and the red onion. Set aside.

Prepare the eggs: Whisk the eggs lightly in a medium bowl. Add the milk, Tabasco, dry mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper, mixing well.

Assemble the dish: Spray an 8x8 inch baking pan (or another of a similar size) with cooking spray. Spread about half of the bread in the bottom of the dish. Pour one-third of the egg mixture over the bread. Spread the asparagus mixture over the bottom egg/bread layer. Top with the remaining bread, then pour the remaining egg mixture evenly over the to. Sprinkle the reserved cheese over the surface. Cover and refrigerate overnight or, at minimum, four hours.

Cook: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake, uncovered, for 40 to 50 minutes. When it's bubbly and lightly browned, it's ready. Remove from the oven and let stand for about 5 minutes.