at the moment...

... pink hydrangea is blooming away,the fennel is taking off,and the last of the radishes are in the fridge.

A Fennel and Radish Salad
Thinly slice one fresh bulb of fennel and one giant purple radish (or a few smaller radishes of your choosing), and toss the slices together in a bowl with a good squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil. Season it all with salt and pepper and a few feathery shavings of parmesan.

Vacation was amazing - going through the photos now...

a winter salad

A week indoors, sitting fireside and watching the white-washed landscape for any little change - the re-appearance of a driveway, let's say, allows for plenty of time to make a grocery list.
And when one finally returns to that much-missed produce aisle - well, that grocery list suddenly seems laughably inadequate.
Even in deep winter, without the lure of sun-ripened tomatoes or blush-colored peaches, there is a jubilation in seeing fresh greens, perfect oranges, or the wispy fronds that top the crisp white fennel bulbs. The basket fills with all of the above and more - already satisfying a deep hunger, a real craving, for something more than sustenance - we need nourishment.
A cool, crisp salad always feels regenerative, and this salad, in particular, incites a reawakening, crunching under tooth like those first ice-crusted snowy steps out the door.

A Winter Salad

1/2 a bulb of fennel, a few fronds reserved
1 stalk celery
2 radishes
juice of 1/4 lemon
drizzle of olive oil
1 blood orange
a scattering of parsley leaves
a pinch of good sea salt
freshly ground pepper
a few slivers of shaved Parmesan

Using the very thinnest setting of a mandoline, slice the fennel, celery and radishes into a medium bowl. Toss with the lemon juice and a good drizzle of olive oil. Slice the top and bottom from the blood orange, and following the curve of the fruit, slice away the remaining pith and peel. Using a very sharp paring knife, liberate the segments by making a cut alongside each membrane that separates the segments. Add the orange segments to the salad along with the reserved fennel fronds and parsley leaves. Season with a pinch of salt and some fresh pepper. Divide the salad between to plates and top each serving with a few slivers of the Parmesan.

foraging fantasy

When autumn arrives and the crisp air is filled with the scent of fallen leaves and the smoke of bonfires, I start craving something warm, earthy, and fragrant. I wish I could tell you that I went out into the woods, just at dawn, clad in wool and toting a rustic basket, to forage for wild mushrooms to fulfill such a craving. The imagery is perfect. The reality, however, is that I wouldn't know where to begin in picking the edible from the poisonous. So, for now, I'll be satiated with intensely flavored dried mushrooms, a few of the old button variety, and some very good wild rices. I hope you will be too.

Wild Rice with Mushrooms and Fennel

(adapted from 'Wild Rice With Fennel and Porcini' originally published in the February 1995 issue of Gourmet magazine)

Ingredients:

1/2 oz. (14 g.) dried Porcini mushrooms

3/4 Cup boiling water

2 Tb. sherry

1 Cup wild rice blend

2 Cups water

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 Tb. butter

2 small (or 1 large) fennel bulbs, chopped (1 cup), a few fronds reserved for serving

1/2 Cup shallots, finely chopped

8 oz. white button mushrooms, sliced

Pinch of salt

Ground pepper

3 Tb. sherry

1/2 Cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped

Grated Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)

In a heat-proof bowl, pour boiling water over dried Porcinis. Add in 2 Tb. sherry, and let steep 20-30 minutes, or until mushrooms have softened. Remove mushrooms (reserving the soaking liquid), chop coarsely and set aside. In a small saucepan, simmer the reserved soaking liquid until reduced to 1/3 cup. Carefully strain liquid to remove any sediment.

Combine the strained mushroom soaking liquid, wild rice blend, 2 cups of water, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 45 minutes, or until rice is cooked through (if there is additional liquid left after rice is fully cooked, drain it away).

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, fennel, Porcinis, and button mushrooms. Season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Saute until fennel is soft and mushrooms are golden - about 10 minutes. Add the remaining 3 Tb. sherry and stir, scraping up any browned bits. Cook another minute or so, until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, add the cooked rice and chopped parsley, and mix to combine. Serve garnished with reserved chopped fennel fronds and a grating of Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Serves 4 as a side, 2 as a meal The sherry used in this recipe (I used an Amontillado sherry) does wonders for developing the flavor of the already hearty Porcini and compliments the fennel nicely too. The aroma is heavenly. However, if you prefer not to use sherry, I'd suggest replacing it with tamari or soy sauce. Or, omitting it altogether and using a good stock instead of water to cook the rice.

garden to table

I peek at my vegetables. I sneak into the garden and gently pull away zucchini leaves to see the gorgeous yellow blossoms announcing the impending arrival of a deep green bounty. I brush away beet greens and carrot tops to catch a glimpse of the baby roots just emerging from the dirt, ever a tiny bit larger in circumference each day. Sometimes I even pull a 'tester' to check on the progress (and to thin out the rows, I tell myself). I think I'm really only one short step away from taking a measuring tape to the newly formed tomatoes. Soon. So soon. They'll all be here.

On the other hand, how could one possibly wait when greeted by these:

Did you know fennel has roots? I didn't. I didn't really think about it, I guess - I think I just assumed it grew like any other bulb. Now I know. These lovely babies were my 'testers' the other day. Their cohorts are growing quite nicely in their little spot, but I just had to try these while they were still young.
I don't regret it.
I'll probably do it again.
fennel, white beans and artichokes with Parmesan polenta

Ingredients:

1 Tb. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 baby or 1 medium fennel bulb, chopped (and cored if necessary), a few fronds chopped and reserved for garnish
salt and pepper
1 small (6.5 oz.) jar of quartered artichoke hearts (mine were marinated; canned artichokes would also be fine), drained
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1 Tb. fresh basil, chopped (optional)
3 cloves garlic, minced fine (more or less to taste)
3 whole, peeled plum tomatoes and 1/4 C. tomato sauce from a can of whole, peeled plum tomatoes
1 - 16 oz. can of white beans (navy or cannellini)

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and fennel and saute just until onion is transparent, about 3-5 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and a couple grinds of fresh pepper. Add artichokes, thyme and basil (if using) and cook another minute. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, crushing them with your hands or the back your spoon. Pour in the reserved tomato sauce and add the beans, stirring gently to combine and cooking until heated through.
Serve with Parmesan polenta (recipe follows) and garnish with reserved chopped fennel fronds.

Parmesan polenta

(I can't say enough about Bob's Red Mill medium grind cornmeal. It is so good. It just doesn't compare to any other widely available cornmeal for making such things as polenta, grits, cornbread, muffins, or corn cakes. It's my favorite and really worth seeking out.)

Ingredients:

4 C. water
3/4 C. medium grind cornmeal or polenta (such as Bob's Red Mill)
salt and pepper
1/2 Tb. fresh thyme, chopped
1 Tb. butter
1/2 C. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a small saucepan (3-quart, or thereabout) bring water to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, pour in the cornmeal in a slow, steady stream, whisking all the while to avoid lumps and fully incorporate smoothly. Continue whisking fairly frequently for 15-20 minutes or until mixture has thickened, maintaining a smooth consistency. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper (I use roughly 2 pinches of salt and 1/8 tsp. of pepper), add the thyme, butter and cheese, and whisk to combine (the butter and cheese will melt and incorporate).
Serve topped with fennel, white beans, and artichokes (recipe preceding)