My friend Evan recently teased me about the lack of springtime in my cooking. I realized I DON’T cook a lot of “spring” dishes: I cook a lot of winter, summer and fall. . .maybe it’s because we don’t really have spring here? Maybe it’s because I’m lazy and have never learned how to bake a quiche? I eat a lot of asparagus and can make a decent lemon risotto. Does that count? Anyway, I was feeling a little guilty this week when I went to the Farmer’s Market and bought pretty much all winter veg. But it’s the last of them for the season! And they’re pretty! There are beets and red cabbages! I am a total sucker for pink food!
Pretty cabbage I got at the Farmer's Market
Today I’m using up the last of the haul and I thought I’d make a tasty, beautiful, very wintery salad as a fitting farewell to Winter’s fabulous foods. Especially because winter herself left quite a while ago. It was 81 here today, which I personally think of as sweater weather but which people in normal climes usually consider summer in full swing.
You can tell this is a celebratory salad because it is PINK.
1 large and 3 smallish beets (it’s what I had)
1 head fennel
1 apple (gala or pink lady, I’m going to say. I like any apple that is both red and yellow. I feel this way also about roses and bell peppers and dresses)
1/2 large onion (I used yellow. Again, Farmers Market)
I cut everything up into similar sized chunks, tossed with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt + fresh cracked black pepper and shoved in a preheated 350° oven (do y’all see a pattern, here? I roast pretty much all veggies, because it retains their nutrients, is easy, requires less clean up, and is tasty).
I then tossed it with a little fresh lemon vinaigrette (olive oil, champagne vinegar, brown mustard, meyer lemon juice, thyme, salt, pepper).
The illustrious Mamacita came over to help me eat it, in part because The Boyfriend will not eat fennel and in part because she is shamelessly reaping the benefits of my food blogging. The joint verdict: very tasty. A little sweet, a little crunchy, warm, comforting. The onion and fennel are both super mellow. Yum.
Dinner made of awesome
Be careful out there,
-C
Oh C. I would love to try some of that salad. And DARN, I wish I had taken a picture of the quiche I made for easter with pesto. Argh! I will have to just make it again, I guess…
- Mags
Oh no, not more quiche! If I make it over to the meeting tonight I’ll bring you salad and burgers.
I ended up making a really tasty veggy concoction with corn, kidney and black bean burgers with roasted multi-colored potatoes, brussel sprouts and carrots and dill yogurt sauce. I didn’t take pictures, but it was very tasty. The burgers, were either too big, or maybe just not mushed enough, because they kept on falling apart, but they tasted OK. I think I need more spices in the future – maybe marinate, like you suggested.
And why not quiche?
I make good quiche.
Tonight, I want to finally make the ravioli. I know, not very spring-time, but maybe I can make it spring time ravioli
Much love
- Mags
I was being sarcastic about the quiche. I love quiche!
Green ravioli? Pesto? We’ll figure something out. I saved you a burger and some salad.
-C
I really want to make a cream sundried tomato sauce with a basil, spinach, walnut and tofeta filled ravioli. But does that count as spring-y enough?
I might just boost up some jar marinara with some mushrooms, garlic and basil.
Yay – burger and salad!
- Mags
I have more cornbread if you’d like….