Oompa Loompa, I am starting to feel like Violet Beauregarde

But there was no saving her now.  Her body was swelling up and changing shape at such a rate that within a minute it had turned into nothing less than an enormous round blue ball--a gigantic blueberry, in fact-- and all that remained of Violet Beauregarde herself was a tiny pair of legs and a tiny pair of arms sticking out of the great round fruit and a little head on top.  Excerpt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.  

How long has it been since you read that wonderful text?  I had to confess to my family that I could not help myself. The first blueberries appeared on our plant, and since I saw them first,well,  I just had to eat them.  If you have never ever tasted a blueberry right off the bush before, you are certainly missing out.  Blueberries are fairly easy to grow. You can grow them in  a sunny backyard or a container in a sunny location.  They like a very acidic soil, so important to combine the organic planting soil with peat moss. Different areas of the country require different types of blueberries. Here in Northern California, in my garden, "sunshine blue" perform the best.  Please check with your local Master Gardener Program, cooperative extension or local nursery.  I have about six blueberry plants and the blueberries we pick never make it to the kitchen because they taste so good. 

Blueberries on a plant

My favorite  receipe for blueberries is a blueberry poppy seed cake.  It is not too sweet  nor is it too cakey.  The last thing you want is a cake that takes away from the incredible taste of the blueberry.  

Violet Beauregarde's  Blueberry Poppy Seed Cake

 

Cake

2/3 cups sugar

½ cup butter, room temperature

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

1 egg

1 ½ cups all-purpose unbleached flour

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup sour cream

 

Filling

2 cups fresh blueberries, washed and drained

1/3 cups dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons all-purpose unbleached flour

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

 

Topping

Dusting of powdered sugar

 

1. Heat over to 350 degrees. 

2. Grease and flour bottom and sides of a 9-inch spring form pan.

3. In bowl with electric mixer use paddle attachment to beat 2/3 cups sugar and butter until light and fluffy.

4. Add lemon peel and egg; beat 2 minutes at medium speed.

5. In bowl, combine 1 ½ cups flour, poppy seed, baking soda and salt.  

6. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternating in 3 parts with the sour cream until blended. Batter will be thick.  Spread batter over bottom and 1 inch up sides of pans, making sure batter is ¼ inch thick up sides. 

7. In another bowl, combine all ingredients for filling and spoon over the batter.

 Bake for 35-40 minutes  until crust is golden brown.  Cool slightly. Remove sides of pan. Use sifter and dust with powdered sugar.  Yields 8 servings.  

Food Inc., The Movie, Premieres June 12

You Say Potato, I Say "Patata"

I recently went shopping at one of those big membership "required" warehouses. They usually give out food samples. On this particular day, the sample was a mayonnaise potato macaroni salad. The tasting counter was mobbed and I was intrigued. I picked up a container to read the ingredients and I let out a loud shriek and dropped it to the floor. I shrieked because of the sodium content, something like 680 mg per serving. And, I thought OMG, this will kill you. Growing up with an Italian born mother, we had potato salad a lot but it never looked like the "American" version of mayonnaise with potatoes added. Mom had made it with olive oil. Yes, only olive oil.

So, as I walked down the aisle at our local farmers market I saw lovely Yukon gold potatoes. You need to try a blind test between a locally grown fresh potato and a supermarket potato. The difference in taste is huge.  And, you need to only try it to believe me. I bought the potatoes, spring onions and I picked the basil from my garden-I was all set.

Italian Potato Salad, the way it should be

• 6 Yukon gold potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds) or other potatoes that are good for boiling, peel and cut into 2 inch cubes
  
•  1/2 cup of spring onion or scallions or white onions or shallots, chopped fine
  
•  2 tablespoons fresh basil, rough chop 
  
• 1/2-3/4 extra virgin olive oil, the better quality olive oil the better the salad will taste
  
•  salt and pepper to taste
  
•  2-4 strips of bacon, crumbled (optional)
  

Now, you can stop right here but because I have kids and kids love bacon, I like to add bacon. (Okay, I confess, it is not just the kids, its me...just an excuse because I LOVE bacon, too...still 3 strips of bacon for 4 servings is nowhere near the sodium content of the warehouse plastic potato salad--did I say plastic? Oops.)

1. Boil potatoes in 2 ½ quarts of water. 

2. Cook until fork tender. About 35-40 minutes. Drain. Add onion. Add ½ cup of the olive oil and taste, if okay, stop here. Depending on how much water the potatoes absorb is how much olive oil you need, you may need to add a little bit more, but taste it--you don't want the potatoes to puddle or drown in olive oil. Add bacon and basil.  Mix with a wooden spoon, potatoes will crumble; that is okay, it is a rustic dish.

3. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm or room temperature.

Yields 4 servings. 

New York in June? Why not? The 2009 Food Film Festival

The NYC Food Film Festival, New  York City, June 13-19.  Bon Appetite! 

2009 NYC Food Film Festival Trailer from George Motz on Vimeo.

The Rose and Me

Would Jove appoint some flower to reign

in matchless beauty on the plain

The Rose (Mankind will all agree)

The Rose the Queen of Flowers should be--Sappho

My Peace Rose in My Garden

For me, it was love at first sight. I can still remember the exact moment of when I fell in love with "The Rose." I was 5 years old in Brooklyn, New York. I went to my best friend ("BFF") Diane Pappas' house. At the right of her front gate, was the smallest red rose with the most incredible fragrance. If I close my eyes, I still can recall the scent.  That was the moment. They are now a passion and an addiction. Once you are hooked you are hooked. If I have a choice between a pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes or a rose bush, I will always choose the rose bush! I can just hear my kids: "My mom dresses like a homeless person but you should see her rose garden!"  (Sorry, kids.)  I have several varieties in my garden.  I won't tell you how many I have because, well, I am embarrassed. I can't stop until I end up in a nursing home  and even then I hope for a little window box for miniature roses (Kids, you better bring me a window box!) 

Home grown roses are absolutely magnificent. They have a soul; so different from the commercially grown roses that you get from a florist. No two are the same, not even on the same bush. And, each has a story to tell. Whether in fragrance or in petal count or in shape or in color and hues. Young school children are especially fascinated by home grown roses. I think they have some sort of sixth sense--they are able to recognize the magic of the natural organic beauty of roses. It really is amazing to watch a child as he or she touches and sniffs a beautiful rose; they kind of get a euphoric look on their face. 

In my conversations, I am always amazed how afraid people are of growing roses. What you need is a minium of 6 hours of sunlight, air and water.  When I say air, I mean they need space, they need circulation. They like their vitamins once a month (if you can remember) during growing season. I swear, I think they grow more beautiful the more you admire  them.   They are a little narcisstic yet, they are very, very forgiving at the same time.  You cannot really over prune them.  And, if you do, they come back better and stronger than ever.

The most famous rose of all is the "Peace" rose and the story of its survival during WII.  The breeder, Francois Meilland in Lyon, France knew that the Germans were about to invade.  He was fearful that this rare and beautiful rose that he had created would be destroyed. He did all that he could to ensure its survival; he shipped off seedlings to friends around the world in hopes of securing its future. 

The American Rose Grower, Robert Pyle, a recipient of the seedling, not knowing if the Meilland family was alive had issued this statement: 

“We are persuaded that this greatest new rose of our time should be named for the world’s greatest desire: PEACE…. We believe that this rose is destined to live on as a classic in our grandchildren’s gardens and for generations to come. We would use the word Peace to preserve the knowledge that we have gained the hard way – that peace is increasingly essential to all mankind, to be treasured with greater wisdom, watchfulness, and foresight than the human race has so far been able to maintain…. Towards that end, with our hopes for the future, we dedicate this lovely new rose to PEACE.” For the complete fascinating story of the "Peace" rose please  click here.

All across the country there are local rose societies as well as the All American Rose Selection. Here in Northern California, our branch is the Marin Rose Society.  They are a wealth of  rose information. Most importantly, they can also tell you which roses will do well your particular growing zone. So start researching and start talking to some experts. Rosarians love to share their knowledge and encourage folks to grow roses. Talk to them so you can be ready to  plant at least one rose bush next winter. Perhaps, you too will fall in love at first sight.

In hope of Peace,

How to Get the Chicks to Eat the Chickpeas

Ever see a kid eat chickpeas aka garbanzo beans? The answer is probably almost never. Most children fear beans like spiders. A chickpea on their plate will usually extract a facial expression of HORROR and verbiage such as "YUCK" and "DISGUSTING." Chickpeas are very evident in the Mediterranean diet. They are low in saturated fat, and very low in cholesterol and sodium. They are also a good source of dietary fiber, protein and copper, and a very good source of foliate and manganese.  Hummus is a great way to sneak in those healthy foods for your kids in a pasta dinner but first you need to start by making the hummus which will take you five (5) minutes and cost you about $1.00 for almost 3 cups and it will taste better than store bought. 

                                                         Hummus

15 ounce can "no salt", garbanzo beans

1/2 cup to 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (the amount depends on the type of product you buy)

1 clove of garlic (of 2-3 if you like it extra spicy)

salt and pepper to taste

yields about 3 cups of hummus

Drain garbanzo beans, place in a food processor or blender. Add extra virgin olive oil, start with 1/2 cup and garlic.  Pulse. Continue to pulse until creamy by adding a little more olive oil until you get the consistency you want.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Now, that you know how to make hummus, the following  is how you get your kids to each garbanzo beans without ever knowing by making the recipe below. And, you can get a "green" in the pasta, too, by using broccolini. Broccolini are delicious, sweeter and more tender than broccoli...just tell the kids they are "baby: broccoli. 

                                                      Broccolini

Pasta, Broccolini, Tomato Sauce and Chickpeas

1 pound of pasta, rigatoni, ziti or other short noodles

1pound to 1 pound and 1/2 broccolini

16 ounces canned of tomatoes, preferably San Marzano

1  15 ounce can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans (no salt), drained;  (optional, depends on if it will scare your kids to see a chickpea in the pasta, but you are sneaking it with the hummus so see how much you can get away with)

1 cup of hummus

2  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves rough chopped garlic

2 tablespoon chopped basil (optional)

pecorino romano or parmigano reggiano cheese for topping

salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil water for pasta.

2. Heat olive oil in a deep saucepan, add basil and garlic cook for 10 seconds.  Do not let the garlic get brown because it will be bitter.  Add  tomatoes and cook for about 20-30 minutes at a simmer, add salt and pepper to taste. Ten minutes into cooking add the canned beans to soften.    When done, set aside.

3.  Steam broccolini until tender. Set aside.

4.  Cook pasta in salted water. When al dente, drain and add to tomato sauce.  At this point add the humus and toss and cook for 2 minutes on medium high.  Add broccolini, toss all together and serve with cheese and enjoy!

An Ear of Corn VS. A Bag of Corn Chips...and the winner is...

As we come to the close of the holiday weekend, thinking ahead of what to make for my children's school lunches.  I cannot emphasize the importance of our children eating fresh and local fruits and vegetables versus eating processed foods.  Teaching your children how to eat healthy at an early age is a gift that you will have given them that will last a life time. 

Especially, during this time of year,  a  bag of potato chips cannot rival a bowl of cherries. Nor can a bag of corn chips rival an ear of corn.  I hope you will take advantage of our glorious growing season.  I would like to share with you the latest video from Berkeley's Edible School Yard, Alice Water's inspiring and wonderful food project through the honorable Chez Panisse Foundation. Please watch both videos, including the one labeled Food Fight and see for yourself the lifetime of knowledge gained by these wonderful children.  

Kudo's to my friends in Berkeley for being pioneers and continued passionate advocates in promoting healthy lunches and a healthy lifestyle on behalf of all  our children.  My love to you all...  

Here is the link http://www.edibleschoolyard.org/video

Berries In, Ballroom Dancing Out!

My daughter came home from school with that "look" on her face that something was wrong. "Mom, I had a bad day." "What happened?" I asked. "Our P.E, teacher told us that we are starting ballroom dancing. Ugh." The concept of holding hands and dancing with a partner is pretty traumatizing if you are in the sixth grade. What traumatizes me is not ballroom dancing, (plus last time I danced with my husband was on our wedding day twenty years ago) but to make something for our year-end teacher appreciation breakfast. It needs to be quick and easy because if you are a parent with a child in school you know that year-end is an absolutely wacky time. My inspiration on what to make for the breakfast hit me as soon as I arrived at our local farmers market and saw all the glorious berries. Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries! I decided to make yogurt parfaits. Now, the beauty of a yogurt parfait is that it is delicious, easy and relatively inexpensive to make and NO COOKING REQUIRED! They are also great to bring to a sports team fundraiser, like I do for our snack bar at our swim meets. I like to use a non-fat vanilla yogurt because it almost tastes like vanilla ice cream. I also like to use a vanilla granola or a pecan maple granola. Whatever granola you choose you can't go wrong. I prepare them in individual 10 ounce plastic cups and usually keep them in an ice bath if  they will be sitting out for awhile.  

I grow raspberries, blueberries and strawberries in my garden which have not yet ripened. In terms of plants, they are pretty low maintenance. What I have too, are lots of wild blackberries which are delicious but are out of control because they keep reseeding like crazy. If you have a little parcel of land, just start with one thing, perhaps a blueberry plant or couple of  raspberry canes. Keep in mind the raspberries and blackberries do get out of control, so be careful where you plant.  Strawberries in pots work well, too. So go ahead and give it a try. Berries are some of the most healthiest foods you can eat.  Read more about the health benefits of berries by clicking here.

What is amazing to me is here in Northern California the blackberries are rampant and grow along the side of the road. In the summer you can see adults and children  picking the ripe berries. However, they are so excited about the berries that they don't notice the poison oak! Many times the poison oak and the berries are intertwined and if you are a "food" person and not a "plant" person, you better watch out because you will be itching and scratching for a few days.  So be careful of the thorns when picking the blackberries and watch out, too, for the poison oak!

                                   Poison Oak looks like this!

Yogurt Parfaits

This recipe is for only one parfait, multiple it for as many times as you need. 

10 ounce plastic cup

3/4 cup non-fat vanilla yogurt

1/4 cup granola, preferably vanilla, pecan maple or whatever you like

1/4 cup fresh berries; whatever is in season or an assortment of all berries

Put yogurt in cup, add layer of granola and top with berries.  That is it!  

Sweet 16 and the Case of the Missing Steak...and by the way, whose idea was it to call it "sweet" sixteen?

Today, was my son's 16th birthday party. He is in the throngs of being your textbook teenager.  He is extraordinarily bright, kind, charming and responsible and once in awhile the teenager-ism (or whatever you want to call it) takes over and you are totally perplexed and can only scratch your head and wonder "huh?"  He invited 30 of his friends to celebrate this landmark birthday. I did a kid friendly menu which incorporated the vegetarians so it was basically easy. It was a Mexican fiesta; tortillas, corn, beans, cheese, guacamole, salsa, rice, lettuce, sour cream and choice of barbecue grilled chicken and skirt steak. I had calculated 1/4 pound of meat for each kid, so I calculated 8 pounds of meat plus 4 more, for a total of 12 pounds, because, well, I am Italian. Well, fortunately only about 22 showed; because the meat disappeared faster than you can say "16!" OMG, I was almost in a state of panic to see the food dwindling and the guests still eating. It would be a total embarrassment to run out of food and, besides, in my Italian culture, it is the 11th commandment "thou shall not run out of food when serving guests." We barely made it. The reason why the meat disappeared quickly is the OMG marinade. It is the easiest, fastest and best marinade ever! And, it is relatively cheap and you can use it for both steak and chicken but best on a skirt steak. I would normally have a photo of the food for you, but the food disappeared before I was able to get my camera. 

Sweet 16 Marinade

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce 
4 tablespoons of honey
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2  teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 pounds of skirt steak or chicken (works best with a skirt steak but chicken pretty awesome as well)

Whisk first 6 ingredients in a bowl until completely blended about 3-5 minutes. Pour over skirt steak and let marinate  over night for best flavor. Easy to double, triple or quadruple, etc. Then grill and enjoy and watch it disappear.

 The Pre-Teen Years, Pre-Sweet Sixteen. 

My son, the chef with a bloody hand on a Halloween.

Much Virtue in Herbs, Little in Men

"Much virtue in herbs, little in men" is a quote from Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanac. I guess he knew what he was talking about. Nothing like a fresh herb. Can you imagine if Benny were alive today and witnessed this new direction of growing and eating one's food? What would he think? What great thing would he have to say? How about "much virtue in she/he who grows their own herbs and who cooks farm fresh and I've gotta get home to watch Adam Lambert on American Idol." All this hoopla on growing what you eat is really not a new direction when you think about it. I like to think it is a homecoming- a return to our roots as farmers, which is what this great nation was founded on--it's roots--so to speak.

Growing herbs in a planter box is the easiest thing to do. Seriously. Even if you cannot plant anything else, plant herbs. Take a trip to your local nursery this weekend and purchase an organic planter box for growing food (something safe that has not been treated with chemicals). It could just be one little pot for one herb. At least it is a place to start. Once you feel confident that you will not kill it, you can go ahead and expand. You can purchase basil, thyme, dill, parsley, sage, or whatever is available and grows well in your area. Just ask at the nursery. Just imagine that you are cooking something delicious and you can go and snip a couple of leaves of fresh herbs to add to it.

All you need to grow herbs, is water, sun and air. If the leaves start to get too yellow you are probably over watering and if they become brittle you are probably not watering enough. So go online, check in with your local garden nurseries, see if there is a weekend special and get started. Tell them, Benny sent you!

Happy Mother's Day!

Here is a photo of my purchases today during my mother's day outing at our local farmers market in San Rafael, Marin County, California.  No need to say anything else except Happy Mother's Day!

The Power of a Seed: Tale of A Fava Bean

This past winter and spring many farmers and gardeners across the globe have purchased seeds for their spring planting. In fact, during these difficult economic times, people have returned to victory farms and growing vegetables in their backyard and while everything else  seems to have gone down seed sales have gone up by 40%! We really do take for granted that we can purchase 1,000 romaine seeds from a package for around $3.00.  If all of the  1,000 seeds germinate then we will have 1,000 heads of romaine lettuce. How cool is that? How many people can one seed packet feed? Lots! Seeds feed the entire population of the planet earth; all 6.7 billion of us.   That is a mighty job for a tiny seed.  Not too long ago,  60 Minutes did a feature story on a seed bank.  Yes, a seed bank.   Honestly, how many of you every heard or thought of a seed bank until now?  Well, there are many.  I hate to be depressing but if the doomsday scenerio where to occur no matter how much money or gold you had in a vault--well, it just wouldn't do you any good.  But if you had seeds in a seed vault... hmmm.   Here is the link to the fascinating 60 Minutes piece including video entitled "A Visit to the Doomsday Vault." After you see this you will have a new appreciation for a seed. 

Fava beans plants are very interesting. They are used for a winter cover crop, meaning that they feed nitrogen back into the soil during the dormant season. You cut them back every so often and let them compost directly in the soil that will provide lots of yummy nitrogen for the next growing season.  I planted my favas in October with a seed that looked like this:

It is now May and they are ready to harvest. On one fava plant you can get a huge quanity of beans.  When they are done producing, I will break them down and put them back in the soil.

Fava beans are low in fat, no cholestrol.  They are also high in protein, iron and fiber, and are good source of vitamin C, viamin A, and potassium. They have high concentrations of L-dopa (dopamine) an amino acid that issues a neurotransmiitter in the brain which plays a roll in activities such  as memory, energy and sex drive. Yep.  An organic Viagra in your garden!

To use a fava bean, you open the fuzzy pod until you are left with the actual beans. At this point you can blanche for a minute in boiling water to loosen the outer grey skin before you use. Blanching makes it easier to peel off. However, if the fava beans are tiny and delicate, I usually don't find the need. Experiment yourself, taste it with the skin on and then off...you decide.

Fast Fava and Pasta 

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup spring onion or purple onion sliced (and if you love onion, add another cup)

2 tablespoons basil, rough chop

2 1/2 cups canned tomatoes, preferably San Marzano

2-3 pounds of fava beans in pod (or 2 cups of shelled sugar peas)

1 pound of short pasta, I use shells to catch the sauce and the beans/peas

Heat skillet, add olive oil and heat, add onion and basil and saute until onion begins to carmelize, about  5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook on a low simmer for about 20-25 minutes.   Taste and season with salt and pepper. 

Now at this point, if you just want a plain tomato sauce on your pasta you can stop right here and not add the fava beans. Or if your kid just hates, hates a fava bean, then switch to sugar peas. It will work out anyway but you get more nutrition with the green stuff. Cook for 6 minutes until beans or peas soften. Turn off heat  and cover until pasta is ready.

Boil water for pasta. Cook pasted in salted water until  al dente.

Drain pasta and return to pot. Add sauce with the beans and cook on low heat for another 2 minutes stirring.  By doing this the pasta absorbs more flavor. Remove from heat. Sprinkle romano pecorino or parmigano reggiano cheese on pasta if so desired and serve. Serves 5-6. 

Growing, Eating Lettuce and The Swine

As the swine flu hits our town, our first batch of lettuce grown from seed is ready for harvest. My son's high school has been closed since Monday due to one reported case of the swine flu and his little sister who is in sixth grade sees that as a terrible, terrible injustice.  She already sees her big brother as a "swine" and now he gets a couple of days off from school.  Dang! Life is so unfair if you are a tween!

Growing lettuce is a very easy thing. Please don't be scared and keep an open mind. If you are fortunate to have a little yard, terrific.  If you are fortunate to have a sunny deck, balcony or window box, terrific too!  Or get thyself to a community garden. Think, "yes I can!"  Just purchase some sort of planter box,  could be half a wine barrel or a wooden crate, make sure it is made of natural materials for vegetable use and not treated with some awful toxic preservative. Then purchase some organic potting soil for vegetables.  You can buy seedlings from your local nursery or grow your own from seed. The salad in the photo below is  from my garden and the most incredible tasting and fast growing lettuce on the planet. The seeds are Sassy Salad Mesclun mix from Botanical Interests. The owner Curtis and family take great pride in their seeds and it shows.  There is lots of instruction and information on each seed packet, so you can do this. My seeds have a 99.9 % germination rate and in California  (and my Aunt Fran in New Jersey, too!)  we are fortunate enough to plant these seeds year round. There are 17 different varieties of lettuce in this  seed packet and the taste is absolutely delicious. Someone, somewhere figured out that the average lettuce travels 1400 miles to reach your dinner plate. Imagine if you could pick lettuce in your own backyard? And, how this would impact your carbon footprint?   The seed packet yields so much lettuce, I cannot begin to tell you.  Now go ahead and give it a try. 

Store bought bottled salad dressings confuse me.  From their high sodium to their  high cholesterol content to the tons of preservatives in between. The most delicious salad dressing has none of that.  Purchase a bottle of good quality extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and a shallot.  Got it? Serve it at a dinner party, and everyone will lick their plate wondering what kind of dressing it is... promise.

Simple, Safe, Healthy and Cheap Salad Dressing Recipe

3 cups  mesclun mix 

1 tablespoon  balsamic vinegar

4 tablespoons  extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon  shallot, minced

mix all of the above in a  small bowl until emulsified and pour over lettuce

 salt and pepper to taste 

If you need to make more, it's 4 parts oil to one part vinegar and as much shallot you want or don't want.

Jimmy's Birthday

It is my husband's birthday. We have now been together for 23 birthdays. The first one was just the two of us. For the second birthday we had a dog, then another dog and then a kid and then another kid and a couple of more dogs in between. In our house, you get to pick how you want to celebrate your birthday. Usually, the request is to have me make a favorite dinner and special dessert. Jimmy requested pasta with fresh vegetables. So I pulled some fava beans from my garden and purchased asparagus, nantes carrots, and spring onions which I adore from our local farm fresh market. There is a small window of opportunity to purchase these wonderful spring onions; they are completely underrated. Using them as a pizza topping or minced in salad adds an incredible flavor. Primavera means spring and spring it is right now when you visit your local market. You can make this pasta with any vegetable your heart desires, if fava beans are not available use sugar peas, or broccoli florets, be creative. If it is fresh you cannot go wrong. Plus it really is a wonderfully fast meal to make. Thank goodness, Jimmy didn't ask for lasagna, all I wanted to do today after the sweet rain was work in the garden...and I did!

Pasta Primavera

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (the good stuff)

2 garlic cloves, rough chop

2 tablespoons of butter

1 pound tagliatelle or any other wide noodle will be just fine

1 cup spring onions, sliced 1/4" wide (any sweet onion will work)

1 cup carrots, sliced thin (any kind, if they still have their tops, you can tell they are super fresh)

1/2 cup of fava beans

2 1/2 cups of asparagus, cut 1" diagonally

1 cup low sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarians)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or thyme (optional)

salt and pepper to taste, salt in the pasta water

romano pecorino or reggiano parmigano cheese to taste (whatever you've got in the fridge)

Boil 6 quarts of water for pasta.

In large skillet, heat pan and olive oil, add garlic, cook for 10 seconds, add butter until melted on medium flame. Add spring onions, cook until wilted about 3 minutes, add chicken broth. Add the salt and pepper to taste now. Cook for 3-5 minutes on medium high flame until about 1/3 of the mixture evaporates. Add vegetables with exception of fava beans stirring occasionally. Cook for 10 minutes on medium flame. Add fava beans and cook for 5 minutes more. Taste again. Do you need more salt and pepper? Turn off heat.

Boil pasta in salted water.

When pasta is al dente, drain and add to vegetable mixture. Cook on low flame and toss for 2 minutes. When done, transfer to pasta bowl and sprinkle with parsley or thyme. Serve with sprinkle of cheese on top.  Serves 4-5.

I am reading Barbara Kingsolver's wonderful, wonderful book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. What an inspiration! Currently, out here in California, we are in a transition phase with fruit, lots of strawberries, which are the prelude to cherries, apricots, peaches and plums. Seems like the wait has been forever. So with strawberries and rhubarb in season, only one thing to make--a crisp! Here is the recipe for the easiest crisp on the planet. It has been adapted from Barbara's recipe in her extraordinary book. I still have the oranges in my garden, so I thought  to add some fresh orange zest.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3 cups strawberries, halved

3 cups rhubarb, chopped

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon orange or lemon zest (optional)

Mix the above together and place in an 8-by-8 inch non-greased pan.

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/3 cup butter, cut up in 1/4 inch cubes

Mix until crumbly, sprinkle over fruit mixture, and bake at 350 for about 40-50 minutes, until golden brown on top.

I am a purist, so I prefer to eat my crisp all by itself. My son likes a dollop of vanilla ice cream. Either way, enjoy!   Serves 4-5.