It’s the week of salads with seeds. I have two different ones in this post, so get your seeds and nuts out and get toasting. They add so much flavor and texture.

There are a couple of very simple preparations this week too. The produce is so good that you really don’t need to do much. And if you by chance need to bake a cake in the near future, this is my favorite carrot cake recipe. It’s not very sweet but beautifully moist and delicious.

Recipes

Carrot and Seed Salad
CSA Salad with Lacinato Kale, Avocado and Faro
Homemade Aioli
Green Salad with Capers, Aioli and Egg
Fennel and Onion Soffrito
Potatoes with Parsley and Garlic
Potatoes, Broccoli and Carrots with Aioli with lots of Parsley 
Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot and Seed Salad
–very slightly adapted from Breakfast Lunch Tea by Rose Carrarini

Serves 6 as a side

I make a variety of carrot salads. They add bright and fresh flavors year-round. Carrot salads are the perfect foil for the cook-with-what-you-have approach. Cumin, coriander, chili flakes, serrano chilies, lemon, lime (juice and zest), rice vinegar, parsley, mint, cilantro, tarragon, dill, and basil are all wonderful complements to the carrots. Toasted nuts and seeds of many kinds are good too.

With a simple frittata and a piece of good bread, this makes a lovely dinner.

1 cup sunflower seeds (or pumpkin seeds)
1 tablespoon sunflower or olive oil
3 generous pinches of sea salt
8 medium carrots, grated
1 handful chopped chives (or whatever you have on hand)

Dressing:
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus possibly more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sugar or 2 teaspoons honey
about 3 tablespoons sunflower or olive oil (I used a good olive oil)

Preheat oven to 350.

Toss the sunflower seeds with the tablespoon of oil and several pinches of salt and roast on a baking sheet for about 15 minutes, turning frequently, until they are crisp and golden. Set aside to cool.

Place the grated carrots in a serving bowl. To make the dressing whisk together the lemon juice, salt, pepper and oil. Pour the dressing over the carrots and mix well. Sprinkle with the chives (or other herbs) and the seeds, mix again, and adjust seasoning and serve.

CSA Kale Salad with Avocado, Farro (or Barley) and Garlic Dressing
–inspired by 101cookbooks.com

The avocado adds richness and creaminess to both the dressing and the salad itself. And the toasted seeds are an key addition.

Garlicky Dressing:

2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup good olive oil
2 tablespoons ripe avocado
1 teaspoon honey, or to taste
fresh pepper to taste

½ lb Lacinato kale (about 5 cups), well washed and destemmed if there are any tough ones and cut into 1-inch ribbons
1 cup / cooked farro or barley or wheat berries
4 small carrots, very thinly sliced (about ¾ cup worth)
1 avocado, cut into small cubes
3-4 tablespoons toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds, or some of each (toasted slivered almonds are good too)

Whisk the garlic, salt, lemon juice, olive oil, avocado, honey, and pepper until smooth. Taste, and adjust with more salt, or honey, or lemon juice.

Before you’re ready to serve, combine the kale with about half of the dressing in a large bowl and work the dressing in well. Taste, and add the last of the dressing if needed. This is a salad that’s good quite heavily dressed. Add the avocados and seeds and give one last gentle toss.

Homemade Aioli

Aioli is basically garlicky mayonnaise. The uncured, fresh garlic lends itself very well to this technique since it’s just a bit milder and sweeter than cured garlic. Homemade aioli takes about 8 minutes to make and keeps well for a week. I’ve always made it by hand but I know it works well in the food processor too so by all means use that if you want. It’s so delicious and endlessly useful and adaptable. Potato salad, deviled eggs, egg salad, sandwiches, spread for grilled fish, dressing for anything.

2 eggs yolks
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
3 teaspoon lemon juice or more to taste
about 1 ½ cups oil. I use a combination of two thirds neutral oil like Sunflower and one third good tasting olive oil. If you use all olive oil it tends to be too bitter and strong.

Mash the garlic into a paste in a mortar and pestle with some sea salt (to give it grit/resistance) or on a cutting board with the side of a chef’s knife. For the latter technique, cover the minced garlic with the side of the knife, then press down hard and pull the knife towards, all the while pressing down hard on the minced garlic. Repeat a few times until you get a paste. It takes a little practice but then is a wonderfully useful, quick technique when you want to infuse something (and not have chunks) with fresh garlic (salad dressings, etc.)

Whisk the garlic into the eggs yolks with the lemon juice, mustard and salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Then very slowly start adding the oil, almost drip by drip for a bit until you things get nice and emulsified. Then you can start adding the oil in a thin stream, whisking all the while (or do the same in the food processor).

Traditionally aioli is served as a dip with raw and steamed vegetables. This week it could be carrots and turnips and radishes – raw or quickly blanched or steamed. It’s good with chickpeas, potatoes, asparagus, etc. It’s also wonderful with grilled foods, in a sandwich or spooned in soup or pasta or used instead of mayonnaise in deviled eggs or used in the salad dressing, below.

Green Salad with Fennel, Capers, Aioli and Egg

Lettuces this time of year are so tender and crisp and perfect. The summer heat hasn’t made them bitter yet and this salad is perfect for them. It includes eggs in two forms (hard-boiled and in the aioli)! And the salad is begging for adaptations. Add some chopped tarragon if you have it or other herbs (mint, parsley, basil, chives).

6 cups lettuce, washed and dried well and roughly torn
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and roughly chopped
2 hardboiled eggs (eggs that have been brought to a boil in a plenty of cold water and then taken off the heat and left to sit for 8 minutes in the hot water and then drained and covered in cold water. The yolks will be set but still a bit creamy.), roughly chopped
1 spring onion, thinly sliced
1/2 a large fennel bulb, trimmed and then sliced as thinly as you can
¾ cup croutons or roughly torn, toasted, good crusty bread (optional)
3 tablespoons aioli
a little lemon juice or red wine or champagne vinegar
a bit more olive oil or cream or water to thin it down a bit (optional)
Salt and Pepper

Put the lettuce, eggs, capers, onion and croutons in a salad bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and then toss well with the lettuce, etc. Taste and adjust seasoning

Fennel and Onion Soffrito

This is a delicious garnish/condiment/side for fish, roasted vegetables, etc.

Olive oil
1 ½ cups thinly sliced fennel
1 ½ cups thinly sliced onion
¾ cup canned tomatoes, drained and chopped
2 cloves garlic
red wine vinegar to taste
salt and pepper

In the largest skillet you have heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions and fennel all at once and cook, stirring occasionally over medium heat until starting to brown and quite soft. Add the garlic and the tomatoes, a couple of generous pinches of salt and some pepper and cook until the liquid has evaporated. Finally add a little vinegar, you’ll probably want at least 2 teaspoons and plenty of black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.

This is delicious with a bunch of chopped parsley and black olives too.

Potatoes with Parsley and Garlic

Potatoes and parsley and garlic work beautifully together.

Boil or roast however many potatoes you want. Cut them into large-ish bite-sized chunks (after cooking if boiling and before if roasting).

Finely chop lots of parsley. Mince a clove or two of garlic (or more), grated some lemon zest and mix it all together with good olive oil and a bit of lemon juize and salt and pepper. Dress the potatoes liberally with this simplified salsa verde.

Fry or poach and egg or grill some meat or fish and you have dinner!

Potatoes, Broccoli and Carrots with Aioli

Boil or roast some potatoes and carrots. Steam some broccoli. Arrange on a large platter.

Make aioli, above, to which you added lots of finely chopped parsley. Put a bowl of aioli in the center of the platter and dip away.

Good crusty bread, some good canned Oregon Albacore or some hard boiled eggs make nice additions. Perfect summer supper.

Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
–Adapted from Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair

This cake uses honey, whole wheat flour and both lemon juice and zest and is hands-down my favorite carrot cake.

1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour or all purpose four or half apf, half whole wheat or spelt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (optional)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs
1 generous cup grated carrot (I grate half the carrots on the biggest holes on my box grater and half on the smaller ones and like the combo)
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/3 cup dried currants (optional)
1/3 cup golden raisins, roughly chopped (regular raisins would be fine too) and if you like nuts in your carrot cake, by all means add some chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly oil and dust with flour a 9-inch cake pan. Mix flour, salt, baking soda and spices in a mixing bowl; set aside.

Melt butter and honey over low heat. Add eggs and lemon juice and whisk together. Add wet ingredients to dry mixture and mix well. Fold in carrots, zest, currants, and raisins. Pour batter in pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. Be careful not to over bake.

6 ounces cream cheeses
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) of butter, room temperature
2-3 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Cream the butter and cream cheese together with a wooden spoon. Add maple syrup and lemon juice. Add more of either to taste. The frosting will firm up in the fridge if it gets to soft to spread but mine worked just fine. Frost top and sides of cake.

Beautiful carrots and dill this week! I particularly love this combination and hope you try the faro and carrot salad with dill. The chard pancakes are a classic dish from the Southwest of France and tend to be crowd pleasers. I’ve included my favorite way to cook short-grain brown rice so you can make a lot and save half for fried rice the next day. Oh and the mustardy roasted veggies are a nice variation on the standard . . . Enjoy!

Farcous (Savory Chard Pancakes)
Fried-Rice with Broccoli, Carrots and Turnips
Baked Brown Rice
Carrot and Dill Notes
Faro with Carrots and Dill
Mustardy Roasted Vegetables
Two Kinds of Turnip Pickles

Farçous (Swiss Chard Pancakes)
–adapted from Around my French Table by Dorie Greenspan

These are an absolute cinch to make if you have a food processor. It takes 5 minutes to make the batter and a bit longer to fry them but they are so addictive and so fun. These are made all over Southwest France and I’m sure with variations of herbs and greens, but most typically they are made with chard, parsley and chives. You can certainly skip the chives if you don’t have any on hand.

They also keep and freeze well and make great snacks. You can also experiment with different flours and combinations of flours if you’d like. Half whole wheat flour works well and I imagine spelt flour would too.

This recipe makes a lot of pancakes so you can cut it in half or make the whole thing and just save some for lunch the next day. I don’ think you’ll have any trouble eating them up.

2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or half all-purpose and half whole wheat)
3 large eggs
1 small onion, chopped (about ½ cup’s worth)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
¼ cup of chopped parsley or more or less to taste
2 tablespoons of chives, chopped (optional)
7-10 Swiss chard leaves (depending on size of leaves), washed, shaken dry and center rib and stems removed (can save for other use)
Salt (these need a lot of salt! Start with ¾ teaspoon kosher or sea salt. Taste the first pancake and add more if they’re bland. They really need salt to lift up the flavors of the herbs and greens)
Freshly ground pepper
Vegetable oil or olive oil for pan-frying
For optional topping: yogurt, lemon zest and juice or just plain Greek or whole milk yogurt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees and place a baking sheet in the oven.

Put milk, flour, eggs, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender. Mix until smooth. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. Add the chard leaves to the batter (little by little if you don’t have a lot of space) and blend, but don’t over blend. The mixture does not need to be homogenous and is better with a bit of variation in size of the chard leaf pieces.

You can make these pancakes large, like crepes (and use a crepe pan if you have one) or smaller, like regular pancakes. Pour about 1 tablespoon of oil into your pan (less if it’s a crepe/non-stick pan) and heat over medium-high heat. Add the batter to the pan for whatever size pancakes you’re making and cook until for a few minutes until the edges begin to brown and curl. Flip them over and cook them for a couple more minutes until evenly browned. Place in warm oven while you make the remainder of the pancakes.

These are wonderful with a dollop of yogurt (especially Greek yogurt) to which you can add a bit of lemon zest and little lemon juice and a salad for lovely dinner.

Cook-With-What-You-Have Fried Rice with CSA Veggies

This is the quintessential quick dinner, utilizing whatever bits and pieces you have on hand. Carrots, broccoli, turnip, chard stems (if you made the Swiss Chard pancakes above), all work well in this dish. Quantities are all approximations and you can vary them as you like. You just want to be sure you cut the vegetables finely and fairly uniformly and you don’t want to crowd your skillet or wok. To avoid a soggy dish you need to be brave with the heat level!

Serves 4 (more or less)

3-4 cups cooked, cooled rice (I recommend making short-grain brown rice as described below, if you can and day old rice works much better than fresh—fresh is too moist)
1-2 tablespoons coconut, sunflower or olive oil
1/2 a medium onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1-2 ounces of bacon, cut into small dice (optional)
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 cup broccoli, cut into1-inch pieces
½ cup turnips, cut into 1/2-inch dice (optional)
1 cup turnip greens, well washed and chopped
1 Serrano chili, seeded (if you don’t want it very spicy) and finely chopped or 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2-3 teaspoons Tamari or soy sauce
2 teaspoons fish sauce (or to taste)
3 tablespoons roughly chopped basil, mint or cilantro (or a combination)
Salt

Heat the oil in a wok or largest skillet you have, over high heat. Add the onions, garlic, ginger, carrots, broccoli and turnips and Serrano chili, if using, and bacon and cook stirring very frequently for about 5 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the rice and turnip greens and mix everything very well. Cook for about three more minutes to heat the rice through and wilt the greens. Then push the contents of the pan to one side and add the eggs to the empty spot and scramble them until almost set. A few stray rice kernels ore veggies will make their way in which is just fine. You just don’t want to mix the raw egg into the rice right away since you’ll loose track of it as it just coats the kernels instead of scrambling. When the eggs are almost set, mix them gently into the rice, add the soy and fish sauce, stir well and then mix in the herbs. Adjust seasoning–it may need salt or more soy or fish sauce or a squeeze of lime juice–and serve immediately.

Baked Brown Rice
–from Alton Brown

I often make a double batch and freeze the other half. I was a brown rice skeptic for years and never cooked short grain brown rice at that. This technique was a revelation to me. I can’t get enough of it.

1 1/2 cups brown rice, medium or short grain
2 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the rice into an 8-inch square glass baking dish.

Bring the water, butter, and salt just to a boil in a kettle or covered saucepan. Once the water boils, pour it over the rice, stir to combine, and cover the dish tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, remove cover and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve immediately.

Carrot and Dill Notes

Carrots and dill are a lovely combination as you can see in the below faro salad. You can also make a simple salad of grated, raw carrots, lots of chopped dill, a thinly sliced green onion or two and a dressing made with lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper. Toss in some toasted sunflower seeds for extra heft and crunch.

Faro with Dill and Carrots

This is a lovely combination. You could add feta if you like or use barley or rice instead of faro though I think faro is particularly good.

1 cup faro, hulled or pearled (pearled cooks more quickly but I prefer just hulled—more of a whole grain)
2 cups carrots, cut on the bias into ¼-inch slices
3 tablespoons dill, chopped
1 medium clove garlic, minced
2 greens onions, thinly sliced (optional)
3-4 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted (optional but very good)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (or more to taste or red wine vinegar)
2 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Put the faro in a sauce pan with 3 cups water and ¾ teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer and cook, covered, until the faro is tender—some kernels will break open which is just fine. This will take about 45 minutes if it’s hulled faro and a bit less for pearled. Test occasionally for doneness. When tender, drain well and put in a bowl and let cool a bit.

Meanwhile, sauté the carrots in ½ tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat with a few pinches of salt until tender and caramelizing a bit—about 10 minutes.

Add the carrots to the faro and all the remaining ingredients. Stir well and adjust seasoning.

Mustardy Roasted Vegetables

This is a nice variation to plain roasted vegetables. One of my favorite things to do with these, once roasted and a bit cooled is to toss them with lots of parsley and/or arugula or just lettuce and maybe dill in this case. Then add a bit more lemon juice and olive oil and make a big salad out of it. Quantities are approximations. Use however many vegetables you want in whatever ratio you want.

You could also serve these on top of a bed of sautéed chard.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1 medium onion, cut in half and sliced in ½-inch thick half-rounds
5 turnips, scrubbed but not peeled and cut into wedges
6-7 carrots, scrubbed and cut into ½ – ¾-inch slices on the bias
2 cups broccoli florets and stems, cut into more-or-less same-sized pieces
2-3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Put all the vegetables in a big bowl. Mix the other ingredients in a small bowl and then toss the mustard mixture with the vegetables mixing very well. I use my hands to get it thoroughly mixed—messy but fun and effective.

Spread the vegetables on a baking sheet with sides—try not to crowd and use two sheets if you have too much for one. Roast for 20 minutes then stir and keep roasting until all vegetables are tender and beginning to brown around the edges.

As noted above, these are delicious tossed with greens for an unusual salad or just eaten as is, hot or at room temp.

Quick Turnip Pickles
–from Andrew Cohen

Here is a variation on a theme of a salad called sunomono that you get in Japanese restaurants.

1 bunch turnips, trimmed and scrubbed but not peeled
2 medium carrots (optional), well scrubbed but not peeled
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 cup rice vinegar
1 cup water
½ cup sugar

Use a mandolin, if possible, to slice the turnips as thinly as you can and keep them whole. If you do not have a mandolin, I recommend slicing the top and bottom flat so you have a firm base and the turnip does not roll. If using the carrot, slice the carrot as thinly as the turnips. Use the same shape or shred into thin shreds.

Sprinkle the vegetables with the salt, toss to coat evenly and “massage” the vegetables a little.

While the vegetables wilt, combine the water, vinegar, and sugar in a jar and shake until the sugar goes into suspension (disappears from sight).

When the vegetables have begun to wilt and have lost their “raw”-ness, rinse in plenty of cold water. Taste a slice to be sure the salt is mostly gone.

Add the vegetables to the dressing and allow to marinate at least an hour. Chill the pickles, then use when cold.

Turnip Pickles
–adapted from A Platter of Figs by David Tanis via culminate.com

These pickles are a lovely complement to cold meats and cheeses and as a fresh, acidic counterpoint to other rich dishes. I’ve reduced the turmeric (by half) from original since it was a bit too strong for my taste but by all means increase it if you’d like.

The basic version takes a week to make, but there’s a quick method here too, for overnight pickles.

2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 thyme sprig
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric (see headnote)
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
scant 2 tablespoons salt
2 cups water
½ cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb turnips, scrubbed but not peeled, cut into small wedges

Combine the garlic, herbs and spices, salt, water, vinegar, and olive oil in a bowl. Stir to dissolve salt. Pack the turnip wedges into a clean quart jar and pour in the brine mixture. Screw on the lid. Put the jar on a shelf in the kitchen and turn it over every day for a week. After a week, refrigerate the pickles. Use within a month.

For a faster pickle, simmer the turnips in the brine for about 8 minutes, or until cooked but still firm. Cool the pickles in the brine, then refrigerate overnight before serving.

Broccoli Parmesan Fritters
–inspired by smittenkitchen.com

These are terribly addictive. They’re perfect with a fried egg on top or just with some Greek (or whole milk yogurt) that you’ve doctored with a little minced garlic, salt and lemon juice and/or some finely chopped parsley.

About 10 2.5-inch fritters

12 oz broccoli (about 4 cups chopped), well washed and cut into small florets and stems cut into small chunks
2 eggs
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (or other grating cheese—sharp cheddar is fine too)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
A pinch of red pepper flakes and several grinds of black pepper
Olive or vegetable oil for frying

Cook the broccoli in a pan with 1/2–inch or so of water for 5-6 minutes until tender but not mushy or steam it. Drain and let cool slightly.

Meanwhile lightly beat the egg in a mixing bowl. Add the flour, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Then, add broccoli and, using a potato masher, mash it up a bit. You want to keep the bits recognizable, but small enough (1/4- to 1/2-inch chunks) that you can press a mound of the batter into a fritter in the pan. Once mashed a bit, stir or fold the ingredients together the rest of the way with a spoon. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add a tablespoon or two of oil. Once the oil is hot (you can test it by flicking a droplet of water into it; it should hiss and sputter), scoop a two tablespoon-size mound of the batter and drop it into the pan, then flatten it slightly with your spoon or spatula. Repeat with additional batter, leaving a couple inches between each. Once brown underneath, about 2 to 3 minutes, flip each fritter and cook on the other side until equally golden, about another 1 to 2 minutes.

You can keep them warm in a 200 degree oven if you’re not eating them right away. Repeat with remaining batter, adding more oil as needed. Serve with some of the suggestions listed in the head notes, above.

Salsa Verde

This is a versatile, strongly flavored sauce. I often just make it with parsley garlic, lemon juice, oil and salt but the addition of capers, onions and egg make it even better. I use the simpler version over fried or poached eggs over a veggie hash of any kind. It’s wonderful with meat and fish that’s been roasted or grilled. I put it on sandwiches or mix a little into the egg yolks for a twist on deviled eggs or egg salad.

I prefer not to use the food processor for this since you don’t want a very uniform texture but I do sometimes and it’s still very good.

1 1/2 – 2 cups finely chopped parsley (about one medium bunch)
grated zest of 1-2 lemons
1 shallot or chunk of onion, finely diced (optional)
2-3 tablespoons capers, rinsed (optional)
1-2 small garlic cloves, minced
1/2 – ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or white or red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 hard-boiled egg (optional)
2 anchovy fillets, very finely chopped or smashed (optional)

Combine all the ingredients except the egg, salt, and pepper. Mash the egg yolk until smooth, adding a little of the sauce to thin it. Finely chop the white. Stir the yolk and the white back into the sauce, season with salt and pepper and adjust lemon/vinegar as needed.

Salsa Verde—Suggestions for using it:

• Drizzle generously over roasted veggies (you could roast or grill the broccoli and fennel and serve it with the salsa verde)
• Use as a spread for sandwiches
• Dress hardboiled eggs, canned Oregon Albacore and boiled potatoes
• Use as a dressing for a pasta or rice salad
• Dress white beans with it or stir it into a white bean puree for a delicious spread
• Stir a few tablespoons into a soup when serving.
• Delicious with sautéed shrimp or other seafood or grilled beef

Green Goddess Dressing

This recipe uses spinach and parsley in it. The tarragon is pretty important so pick some up if you can. It is delicious on the beautiful butter lettuce you have this week and add some thinly sliced fennel if you’d like. It’s always delicious on boiled potatoes or fish.

Makes 1 cup dressing (more or less)

¾ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise or more yogurt (preferably Greek)
1 cup loosely packed spinach leaves
Small handful fresh tarragon leaves (about 3 tablespoons)
Small handful fresh basil leaves (optional)
1/3 cup loosely packed parsley
2 green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves (optional)
1 small garlic clove (or 2 garlic scapes)
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
2 tablespoons good olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice plus
grated zest of half a lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fit with a blade attachment. There is no need to chop the spinach or herbs. The food processor will do all the work for you. Do be sure to slice the green onions. Pulse all of the ingredients in the food processor until the begin to combine. Pulse for 5 seconds at a time until all of the greens are minced and well incorporated into the dressing.  Taste.  Add salt and pepper as necessary. Add a touch more olive oil or a bit of water to create a thinner consistency.

If you don’t have a food processor, this recipe will also work in a blender.  I chopped all of my herbs and greens before adding to the blender.  This helps ensure that all of the greens break down evenly.  Combine all ingredients and blend.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add water and olive oil to thin the consistency, if desired.

If you don’t have a food processor or a blender, this recipe can be made by hand… with just a little elbow grease.  Finely chop spinach, herbs, scallions and garlic.  Really mince them fine.  Whisk herbs together with the rest of the ingredients.  Really give it a good stirring with the whisk.  Add salt and pepper to taste and serve as a dip of as a salad dressing.

Dressing will last 3 to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Herby Salad with Roasted Beets, Garlic Scapes and Goat Cheese

I love to use herbs practically like vegetables, i.e. in great quantity and parsley is one of my favorite herbs. I grow a huge patch of it and go through it all. This is less of a recipe and more of an idea. Adapt to suite your taste and add whatever else you like. If you don’t have goat cheese you can use feta. Or you can add some chopped hardboiled egg and or some toasted sunflower seeds, walnut or almonds for added heft.

4 cups lettuce, roughly torn
½ cup, more or less, parsley leaves (not chopped)
2 garlic scapes, finely chopped
2 beets roasted, and cut into thin wedges or medium dice**
2 ounces fresh goat cheese
Juice of half a lemon
A bit of grated lemon zest
About 2 tablespoons good olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Toss everything but the beets and goat cheese together well. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add in the goat cheese and beets and toss very gently.

** To roast beets, scrub well and trim. Put in a baking dish, add a few tablespoons of water, cover tightly with foil and bake at 400 degrees until tender, about 45 minutes. Cool enough to handle then peel and slice and add to salad or use otherwise.

Spinach Notes

Spinach this time of year is so tender and sweet you don’t need to do much to it.

• Cook it briefly and add to scrambled eggs and a some fresh goat’s cheese for the most divine spring breakfast or dinner(!)
• Use it in the Green Goddess Dressing above
• Cook it with butter and then top with good sea salt

Spiced Coconut Spinach
–adapted from 101cookbooks.com

This is a bit of an unusual combination but it’s delicious and quick. This spinach makes a great side. It’s delicious with a poached or fried egg for a light supper. Or you could fill a tortilla with it.

¼ of a medium onion, finely chopped
1 large clove of garlic, minced or mashed with some salt on a cutting board into a paste
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon butter, or olive oil
1/4 teaspoon yellow or brown mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
¾ lb spinach, well washed, and chopped
squeeze of lemon
1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut, lightly toasted (can do this is on a sheet pan in a 300 degree oven in about 7-10 minutes or on the stove top in a dry skillet in a 3-4 minutes.

Heat the oil or butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the seeds, cover with a lid, and let them toast a bit—check after about a minute to make sure they’re not burning. Remove the lid, stir in the red pepper flakes and let cook for a minute. Stir in the asparagus if you’re using it, let cook roughly another minute, then stir in the garlic paste and onion and all of the spinach. Keep stirring until the spinach starts collapsing a bit, about a minute. Finish with a bit of fresh lemon juice and the coconut.

Beets and Beet Greens with Garlicky Yogurt

You’ve probably noticed how much I love/use Greek yogurt. Several years ago I started buying it instead of sour cream. I find it so much for versatile and somehow it finds its way onto many of my meals. It’s hard to find full fat organic Greek yogurt. If you know of some please let me know! I buy Greek Gods brand because it’s full fat and at least uses rbgh free milk. It has a bit of pectin in it for thickening that some object too but I’ve come to like it a lot.

This dish is very garlicky. Reduce if you want it milder.

1 bunch of beets, with greens (4-5 medium beets) or whatever you have on hand
3 small cloves of garlic, divided and minced
1 medium shallot or chunk of onion, finely chopped
½ cup of Greek yogurt or plain, full fat yogurt
1 teaspoon lemon juice plus an extra squeeze or two
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Cut the greens off the beets, wash well and cut into wide ribbons. You can use most of the stems. I usually just toss the 2-3 inches closest to the beat root. Scrub the beets well and cut into wedges. Put the beets in a small pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook covered for about 15-20 minutes until beets are tender when pierced with a fork. Alternatively you can roast them (better flavor but takes longer). Drain well and toss with a little lemon juice and salt. Meanwhile sauté the onions or shallots in a little olive oil over medium high heat until soft. Add beet greens and a little olive oil if necessary and one clove of garlic, minced, and a few pinches of salt. It will only take about 3-5 minutes for the greens/stems to be tender. In a small bowl mix the yogurt with the remaining garlic, a pinch or two of salt and the teaspoon of lemon juice. Mix the beet wedges with the greens and heat thoroughly and then serve with a generous dollop of the yogurt.

Braised Greens Bruschetta

Again, this just a quick technique and will be so good with your beautiful kale this week.

1 bunch kale, thoroughly washed and roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt
Olive oil
Slices of good, crusty bread
Another clove or two of garlic

Sauté the kale in tablespoon or so of olive oil over high heat for a minute or two. Add the garlic. Mix well and sauté another minute. The moisture left on the kale should prevent anything from burning as this point. Then add a couple of splashes of water and several pinches of salt and turn the heat down and cover the pan. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until the greens are tender. This will take about 7-10 minutes. Add water to prevent it from drying out. You want the kale to be tender and juicy, not at all dry. Taste for salt and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Toast or grill slices of bread. Rub hot, toasted bread with the end of a peeled clove of garlic. Place bread on a plate, cover generously with the greens and then drizzle generously with good olive oil. Don’t skimp and use the best oil you have.

Serve with a fried egg on the side as a light dinner.

The Black Pepper Tofu in this packet (which uses a lot of scallions) comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi. I’ve varied it a bit, mostly cutting down the almost insane quantity of black pepper (the original calls for 5 tablespoons) and hot chilies. We rarely eat tofu but even if you never have and have no interest I can’t recommend this dish enough—if you like strong flavors and quite a bit of heat that is. It’s intense to say the least. The other recipe that has to be highlighted is the cabbage pancakes. They may not sound exciting but I’ve taught this dish half-a-dozen times both with Napa cabbage and regular green cabbage, to rave reviews and my five-year-old asks to have them for dinner weekly. And they’re very fast to make. Oh and the potato salad is a winner too. . ..

Finally, the mizuna this week is a little bigger and you can cook it if you like, as in the dish with radishes below. Finely sliced, it is a nice addition to salad with strong dressings too–see the quinoa dish.

Okonomiyaki (Japanese Cabbage Pancakes)
Spring Quinoa Radish and Scallion Salad with Mustardy Vinaigrette
Black Pepper Tofu (with Scallions)
Potato Salad with Creamy Salsa Verde
Cumin Lime Coleslaw
Pan-roasted Radishes with Mizuna, Mint, Soy Sauce and Lemon

Okonomiyaki (Japanese Cabbage Pancakes)

These traditionally include finely chopped shrimp so by all means add this if you’d like. I love them like this. They are great party food and just as good for a simple supper with a salad on the side. Makes about 12 pancakes.

Sauce:

Scant ½ cup mayonnaise
Scant 2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sriracha (or a bit less if you don’t like it too spicy)

Pancakes:
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 – 11/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup all purpose flour
3-4 cups cabbage, sliced as thinly as possible (you can also grate or chop it in a food processor—I prefer the texture of the hand cut and if you have a good, sharp chef’s knife it’s quick work)
6-8 scallions (green onions), trimmed and chopped
Sunflower, coconut or peanut oil for frying
1-2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Whisk the first set of ingredients together for your sauce. Set aside while you make the pancakes.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs with the soy sauce, sesame oil, and salt. Gradually add the flour and whisk until smooth. Fold in cabbage and scallions.

Warm a tablespoon or two of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until glistening. Spoon the batter into the skillet as you would for regular pancakes. I usually make them about the size of saucer. Cook on each side for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Keep pancakes covered in a warm oven as you make the rest. Scatter sesame seeds on top of pancakes and serve with dipping sauce.

Spring Quinoa Salad with Radishes and Scallions
–inspired by Tea and Cookies (blog)

This is a pretty loose recipe so taste and adjust as you go and feel free to vary to suit your taste. This makes a lot of salad so feel free to cut the recipe in half. You might try adding a cup or so of finely chopped mizuna to this salad. I think it would be good though I haven’t tried it.

2 cups regular yellow quinoa cooked in 2 1/2 cups water until tender and fluffy
One large bunch radishes, chopped (2 cups, about 10 radishes)
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
4 scallions (green onions), thinly sliced
4-5 oz feta cheese, crumbled or cut in small cubes
½ cup or more chopped capers
Grated zest of a lemon
1 tbs each fresh oregano, thyme, and parsley, or according to taste
Salt and pepper

Dressing

1/4 cup Dijon-style mustard
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
scant 2/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook quinoa and allow to cool. In a separate bowl, mix chopped vegetables, herbs, cheese.

In a small bowl whisk mustard and vinegar until smooth. Slowly add oil while whisking until the mixture is smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Toss with cooked quinoa and drizzle on the dressing (taste while adding dressing and stop when you’ve reached the desired level of saturation).

Salt and pepper to taste.

Black Pepper Tofu
–adapted from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

This dish takes some work but if you like strongly flavored spicy food it’s definitely worth it. Ottolenghi calls for three different kinds of soy sauce. I’ve made it with just plain old sauce and it was just fine. I now have the sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) and it does add something but don’t worry about purchasing all three kinds.

1 3/4 lbs firm tofu
Vegetable oil for frying
Cornstarch to dust the tofu
4 tablespoons butter
12 small shallots (12 ounces in total) or as much regular onion or more green onions, thinly sliced
3 Serrano chiles (deseeded unless you want it REALLY hot), finely chopped
10 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
3 tbsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
3 tbsp light soy sauce
4 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2-3 tbsp coarsely crushed black peppercorns (use a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder)
12 scallions (more or less), cut into 1 1/4-inch segments

Start with the tofu. Pour enough oil into a large frying pan or wok to come 1/4 inch up the sides and heat. Cut the tofu into large cubes, about 1 x 1 inch. Toss them in some cornstarch and shake off the excess, then add to the hot oil. (You’ll need to fry the tofu pieces in a few batches so they don’t stew in the pan.) Fry, turning them around as you go, until they are golden all over and have a thin crust. As they are cooked, transfer them onto paper towels.

Remove the oil and any sediment from the pan, then put the butter inside and melt it. Add the shallots (or onions), chilies, garlic and ginger. Sauté on low to medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the ingredients have turned shiny and are totally soft. Next, add the soy sauces and sugar and stir, then add the crushed black pepper.

Add the tofu to warm it up in the sauce for about a minute. Finally, stir in the green onions. Serve hot, with steamed rice.

Cumin Lime Cole Slaw

This is my go-to, quick slaw. I vary the ingredients based on the season and for this week’s share some, finely sliced mizuna or kale is very good addition. Quantities are approximations so please feel free to use what you have. You can add finely slivered radishes if you’d like. And it is a fairly light slaw.

½ a medium Napa cabbage (about 4 cups sliced, cabbage)
2 cups, very thinly sliced mizuna or kale
2 medium carrots (optional)
2-3 scallions, very thinly sliced
handful of cilantro (or mint or parsley), roughly chopped

Dressing

Juice of 1 lime (or lemon)
1-2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
3 tablespoons good-tasting olive oil
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (or Greek yogurt or sour cream)
1 – 2 teaspoons ground cumin
pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper

Thinly slice the cabbage and grate the carrots, if using, and put in large salad bowl. Add scallions or onions and cilantro and/or mint. Mix all dressing ingredients well in a small bowl and pour over veggies. Mix well. Let rest for 20- 1 hour to soften veggies and let flavors meld. Adjust seasoning.

Potato Salad with Creamy Salsa Verde

This is my current favorite potato salad and favorite dressing/dip/sauce. You can use the dressing on roasted polenta or any kind of grains or beans that you’re serving at room temperature. It’s great with roasted veggies or shrimp. Just make it and use it!

Serves 4

1 ½ lbs. Yukon gold potatoes (about 5-6 small-medium)
2 hardboiled eggs, roughly chopped (optional)

Dressing

½ a bunch of parsley
2 tablespoons of capers, rinsed
½ cup Greek or plain whole milk yogurt
1 small garlic clove, minced or preferably mashed (or pressed)
Zest of half a lemon
Juice of half a lemon (or a bit more)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper

Scrub the potatoes and boil them in their skins until tender. Drain and let cool. Peel if you’d like or skip this step (I usually skip it) and cut into bite-sized chunks. Mix all remaining ingredients (except the eggs) in a medium bowl. Taste the dressing to make sure it’s salt enough and has enough acidity. The capers add a bit of both and if you’ve mashed the garlic with some salt, go easy on the salt at first—though potatoes soak up a lot of salt. The dressing will be fairly thick. You can thin it out with a bit more olive oil or milk or cream or even a little water if you’d like.

Mix the dressing carefully into the potatoes and finally add the chopped egg if you’re using it.

Pan-Roasted Radishes with Mizuna, Mint and Soy

You can add thinly sliced, quickly broiled beef to this and serve it over rice. It would be lovely with most any grilled fish or tofu . . .. The mint and the lemon add a lot here. It’s a fairly plain but good dish without. You can use a little rice vinegar if you don’t have a lemon.

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 bunch radishes, scrubbed and quartered
2-3 cups mizuna cut into 1-inch strips
1 garlic clove, minced
6-8 mint leaves, finely chopped
Sea salt
1-2 teaspoon soy sauce or tamari
Good squeeze or two of lemon juice

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the radishes and a few pinches of salt and cook, stirring occasionally for about 3-4 minutes until the radishes begin to brown. Add mizuna and garlic and cook for another minute or so. When the radishes are tender to your liking add the mint and soy sauce and just keep on the heat for 30 second. Then remove from heat and add lemon juice and serve.

Vegetable Washing Notes

Another quick reminder to wash your vegetables well, especially the arugula, chard and romaine.  Separate the leaves and wash both sides under running water. Shake off the water and wrap in a clean dishtowel to dry (or spin dry). I tend to wash the quantity I need for whatever I happen to be cooking. Greens stay fresher longer if only washed right before use in my experience.

Classic Caesar Salad

Serves 4-6 depending on appetites and what else is being served

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons good olive oil
4-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4-5 flat anchovy filets (or more to taste)
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or more to taste)
Freshly grated black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard (optional)
1 large head of Romaine lettuce, washed, leaves cut in half lengthwise and then cut into 1 1/2 inch ribbons
¾ – 1 cup croutons or toast a slice or two of good crusty bread and tear it into bite-sized pieces

You can either use a food processor or a mortar and pestle. If using the latter, put the garlic, anchovy, pepper and salt in it and pound it into a smooth-ish paste. Scoop the paste out of the mortar and put it into a bowl. Then whisk in the lemon juice and egg yolk and then slowly add the oil and finally the Parmesan. If using a food processor start with the garlic, anchovy, lemon juice and salt and then add the ingredients in the same order. Stir the parmesan at the end after you’ve removed the dressing from the processor.

Toss with Romaine lettuce, top with croutons and some more freshly grated Parmesan.

Moroccan Bulgur with Greens

This takes time to cook but putting it together is quick and just involves a bunch of chopping. It is delicious with a fried or poached egg and extra harissa and some Greek yogurt. And if you like lamb, it’s a perfect accompaniment to lamb in any form. Harissa is a Tunisian hot chili sauce whose main ingredients are piri piri (type of chili pepper), Serrano peppers and other hot chili peppers and spices such as garlic paste, coriander, red chili powder, caraway as well as some vegetable or olive oil. It is most closely associated with Tunisia, Libya and Algeria but recently also making inroads into Morocco according to Moroccan food expert Paula Wolfert. I particularly like the brand Mustafa’s Moroccan Harissa which is very flavorful and not too crazy spicy.

1 large onion, finely diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced (or more if it’s young and mild like what you have in your share this week)
1 bunch de-stemmed and chopped chard
1 cup bulgur
3 tablespoons. olive oil
2-3 teaspoons (or more to taste) harissa (see headnote)
Black pepper, freshly ground
Sea or kosher salt (at least 1 teaspoon)
Lemon juice
More harissa and Greek yogurt for serving

Add everything but the lemon juice to a deep heavy, lidded pot. (Le Creuset is great). Mix it all together with a spoon or your hands. Add 1/2 cup water and mix thoroughly again.

Take several paper towels and lay them over the bulgur mixture, tucking them gently into the sides. Cover the pot and cook over very low heat for about an hour or so. Resist the urge to remove the lid since the steam generated is a critical factor. I typically start with high heat to get things going, then, when I sense the presence of steam and can start to smell the dish, reduce it significantly.

When it is finished, remove the paper towels, taste and, if necessary, continue to cook with the paper towels intact again.

Squeeze a lemon over the finished bulgur and top with more harissa and Greek yogurt or a poached or fried egg.

Broccoli and Arugula Soup

This is an unusual combination and you have to be careful not to overdo the arugula but it’s very good and happens to use two, make that three, of your ingredients this week.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large clove or several smaller cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 head broccoli, cut into large florets, about 2/3 pound
2 1/2 cups water, veggie bouillon or chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper, season to taste
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 cup arugula leaves (loosely packed) or a bit less if you’re nervous about the spicyness
squeeze of 1/2 lemon
sour cream or Greek yogurt for garnish (optional)

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes.  Add the garlic cloves and cook for another minute.  Add the broccoli and cook for about 4 minutes, until the broccoli is bright green in color.  Add the cumin, salt and pepper.  Stir to combine. Add the veggie bouillon, water or stock, lower the heat and cover.  Cook for about 8 minutes, until the broccoli has been softened and is just tender.

Working in batches, transfer some of the soup liquid and broccoli to a blender.  Add half of the arugula leaves and blend until smooth.  Transfer to a bowl or another pot while you blend the second batch of soup with the rest of the arugula. (You can also use an immersion blender but the texture won’t be quite as smooth.) Return to a pot over a low flame, check to see if it needs more salt or pepper.  Add the juice of 1/2 a lemon and serve garnished with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt if you’d like.

Mac and Cheese with Broccoli

I made this meal as a child, starting around age 10 and made it for years, and still do every once in a while. It’s simple, delicious and eminently satisfying. And it’s not really a recipe but a combination cooked pasta and broccoli with a basic béchamel/cream sauce and your choice of cheese. Here’s my version.

One of the time saving tricks to make this is to cook the broccoli florets and pieces of stem right in with the pasta. Just add it about 3 minutes before the pasta is done and drain it all together.

¾ – 1lb pasta (such as penne, ziti, fusilli, etc. )
However much broccoli you have/want to use
2 cups grated cheese (sharp cheddar, Emmenthaler, Parmesan. . . )

The béchamel (cream sauce) is really pretty quick to make so don’t be put off by it. It brings it all together.

For Béchamel:

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
Generous 2 cups of whole milk (2% can work in a pinch)
Salt & pepper
Bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (or more to taste, ½ teaspoon is very mild in this dish)
2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
Pinch of ground nutmeg or cloves (optional)

Preheat oven to 375.

Melt butter in a medium-sized saucepan over med/low heat. When melted, whisk in flour. Continue cooking the roux for 2 -3 min, whisking frequently. Meanwhile heat milk until it’s scalding. Whisk hot milk into roux and add several pinches of salt, grind in some pepper, add chili flakes (or omit if you’d like), add mustard and a bay leaf and a grating or two of nutmeg. Stir well and cook over med/low heat for about 10 minutes until thickened and bubbling.  Add half the cheese.

Put the pasta and broccoli in a baking dish. Mix in the sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake until bubbly and hot throughout. Pass under the broiler for a few minutes if you’d like more of a crust.

Fennel Notes

Fennel is crisp, juicy, sweet and has its signature and pronounced anise flavor. It’s delicious added to salads of many kinds. Remove the fronds (tops) and trim any outer pieces that seem fibrous and tough. Then slice the bulb crosswise as thinly as you possibly can. Now you can toss with some of the romaine and arugula in your share and a lemony vinaigrette.

Another good combination is very thinly sliced raw fennel mixed with thin shavings of Parmesan, chopped fresh parsley, salt and pepper, lemon juice and olive oil. If you have a few oil-cured black olives, chop those roughly and toss them in as well.

Fennel is also good with fish. You can add a few slices of fennel and some chopped fennel fronds either to parchment paper packets of fish fillets seasoned with lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper or stuff a whole fish with same and bake.

Spring Vegetable Minestrone with Beans and Fennel Fronds

If you have any kind of cooked beans—white, pinto, black, chickpea—you can make a quick, flavorful soup in less than half an hour. I’ve included my standard bean cooking instructions in case you’re inspired to cook some.

You can use almost any vegetable here. If you have any turnips left over from last week, use them in the soup as well. Homemade veggie bouillon (and some bean cooking liquid if you have it and/or chicken stock makes a good base. The fennel fronds add a lovely fragrance to this soup.

Olive oil

½ a large onion, diced
1 bunch chard stems, finely chopped (you can use the rest of the chard leaves in the bulgur recipe)
3-4 chard leaves, well washed and chopped
3 small carrots, cut into thin rounds (optional)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 fennel bulb, diced
1 cup broccoli florets (cut quite small)
2-3 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds
2 cups cooked pinto or other beans (see headnote)
3/4 cup small pasta like tubetti or ditalini (very small, short little tubes) You could also break up spaghetti but you want a small-ish pasta for sure
4-5 cups veggie bouillon broth, chicken stock or any stock or water
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Good olive oil for drizzling

Saute onion, chard stems, carrots, if using, and garlic in a large soup pot in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat, stirring often, until softened and starting to brown a little.

Add the cooked beans and all the broth or stock (or water) and bring to a simmer. Now add the pasta and after a few minutes add chard leaves, fennel, broccoli and fennel fronds. You’re trying to time it so that the pasta and all the vegetables are tender at the same time but even if some things are a little softer than others it’s a lovely soup. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Serve the soup drizzled with good olive oil and add some more good sea salt and some more chopped fennel fronds and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Basic Dry Bean Soaking/Cooking Instructions

If you aren’t in the habit of soaking and cooking dry beans here are the basic steps. The flavor of the beans is very good this way and they are much, much cheaper than cans. Once in the habit, it’s not much work at all. And I always soak and cook more than I need for any given recipe and freeze the rest in some of the cooking liquid.

4 cups dried beans (garbanzo, white, black, pinto. . . ) Rinse beans if they look dusty and pick out any stones. Usually I don’t find anything like that. Place in a large bowl covered by about 4 inches of cold water. Soak over night or 6-8 hours. Drain and rinse beans.

Place soaked beans in a large pot and cover with cold water by several inches. Add a few whole, peeled garlic cloves, a bay leaf and a chunk of peeled onion. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and let cook covered until the beans are tender, stirring occasionally (this helps prevent some beans from softening before others.) I’ve had good luck salting at the beginning of the cooking process but know that sometimes it can prevent beans from cooking properly, so salt mid-way through or at the end if you’d like. When you do add salt, be generous, as in at least 2-3 teaspoons salt to start if you’re cooking 4 cups or so of dried beans. They’ll probably need more still. The time it takes for the beans to cook will vary depending on the kind of bean and the freshness of the dried beans. Garbanzos take the longest, usually about 35-40 minutes.  Black, white and pinto can be done in 20-30 minutes. Let beans cool in their liquid (if you’re not in a rush) and then use, freeze, etc. If you’re freezing some, fill your container with the beans and then ladle in the cooking liquid until the beans are almost covered. Cooked beans also keep in the fridge for 5-6 days.