april 18 weekly menu | spring table

Farm Fresh

braising mix, chives, collard greens, kale raab, kale, micro greens, mushrooms, radishes, spinach, sunchokes

What’s for Dinner?

The newest member of the spring veggie line-up is spinach. While we all love our kale, chard, raab, and collards, the more delicate and sweet spinach leaf is getting a warm welcome from me for sure! This, along with more vibrant and peppery radishes, a healthy bunch of chives, and more of the late winter/early spring mainstays. All of this goodness from the gorge will go a long way in making a fabulous Easter (and pre and post-Easter) celebration!

Friday – pizza night, Easter style

egg, ham, and spinach pizza (Food Network)
sauteed kale raab (Portland Monthly)

Saturday – dinner in a (skillet) basket

baked eggs with spinach and mushrooms (Smitten Kitchen, Deb Perelman)

Sunday  – Easter celebration, many ways

brunch:

strata with greens, gruyere, and sausage (Gourmet/Eggs On Sunday)
coconut bread  (Deb Perleman, Smitten Kitchen)
fruit salad

dinner:

asparagus stuffed deviled eggs (Smitten Kitchen, Deb Perleman)
local cheese and salami selection
baguette

sunchoke and leek soup (Green Kitchen Stories)

spring greens torte (Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, Marcella Hazan)
simple potato gratin (Deb Perleman, Smitten Kitchen)
grilled local leg of lamb with rosemary and garlic

sweet coconut creation  (Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa)

Monday – kicked up egg salad

curried egg salad sandwiches with micro greens (Real Simple)

Tuesday –  leftovers never looked so fresh

leftover Easter ham (or Easter whatever…)
spinach salad with warm bacon vinaigrette (Smitten Kitchen, Deb Perleman)

Wednesday – beans & greens (+ eggs)

white bean and radish salad (Bon Appetit)
crusty bakery bread

Thursday – potpourri cobb

kale cobb salad (Deb Perleman, Smitten Kitchen)
baguette

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Friday – pizza night, Easter style

egg, ham, and spinach pizza (Food Network)
sauteed kale raab (Portland Monthly)

Ham & eggs is not just for brunch…we’re embarking on Easter Weekend Pizza Night! I’ll make two of these pizzas, topped with our farm fresh spinach, prosciutto, and lo-and-behold…eggs! This will be a new one for me, but sounds reasonable enough. The egg will cook right along with the crust, making a known and delightful flavor combination, atop our pizza pie! I’ll make my own crust, just because it’s so easy, making two and doubling this topping recipe. In a rush? Purchase dough from your local market or pizza joint. A sprinkling of farm fresh chives is the perfect finish for these festive pizza creations!

Other recent pizza ideas:

winter squash and wild mushroom 
leek, crimini mushroom, and prosciutto
portabella mushroom & roasted red pepper
shitake mushroom
leek, sundried tomato, and goat cheese
caramelized leek, mushroom and Italian sausage pizza
pizza with fennel sausage, braising greens and rosemary
dandelion greens, Italian sausage, and fontina cheese pizza
spinach and chive pizza
grilled pizza with kale, mushroom, & sausage
shaved asparagus & parmesan pizza
leek, chard, & corn flatbread
pizza with green garlic & arugula
pizza bianca with goat cheese & chard
fresh ricotta and red onion pizza
sweet onion pizza
pizza with grilled fennel and parmesan
eggplant & tomato pizza
caramelized onion, kale, & corn flatbread
classic margherita pizza
caramelized fennel, onion, and sweet pepper pizza 
pizza with red and yellow peppers
kale, sundried tomato, & feta pizza
ricotta and gremolata pizza
parsley pesto & potato pizza 
roasted red potato pizza with taleggio, roasted leeks & pancetta
roasted acorn squash & gorgonzola pizza 
winter squash pizza 
butternut squash and caramelized onion galette
sausage, leek, & shitake pizza
potato & rosemary pizza 
old town’s dragon lady (mushrooms, leeks, etc.)
pizza with kale raab, leeks, and olives 
pizza with fennel sausage, braising greens and chives

Saturday – dinner in a (skillet) basket

baked eggs with spinach and mushrooms (Smitten Kitchen, Deb Perelman)

I’ve been looking for an excuse to try this recipe, and think I’ve found a good one. A ton of spring spinach, crimini mushrooms, and the finished dish looks remarkably like an Easter basket! Since I’m not making this for a crowd, I’ll halve the recipe, using six eggs and a pound of spinach. I’ll also make the skillet version, where it’s baked directly in the pan as opposed to transferring to a baking dish. Added ingredients: butter, parmesan, garlic, and a tad bit of cream. Not much could go wrong here!  Add bacon or sausage, if you please, to this meal. I’ll just be adding  dessert…chocolate eggs, possibly laced with marshmallow or peanut butter.

Sunday – Easter celebration, many ways

brunch:

strata with greens, gruyere, and sausage (Gourmet/Eggs On Sunday)
coconut bread  (Deb Perleman, Smitten Kitchen)
fruit salad

dinner:

asparagus stuffed deviled eggs (Smitten Kitchen, Deb Perleman)
local cheese and salami selection
baguette

sunchoke and leek soup (Green Kitchen Stories)

spring greens torte (Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, Marcella Hazan)
simple potato gratin (Deb Perleman, Smitten Kitchen)
grilled local leg of lamb with rosemary and garlic

sweet coconut creation (Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa)

So, this is how it usually works at my house. The Easter Bunny brings (too) many pounds of peanut butter eggs, peeps, and chocolate bunnies. This, plus a cup of strong coffee, starts the day. Then, we’re on our way to two complete holiday feasts. I say pace yourself, start early, and it’ll work out gorgeously!

I love a breakfast strata for these brunch celebrations. Assemble it the night before, let it sit and soak and meld flavors overnight, and the morning is simple – just throw it in the oven to bake. Stratas are the perfect opportunity to be creative. Bread, milk, and eggs are the base, but then just add whatever you think sounds wonderful. Any cheese, any breakfast meat, any veggie. Always looking for a creative use for my collards, this will be my green of choice. Don’t forget to sprinkle the finished strata with some of those fresh chives! A perfectly lovely Easter brunch with the seasonal veggie strata as the centerpiece, flanked by a luscious fruit salad and a gorgeous spring coconut bread (sounds maybe just a tad healthier than calling it what it really is – cake!). Coconut, cinnamon, browned butter, vanilla?!? No wonder I’m repeating this from last Easter’s celebration.

So, brunch was early, right? After munching a few more jelly beans, having a hard-boiled egg (you know, for protein), it’s already time for Easter dinner! We are continuing our beloved tradition of going to our friends’ family farm and winery for the big affair. He is from Italy, so we do it like Italians, whole grilled spring lamb (neighbor’s!) and all. (I close my eyes for this part.) The other wonderful Italian part is the gorgeous appetizer platter with sliced hard boiled eggs, an array of cheeses and salamis, a sliced baguette and some quince paste. And Easter is not complete without some special-event deviled eggs –  chives would add a beautiful green sprinkling over the top of these extra special ones featuring spring asparagus. Sitting on the deck, overlooking the vineyards and mountains, sipping a beautiful Apolloni sparkling rose, and watching the kids hunt for Easter eggs – couldn’t get much better than this. Then, believe it or not, comes the actual feast part. No nettle soup this year – I learned my lesson quickly. I’ve made it for Easter before, as it truly is a remarkable special occasion spring soup. I will forevermore appreciate the courageous efforts in the kitchen when I indulge at a restaurant. Instead, I’ll bring a simple, springy jerusalem artichoke (sunchoke) and leek soup. I’ll also make this Marcella Hazan torte, a dish where its outcome is truly more than the sum of its parts. The flavors are amazingly complex, yet it holds true as simple, farm fresh, Italian fare. Officially, it’s a swiss chard torte, but any greens will work. I’ll use a mixture of kale and braising greens, golden raisins, and purchased browned bread crumbs, adding a sprinkling of chives on top. It’s perfect for a potluck, as serving at room temperature is recommended. There’s always a unique and wonderful au gratin potato dish – this one looks perfectly simple and less heavy than many. You could easily incorporate some of those fresh mushrooms here. Feel free to use any potatoes you might have – some may fall apart more easily, but who cares? For dessert, (since we only had “bread” this morning) I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a coconut bunny cake or coconut chick cupcakes, both of which have made past appearances. Ina’s coconut cake recipe, along with the rich and luscious cream cheese frosting, is the perfect base for your own Easter creativity and whims!

Monday –  kicked up egg salad

curried egg salad sandwiches with micro greens (Real Simple)

After lots of cooking and feasting yesterday, sandwiches are the perfect, simple, start-of-the-week dinner. Not to mention the satisfaction of using eight of our beautiful pastel (or more likely marbled, glittered, tie-dyed, tattooed or stickered) dyed eggs. Spice up the tried-and-true egg salad sandwich with a little curry powder and fresh chives. The recipe suggests pumpernickel bread; use what you like. I’ll use some of the hearty multi-grain sandwich bread. A mound of micro greens will make a peppery, wonderfully textured addition to the sandwich. Serve with some everyone-loves Kettle chips, and maybe a slice of leftover bunny cake!

Tuesday – leftovers never looked so fresh

leftover Easter ham (or Easter whatever…)
spinach salad with warm bacon vinaigrette (Smitten Kitchen, Deb Perleman)

Ham, lamb, salmon, whatever starred in your own Easter feast, most likely there’s some left. Put it on a fresh platter, and add a gorgeous, first-of-the-season spinach salad. It’s packed with lots of our at-the-ready Easter eggs! Skip the warm bacon vinaigrette if you don’t want the hassle of bacon-frying, but it sure is good! (You would mix olive oil with the dijon and vinegar instead.) With a sprinkling of chives, instead of the red onion, and maybe even some toasty croutons, this is a salad that can easily stand on it’s own as a heart-healthy and delicious dinner.

Wednesday – beans & greens (+ eggs)

white bean and radish salad (Bon Appetit)
crusty bakery bread

This main dish salad is a wonderful way to highlight the week’s radish crop. The crunchy and slightly peppery texture and flavors are beautifully contrasted by the soft and creamy white beans. I may skip the anchovies, or just use a little paste in the dressing instead. This salad looks ripe for some sliced hard-boiled eggs for sure. I’ll probably warm the beans a bit before tossing with the dressing; at the same time I’ll throw in some greens – thinly sliced spinach or kale – for added flavor, texture, and “salad-ness”. Add your favorite crusty bakery bread, and maybe some delicious soft cheese – yum!

Thursday – potpourri cobb

kale cobb salad (Deb Perleman, Smitten Kitchen)
baguette

I’m going to muck with the classic cobb, and make it just a little chewier than normal. Use very thinly sliced kale leaves, and dress the salad a bit ahead of serving it to give the kale a chance to soften up a bit. Choose any of the rest of the ingredients that make a cobb perfect to you. Again, we’re using up those Easter eggs! I’ll skip the tomatoes and add some sliced radishes for a unique twist on the red. I’ll also skip the chicken, and make up for it with a potpourri of whatever I’ve got left in the crisper – chives, microgreens, maybe even some sliced, roasted sunchokes. Add a crusty baguette and dinner is served!

 “What the Kale?!?”

Don’t panic and get out the compost bin if all of the sudden you have a giant veggie delivery coming your way, and you still have a fridge full.  Here are a few suggestions for preserving the bounty!  (Soups and stews freeze wonderfully in those gallon zip lock freezer bags.)

• roasted sunchoke soup (A House in the Hills)
• lentil and collard green soup (All Recipes)