I found this interesting and thought I’d pass it along:

An associate I work with passed on some info about a raw milk. Apparently there is an outbreak of campylobacteriosis in Michigan. This outbreak is being linked with raw milk sold in Indiana. Campylobacteriosis, is a bacteria found in cattle, swine, birds and CATS AND DOGS.

NO ONE in Indiana has reported illness as far as my search can find, nor in surrounding states.

A segment reads:
(http://www.wtaq.com/news/articles/2010/mar/30/fda-warns-raw-milk-risks-hundreds-support-bill/)

FDA Warns of Raw Milk Risks, Hundreds Support Bill
Posted Tuesday March 30, 2010

WASHINGTON D.C. (WTAQ) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has alerted consumers to a disease from raw milk, as a Wisconsin legislative committee was about to consider legalizing its sale. Michigan’s Department of Community Health reports at least 12 confirmed cases of campylobacterosis from those drinking raw milk from a dairy in Middlebury Indiana.According to the Brownfield Ag News Service, the symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, fever, abdominal pains, headaches, and body aches. The Wisconsin Medical Society cited the Michigan case in urging the Assembly’s Rural Economic Development Committee to reject a bill Tuesday morning allowing raw milk sales. 3 other statewide health groups and four farm organizations signed the same memo, which also told legislators about e-coli and other infections from drinking raw milk.

Supporters of raw milk say it has other redeeming health benefits that pasteurized milk does not. And hundreds of supporters recently urged lawmakers to pass the measure at a hearing in Eau Claire.

I did find that black pepper, sold only in the state of Michigan, is currently on a “rolling recall” basis:

http://www.foodpoisonjournal.com/2010/04/articles/foodborne-illness-outbreaks/black-pepper-rolling-recall-continues/

Some questions to consider:

Do you think that perhaps people that drink raw milk also might use black pepper?
How many people got sick that do not report drinking raw milk?
Better yet: How many people that got sick also own a cat or dog?
How many of those pet owners do not drink raw milk?

What is fascinating, is that at the same time, Wisconsin lawmakers were discussing passing a bill to make raw milk sales legal in Wisconsin. As debate opened, the outbreak in MI was reported. The bill did not pass.

I can’t believe theses posts have gotten so far away from me! My spring semester cooking with kids started in late January.  This semester I am upping our International flavors which I’m very excited about. One of my fifth graders figured it out the smarty: “Are we cooking around the world? Last week we cooked Indian, now we’re doing Japanese.” Answer: Yes! As much as I can, I am.

I’m also introducing (some) meats and fish this semester. Overall with allergies, religions and dietary restrictions, it’s far easier to keep the cooking vegetarian (why haven’t schools figured that out?). On the other hand, I also think it’s important to expose young people to working with meats and fish, especially when raw. I know too many adults who are terrified to touch raw meat or fish– it’s horrible! How can you eat something if you can’t even bring yourself to touch it?! I have a few students with texture issues, but overall, most of them have been great with what we’ve done so far. If they begin to freak out I tell them to take a deep breath and imagine clay.

Another item is expanding our whole grains. The kids are totally fascinated with exploring these grains and connecting the dots– “Wait, chickpea flour, like the hummus bean?” “Yes!” Some folks (not my students) still don’t get it: “You know you could have just used rice there.”

“Right, but they know rice. They don’t know farro or bulgar.”

“Neither do I.”

“Exactly.”

I’m also pleased to introduce mystery fruit and vegetables. So much suspense and the kids eat it up, literally. It’s not something I do every week, but if we have something I know will take a good 15-20 minutes in the oven, or if I have some time to kill towards the end of class, I’ll bring in a mystery item. I try to keep it local and in season, and have often brought in items from my own CSA winter share to explore. Students get really excited if they can guess it, or at least recognize it. Celeriac brought shouts about a father’s favorite salad item. Watermelon radish brought total astonishment of the world’s smallest watermelon (which, is a radish, not a watermelon). One of my students even stopped by last Friday with his father before he went home: “Wait! We didn’t do a mystery vegetable this week?!” “I know, we didn’t have time we were so busy, I think we’ll do something next week.” “YES!” I had an admin in the other day observing my class and as we put our dish in the oven and I turned around with, “time for a mystery vegetable!” and my kindergarten/first grade class erupted in cheering the admin looked at me totally astonished. I’m not saying the kids chow down on everything but they love trying to place these sometimes foreign items and often will complete the whole sample plate I set out for them.

On to our foods, recipes at bottom.

Kibbeh with Black Cherry Sauce
Our semester started in the Middle East with lamb-beef kibbeh with a black cherry sauce. “Kibba-wha?” A sort of Middle Eastern meatball I explained, only instead of bread crumbs, like in Italian meatballs, we’re adding bulgar. We served these with a black cherry reduction (literally frozen cherries boiled down with a touch of lemon juice). These were a huge hit. We made extra for our end of the semester party and the kids are really excited to share these with their parents.

Banana-Coconut-Oat Bread
Because of so many allergies I don’t cook with nuts. It kills me sometimes! For example, I LOVE peanut butter cookies and muffins and I LOVE walnuts in my banana bread. I get my kick by adding ingredients like oats, or seeds with nutty characteristics, like flaxseed or pumpkin seeds to get that nutty flavor. This bread was a hands down hit and the best part was it wasn’t overly sweet at all. The bananas are upped so much in this recipe that a true banana flavor really shines through and the sweetness of the banana makes up for the huge amount of sugar that’s in most recipes. We made ours with raisins I soaked overnight, but this could easily be made with chocolate chips, dried strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, or any other fruit-nut combo you can think of that you like with banana.

Chicken Soup with Farro & Buttermilk Chive Biscuits
There is only one kind of week when I’m thankful for cold, rainy weather. It’s any week we’re making soup in class! I remember this week started and ended dreary and I was so happy all week everyone must have thought I was totally twisted. (Really though, I love soup in any weather!) We used chicken thighs and wings for the broth and my students got a huge kick out of it– everyone wanted a wing in their soup. Instead of celery for our base flavor we used fennel. This turned out great since the week before fennel was our mystery vegetable. My students overall loved it so I turned a basic chicken soup into an Italian twist. To bring it back to the States, we made mini buttermilk biscuits.

Timing here was perfect for our one hour class: get soup simmering, make biscuits, bake biscuits, strain soup, add sliced carrots and fennel, biscuits out, divy up soup and biscuits. I cooked the farro at the beginning of class and allowed everyone to taste it before it went into the cups where our broth was going. I also threw some cranberry beans in because I found out during our arepa week that my students are a sucker for beans. The best part was when some of my students turned those biscuits into dumplings after a few slipped biscuits floated and were made better soup-soaked.

Moong dal Chilla (Indian Lentil Pancakes)
This week could have been a huge disaster. It luckily turned into a huge success. Even the admin was skeptical: “Lentil pancakes, good luck on that one.” And every student walking into the classroom: “Yeah! pancakes!” “No guys, look, lentil pancakes, these are savory pancakes.” That statement often received not too enthusiastic grumbles. In the end, these were a huge hit. I soaked moong dal beans (split hulled mung beans) in water overnight. Blitzed those to a paste and cut it with chickpea flour. We added some Indian flavors and in the interest of time, poured these into a half sheet pan, brushed them with olive oil and baked them (as opposed to cooking up 15 pancakes on a skillet). We also made a quick raita to eat these with and I’d say in the end I received about 90% thumbs up reviews.

Nori Wrapped Cod Cakes (pictured above)
I found out that before I started teaching someone had made vegetable sushi with the kids to rave reviews. I couldn’t understand why at first. But sushi is so hot these days, even kindergardeners will eat up the basic veggie rolls. What surprised me though was when someone told me it was the seaweed they loved. What? Most of my students will snack on sheets of nori like crackers (and did throughout class– I had to put a snack bowl out!). They love the subtle saltiness and crisp flakiness of it. So I couldn’t wait to work seaweed into a dish this semester.

Inspiration came when I thought of making a fish stick with a Japanese bent. Flaky, neutral cod (with some seasonings), rolled into panko crumbs and wrapped with nori. We even stuck little skewers in it so it was not just a fish stick, but fish on a stick. My students loved it. It reminded them of the sushi they made before, but opened them up to a delicious fish.

Green Mac N’ Cheese (pictured above)
I try to stick with a few holidays during the semester. St Patrick’s Day is one I figured I could have a little fun twist with– something along the green eggs and ham motif. I’m from Chicago where St Pat’s was a day when not only the River got dyed green, but every piece of toast and milk along with it. So in class, I thought, why not green mac n’ cheese!

This day was another hilarious introduction to our menu: “We’re making green mac n’ cheese!” “I don’t get it– We’re using food coloring?” “No! We’re going to make our mac n’ cheese green by pureeing spinach into our sauce.” “What?! That’s so unfair!” I love how things so easily become unfair with young people.

What’s hilarious here is that the spinach was gross (for the younger students) all the way into the sauce, but once that immersion blender smoothed it out it was suddenly “cool, like a green milk shake, but smells like mac n’ cheese!” In the end I had students coming back for more and more of the green stuff. At home, D and I have been known to make a few mac n’ cheeses. Our favorite is a fig-bacon-mushroom mac n’ cheese, but I could see this one at home with some shrimp or better yet lobster tossed in! Yum!

NOTE: The picture above are of some of my fourth/fifth grade students. A few weeks ago I started letting them take the reigns more while I supervise. Essentially they get into class and form their small groups, we review the ingredients together and they take over from there, following the recipe on their own. They’re loving their new responsibilities in the kitchen and I’m loving that they’re capable (almost) solo chefs!

*****

Kibbeh with Black Cherry Sauce (aka Middle Eastern meatballs)
10 servings, appetizer

Kibbeh:
3/4 cup onion (about 1 large onion), rough chopped
1 cup fine-ground bulgur, cooked
1/2 pound ground lamb
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon allspice
2 tablespoons olive oil

Puree the onion in a food processor or blender. Transfer to a bowl. Add cooked bulgur, lamb, beef, salt, pepper and allspice. Mix until thoroughly incorporated. Roll into small meatballs, about 1-inch in size. Add olive oil to a sauté pan set over medium high heat. Cook until browned on both sides. Serve with Black Cherry Sauce (recipe not included).

*****

Banana-Coconut-Oat Bread
1 loaf

1-1/4 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup brown sugar (substitute: honey)
1/4 cup shredded coconut, toasted
1 tablespoon flax seeds, finely ground
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, in 1 tablespoon pieces, room temp
1/4 cup coconut oil, in 1 tablespoon pieces, room temp
1-1/2 cups ripe bananas, (about 3 large bananas)
1/4 cup buttermilk (substitute: plain or coconut yogurt)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup raisins (substitute: dates, currants, 1/2 chopped walnuts, chocolate chips, etc)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9”x5”x3” loaf pan, set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the flours, oats, brown sugar, shredded coconut, flax seeds, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and allspice. Add butter, coconut oil, bananas, buttermilk, vanilla and eggs. Using a potato masher, smash and mix the ingredients together until fully incorporated. (It’s okay to leave some larger pieces of banana). Stir in raisins. Transfer to loaf pan.

Bake the bread on the middle rack approximately 1 hour 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack before removing from pan.

*****

Moong Dal Chilla (Indian Lentil Pancakes) with Raita
8-10 servings

Moong Dal Chilla:
1 cup moong dal (split yellow mung beans found in Indian food section. Can substitute yellow split peas)
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 red onion, shredded
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 cup chickpea flour
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup whole cooked chickpeas
ghee (clarified butter) or olive oil

Rinse moong dal and soak in a water bath overnight (minimum 4 hours). Blitz drained moong dal in a food processor with 1/4 to 1/2 cup water, until a smooth paste forms.

Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add carrot and onion, sauté 5 minutes until softened. Add salt, cumin, ginger, garlic powder and turmeric, sauté 2 minutes more, until flavors are released. Transfer to a medium bowl.

Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Stir in chickpea flour, cilantro, whole chickpeas and 1 cup water, mixing until well combined. Set aside for 15 minutes. Transfer batter to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and lightly oiled (jelly roll pan with 1 inch sides). Bake 10-15 minutes, until just golden at the edges. Serve with raita, fruit chutney or chopped tomatoes.

*****

Nori Wrapped Cod Cakes
8-10 servings

2 pounds fatty white fish like cod, pollock, haddock or salmon
2 eggs
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/3 cup chopped scallions, whites and light green only
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, stems and leaves
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fish sauce
nori (seaweed), cut into 1/2-inch strips
panko crumbs (Japanese bread crumbs)
grapeseed or other neutral oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush with oil,

In a food processor, puree fish with eggs until a smooth paste forms. Transfer to a bowl and fold in brown rice, scallions, cilantro, pepper, salt and fish sauce. Place about 1 cup of panko crumbs on a plate. Dampen hands with cold water, then shape fish batter into balls, about the size of a golf ball. Roll in panko crumbs then wrap the nori strip around the formed fish ball. Place on baking sheet, seam down, and flatten slightly to about 3/4- inch thickness. Continue with remainder, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake 10-15 minutes until lightly golden. Serve with soy sauce.

Note: Make these Fish Balls Thai flavored by adding red or green Thai curry paste. To make these Norwegian or Spanish, remove fish sauce and scallions for some parsley, garlic and red onions. Thai-style can be served with a little sweet-sour sauce, Spanish with some sofrito (tomato sauce), New England-style with tartar, etc.

A little catching up to do here. The semester ended with our work sleeves rolled up. Our last three recipes were all on the menu for our end of the semester party in late January. It was slightly nerve wrecking piling all our party recipes at the end. A lesson to next semester. My students were great sports through it all though, it seems they have learned to handle parties. No more, “this is boring” after completing two rolls! I even heard a few, “this is really fun.”

Grape Leaves

The grape leaves were great fun to roll. “Leaves?! We’re going to be eating leaves?”

“Sure, you eat lettuce don’t you, that’s a leaf.”

“So this is going to taste like lettuce?”

“Not exactly.”

While most of my older students– third, fourth and fifth graders, really enjoyed these, my younger students weren’t so sure. I think this has to do with a shortened cooking time I decided on to fit this into our 1 hour class schedule. I steamed these for a quick 20 minutes and think an oven-braised approach in a little chicken stock-tomato combo would have been more successful. Ironically, when the K to 2nd graders made their own pomegranate-only grape leaves and ate them uncooked they thought they were right on target. On the other hand, these were a huge success with parents at our end of the semester party. Multiple families followed me to the kitchen to nab some leftovers post-soiree. (Recipes at bottom.)

Arepas

These were more of a success than I was ready for. Okay, I love arepas from the local Venezualan hole-in-the-wall. I love corn and cornmeal. I know kids love corn, but I wasn’t so sure about a cornmeal-like patty slathered in an addictive (according to me) avocado sauce. These were super easy to make. The best part– the kids loved them and they loved making them. While they were mixing they were begging for a taste- “Just a little longer!” I kept saying, “We’ll warm them up in the oven and they’ll be much better.” Still, I caught some pre-cooked dough getting into the mouths.

Once we finished how many times did I have to repeat what we made? “Wait, how do you say these, rapas?”

“A-re-pas.”

“A-rapas.”

Close enough. They all have a cookbook and can review and learn. (Recipes at bottom.)

Brownie Bites

I had two kids that didn’t like these. One didn’t like chocolate. (What?!) The other thought they were cold and he threw his out because he doesn’t like to eat cold things (”Unless it’s ice cream.” “Oh, of course.”). I combined a few recipes I found online then adapted them into something I was happy with. I cut the sugar content and added preserves for a fruity flavor. If they were in season, I would have added fresh fruit too. I had some dehydrated powdered cherries (it looks like pink powdered sugar and tastes like cherries) that we dusted on top the final for our party.

Needless to say, these were beyond a hit at the end of the semester party. I kept receiving phone calls in the kitchen, “Send more brownies up!” I think my kitchen helpers (my 4th and 5th graders) slipped a few more in their mouths then I was aware of– By the end of the night they were so drunk on sugar they got a little sloppy in their presentation going upstairs to the party.

Pomegranate Grape Leaves
Makes about 40 grape leaves

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
2 cups wild rice, rinsed (or 1/2 cup wild rice plus 1/2 cup brown rice)
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
2 tablespoons dried mint
1 jar grape leaves, rinsed well and lightly dried
lemon wedges

Heat oil in a sauce pan on medium high heat. Add onions, sauté 3 minutes. Add garlic, salt, cinnamon, pepper and cardamom, sauté 2 minutes more. Add wild rice, mix to coat evenly. Add chicken stock, cover and cook until rice is almost fully cooked, slightly al dente. Stir in pomegranate molasses, pomegranate seeds and mint. Season with more salt to taste if necessary. Cool slightly, 10 minutes.
Spread grape leaves flat on a work surface, veins up. Place one tablespoon rice filling in the center, fold up bottom edges then sides, then roll up tight. Continue with remaining grape leaves and filling.
Bring 2-inches of water to a boil and set a steamer basket inside. Layer grape leaves (can be placed on top of each other). Cover and steam 20 minutes. Serve warm or chilled sprinkled with lemon juice.
NOTE: Replace half to all of the pomegranate seeds with pine nuts. Add ground lamb or beef for extra flavor. Serve as an appetizer or with pita, meze dips and carrot salad, above.

Arepas with Avocado Sauce & Black Beans
Makes about 40 1-inch arepas

Arepa:
1 cup whole milk
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup masarepa (pre-cooked corn flour, sometimes called Harina precocida or Masa al instante)
1 cup grated queso fresco
1/2 cup sweet corn kernels (if frozen, thawed)
grape seed or peanut oil for cooking

Avocado Sauce (Guasacaca):
1 avocado, rough chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro, rough chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh parsley, rough chopped
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 can black beans, washed and drained

Stir milk, butter, honey, salt and allspice in a small saucepot over medium heat until it simmers. Stir in the masarepa and queso fresco. Stir until very thick, about 5 minutes, remove from heat. Stir in corn kernels until evenly incorporated. Set aside to cool and thicken, about 10 minutes.

While cooling, make the avocado sauce. Blitz avocado, mayonnaise, cilantro, lime juice and salt in a blender until smooth.

Scoop up balls of the arepa batter, slightly smaller than a golf ball. Transfer to a tray, flattening into 1/4-inch disk. Continue with remaining batter, setting on a tray as you finish. Heat about 3 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear arepas in batches, careful not to crowd, until golden, 4 minutes, turn, then cook another 4 minutes. To serve: add a dollop of the avocado sauce then top with a few black beans. Serve warm or at room temperature.
NOTE: You can alternatively brush the arepas with butter or oil and bake about 15 minutes until golden.

Cherry Brownie Bites

5 ounces dark chocolate, broken into 1/2-ounce pieces
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for coating pan
3 eggs
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup seedless cherry preserves
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour plus 1 tablespoon for coating pan
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Coat a 9″x 13″ x 1-1/2″-inch pan with butter. Flour the pan with 1 tablespoon flour, shake out excess.
Melt chocolate pieces and butter over a double boiler (place a heat-proof bowl over a small saucepot with boiling water). Stir periodically to prevent burning, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat when almost totally melted, stir to finish melting, set aside. With an electric mixer on high, whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla until thick, about 2 minutes. Add chocolate mixture, preserves and sour cream, mixing until fully incorporated. Sift in flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Mix until just combined.
Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake 30 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool at room temperature for 5 minutes then refrigerate 15 to 20 minutes before slicing.
NOTE: Use your favorite preserve here. Raspberry, blueberry, apricot, peach would all taste great!

These last few weeks have slipped through my fingers but I promise the kids are still cooking. Herewith is a round up of our recipes to bring everyone up to speed. Happy feasting!

Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Apple Grilled Cheese.

This is one of my favorite soups made many times before in slightly different forms. I wasn’t too thrilled with the one we made in class and I blame it on using vegetable stock over chicken stock. It was still delicious but didn’t have as deep a flavor I think chicken stock imparts. For this one we were exploring curry. Many of the kids knew they’d had it before but couldn’t necessarily place it. Finally on Thursday a student mentioned it smelled like Tikka Masala. Thank you scent memory!

The apple grilled cheese was of course a favorite. I used brioche bread and purchased a yellow cheddar and a Gruyere cheese, allowing the students to taste both cheeses and pick the one they wanted to use. Surprisingly most went for the Gruyere saying how much they preferred “white cheddar” over yellow. A few students weren’t too sure about apples on their grilled cheese– “trust me, this is a favorite combination for almost everyone.” (Especially if you throw in a glass a wine.) In the end, one of my students proclaimed these sandwiches were “definitely better than the grilled cheeses at school.” I replied that it’s probably because we’re using real cheese. Another said they had never tasted bread so delicious. (Which might be true because I had adults raiding my refrigerator all week and was provided a key to lock my fridge after that week.)

All recipes found at the bottom of entry.

Cranberry-Apple Crumble.

When the year started I thought it would be great to have my students make something for Thanksgiving they could all share with their families. I originally wanted to make apple pies and even had fall-shaped cookie cutters for decorating the top crust. In the end, I went with a graham-cracker crusted crumble. A little more rustic looking and a little easier time-wise since we only have one hour and if we were to make a pie I wanted homemade crust. Also, do you know how many supplies you need to make 70 pies!?

I bought apple peelers for this and the kids had a blast peeling all the apples with ease. Highly recommended. I also bought apple cutters that cut wedges. These were a little difficult for young ones to maneuver with apples sometimes flying from beneath them. In the future I might add the apple cutting attachment on the apple peeler, getting it all done in one shot.

Otherwise, they loved the crumbles. Most were shocked at how tart cranberries are raw, but how they pop into something so sweet and juicy once baked. The students got really creative here. Whereas I said, just add a bunch of handfuls of filling and fill the spaces with cranberries (in the interest of time), a lot of students took great care to layer the apples, dotting the pie symmetrically with cranberries. None could believe how high we had to stack the apples, some literally putting 4 slices of apples in their crust (making smiley faces) and saying they were done. “Keep going! We need a mountain,” I kept saying.

So the kids happily brought their crumbles home and I had a baked crumble for each class to enjoy and taste what their finished product may be. This past week some of the students even told me they were bringing their crumble on the plane to their Thanksgiving feasts outside the city! I love it.

Cranberry-Caesar Salad with Turkey.

Last week was a shortened week for the holiday but I wanted to keep it holiday themed. Since we did our crumbles the week before (every student had a crumble to take home), this week was our “Thanksgiving leftovers.” Caesar salad was always one of my favorite salads growing up (and still is). When I was young, no anchovies please, not realizing they were hidden inside the dressing. Now of course, extra anchovies, please! So I thought this would be a fun salad to explore.

I’ve made a grapefruit caesar before so I knew I wanted to replace the tart lemon with some tart cranberry sauce. Turkey was the obvious Thanksgiving leftover protein here and we made croutons with stale bread. Equally delicious, or perhaps more delicious, would have been frying up some stuffing patties as the croutons (next time).

At the beginning of class I had a few girls come up to me: “Oh, I’m really sick.”
“No you’re not or you wouldn’t have been in school today.”
“No, I have that H1N1, you just can’t tell.”
“Nice try.”
“No, I mean I’m allergic to salad.”
“No you’re not, I have a list of everything everyone is allergic to.”
“Okay, I don’t eat salad.”
“Rule #1 is we all eat everything.”
“Fine, but I’m not going to like it.”
“Great, that’s rule #2.”

In the end these same girls were in awe of the pink hue this dressing took on, “It looks like a strawberry smoothie!” And it did. The cranberry turned out to be a great addition and then, “Where did all those wormy fish go?”
“They’re in the dressing.”
“I can’t even taste them!”

Curried Butternut Squash Soup
8 servings

1 large butternut squash, reserve seeds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tart apple, plus (recommended: Granny Smith), peeled, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon curry
4 cups (1 quart) chicken or vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Special Equipment: Immersion Blender

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, deseed, reserving seeds. Place facedown on a baking sheet and bake 40 minutes. Rinse seeds and lay out on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and bake about 10 minutes, until golden and just beginning to pop.

Warm the olive oil in a saucepot on medium high heat. Saute onion and apple, 10 minutes. Add curry and stir to incorporate. Scoop squash flesh from the skin. Add flesh to saucepot. Add stock, bring to a boil, then simmer 10 minutes.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender (or carefully with a stand blender). Serve, sprinkled with seeds or chopped apple.

Apple Grilled Cheese
8 servings

16 slices thick cut potato bread, challah or brioche
Gruyere cheese (or cheddar), sliced
2 tart apples (recommended: Granny Smith), cored, sliced into 16 to 18 segments
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

NOTE: Other delicious additions include roasted garlic, caramelized onions, thick-cut bacon, and/ or sautéed mushroom

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lay 8 slices of bread on a baking sheet. Top the bread with a few thick slices of cheese. Layer with apples then top with another single slice of cheese. Top with the second slice of bread, brush with melted butter and bake, 15 minutes, flipping sandwiches and brushing with more butter halfway through baking.

Cranberry-Apple Crumble
1 9-inch crumble

Filling:
4-5 tart apples (recommended: Granny Smith, McIntosh, Cortland), peeled, cored and sliced into wedges
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup fresh cranberries
2 tablespoons flour
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Crust:
1-1/2 cups crushed graham crackers
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Topping:
1/2 cup crushed graham crackers
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

Make Filling:  Toss filling ingredients until evenly combined, set aside, allowing flavors to mingle.
Make Crust: Mix crushed graham crackers, melted butter, lemon zest and nutmeg. Push into a 9-inch pie tin, coating into an even crust on bottom and sides, approximately 1/8-inch thick.
Make Topping: Mix filling ingredients with a fork until large crumbs form.
Assemble Pie: Add filling over crust. Sprinkle topping over apple filling. Bake or freeze.

A few hours before serving, preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Remove crumble from freezer, remove any coverings and bake on middle rack 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 degrees F, bake 30-35 minutes, until bubbly, fragrant and apples are tender. Cool on a rack at least 1 hour before serving.

(Optional) Reheat a slice in the microwave and top with a scoop of vanilla, caramel or cinnamon ice cream.

Cranberry-Caesar Salad with Turkey
12 servings

Croutons:
Stale bread
Olive oil
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
Dressing:
4 anchovies, patted dry
3 large cloves garlic (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
1 egg
3 tablespoons cranberry sauce
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons tarragon or apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
fresh-ground black pepper

Make Croutons: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Assemble bread on a sheet pan. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bake 10-15 minutes, until golden.
Make Dressing: Place all ingredients in a blender and blitz until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired. Note: If you trust the source of your eggs and know they are fresh (bought direct from a farm or Greenmarket) you may eat them raw. If not, boil egg for 1 minute before using.
Assemble Salad: Toss dressing with leftover salad greens, about 1 cup of shredded turkey and croutons.

“This isn’t pasta– it’s pillows of heaven!”

I share the same sentiments, but a fifth grader beat me with getting the words out.

Gnocchi week has been the best success yet. Dare I say better than pumpkin muffins?

At the insistence of Kitchen Rule #1, “Try Everything” I was able to nudge skeptical students to try the gnocchi. No joke, not only did most everyone return for seconds, many kept coming back.

My original plan was to make a sage and spinach gnocchi from a recent Saveur. I liked it because it utilized semolina flour and I’m always looking to introduce my students to a new ingredient. My mind eventually wandered as I thought about amping up the fall flavors. I toyed with pumpkin gnocchi and sweet potato gnocchi. I decided against both since we’ve used them recently, or will in weeks to come.

I also wanted to move away from sage because we used it in our empanadas. I switched the herb to rosemary, something we have yet to explore.

In the end I went with beets. I knew the kids would get a kick out of the color– “Pink pasta! This isn’t like any pasta I’ve seen before!” I kept chopped spinach to add some color, along with the semolina flour. (At home, I would have used chopped beet greens instead of spinach, but going with frozen chopped was a little time saver.)

I really liked the semolina flour. It provided great texture and richness to the gnocchi. Both the beets and spinach were subtle flavor enhancers. Infusing the butter in rosemary before browning these pillows of heaven left a truly heavenly aroma in the kitchen and lingering on the pasta.

We browned these gnocchi on a skillet instead of boiling. It gave a great crispness to the pasta and you can’t beat butter infused with rosemary!

Beet and Spinach Gnocchi
8 servings

1 lb russet potatoes (recommended: small potatoes)
1/2 cup pureed beets (about 2 small beets; use pre-cooked or see method below)
1-1/4 cups semolina flour, plus more
4 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained (or: chop, sauté and drain your beet greens! The flavor is similar to spinach.)
2 eggs, beaten
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg, plus
freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 tablespoons butter
4 3-inch rosemary sprigs
Parmesan cheese

Special Equipment: Ricer or Food Mill

NOTE: In class, I cooked, peeled and cooled beets and potatoes early in the week. This made assembly of the gnocchi a super fast snap!

Preheat oven to 400F. Snip greens from beets (save for another use), wrap in foil and roast until soft, about 45 minutes. Remove skin under cold running water, set aside to cool. Boil whole potatoes, skin on, until soft, 25-30 minutes. Cool and peel potatoes by slipping the skin between two paper towels.

Pass beets and potatoes through a ricer into a medium bowl. Stir in drained spinach, flour, eggs, nutmeg, salt and a few turns of black pepper until well combined. (NOTE: Drain spinach by pressing the water out.) Batter should hold together when pressed but still be sticky.

Scoop a heaping spoonful of the dough onto a semolina-dusted work surface. Roll into a log, about 1/2-inch thick. Slice into 1/2-inch long pieces, transfer to a semolina-dusted parchment-lined baking sheet. Continue to re-flour (if necessary) scoop and roll dough until done.

Warm butter in a skillet. Add rosemary and sauté 2 minutes until fragrant. Add gnocchi to pan and a pinch of nutmeg, cooking until browned, about 4 minutes each side. Continue until all gnocchi is cooked, adding more butter if needed. Once complete, toss gnocchi together lightly in a serving bowl with any reserved rosemary or butter from pan. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to serve.

NOTE: Leave out the beets and try sweet potato or winter squash (like pumpkin) gnocchi. Or, add 2 tablespoons tomato paste (red gnocchi), pureed spinach for green, or other veggie for another color. Serve with sautéed mushroom or tomato sauce.

Today is the close of my first week teaching. I promise every recipe I make with my students won’t have such cutesy names, but I thought it might be fun to start with one. It’s fitting though– as adults raid the leftovers I hear plenty of, “oooh, these are gooey.” (Referring to the granola.) These granola balls are not just for kids either. I made a test batch the weekend before I started and D ate them up.

This week’s exploration was cinnamon and orange zest. I had some initial “granola bars are supposed to have chocolate” and, “I don’t eat bananas.” Both were met with final approval, students clearing the plate and my, “so I guess granola doesn’t always need chocolate” and, “seems we like bananas afterall.” Teacher 2- Kids 0. (Or maybe that’s win-win, 2-2.) I even had a parent come in this week just “having to meet the teacher who uses bee pollen in a recipe.”

Only 3 injuries (okay, Friday isn’t over yet)– note to self: kindergarten might be too young for microplanes. They were all tough and not one tear was shed. (One was close until I pointed out how brave another was and how equally brave he was– fear of having a class of K-1st graders break out crying gripped me for a second.)

We’ll work on our plating in future weeks, but really who doesn’t love a healthy dose of cinnamon?!

Ooey Gooey Granola Balls
Makes about 24 2-tablespoon balls.

2 ripe bananas (aprox. 1/2 cup mashed)
1/2 cup raw honey
1 teaspoon orange zest (use an organic orange so there is no pesticide)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup ground flax seed (or sesame seed)
1/4 cup bee pollen*
1/4 cup unsweetened dried fruit (raisins, apple chunks, goji berries, apricots, etc)
2-1/2 cups raw oatmeal (recommended: Bob’s Red Mill 5 Grain Rolled Hot Cereal)
Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Use a potato masher to smush the bananas in a medium mixing bowl. Mash in honey, orange zest, cinnamon and ground flax until well combined. Add bee pollen, dried fruit and oatmeal. Stir until evenly combined. With wet hands, scoop and roll golfball size spoonfuls (2 tablespoons) between your hands forming balls. Arrange on cookie sheet. Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving. (While waiting, make fruit salad.)
NOTE: When I make this at home I cut the amount of banana and honey and replace it with peanut butter. Also, as long as your batter remains moist and gooey you can stir in more goodies—chopped nuts, toasted seeds, coconut flakes, chocolate chip. Add ingredients at 1/4 cup intervals. Be creative and have fun!

* Bee Pollen is a natural way to address and relieve seasonal pollen allergies. Look for NYS pollen, as the flowers are more likely to be what we encounter in the city. Bee pollen is also high in protein, amino acids, and vitamins like B-complex and folic acid. (It’s the bee’s energy and food source through the winter!) It is also thought to contain antibiotic properties, helping us fend off sickness (like seasonal flu).

Zesty Yogurt-Fruit Salad
4 servings

2 cups plain yogurt
1 apple, cut into bite-sized pieces (aprox 3/4 cup)
1 pear, cut into bite-sized pieces (aprox 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup seedless grapes, sliced in half
1 teaspoon orange zest (use an organic orange)
1 orange, juiced
1 teaspoon cinnamon plus some for dusting

Mix ingredients to combine.
NOTE: Use whatever fruit you like– whatever is in season!

Here’s a quick barely-a-recipe recipe. So barely a recipe I’m not going to post one (though it’s described below).

My plate has been full lately– I just started teaching K to 5th graders cooking. (I’ll try to keep up with posting my recipes we make here and maybe even post pics of the the students’ creations.)

Until then, D and I are trying to figure out our new routine and one of those routines is keeping salads around for a quick throw together lunch or dinner. The red is a bulked up raw beet salad from the other week. Bulked up with shaved cucumber. The herring is even more simple. It’s over there in the left side of the shot. Really, no recipe needed. It’s a jar of drained pickled herring, a dollop of sour cream, and a hefty dose of curry sprinkled over top. No cooking required.

It’s a simple pull together and you can make other flavors too– mix in a dollop of spicy mustard and fresh dill to the drained herring. A little hot pepper. Some horseradish and tomato paste. Or keep it original. Eat it with a good salad, a hearty tear of bread and a cool beer and dinner is ready in seconds.

With this meal D proclaimed he was feeling quite Latvian. He can dream.

Have you ever seen this? Salted cod? It usually arrives as a large flat dehydrated fish fillet, often skinned and de-boned, eggshell white. It looks like something a fraternity might use to abuse incoming freshmen with a whack. If you get a fin-side view it sort of looks like a flattened raccoon. A glance makes one think, “Hmm, non-refrigerated fish. Maybe not too smart?”

I have run into salted cod a lot though never considered the purchase (you know, the whole non-refrigerated fish thing). And actually it was D that made the ultimate purchase of what turned into the above dish.

My local fish mongers carry it. It also sits in a local Italian deli by the counter. In all locations it is out in the open air, stacked high in a simple cardboard box. Old women will shove me aside as I stare at it. They must think I’m picking out a prime specimen so they snatch a stack and toss back a few. I’m really just watching it, waiting for it to do something, speak to me, anything. With their purchase there is usually a discussion with the shop’s proprietor in the proper language (Italian in the deli; Greek in the fish monger). I imagine they are trading recipe secrets of the strange fish.

Non-refrigeration is the beauty of salted cod and how generations of near sea-living (and seafaring) folk survived harsh winters. From Norway down the continent and into the Mediterranean, these cultures have been munching salted cod and most cultures have a recipe that involves the funny looking dried up fish.

When D and I were in Norway we went to a local farmer’s market in Bergen that was selling salted cod and herring. The merchant let us try some. I’m telling you, unless you grow up and eat salted cod regularly, I do not recommend munching on the fully salted dry version. We passed on the purchase. Throughout Norway, and into Scotland, variations of salted cod were on menus, often at breakfast served with eggs. I always avoided it for pancake stacks of smoked salmon and caviar (because really, where else can one stack smoked salmon like pancakes and top it with a drizzle of caviar like it’s totally normal!?).

Last year on a trip to Chicago, D and I, with my mom in tow, dined at Avec. Salted cod was on the menu and both D and I agreed, it must be ordered. What was served was something we had never imagined salted cod to be. A warm puree of fish, a faint saltiness, deep complexity, and a whole lot of butter. Loads of delicious butter blanketing the silken fish. It was heaven in a ceramic dish and we licked it clean. Perfect for a cold, wet, late November Chicago evening.

Returning home I stood in front of the salted cod and declared, “One day I will purchase you!” I never did. D ultimately made the purchase at the Italian deli. Asking, “what should I do with it?” The answer: “You know, soak it in water and uh… eat it.” It was not recipe secrets being traded. Even knowing it had sat possibly months in the open air of the deli it arrived home we asked each other: “What do we do with it?” “I dunno, refrigerate it, I guess.” So we refrigerated it

Eventually on a wet spring day courage got the best of me. I unwrapped that cod. Soaked it in a few changes of water, pureed it with butter then broiled it until golden. If you can suggest a more delightful brunch, aside from pancake stacks of smoked salmon and caviar, I dare you.

We enjoyed our cod with hearty thin slices of rye bread, pickled ramps, hard boiled eggs and olives.

Salted Cod Dip
Active time= 15 minutes. Inactive time= 12 hours. Cook time= 8 minutes.
1 flank salted cod, approximately 1 lb
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
freshly ground black pepper

Cut the cod into 3 to 4 even pieces. Place them in a bowl covered with water and soak for at least 12 hours, changing the water 2 or 3 times. Drain the cod. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add cod and boil, 2 minutes. Place cod and remaining ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth. Transfer to a ceramic dish and place under the broiler for 5 to 8 minutes, until lightly golden. Serve warm with toasted bread or crackers.

Good pizza is sooooo good.

I say this having come from pizza-centric people: the good people of Chicago. The Chicago-style pizza boasts a deep dish knife-and-fork-required slice oozing with cheese and a 1/2-inch thick crust. So dense and heavy it’s difficult to eat more than one slice, two is pushing a limit. Baked in a cast iron pan in a hot oven. A recent visit took me to the Art of Pizza (no website). I still think about that pizza today– so good I actually ate 2.5 slices and had to be rolled out. I cannot describe- or remember, what was best– the crust, the cheese or the sauce. My friends tell me Chicagoans are now pushing a thin crust pizza and dare I say it, but Chicago, don’t be crazy! Stick to the love of the dish!

I am blessed to now live amongst another pizza-centric people: the good people of New York City. A thin, often foldable crust slice. The better ones emerge from a piping hot coal oven slightly blackened on the edges. Easy to eat on-the-go as the NYC lifestyle demands. I like taking people to Grimaldi’s in Brooklyn, licking the plate clean, and walking the pie off over the Brooklyn Bridge. The pies can be as fancy as you like and you can mix and match toppings. But really, unless I end up in a national chain I’ve never had a horrible NY slice (I can’t always say the same for deep dish).

(But seriously, what are those chains putting in there?!)

Both cities are proud of their pizza and I am proud to have lived in both pizza-meccas. Sometimes California, with their “aternative” pizzas surface, but that’s hogwash! Sushi pizza? Pineapple pizza? Nay! But in this whole debate, dare I suggest I make a mean pie that competes with the best of them? (And for the record let’s just say no one beats a true Naples pizza where the great dish originated!)

I have no brick oven and no pizza stone– I make my pizza on a good old sheet pan. The secret, I have learned, is all in the crust (okay, it’s also in the toppings, but really, it starts in the crust). (And I bet if I added a brick or coal oven to the mix, or even a stone I could really be a contender).

Anyone can do it and if you don’t live near a pizza metropolis it is well worth it. Even if you do live near a pizza metropolis try making your own sometime! It cooks in about 15 minutes so once you apply your toppings it’s a super quick meal. You can be as creative or basic as you want and it’s fun for young children to get involved because who doesn’t love pizza?

Growing up, I remember a rare occasion when my brothers and I made our own pizza. As you would think, living amongst pizza-people, my family was more likely to purchase a good pie rather than make one. But when a company introduced a pre-cooked focaccia-looking sponge that rhymes with “Moboli” and they called dough, my family took to making pizza. (Actually, I can only remember purchasing “Moboli” once– perhaps we realized then you don’t mess with crust.

Here is another secret: forget tomato sauce. Really, forget it. I know you see it all the time scooped up and smeared with the back of a spoon, but forget it. Instead, reach for tomato paste. I recommend a 100% paste with no salt, seasonings or preservatives added. A thin layer of paste does wonders (and you can still spread it with the back of a spoon if you desire). The concentrated natural sugars bake in nicely to the dough and even tend to caramelize if exposed just right.

As for the toppings, that’s up to you. If you keep the crust thin, try not to pile them up too heavy. The above pie has tomato paste, anchovies, artichoke hearts, bitter spring greens (mixed from the garden), pesto (frozen from the garden last year) and fresh mozzarella (from the Italian deli around the corner– they make their own!). A few days later the pizza hankering returned and we had a bitter green, fresh chives, pepperoni and mozzarella pie. Before that it was olives and bitter greens. (Notice the bitter green theme? The garden grows crazy.)

To make pizza-making as small a chore as possible the trick is to make a lot of dough. Double or triple the recipe then divide the results into balls, each ball enough for one full pie. Sprinkle with a little flour then wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. If you want pizza, remove the dough about 3 hours before starting your pie. Voila, pizza in under 30 minutes!

If you really cannot make the dough do NOT buy that “Moboli” stuff! Instead, head to your local pizza shop and ask to buy a ball of dough (they usually sell it for $2-3 a ball). If you do this, DO mix in some fresh herbs, and maybe some hot pepper flakes then roll out and continue.

This recipe is vaguely adapted from Peter Reinhart.

Herbed Pizza (Dough)
Makes enough for 3 pies. Prep time= 15 minutes. Inactive time= 2.75 hours. Cook time= 0 minutes.
2-1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2-1/4 cups all-purpose white flour
2 tablespoons herbs (fresh is best, whatever you like: rosemary, thyme, oregano are all good) OR 1 tablespoon dried
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast
3 tablespoons olive oil
1-3/4 cups warm water

Use an electric mixer with a dough hook (or knead by hand). Mix flours, herbs, salt and yeast to combine. Add olive oil and water and knead/mix for 8 minutes. Dough should form a ball and no longer stick to the sides of your bowl. Dust with more flour, cover and let sit undisturbed for 2 hours. Punch down and let rise another 45 minutes. Divide the dough into three equal portions, dust with flour and wrap portions you will not be using in plastic wrap and freeze.

Sprinkle a work surface with cornmeal, dust a rolling pin with flour and roll out your dough to desired thickness. I recommend about 1/4 inch. At this point, begin heating your oven between 450-500 F. Transfer dough to a sheet pan and add toppings. Bake 12-15 minutes, until crust (and cheese if applied) are golden.

Tips: if you’re making a pizza with a non-cured meat (like sausage or chicken) make sure to cook the meat first. Same goes for fresh mushrooms, bell peppers or onions! I also like some hot pepper flakes sprinkled on top of the tomato paste.

Recommended toppings to mix and match: Anchovies, olives, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, fresh greens (some people like to cook these first slightly, I like how they crisp up at the edges), prosciutto, lamb sausage, pesto, chicken, chorizo, ramps, garlic slices, fresh herbs, caramelized onions, roasted red pepper, bacon, shrimp, mussels, clams, asparagus, eggplant, etc.

Don’t forget to mix and match the dairy too: yogurt, lebne, mozarella, goat cheese, blue cheese, etc.

As mentioned, once you have the frozen dough, just thaw and continue as usual. It’s fun to have pizza dough on hand “in case of emergency” and friends are amazed when you suggest you whip up a quick pie. You can also use the dough to make focaccia, or even crackers if desired. Just alter the topping and roll out width depending on what you make!

A little urban gardening update is in order before more goodies, and the true 2009 harvest gets under way. Beginnings are pictured above and a recipe is at bottom. A timeline of winter urban gardening follows:

In early November, bracing the settling chill of the City, D and I haphazardly construct a cold frame in our garden plot and set out some seed. When I say haphazard I mean it in the truest sense: with no hard design plan (though two conflicting views in our minds) we enter a second hand building supply store near the garden. In approximately 1 hour, after much debate as to which plan to build, we leave with 4 pieces of wood (2 long; 2 short) and a large glass door I bargained down to $20. In 15 minutes, fighting the cold, we hold the wood together (no nails/ screws) and push soil around the sides to keep them in place. Getting cold and dark, I toss random cold hardy seeds inside our new cold frame: kohlrabi, mustard, arugula, tatsoi, spinach, radish, and potentially some others I mark as “?” in the garden journal. The glass door is set over top and we return in approximately 1 month.

To great surprise, makeshift cold frames have appeared in other garden plots constructed out of clear plastic and held down with rocks. To even greater surprise, many of the seeds we threw down actually sprout, specifically the tatsoi, radish, mustard, arugula and spinach. “Take that farmers!” We call to cold streets and abandoned buildings around the garden. We consider ourselves trendsetters in winter gardening. In the fading daylight hours of winter we had created a fabulous self-watering greenhouse (thank you condensation).

By late December we have the first of a measly harvest, not even enough for a side salad and we question if this is worth it– $30 for the wood and glass and about $10 in seeds (with seeds left over for future plantings come spring).

January is brutally cold and surprisingly snowy for New York City. We question our shoddy cold frame construction.

Early February arrives and after diligently ordering $60 of seeds for a 2009 planting season and reading many a garden book, my faith is renewed in our winter plants: we had simply started a few months too late. If we really want to benefit from a winter harvest, seeds must be planted in August to allow maturity in long days of sun and hibernation in shortened days December to mid-February.

We return in mid-February to find our once sad plants have taken off with the lengthening days. “Take that brutal January!” There was even a rogue something or other we could not yet decipher that had sprung from a late summer planting, not intended for the cold frame. Chamomile, planted late last season has survived the winter exposed to all elements. We harvest a small salad.

By late-February I start a few seeds indoors and we return again on an unseasonably warm day to prepare our soil for spring planting. We chopped up and turn under corn stalks from last year and take a long inspection of the cold frame goodies. The rogue something or other turns out to be broccoli rabe, an excellent surprise. I harvest a large bag of mixed greens that last four dinner-sized servings.

In mid-March we return again, this time finishing off soil prep and sow a few of the prepared beds with spring seeds: radish, spinach, arugula, mixed salad, carrots, swiss chard, scallions, cilantro, mint, sorrel and sage. I note in our garden journal that it is 3 weeks to the last frost date (April 13 in New York City). The newly planted radish are supposed to be ready to eat April 17 according to the 4 weeks-to-maturity date. The outlook is doubtful. This is not good news as I had hoped to pull the radish to make way for sugar snap peas, tomatoes, and cucumber. I harvest another large bag of mixed greens that last four dinner-sized servings.

Late-March I return again and transplant some purchased strawberry and kohlrabi seedlings as well as some home-grown fennel, leek and kale seedlings started indoors. Sugar snap peas also find their home in the ground next to the slow-to-mature radish, as well as some marigold, mustard and another patch of arugula and mixed greens. The two-week-old radish, spinach, arugula and mixed greens are now all peeking at this point. Swiss chard, carrots, scallions and herbs are not visible (grumbles and curses ring out). I harvest another large bag of mixed greens that last four dinner-sized servings.

In early-April I remove the glass from the cold frame. Leeks are looking straggly. Fennel is teetering on the edge of existence. Kale is kicking butt. November-planted greens continue on their course. I allow them to rest and grow before another harvest.

We come to present time, mid-April. Yesterday (estimated last frost date) I transplanted cilantro, cumin and basil into the garden that were started indoors. I am hoping this batch of cilantro holds on. I also direct-seeded parsley and another round of sage and mint. I harvested another large bag of mixed greens, including a single wintered radish and the rogue broccoli rabe. These should last four dinner-sized servings, potentially longer.

In total, the $40 I spent on supplies for the winter garden has served us 17 servings and counting. If these meals were at a restaurant it is a definite savings. Compared to farmer’s market organic purchases, I’m not sure just yet– though the winter crops will continue to feed us until the new seeds are large enough to take over at which point they will be pulled for some summer fare. The savings will no doubt be great as the original $10 spent on winter green seeds are still being seeded.

For these last few harvests I made a grapefruit Caesar salad dressing to enjoy with the spicy greens. Caesar is one of my all time favorite dressings and I order it liberally at restaurants, though often finish it with disappointment. Who says Caesar needs Romaine lettuce?! Or only croutons for adornment?!

With these slightly spicy mixed greens, simply served with a slice of wild salmon, the meal could not be more perfect to welcome in the spring (though April showers are doing a fine job of that). For something slightly more filling and exotic, I topped the salad with toasted hazelnuts and a few feta pieces, as pictured above.

Spicy Greens, Salmon and Grapefruit Caesar
2 servings. Active time= 10 minutes. Cook time= 8 minutes.
3 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts
2 large handfuls mixed spicy greens (mustard, arugula, kale, tatsoi, etc)
1/4 pound feta
Grapefruit Caesar Dressing (recipe below)
two 1/4 pound pieces wild salmon
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt/ fresh-ground black pepper

In a dry skillet, toast the hazelnuts over medium-high heat until lightly browned, set aside to cool slightly. Toss the mixed greens and feta with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the Grapefruit Caesar Dressing (recipe below). Warm a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add olive oil. Salt and pepper the salmon and cook, skin side up first, 3 minutes each side (for rare fish, longer for more done). Set finished salmon over the dressed lettuce, add hazelnuts over top.

Grapefruit Caesar Dressing
12 servings. Active time= 8 minutes. Cook time= 0. 
3 large cloves garlic (or 2 teaspoons garlic powder)
8 anchovies, patted dry
1 egg
3 tablespoons grapefruit juice
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
2 teaspoons grapefruit zest
1 teaspoon mustard poweder
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
fresh-ground black pepper

Place all ingredients in a blender and blitz until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired. NOTE: I use a raw egg in my dressing because I know the farm my eggs come from. You can alternately boil the egg in the shell for 1 minute.