A day of discovery -  What a glorious Oregon Spring day we've had today - although it's still way too early to really be Spring.  You can't tell that by looking.  All of the early flowering trees are in bloom, the blue herons have taken to their nests, and the ducks and geese along the river seem awfully busy.  I'm amazed at how quickly things have come into bloom this year.  Seems like we were in full-on Winter mode just two weeks ago.

Today's mild weather was perfect for working outdoors.  I started off with the goal of pulling weeds and cleaning out some of our beds.  It turned out to be a total pleasure.  Of course, at this stage the weeds are pretty small, and the soil is still soft, which makes the weed extracting  much easier.  Give me pint-sized weeds any day.  I also enjoy working at the leisurely pace these early season jobs allow. 

I started with the aspargus bed. After cleaning off the leaves we had left on the bed last Fall and pulling the weeds I happily discovered several spears of asparagus poking their noses through the soil.   The asparagus was planted just last summer, so it will be fun to see what comes up.

Next I moved on to the strawberry bed.  These plants went in last Spring and produced quite well all summer. We grow the variety Tri-star which is everbearing and produces delicious berries until well into October.  Reyn pulls the plants and puts in new ones every three years.  We're looking forward this year to a healthy crop - but usually not until June.  I was completely surprised today to find what looks like tiny baby strawberries on many of the plants.  Surely they won't really become berries, but I can hope.

This has really seemed like a day that is out of sinc with the calendar.  While working on the raspberry beds I came across an entire colony, if I may call it that, of Ladybugs.  I don't know much about their life cycle, where they spend the winter, or even when they usually appear, but I am always happy to see them in the garden.  This turned out to be a completely enjoyable day in the garden.  It's good to have a few like this interspersed with our usual rain.

Other Garden Notes:

Our little plum tree is blooming

Reyn planted peas today

Outside temerature 60 degrees - cold frame temp. 74.

The babies are thriving.

Searching for great low fat food - I was unexpectedly thrown for a loop this week when I learned that my cholestoral level is high. This is something new for me now that I am quickly approaching 60.  I eat well, I'm thin and very active and, inaccurately thought that because I burn lots of calories, I could eat anything I wanted.  I guess that's no longer the case.

In an attempt to lower my numbers by the end of May I've vowed to change my diet significantly. That means less fat, and no animal fat of any kind.  That includes butter (Owe!) and, cheese and, meat and cake.  I'm determined.

This week I've been pouring over nutritional charts and cookbooks looking for inspiration.  It really seems to involve just a little tweaking of my mindset.  I love tasty, colorful, fresh food. That I can do!

Tonight's offering was a hearty Minestrone Soup with Lentils.  It was delicious, low-fat and, easy to prepare.  I served it with a simple salad, and Reyn's Sourdough Wholewheat/flax seed bread along with some herbed Yogurt Cheese. Reicpe follows.

Minestrone Soup with Lentils

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 carrot, diced

1 onion. diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

2 cloves of garlic

3/4 cup of small green lentils

1 quart of chicken stock

1 1/2 pints of tomatoes - I used roasted tomatoes with basil

1 red potato

1 cup green beans

a few leaves of kale, cut in strips

1/2 - 1 tsp of basil, oregano

2 bay leaves

1 - 2 cups of cooked pasta

salt and pepper to taste

Saute vegetables in olive oil until they begin to soften - about 7 minutes. Add lentils and saute lightly, then add stock and herbs. Simmer, partially covered, for about 15- 20 minutes.  Add tomatoes and diced potato.  Cook until potato is done. Add green beans, followed in a mintue or two by the kale.  Cook only briefly, then add the cooked pasta.  Season to taste and enjoy.  I topped the finished soup with a dollop of pesto and, (for Reyn) some shredded parmesan cheese.

Most of the ingredients for this soup came right from my freezer.  I used stock as well as roasted tomatoes with basil and garlic, and green beans frozen from last summer's harvest. 

A very satisfying very low-fat meal.   We'll have leftover soup for tomorrow.  Now I'm off the hook until Sunday.

It's Winter again.  Looks like our sput of nice weather is over for a while.  Before our return to reality, we were both refreshed by two lovely days of working in the garden. We cleaned up the blueberries, strawberries, garlic (shown here) and, one of our perennial beds. Reyn also thinned his baby seedlings and began work on a cold frame. 

Yesterday was cold, and it rained the entire day.  On top of that, our heat pump stopped working and we were left without heat overnight and all day.  Fortunately, it was an easy fix once the repairman could get here.  All in all,  it was a rude awakening from our dreamy Spring interlude.

The cold frame came together today.  Using salvaged lumber, Reyn constructed a 3' x 8' frame of 2' x 6' boards that will simply sit on the ground in the garden.  1/2" diameter pvc pipe  will form the curved ribs supporting a protective row cover.  Inside of the wooden frame metal brackets were used to mount 6" lengths of 1" diameter pvc on either side of the frame. These pieces serve as secure sleeves into which the ends of the longer pvc pipe slip. At this stage Reyn is covering the frame with clear plastic sheeting.  At a later date he'll replace that with a porous row cover. Although the plants are not yet ready to spend the night outside, even under cover, they will stay comfortably warm during the day.

Now to begin thinking about our next big challenge -- how to effectively keep the deer out of our garden this year.  Stay tuned.

Ah, Swiss chard, one of my favorite vegetables.  Unfotunately, our chard was lost in December due to several days of very low temperatures, but I am able to buy very nice chard at my nearby market.  I love greens and I really love the bright color of the stems.  A nice combination all in one plant.

A few days ago my next door neighbor was kind enough to share a couple of nice sized pieces of Halibut that her brother had caught in Alaska.  I decided to broil the halibut and serve it with some oven roasted  root vegetables, along with chard and a green salad. The meal was quick and easy to prepare, colorful and, delicious.

Menu:  Oven broiled Halibut seasoned with a chili spice rub

            Roasted root vegetables with cumin seeds

            Brasied Swiss Chard

            Salad Greens with Cameo Apples, walnuts and bleu cheese

For the Halibut I seasoned it with a spice rub containing chili powder, cumin, turmeric, garlic and paprika, then set it aside.

For the RootVegetables I peeled 3 sweet potatoes, 2 parsnips and several carrots, then cut them into pieces that where close to the same size.  I put them into a bowl, drizzled them with a little olive oil, then tossed them with the oil, 2 cloves of minced garlic and, 2 tsp. of cumin seeds.   I then put a little grapeseed oil in a large baking pan and put it in a 500 degree oven to heat.  When the pan was hot I tossed in the vegetables and roasted them for about 30 minutes, turning them a couple of times.

For the Swiss Chard I cut the stems from the leaves, and chopped the stems into uniform pieces.Which I then sauteed  briefly in a little olive oil. I like to leave them crisp and bright red.  I removed the stems from the pan and set them aside.  The leaves I sliced into strips approxomately 1" wide.  Just before the fish and root vegetables were done I quickly sauteed the leaves in the same pan I had cooked the stems adding only a drop of oil.  I also added about 1 TBS of water then cooked until the leaves wilted and became tender.   For seasoning I added salt and pepper and 2 tsp of balsamic vinegar.  To serve, I like to put the cooked leaves on the plate and top with the reserved stem pieces.

 The Halibut cooked  in the oven for approximately 7 minutes using a convection/broil setting.  The parsnips and sweet potatoes were caramelized on the outside and accented with the flavor of toasted cumin seeds and garlic. A nice compliment for the lightly spiced halibut - served with a wedge of lime.  Oh, so good.

Typical Winter weather here in the southern Willamette Valley of Oregon provides us with an over abundance of long, dark, cold and, rainy days. People become depressed.  Those who can, usually head for Mexico or Hawaii sometime in the first few months of the year.  It can be bleak.  Days and weeks and months of rain. Really.

This year is different.  Yes, we've had some stretches of dreary wet days, but, now it seems that Spring has arrived.  It can't be true.  Surely, it won't last. But right now everyone is happy.  People are taking walks, working in their yards and enjoying this respite from the rain.

What worries me is that the plants also seem to think it's Spring.  The large Magnolia tree outside my window is bursting with big pink swelling buds.  In the last week the daffodils, crocus and, forsythia have bloomed along with the much anticipated daphne odura.   There are flowering trees everywhere. 

This has happened before.  There was the time of the heavy wet snow that came silently during a March night years ago.  I remember lying in bed listening to the rare city silence, punctuated only by the repeated crack . . . .  and thud . . . . as the limbs of our prized Magnolia fell to the ground under the weight of the snow.  I dressed and tried to save the tree by knocking the branches with a broom, but in the end, sadly, our front yard lay full of fallen branches.  Years later, the tree has now fully recovered and is anxious to bloom - a full month ahead of schedule.  Do I need to worry, or simply enjoy it?

Ever wondered about seed viability? We have.  It seems that seed packets always contain more seeds than we can use in any given year. And it is surely against the rules to throw out unused seeds, isn't it?  We have a stash of leftover seeds that just keeps getting bigger.  How about a test?

We got anxious to get things started sometime last week, and of course, the tin of leftover seeds came out first.  Reyn's notes show that he started seeds in six-packs this year on February 11th.

Here is a list of what  he planted, along with the years for which they were packaged.
   Tyee Spinach, Lily Miller, 2009
   Leeks, Giant Musselburg, Lily Miller, 2009

   Pepper Grass, Territorial Seeds, 2008
   Swiss Chard, Rhubarb Red, Lily Miller, 2009
   Walla Walla Onions, 2008
   Valmaine Lettuce, Territorial Seeds, 2009
   Buttercrunch Lettuce, Territorial, 2007
   New Redfire Lettuce, Territorial, 2007

The seeds were planted in potting soil and kept indoors for warmth.  Once sprouted they are moved out during warm days, but are brought in again at night. We have been totally surprised and delighted that each and every variety has now produced tiny little seedlings.

The 2008 pepper grass was showing it's happy faces in just 4 days.  The spinach was next, followed by chard, then lettuce and, finally the leeks and onions.  It remains to be seen how well they will do, but we are pleased with the start.

We've had a beautiful, unseasonably warm day here today.  I spent a good part of the day surveying the yard, pulling weeds and, cleaning up perenials and shrubs that were damaged by our earlier cold weather. It looks like we have a few more early Spring days ahead of us.  Maybe I'll get a head start on weed control this year.  I'll let keep you posted.

One reason that I'm writing this blog is to help me remember what I've cooked, and liked, so that I might have some backup ideas stashed away. There are times when I try to come up with a menu and simply draw a blank, wondering if I've ever really cooked anything good.  Surely, I have. But, what?

My approach to meal planning and preparation during the winter is very different than when the garden is in production.  When possible I chose a very spontaneous approach to our meals.  I especially like to cruise through the garden sometime late in the afternoon gathering inspiration and fresh produce as I go.  That's a little harder to do during the winter. 

The long winter days have found me with stacks of cookbooks on my counter alongside a cup of tea, a notepad and, a grocery list.  I don't always follow recipes very closely, but I do use them for inspriation.  I seem to find myself with periodic themes.  Lately I've been in the asian mode.  After gaining a spark of inspriation I head to the fish market and grocery store to see what looks good.  Yesterday I found some lovely wild Northwest Silver Salmon. I decided to pair it with a chinese style noodle cake, some stir fried vegetables and my favorite winter salad.

Menu:  Broiled Silver Salmon with Red Curry Sauce

            Noodle Cake

            Stir Fry of Snow Peas, Asparagus and Yellow Pepper

            Salad Greens with Heirloom Oranges and Almonds

For the Noodle Cake - cook some thin chinese egg noodles, drain and rinse in cool water.  Toss with 1 - 2 TBS of toasted sesame oil, 2 TBS of chopped cilantro and 1/2 - 1 tsp of red pepper flakes. Set aside.  The noodles take only about 10 minutes to finish, so I began cooking them about the time the salmon went into the oven.  To do so, heat a small amount of oil in a non-stick saute pan.  Add all of the noodles and pat into a large cake.  Cook on medium heat until nicely browned, about 5 min..  Using a plate for support, turn the noodles and cook on the other side another 5 minutes or so. I served the noodles by cutting the large cake in quarters.

Salmon in Red Curry Sauce -

  1 can of coconut milk

  4 TBS of Thai red curry paste

  juice of 1 lime
  2 -3 kaffir lime leaves, torn in small pieces

Open the can of coconut milk and skim off about 2 TBS of the cream - set aside.  In a saute pan add the rest of the heavy cream part of the coconut milk.  Mix in the curry paste and cook approx. 2 minutes.  Gradually add the rest of the coconut milk, stirring and heating as you go.  Stir in kaffir lime leaves and follow with lime juice to taste.

Grill the salmon - I used the convection/broil function of my oven and cooked the fish for about 8 minutes.

I quickly stir-fried the vegetables and seasoned them only with a little salt and pepper.

To serve, spoon sauce on the plate and top with the salmon and a wedge of noodles.  Top the salmon with a touch of the reserved coconut cream.  Add a salad and you're ready for a very tasty meal.

Leftover Duck Breasts

Sometimes leftovers can be the best - especially when when we're talking about roast duck breasts. This fabulous meal was simply a shuffling of the exact ingredients from our Valentine's Day dinner, but magically, it seemed fresh and new.

The menu:  Breast of Duck with Chanterelles
                  in a Marsala Sauce
                  Wild Rice Cakes
                  Asparagus Spears
                  Salad Greens with Heriloom Oranges and Almonds

I began with the previous meal's wild rice pilaf.  I had not been entirely pleased with the texture of the pilaf.  The flavor was good but it was a little soft and sticky, not the firm, seperate rice kernel kind of pilaf I had hoped for.  It was a combination of wild rice, onions, white rice and, chopped chanterelles cooked in chicken stock.  For the rice cakes I simply added one egg and a dash of truffle oil, then shaped them into small cakes which I sauteed on medium heat in grapeseed oil with a little butter.  They held together well and browned beautifully.

Next came the duck.  We had feasted the night before on the legs and thighs, leaving the complete, nicely roasted breasts intact.  My main concern was determining how to prepare them so that they would not become dried out.  I sliced the breasts on a slight diaganol then set them aside. 

We happen to have a large supply of Chanterelle Mushrooms in the freezer from our forays last Fall.  Some I had chopped and sauteed with shallots before freezing, I made duexelles with some, and some I roasted whole before freezing.  For this meal I decided to use the large roasted mushrooms.

I sauteed chopped onion and a little garlic in butter (I would have used shallots, but had none), added the mushrooms and cooked to reduce some of the liquid.  I then poured in a little Marsala wine and simmered it for about 5 minutes.

The duck breasts received a very quick saute in a hot pan (plus a little duck fat) to heat them and crisp the skin.   I then tossed them in with the mushrooms and finished the sauce with a little more Marsala and a dab of butter.

The duck was moist, with a nice browned outer skin.  It paired perfectly with the chanterelles and Marsala sauce.  The meal was beautiful and delicious!

       

Happy Valentines' Day

An op-
portunity for a cake -  Today's menu was inspired by the two heart-shaped cake pans I picked up last summer at a second-hand store.  They have been hiding in my cupboard waiting for the proper moment. We love desserts at our house, but try to avoid them most of the time.  But why not a special Valentines' Day dinner complete with my favorite cake - an Italian Cream Cake frosted with Buttercream and topped with candied violets from our yard.

The menu progressed when I was out at the market and happened to notice someone purchasing a couple of ducks. Duck seemed like a great idea.  I have a lovely recipe for roast duck that is the closest thing to duck confit I've found.  The duck skin is pierced, the cavity rubbed with salt, pepper and, garlic, then cooked in a slow 300 degree oven for 4 -5  hours, turning it over every hour.  It comes out deliciously moist with the skin crispy and perfectly browned.  It is fabulous!

I paired the duck with a wild rice, chanterelle and, pecan pilaf, fresh asparagus and, a green salad with blood oranges and almond pieces. The meal was perfectly complimented by a 2007 vintage N x NW Cabernet Sauvignon.  Oh, and followed by cake. . . . . .

I'll gladly share the recipes upon request. 

Mid-winter gardening

Planting day has finally arrived!  I'm getting so tired of grocery store greens.  I've been nagging; the seed stash has been evaluated, new seeds purchased, the garden plan has been consulted and, a pleasant day has miraculously appeared.  Hooray! 

We often have pretty mild winters here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.  Lately it has been feeling like Spring.  The daffodils are blooming and native plants have begun to leaf out.  It's easy to get fooled into thinking the bad weather is over. But it's not too early to start seeds for lettuce and the like - knowing full well that the time will come when we'll need to protect them from the elements - which mostly means long days of cool wet weather.

Today Reyn got out his starter pots and potting soil.  He starts almost all of our garden plants in pots, hoping to outsmart some of the slugs and snails that flourish in our neighborhood and avoid our sodden soil until it dries out a bit.  The pots live indoors until the seeds sprout, spend the daylight hours outside (weather permitting), then come in again at night.  Today he planted leeks, spinach, cress, swiss chard, onions and, several kinds of lettuce. Keep your fingers crossed.

*Feb, 14th - To our surprise and delight the cress seeds have germinated and shown their smiling faces this morning.

Still thinking of Rye Bread.  Rye has become the main theme of my meal planning this week.  I'm sad to say, however, that we are now very near the end.  It has been sooooo good. Along the way I have discovered that Orange-Rhubarb Marmalade is the best choice of jam with breakfast rye, especially when paired with a little soft cheese and a cup of tea.  Hmmm, but what about another dinner?

Last night's choice was a toasted sandwich of sharp farm cheddar cheese with lots of carmelized onions - on rye, of course.  I also included one of my favorite salads of tiny green lentils, carrots, and beets in a sesame vinaigrette.

I love anything with carmelized onions.   In fact I'd like to have a large vat of them cooking away on my stove almost any time.  I always start with more onions than any recipe calls for, and find that it takes much longer to get that lucious caramel color and flavor than is suggested. For this sandwich I simply spread slices of rye bread with a little truffle butter and dijon mustard, added slices of  a good sharp cheddar cheese topped with the onions, then toasted it in a non-stick pan.

The Lentil Salad is made with cooked, but firm, tiny french lentils combined with grated raw carrots and beets.  It is a surprisingly delicious, crunchy and colorful combination.  It's made with a little sesame oil which adds a nice depth to the dressing.  I usually make this late in the summer when I have fresh beets and carrots from the garden, but today's produce came from the market.  The salad can be all mixed together, but do it at the last minute, or everything will turn beet red.

Lentil Salad 

for two, may be easily enlarged

1 cup small green lentils, simmered in salted water until done, but still firm, chilled or rinsed in cool water.
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1 beet, peeled and grated
1/2 sweet onion slivered, or 2 scallions thinly sliced

Dressing:  whisk together a vinaigrette using
1/4 cup rice vinegar or lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
2 TBS of sesame oil

1/2 cup olive oil.

I also added just a touch of truffle oil.

I never actually measure ingredients for vinaigrette, but just go by taste.  You may want to adjust these quantities to your liking.

Cook lentils, drain, then mix with a little of the dressing.  Chill.  Combine lentils, carrots, onions, and enough dressing to coat.  At the last minute add the grated beets.  I like to use them as an accent - topping the other ingredients.  Serve on a bed of greens.

Good News!  Today the vegetable seeds came out of their storage place and the previous years' garden notes appeared.  I even heard mention of the word " planting".

Seems like Spring in Oregon today.  The sun has been shining, it's nice enough to be outside with just long sleeves on - and the violets are blooming.  Reyn and I worked in the front yard this afternoon.  He cut back last year's fern fronds and I pulled some early weeds.  It's always rewarding to get to those ever persistent weeds while they're still small.  I like the early Spring/Winter yard work, when it's totally okay to muddle around for awhile in the garden and truly enjoy being outside without  the pressure of so much work that needs to be done.

After getting my sunshine fix I decided to make a few candied violets to, perhaps, adorn my Valentines' Day cake.  Really, all that's needed are violets, a little eggwhite thinned with water, some super fine sugar, and a soft paint brush.

Pick the violets, paint them with eggwhites on both sides of the petals, and dust them with sugar.  Then all you have to do is let them dry for a day or two..  It's a slow process, but I think they'll be fun on my next dessert - especially if we go back to our usual dreary February weather.  I managed to speed the process up a bit by simply dipping the flowers into the eggwhite mixture, gently blotting them on a paper towel, then dusting with sugar. 

Now I'll have to decided what

kind of cake to make.  I love these problems.

Rye Bread and Carrot Soup

I've been thinking of Rye Bread a lot lately.  It's been on my mind for a couple of weeks now.  Luscious, dense, flavorful rye with lots of caraway seeds.  But, good rye bread takes time, you just can't rush into it.  So, I just kept thinking about it.

Yesterday, Super Bowl Sunday, a kind of lazy day, seemed like a good place to start. The recipe I like is for Naturally Leavened Rye Bread from Peter Reinhart's, Crust and Crumb; Master Formulas for Serious Bread Bakers. It's a two or three day process, depending on whether you already have a good sourdough starter living in your fridge.   While this recipe requires time, it is not complicated and produces everything one desires in a fabulous rye bread. As you can see, I made three smallish perfect loaves.  I only wish you could smell them. . . . .

So, what goes well with fresh rye?  After combing through Deborah Madison's, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone I decided on Carrot Soup with Onion Relish.  I served the Rye with a bit of double cream brie, followed by a salad of greens with apple, currants, celery and walnuts.  I can't wait for a lunch of leftovers tomorrow.

Carrot Soup with Onion Relish

2 TBS butter

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 pound carrots, thinly sliced

1 bay leaf

2 TBS chopped parsley

3 TBS white rice

1 tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

salt and freshly milled pepper

7 cups water

In a soup pot, melt better.  Add onion, carrots, bay leaf, parsley, and rice; cook to soften onion, stirring frequently, about 5 min.  Add the spices, 1/2 tsp salt, and some pepper and cook 5 min. longer.  Add the water and bring to a boil.  Simmer, partially covered for 25 min.  Puree the soup.

While the soup is cooking, prepare the onion relish by mixing all the ingredients together:

1/3 cup finely chopped white onion

1 serrano chile, finely chopped

2 TBS chopped cilantro

grated zest and juice of 1 lime.

Taste for salt and serve each bowl with a spoonful of relish.

This is a great soup recipe. Do be sure to try the onion relish with it, the contrast of the lime juice, onion and bit of chile is a nice counterpoint to the sweetness of the carrots.

I'd be happy to share the bread recipe upon request.

Enjoy!

Now, what kind of jam goes best with rye bread?  I'll let you know tomorrow.