I originally whipped this together from available ingrediates in the kitchen and it’s become one of my favorite salads this spring. It’s nutty, fresh and delicious. Tear a hunk from a crusty loaf bread for a perfect, casual weekend lunch at home.

Ingredients:
3 lg handfuls, baby spinach
1/2 lg fresh mozzarella ball, cubed
3 small ripe tomatoes, sliced or diced
2 tbsp fresh squeezed meyer lemon juice
2 tbsp walnut oil
kosher salt & peper to taste

Optional Garnishes:
handful nasturtium blossoms
2 chive blossoms, hand shredded

Toss ingredients together gently in large serving bowl. Allow flavors to meld and spinach to wilt slightly, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle top with optional garnishes and serve immediately.

Makes 2 large servings

Dungeness crab were in season so we purchased a pair a week at Costco throughout the month of March. I’d have D clean out the body as I was too queasy and wimpy to do this job. When I tried, I wouldn’t be able to actually eat the crab.

We’d break off the legs, remove the apron from the body, clean out the gooey stuff then break the main shell in half. There’s a ton of meat in the body as well.
As they came pre-cooked, we’d simply eat it on a newspaper covered table with a chilled white wine.

I know they’re great with butter and lemon but these crabs were rich and fine as is. We also kept meaning to use them in other dishes but they were all so sweet and delicious eaten straight out of the shell, we never managed to prepare them any other way. Well, that’s something to look forward to next year.

Inspired by the fresh sorrel I picked up at the farmers market, I made this quintessential spring soup. The tender greens impart a nutty, slightly tangy freshness while the baby yellow potatoes & creme give the soup depth without being too heavy.

It’s good looking too: Spring-y light green in color with deeper green & orange flecks.

Makes an elegant first course to dinner, perfect for whetting the appetite. I ate it simply, with good chewy bread. And leftovers the next day make an excellent cold lunch (imagine a smooth Spring gazpacho).

The weekend is here and the farmers markets abound. To try it, here’s what you’ll need:

from Alice Waters’ “Chez Panisse Vegetables” (c) 1996
1 med boiling potato (i used a couple small baby yellow ones)
1 med yellow onion
1 sm carrot (i used a handful of the tiniest baby carrots)
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 sprig fresh thyme
salt & pepper
2 1/3 c. water
1 c. chicken stock
1 lg bunch sorrel, about 1 lb (i used 0.5lb loose leaf)
1/4 c. creme or half&half
parsley

optional: 2 oz smoked bacon (didn’t use)

Peel & dice the potato, onion, & carrot. Melt butter in 3- or 4-qt saucepan and add diced veggies & thyme. Pour in 1/3 c. water, cover and stew gently for about 15 min, with lid slightly ajar. Season w/salt & pepper, add 2 more cups water and the chicken stock,`bring to a simer and stew another 15 min with lid ajar, until potato is soft & easily mashed w/a spoon.

Meanwhile, wash & stem the sorrel, and chop the leaves into a rough chiffonade (i didn’t chop). When the veggies are done, add sorrel, return soup to a simmer. Turn off heat, cover and let stand for 5 min.

Puree the soup in a blender and pass through a medium-mesh sieve into a stainless steel bowl. Stir in creme; taste and adjust seasoning; let soup cool to room temperature. (i served befoe it cooled completely, it’s very nice warm)

Chop enough parsley fine to make about 1 tbsp. If you choose to garnish the soup w/bacon, fry it now, chop fine, rind removed, and then pound it to a paste in a mortar. Mix it together w/ chopped parsley. Warm the soup w/o boiling, pour into a warm tureen, and stir in the bacon and parsley paste, or garnish with the chopped parsley alone.

Serves 4.

(Posted this entry on Craigslist Food Forum on 4/19/02)