ain’t no sunshine

Who says you can’t grow a garden in a dark alley?

This tomato from Czechoslovakia is putting on fruit, even as the days get shorter and the sunshine nearly disappeared last month. The climbing beans, however, may not fare so well, but they’re latching onto a fishing line trellis and flowering. They’re so beautiful, these shocks of white against the drab, gray day.

Plants never fail to amaze me, they’re biologically wired to do their thing. Climb, flower, climb, flower, die. Grow, flower, fruit, grow, flower fruit, die. The same is true of their needs, as the salad seedlings are leggy, searching for the sun. I’m not sure they’ll make it.

They’re fun to love, but I’m afraid I won’t get much in the way of produce. Next week, though, we start our biweekly produce from CSA Be Wise Ranch. Buggah, I’m happy to admit, is beginning to make peace with the vegetable kingdom and now we’ll have all these organic goodies straight from the earth.

my favorite salad

Last year, I visited a community garden and was sent home with the most beautiful Pompei roma tomatoes, some Japanese cucumbers and handfuls of flat-leaf parsley. I hadn’t had any luck growing my own cukes and parsley, so at a loss of what to do I turned to World Vegetarian.

This is Madhur Jaffrey’s Simple Palestinian Salad, though it’s so simple you don’t need a recipe. I don’t eat a lot of leaf-salads, but this always pleases my palate, especially in these dog days of summer. It’s perfect for the tomatoes that are ripening by the handful in the garden, and it’s so simple that every ingredient here shines.

Cube some tomatoes and cucumbers, coat lightly with olive oil and some fresh lemon juice. Throw in some chopped parsley (be generous) and salt to taste. This is the tried-and-true, but there’s always room for some twang (onion) and innovation (sumac). See what I mean with Smitten Kitchen’s recipe for Israeli Salad.

something smells fishy

Cooking for one is rarely fun. It’s either too much effort for a single meal, or the leftovers are overwhelming. However, when the person you want to lavish all your homemade love onto is picky about your favorite eats, eating alone can be liberating.

Seafood is my typical restaurant fare since it’s a no-no at home. My vacation was proof: I had shrimp dim sum in L.A., my auntie’s delicious salmon in Long Beach, and lobster and ceviche in Puerto Nuevo. In San Diego, I ate fish tacos again and again. I tend to be picky about fish (unless it’s deep fried, me loves deep fried anything), but I generally love the texture and lightness compared to other meats.

So, back from vacation solo, out came the salmon from the freezer. I hadn’t made a grocery run yet, so I had to rely on pantry and garden to whip this together. The recipes are adapted as noted, and it was a good way to use up my fennel and favas, which I never know what to do with. I tend to just look at them with gratitude for growing. They’re such beautiful plants, one all feather and licorice, the other all earth and texture.

Salmon with Roasted Fennel
(saw this on PBS a few months back)

Enough salmon for two (a little more than half a pound)
1 small fennel bulb, cut into wedges
1 small onion, cut into wedges
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 diced tomato (I used a frozen one from last year’s harvest)
Some olive oil
Several sprigs of fresh thyme (I included some lemon thyme for kicks)
Salt and pepper
Half a lemon

-Preheat oven to 400.
-Throw fennel, onion, garlic, tomato and thyme into roasting pan. Coat lightly with oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 20 min.
-Add salmon to the pan, squeeze lemon juice on fillets, add salt and pepper. Roast for another 15 min. or so.

Note: If I cook this again, I’ll just throw everything in at the same time. I ate this with brown rice.

Shredded Favas with Lemon Zest
I recently discovered that young fava beans can be eaten with its pod. Yay! Less work for the cook. The stunning Super Natural Cooking has a recipe for shredded green beans. In the spirit of the Pantry Project, I made do with what I had.

3/4 lb. young-ish favas, shredded in the nifty food processor (thanks, Dad)
2 stalks green onion or green garlic, minced
Zest of a lemon, minced
1 T lime juice, 1 T water
Olive oil, salt and pepper

-Saute the favas in some olive oil until covered.
-Steam/fry with lime juice and water for a few minutes, until liquid evaporates and the beans are tender but still bright green. Turn off heat.
-Add green onion/garlic and zest, salt and pepper to taste.

Buen Provecho.