Hasta Luego

Days seem to be rolling by as fast as San Francisco fog. There has hardly been any time for cooking (though I did make a mushroom, roasted tomato, chicken pasta that fed three people for the past two nights), and even less time for uploading pictures and writing about it. And now I find myself facing at least another two weeks without any updates to this blog because I am leaving straight from work tonight for Spain.



Hooray!

13 blissful spring days in Madrid, Seville, Granada and the Las Alpujarras villages in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. I intend to eat, drink, paint, write, read and walk until nirvana overcomes me.


Check back for Spanish cuisine updates in a couple of weeks!

*Pictures from: http://www.rusticblue.com/andalucia_guide.htm

Strawberry Graduation Salad

May is rife with graduations, which culminate in a collective sigh of relief among students across the country. May also begins the abundance of Summer fruits, which makes me happy because I love fruit. Last week was Morgan's graduation party (after 18 studious years in academia), and I needed a last minute hors d'oeuvre. Being produce flush from the farmers, market, my simple solution was to throw together a strawberry and arugula salad platter:


Spread out a bed of fresh arugula across any flat dish or platter. Arrange sliced strawberries generously over the arugula. Sprinkle with crumbled feta bits (blue cheese would work also), and drizzle everything with aged balsamic vinegar (no oil needed for this dressing).

Thanks to a generous produce farmer, I was able to garnish this particular salad dish with some chocolate mint sprigs!


Also a delicious salad to make later in the Summer with watermelon in the place of strawberries. The perfect party fare!

Beets, Two Ways

Earlier in the week we had a girls' dinner night at my apartment: opening a bottle of wine and cooking up whatever is in the pantry.

For my part, I figured that it was finally an opportunity to use the beets I bought at last week's farmer's market: two red and one golden.

My first obstacle: the fact that I had never made beets before. After researching what to do with them, I spent a lazy TV evening letting them roast in the oven at 350 degrees for two hours. Thus, they were all soft enough for handling once girls' night rolled around.

My second obstacle: The fact that neither of the two other ladies particularly liked beets. At all. When asked, Kristen said, "I'm not a huge beet person. I always picture the canned jelly-like crap and the purple color just looks funny." And she's the one who likes vegetables.

With my work cut out for me, I came up with some ideas:


1. MIXED GREENS SALAD with RED BEETS, AVOCADO, TANGERINE SLICES and A SIMPLE OLIVE-OIL BALSAMIC DRESSING.

2. PITA FLAT BREADS with PARMESAN CHEESE, GOLDEN BEETS and FRIED SAGE.

FLAT BREAD INGREDIENTS

- 3 Pita bread flats
- 1/4cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 golden beet, thinly sliced
- 1/3-1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 12 fresh sage leaves
- Coarsely grated salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven on 350 degrees. Heat olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat; dissolve honey into olive oil. You may need a whisk to stir the honey into oil if they separate. Lightly brush olive oil/honey onto the top of each pita.

Wash sage and drop into any remaining hot oil for flavor and fried texture.

Sprinkle pitas with a thin later of Parmesan (you don't need full coverage). Layer 3-4 golden beet slices on each pita. Place 3-4 sage leaves on each pita. Bake on 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until pita edges and cheese start to brown.

The verdict? Kristen says: "I like them!"