Welcome to my herb garden

Once the snow melted last winter (2008), one of the first things I did at our new place was to dig an herb garden. Long ago, my father taught me how to man a pitchfork and flip over deep turves to make a garden patch. The effect is like rototilling, but way more chunky. (And with zero carbon emissions!) I pitchforked up a nice rectangular spot and put in a bunch of perennial herbs, plus essential annuals like basil, cilantro and parsley. I filled in the bare spots with nasturtiums (my favorite flower to grow) and by August had a riot of herbs and blooms.

This year, one of the best parts of the spring has been watching those perennial herbs come back so quickly and vigorously. And I'd been plotting my next round of plantings all winter, so I soon put in a bunch more herbs--no more room for nasturtiums! Here is a virtual tour of my herb garden, with random thoughts on the plants and their uses.

Parsley. I thought this was an annual, but it came back this year totally unfazed by being heaped under 5 feet of snow for months. I love parsley in many things, especially burgers (with garlic) and any kind of salad (green, grain, pasta, you name it). My kid eats it straight off the plant.


Winter savory. This was a find at the farmer's market last year. I don't know anything about savories--winter or summer--but this herb rocks. I gave a leaf to A. to smell recently and she said it smelled like every other herb combined--like Italian seasoning in one plant. Sounds right. This seems very versatile in any cooked dish. (It seems a little too strong to eat raw.)


Rosemary. This is a replacement because last year's plant didn't winter over. I got a different kind this time. Before I had a small woody plant, but the new one is called "prostrate." I assume this is because it tends to flop over and spread out rather than being like a mini shrub. I'll put rosemary with any kind of red meat and it's also great in soups and stews.


Hooray for chives! Whenever I need an oniony kick, I rely on these babies.
This is another one my daughter likes to eat "on the hoof."


This oregano wintered over very well. The leaves are large and I chop them up for sauces, toppings or anything Italian or Greek that I'm making.


My variegated oregano didn't do as well this winter, but it's recovering. It doesn't seem as substantial as the regular oregano in flavor or in size. The leaves are small and not as juicy. It seems more decorative than culinary, but I'll probably start using it once it perks up more.


Marjoram is a relative of oregano and I absolutely love it with chicken.
Don't know why, but I do.


Thyme. This is a mainstay. When I'm picking herbs for a dish, I'll usually throw in some thyme for the heck of it. This has never been a mistake.


Lemon thyme is awesome. As I described last fall, this can be a real superstar in a soup and I believe it has a special affinity for poultry.


Tarragon. This is a new plant and I'm just getting to know it. I've had a prejudice against tarragon ever since a batch of chicken chasseur made me queasy back in 1997. But I'm giving it another try. Like winter savory, this is another herb I'd probably only use cooked, as it seems like it has powerful essential oils that can really develop with heat. That said, I guess tarragon vinegar is rather popular--maybe I should give that a try sometime.


Sage. Another new plant. I put one in last year and it was overpowered by the nasturtiums and didn't even survive the summer. But it's essential for my chicken saltimbocca, and also for sage butter over ravioli, so here it is again. YUM.


Garlic chives. I didn't even know these existed until I read about them in my dim sum cookbook a few years ago. Then Gramma J. gave me a small pot last year and I was very excited! I'm still not sure what they are, but I use them in any Chinese type dish I'm making... or if I have a recipe that calls for garlic and I'm fresh out.


Lavender. One of my favorite smells in the whole wide world. Lavender makes me happy. I adore dried lavender in Herbes de Provence so I figure that gives me free rein to put it into just about anything. I think it is yummy with eggs, for example. It looks like my lavender will flower this year and I can't wait. (The place where I get most of the herb plants has about 10 different kinds of lavender. It's one of my big dreams to someday have a plot that's only lavender--as many varieties as I can find.
If I have to live in Provence for that to happen, so be it.)


Dill. This seems like an obvious thing to have in one's herb garden but I kept forgetting about it. This plant has only been there for about a week. (Actually there are 4 little plants that I set close together.) A natural with seafood, I also use dill in Greek dishes and, of course, dips.


Cilantro. When I was a kid we called this "coriander," but that now seems to be just the name of the dried seeds, and the green stuff is cilantro. I am on a learning curve with cilantro. I like it, but its uses don't come naturally to me. I'm learning that I like it in anything that also goes with avocado--like a chicken wrap, guacamole, quesadilla, etc.


Basil. It's just indispensable. Fabulous in salads, especially anything with tomatoes or fresh mozzarella. Perfect for pizza and pasta. Excellent sprinkled over a stirfry. Outstanding in a burger. If I get lucky, I'll be able to make my own pesto this year. I should probably buy more basil plants, come to think of it. Sacred to Gopal (Krishna) I might add.


St. John's Wort. This brings me to the medicinal section of my herb garden. SJW is such a sunny, healing and happy plant. I haven't done much with mine yet but I am looking forward to those brilliant 5-rayed suns rising soon and inspiring me to work with them. I should infuse some oil with the flowers for getting through those dark months this winter. I hear the oil becomes red because of the brilliant flowers and juice.



Lemon balm. I hear this is a very gentle herb that is great for children. I'm hoping to make some lemon balm iced tea this summer. So far, I just love to smell the crushed leaves.



Rue. I took an herbal class once and found rue very interesting, but I am not sure at all what to do with it! It has interesting blue-green leaves--see below.

Here is rue close up. Perhaps as an English major I just can't
resist a plant named "rue." Do you have favorite uses for rue? Let me know!


Catnip. This isn't for us, it's for the neighborhood felines. Apparently a certain percentage of cats go mad for catnip. Our cats seem to like it when it's picked and put on the ground--then they'll roll in it and rub their faces in it with abandon. They ignore the plant itself though. But other cats don't hesitate. We've come home on a few occasions to strange cats being rather intimate with our catnip plant--rolling in it and drooling and such. Sometimes I go out and the whole plant looks rather flattened and vigorously adored. It seems to love it though--by the end of last summer the plant was the biggest in the herb garden with many 3-foot branches radiating in all directions. I'm giving it wide berth this year so it can spread out--and help us meet some new cats!


Yarrow. I've always liked the idea of yarrow, the look of yarrow and the smell of yarrow. But I rarely use yarrow. I associate it with healing crises--having a gash or a bruise or just a terrible day and needing something fast. When that happens I'll run out and get some yarrow for a poultice or perhaps a tea. I made some yarrow beer once, said to be hallucinogenic or otherwise psychoactive in large quantities. It was perfectly pleasant, though I avoided having large quantities... It's a spreader though, and I'm already rooting it out of my chives and oregano, which are neighbors.

Thanks for checking out my herb garden. I'm very proud of it. I like to go out and just sit with the plants and admire them. Please comment if there are any herbs or herbal uses you'd like to share! A final note: You'll notice the complete lack of mint in my garden. I'd love to have some, but I saw what it did to my mother's raised bed (TOTALLY TOOK OVER), so I'm holding off until I can figure out some isolated corner that will be all mint.

Farmer's Market, May-end

It was a beautiful day today. Here are a few things we saw at the local farmer's market.


Boy choy (right) and other greens. Got 2 of the bok choy to
make Lion's Heads this week. (Recipe to come!)



Early strawberries. We didn't get any though.


Bell peppers--they were all dewy and bespangled with droplets.
Got 2--one already disappeared into a pizza.



Coffee Guy is one of the most important stops.
$1 a cup--always has been. Hopefully always will be.



Grampa bought one for each of us. They had a hint of cinnamon,
not only in the sugary outside, but flecked throughout. Yum!

Herbed toasts

We were trying to save money, so we decided not to buy pita bread. Maybe we'd use corn chips? Maybe we'd splurge anyway and get fried pita chips from the Lebanese deli? We couldn't agree, so we forgot to put anything on the shopping list. Then it was 3pm already. I realized that we had guests arriving soon; I was making my famous spinach "dip"*; and I wasn't sure what we'd be dipping! I opened cupboards with purpose. I found half a loaf of fine bakery bread languishing. Yes. I would make herbed toasts!

A quick trip to the herb garden. I picked fragrant leaves of tarragon, winter savory, oregano, chives. And my latest secret ingredient in everything... lavender leaves. I chopped the herbs. I sliced the bread. I preheated the oven to 350˚. I sprayed a cookie sheet. I laid out the bread. I drizzled with olive oil. I sprinkled chopped herbs. They smelled good. I shook some paprika around. Then the pièce de résistance--a dusting of hand harvested French celtic sea salt that I accidentally bought 2 weeks ago. (It was only $5 for a giant jar! I couldn't resist! Eden Foods no less!) Here's my tray before baking:


I put it in the oven for 10 minutes, then checked the toasts. I was looking for slight browning and I got it after another 5 minutes or so. (So go for 15 minutes total.) The result? Delectable, salty, herbed toasts. Perfect for spreading with my thick spinach dip.


The herbs really did make these toasts special. I am amazed at being able to just walk out my side door into the herb garden, pluck a few things, and create much more interesting and complex foods. Thank you dear plants.

* Spinach "dip": 1 small box frozen spinach**, thawed and chopped, combined with 1/2 small can of water chestnuts, chopped, plus 1/4 cup sour cream, 1/4 cup mayo and 2 crushed garlic gloves. Throw in salt & pepper. Serve with a spoon or knife because it's really too chunky to dip--this is a dip to spread.

** I suppose you could use fresh spinach, but it shrinks so much in cooking I have no idea what amount to recommend. 2 pounds maybe?

May 2009 music roundup

If you work out or have a short attention span or just need to be amused with some ear-caffeine, may I recommend the Felix Cartal remix of MSTRKRFT's "Bounce" (first link is .mp3). I added this to my running mix and just thinking about it helps me get up to run. Then I play it on my commute cuz I can't wait until my next run to hear it again! The song is basically just noisy techno, but it tickles me. I love those skittery electronic noises and I like to add them when I sing along: "All I do is party. BAOWH."

St. Vincent's album Actor is now out and seems to be pleasing critics and fans alike. Of the 2 tracks I've heard, I prefer "Strangers" as it seems both tidy and demonic somehow (how sweetly she trills "paint the black hole blacker"). Another song that has been driving me crazy with joy is "Steppin' Out" by Sweden's Lo-Fi-Fnk. (It's a good running song, too.) Here's the video:



The music I'm most excited about right now is Phoenix, whose album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix drops in a couple days. Seems like the mainstream media is onto Phoenix, well good! Maybe I'll actually be able to find the CD in our small town! This might just be the Band of 2009 that I'm looking for. (The Versailles provenance and Sofia Coppola connection are certainly not hurting my fascination for Phoenix. OMG VERSAILLES!) Also Neon Indian seems promising--as some critics have pointed out, a band half from Brooklyn and half from Austin is likely to have some good stuff going on. Finally, in my personal rotation, Ladyhawke has a high number of spins. I know that's so, like, 2008, but I just got my hands on it (it's short--how Strokes-y!)

Here, playlists from the last 3 weeks of Beef Jerky Time. The middle show was a British bands show. The last song from that show by The Prodigy ("Invaders Must Die") is prodigy perfection--it sounds like more of Fat of the Land and that's A-OK with me.

5*6*09
  • Steppin' Out: Lo-Fi-Fnk
  • Pretty in Pink: Psychedelic Furs
  • 1901: Phoenix
  • Mirrored & Reverse: White Denim
  • Two Silver Trees: Calexico
  • Rum Hee: Shugo Tokumaru
  • It's For You: Out Hud
  • Notorious: Duran Duran
  • The Letter: The Veils
  • Need Your Needs: Georgie James
  • Mykonos: Fleet Foxes
  • Controlar (XXXChange remix): Ceci Bastida
  • Why Ain't Love Fair: Thee Wylde Maniacs
  • 6669 (I Don't Know If You Know): Neon Indian
  • Lullaby No. 5: Ernest Gonzales

5*13*09
  • Kids with Guns (Hot Chip remix): Gorillaz
  • Fiesta: Pogues
  • Hunting for Witches: Bloc Party
  • Still Ill: The Smiths
  • Being Boring: Pet Shop Boys
  • Reasons to Be Cheerful, Pt. 3: Ian Dury & the Blockheads
  • One After 909: The Beatles
  • Everything's Gone Green: New Order
  • St. Elmo's Fire: Brian Eno
  • White Riot: The Clash
  • The Dark of the Matinee: Franz Ferdinand
  • Invaders Must Die: The Prodigy

5*20*09
  • Sound of Silver: LCD Soundsystem
  • Where It's At: Beck
  • We're Through: James Pants
  • My Week Beats Your Year: Telefon Tel Aviv
  • Soma: The Strokes
  • Steppin' Out: Lo-Fi-Fnk
  • Strangers: St. Vincent
  • Daniel: Bat for Lashes
  • Another Runaway: Ladyhawke
  • She's a Rejector: Of Montreal
  • Bright Neon Payphone: Cut Copy
  • l'ami Caouette: Serge Gainsbourg

Rhubarb season

I made another pie! First one since Thanksgiving. I followed Michael Ruhlman's recipe for Be-Bop a Re-Bop Rhubarb pie. The result was definitely tasty, especially with some vanilla ice cream.

Before baking


After baking

Next I want to figure out how to make rhubarb pie with tapioca--they sell it at the farmer's market for a hefty sum (the pie, not the tapioca). Tapioca adds an extra little mouthfeel-something, though otherwise its barely noticeable. Will have to look into that.

Other uses for rhubarb? I usually make sauce, then put it on ice cream or pancakes or yogurt. Rhubarb strawberry pie is nice, but I feel like the seasons don't quite overlap. Also, I have trouble turning a fresh beautiful strawberry into cooked mush!

Perfect Coleslaw



A couple months ago I didn't know how to make coleslaw. I've been into cabbage because it's inexpensive (seems to be one of the cheapest vegetables per pound). Coleslaw seemed like a perfect way to eat the stuff... but how? So I told facebook, "I don't know how to make coleslaw." My sister-in-law responded almost immediately and told me all the secrets of good coleslaw making. Thanks, A! So this is my "in-law coleslaw" and I love it. I've been fiddling with the recipe since (proportions of dressing ingredients, whether cabbage should be shredded into ribbons or grated, addition of carrots, etc.). Here's the Perfect Coleslaw (in our house anyway!).

Ingredients
  • 1 T apple cider vinegar
  • 2 T mayonnaise
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 t dijon mustard
  • 1 t honey
  • 1/2 t celery seed
  • 4 dashes tabasco sauce
  • salt & pepper
  • 1/2 cabbage, shredded
  • 1 carrot, shredded
Assembly
  1. Whisk together everything except the cabbage and carrots.
  2. Fold in the shredded vegetables. (I shred in my food processor--super fast and easy.)
  3. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Ramps and nettles: Local food heaven

2-egg omelette with nettles, ramps & brie

This post could also be known as the "ramps of destiny." One of my favorite people read my farmer's market post where I complained that I could probably find ramps and nettles cheaper than $7.00 a pound--heck, maybe for free! She said she'd take me for a ramps hike this weekend if she wasn't busy having a baby. But it turned out she was busy having a baby (OMG, congratulations, w00t!, huzzah!!). The ramps still came to me though, unexpectedly from a different friend who visited the VERY SAME SPOT. I figure that fate wanted me to have those ramps this weekend, no matter how I got them. (My ramps definition: wild onion-leek things.)


dirty ramps


clean ramps

My next exciting gift was permission to harvest from my old favorite nettle patch (at my former apartment), even though I don't live there any more. I took great joy urticating myself (that is, applying nettles medicinally to my skin--rather inadvertently during the harvesting process) and getting a bag full of nettles. I tried to take a photo (below) that demonstrates what I consider the yin-yang nature of the plant. The leaves are symmetrical in alternate pairs, so for every "this way," there's a "that way." The Latin name is Urtica dioica, dioica meaning "two houses" which makes perfect sense to me. It's a teaching plant like the shamrock of St. Patrick--one plant full of dualities and contradictions. How could one thing be so generous and nurturing and so damn prickly at the same time?

symmetry, zen, contradiction


once steamed, electric green!


For my first locavore ramps-nettle combo, I tried another white pizza. It was pretty good, but didn't really highlight what I like about these vegetables. (It did highlight how much I love caramelized onions as a white pizza topping--I used them as a ramps backdrop and think I'm going to put them on everything now.)



The following evening I made nettles-ramps omelettes with brie. They were crazy delicious. The omelette was the perfect vehicle for the rich, unique flavors of the plants. The brie was strong, but not an overpowering companion. So good. Here's the recipe, serves 2. (I make omelettes my mom's way as described below, not Julia's/the French way.)

Ingredients
  • generous handful of nettles, steamed and chopped
  • 4 ramps, white and purple parts sliced
  • 1 T butter
  • 4 large eggs
  • ground pepper
  • 2 ounces brie (about eight 1=inch slices)
Assembly
  1. Sauté the ramps in butter. Set aside.
  2. Make omelettes however you usually do. My method is to whisk together 2 eggs at a time with some black pepper and a little water. Pour into an extremely hot nonstick pan and move egg away from the sides a few times, letting raw egg run back out to the edges. Once bottom is cooked, flip over and place fillings on one half. Fold the other half over the top and let sit for a moment so the cheese gets all melty.

Curtis' BarBQ in Putney, VT

This is more a fond recommendation than a review. I don't feel qualified to properly critique Curtis' BarBQ because 1. I'm from the Northeast and pretty much ignorant about barbecue, and 2. I don't like ribs! Yes, I'm one of those (lazy) people who thinks that ribs are just bones and grease, and if there is meat on there, it's too much work to find it. But I do love Curtis' BarBQ in Putney, Vermont. Just take exit 4 off I-91 North in Vermont, take a left off the ramp, and Curtis' will be on the right after you go over the highway. Most of the times I've been there, Curtis himself is at the pit grilling, and his pet pig is in there too just hanging out.


Chickens on the grill. Slabs of ribs are on another (lower) grill behind.


Here's the awesome sink setup back behind the grill pit where you can wash up before, and especially after, eating your barbecue. Note the giant roll of paper towels. And the water runs hot!



Here's where you order and pick up--from 2 windows in a blue school bus. You can get ribs in different sizes, cuts of chicken, combos, and all sorts of fixins and sides like yams, baked beans and corn. They also produce their own sodas.



My dining companion loves the ribs--here's a small order (far right). For a rib skeptic, it looks pretty meaty! We shared a large order of coleslaw (my own recipe coming soon!). The baked potato (top middle) and the chicken (lower left) are my personal faves. My baked potato has sour cream, but you can also get one stuffed with chicken or with pork.



Once you pick up your order and a swack of napkins, find a picnic table either under a roof or out on the lawn and dig in to your barbecue. It's a great place to just hang out after eating--there's a volleyball net in the back; there's a huge pile of sand with toys for kids, plus a swingset. Also, when Curtis saw a small child looking at his pet pig CJ, he kindly gave her a piece of apple to feed the pig through the fence. (I noticed he has the radio on while he works, and Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence" was playing while I washed my hands--cool.) This is a very family friendly place. Judging by the number of motorcycles usually in the lot, it's a traveler- and biker-friendly place too. We usually get up to Curtis' 2-3 times a year and it's always a treat. Check out "the 9th wonder of the world" if you're ever near Putney!

You can catch a nice slideshow and interview with Curtis at the BBQ Pilgrim site (scroll down to the "Tuff Love" entry and click). Curtis is now expanding with a restaurant in Chester, VT as well. And he'll bring his pit to you if you ever want them to cater a wedding or big event that requires great barbecue.

Case Study: Does "mommy brain" exist?


Here's my story.

They were bored.

I could tell because they were taking a wet hacky sack and drawing a smiley face on the side of a building. Then one would whip the hacky sack at the face to make wet blots on it. "He's got acne," said the girl, looking at the blotchy face. "He's been in Nam," said a boy.

My daughter and I, on the other hand, were having an exciting day. We parked in front of the garage where youths often loiter. As I backed into a space she said, "There's an elephant! It's grey." "Where?" I said. "Right there," she said, looking toward the backs of the buildings across the parking lot. "Where?" I looked. All I could see was some graffiti. "Right there," she said. I didn't want to appear blind or dense. "Oh!" I said, and got out of the car.

We walked across the street, past the bored youth. "Do you know where elephants come from?" she asked. "Where?" I asked. "Africa!" she said. I was surprised. "That's right! What else lives in Africa?" "Cheetahs!" she immediately replied. Wow, this kid is a genius, I thought. "That's right! And giraffes live in Africa too!"

We went into the discount store. She threw her teddy bear and ran to pick it up again. I found a carton of milk dated 2 days before. She threw her teddy bear again. I bought the milk. It cost 99 cents. I put the penny in the leave-a-penny dish.

We walked back past the youths with the hacky sack. She held my hand and we crossed the street. I threw my purse in the car and rested the milk on the roof while I buckled her in. While I was leaning into the car, I took one more look from her perspective. Where was the elephant? I only saw cars, fences, buildings, concrete, graffiti. I got in the car.

I decided to hang a sharp U-turn to avoid Main Street. A couple coming down the sidewalk stared at me dully. I wondered if my turning radius was wide enough. I didn't want to mount the curb in front of the bored youths. I didn't want to look like a dork.

I decided I could make it. They were watching me. They were smiling, kind of a lot! I started the U-turn. They were fascinated. Once I knew I wasn't going to hit the sidewalk, I accelerated. I smiled back. There was a dull thud. The youth cheered! They were so happy. Whatever twisted amusement they were getting out of me was fine. Were they hitting my car with the hacky sack? I was NOT going to stop. We went home. I got out of the car to unbuckle my daughter.

I looked for my carton of milk. Oh my god. The milk is gone.

That's when I realized I broke my own rule. The rule, tried and true, is to never put anything on the roof of the car. But... it was worth the dollar to see their happy faces. I'm just sorry I kind of littered.

White pizza with caramelized onions and hearts of palm



First, some backstory about me and hearts of palm. Once upon a time, my best friend and I would go to her house after school and raid the kitchen. (Then we'd watch MTV for hours.) But we didn't just gorge on chips and junk. We liked to cook. One favorite was soupless ramen with butter. You boil the ramen noodles in water, then drain and add the flavor packet plus a big chunk of butter. Stir it all together, then inhale the salty buttery noodles while discussing INXS. We also liked to make omelettes. We sautéed tomatoes and shallots, then made careful 2-egg omelettes filled with the tomato-shallot mixture. So good. And sometimes, if luck was with us, we'd find a can of hearts of palm in the cabinet and crack it open. We loved the pale acidic crunch of baby palm trees. It seemed so decadent to be eating the marrow of a whole tree. It even kind of looks like marrow, doesn't it?



Anyway, I've only ever had hearts of palm as either a snack by itself (sliced into rounds or with the center pushed out so you have several tubes) or in a salad (where, once dressed, its taste and texture somewhat resemble a piece of cucumber). But when I was making a white pizza recently, my food blog gift of hearts of palm started calling me from the cupboard. "Do it! Use me!" cried the green pull-top can. So I did! And I'm proud of the result. The hearts of palm are very subtle, but they definitely add to the dish and I'd put them on pizza again or try them some other savory way. Here's what I did.

Ingredients
1 yellow onion
2 T butter
1 pizza's worth of raw pizza dough
3 hearts of palm (about half a can)
1 breast chicken
1/2 t marjoram
1 T fresh oregano (optional)
fresh black pepper
olive oil
1 ball smoked fresh mozzarella
parmesan
chives to garnish (optional)

Assembly
  1. Caramelize the onion. First, slice it in half and then into semi-circles. Sauté on medium high with 1 T butter. Once heated through, turn to low for about 45 minutes. Add small pieces of butter and stir every now and then. The onion will reduce by about half and become very sweet and soft.
  2. Make or buy your favorite pizza dough. Follow the directions to prepare. I strongly recommend docking (poking holes in) your dough and prebaking it for 10 minutes or so.
  3. Meanwhile, slice the chicken breast into strips and then pieces. Sauté it in olive oil with marjoram, black pepper and fresh oregano until it appears just cooked. Also, slice the hearts of palm into "coins" and slice the ball of mozzarella too. (I cut some of my mozzarella slices in half so they went further.)
  4. Assemble ingredients on prepared pizza dough--first spread the onion around, then dot on pieces of chicken breast and hearts of palm. Place mozzarella slices. Sprinkle parmesan over all. (I garnished with whole chives but diners complained they were "stringy." You may want to dice your chives...)
  5. Here it is with half the cheese on to show the hearts of palm.

    Ready for the oven.

  6. Cook at 425˚ until the cheese is melted and starting to bubble and brown--10-15 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.



Concluding thoughts: I'm excited about the possibilities of white pizza. I loved the sweet foundation of the onion and the rich smoky flavor of the cheese. The hearts of palm were a mild counterpoint to these--a tiny bit vinegary, a tiny bit crunchy, nothing too overpowering or obvious. A recipe like this would be a great introduction to hearts of palm for someone who has never tried them. Also the chicken could easily be swapped out for mushrooms or olives or radicchio or some other delight. I'll be making this again!


I'm submitting this to Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by Chris from Mele Cotte. Thanks for hosting Chris, especially so soon after your amazing Cooking to Combat Cancer round-up!