The greens of spring

While planning my garden this year I decided to make a list of "things I cannot live without" and plant only those things since we will not be attending a farmers' market (I am finishing grad school this fall). I later loosened that up to include things people I know like and by the time all is said and done I will probably end up with more than I planted last year (plus corn, edamame, various mustard greens; minus cauliflower and celery; equals a gain of one item).

What this means is that I have a full bed of beets and chard planted even though I don't particularly like their "dirty" geosmin taste. Mind you, I have been working on this problem. Last summer I made this a couple times (substituting honey for agave nectar and vanilla for almond extract) to rave reviews.

I was planning on making red beans and rice from leftovers last Saturday, but ended up make Swiss chard and potato soup and a claytonia salad, after eyeing how beautiful both looked in the garden. (This is Swiss chard I seeded last spring, actually, for those of you who would call me out on harvesting mature Swiss chard in mid-April!)

I am happy to report I have another recipe for the non-beta vulgaris lover that still uses copious amount of the species. The recipe comes from the book, Quick Short Recipes, but I altered it a lot so will write it below. The salad, as I said, was claytonia (the first time I have grown that successfully--thank you long, late, cool, spring), whose taste is mild and whose texture is purslane-like succulent. I topped it with sliced Cheriette radishes from the garden, croutons, and a homemade blue cheese vinaigrette. We shared this adventure meal with Matt, who is always game.

Creamy Potato and Swiss Chard Soup

Place 5 cups chicken stock (I used Orrington Farms Chicken Flavored Broth Base and Seasoning) and 2 pounds chopped potatoes in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer, let simmer for 5 minutes, or until potato is almost tender.

Remove stalks from approximately 1/3 pound (you can play with this amount) Swiss chard with a paring knife. Shred leaves and add to pot with potato. Simmer for an additional few minutes until the potato and chard are tender.

Remove from heat and stir in 3/4 cup sour cream and 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

Puree all with a hand blender or in a food processor/ blender in small batches. Return to pan and heat gently.

Garnish with grated/shaved parmesan, parrano, or a similar cheese and (optional) edible flowers (I used bolted rainbow lacinato kale flowers).

Adapted from Quick Short Recipe Cookbook. Published by Bay Books, 2008.

What I had on hand

Sometimes when I don't know what to cook I try to visualize as many of the ingredients I have on hand as I can, let them swirl together in my head with recipes, and see what comes out.

Today, I am happy to say, it was pumpkin and goat cheese hand pies from here, which I had bookmarked after seeing here. I know it isn't fall, but if I had all the ingredients (and it was cold, wet, and 50 degrees) does it matter? Halfway through preparing them I realized how well they would fulfill their purpose--as a potluck dish for a golden birthday.

It was a little unclear how the dough would fit around the filling, and indeed this proved too much to ask from some of the little guys.

They didn't spill out in the oven, though, and I like the look--the opening offers a little peek at what's inside and lends some personality.

My only deviation from the original recipe was to use sour cream instead of cream or yogurt in the dough (and more of it). I used up the last of my frozen pumpkin from last fall and fresh sage growing out and about. Just in case you didn't figure this out already, they are DELICIOUS.