Hello again,
Happy Sunday and 2nd day of summer! It’s sunny here and I’ve had a fairly lazy morning so far. Did go for my ocean walk (now I strap on hand and leg weights – speed walking: I look hilarious!) but have since settled into paper-reading and breakfasting. Steve is outside putzing in the garden and I’ve moved indoors to gather my thoughts.
First off, kindness. I love it when people respond to what I’ve written or offer suggestions of help. Quite a few readers have replied with warm wishes and helpful suggestions – tips on starting a new business, where to get some good take-out and places to go on the Island that a newcomer wouldn’t know. I really appreciate all of that.
Now….onto food! Went to the market again last week and came home with armfuls of veggies. Fresh broad beans – aka – fava beans. You know, in all my years cooking and eating, I’ve never actually used (or eaten) fresh fava beans. This was a culinary first for me!
Look at these beauties:
Should’ve sat on the front steps and shelled them, but just went straight to work in the kitchen:
To prepare fava beans you first blanche, then pop them out of their tough skins. But I liked the skins, so left ‘em on! Sauteed with a little onion and garlic (in a knob of butter) and kept it simple and fresh.
I’m having a new love affair with fennel – the fronds in particular. They grow in my backyard so I use it on everything…..toss in pasta, on sandwiches, in scrambled eggs and sprinkled over tomatoes with lots of salt:
As you can see I’m getting lots of use (and enjoyment) from my oyster sea salt dish!
And speaking of salt, something new came my way. Ottavio stocks a wide variety of incredibly interesting salts (of course) so Monica sent me home with a new one to try. It’s called Seloplante- this is a sea salt from Brittany mixed with herbs.
It crumbles into fine crystals when rubbed between your fingers and I think will be great on baked potatoes, corn-on-the-cob and grilled meats. My first taste gave me a wave of nostalgia. Growing up we used Lowrey’s seasoning salt – our staple on meatloaf and baked potatoes (one track mind). It seasoned all our barbecue dinners! The only difference is the colour – Lowreys was an interesting sandy/red hue and this one is more grey/celery in colour – but because it’s from France that makes it just a little bit more special – in my mind anyways!
Cheers,
jennifer
