Fresh Tart

Oh, divine spring, my first plate of morels and favas of the season.  Takes a bit of preparation - the favas must be removed from their pods, then quickly blanched, then pinched out of their waxy skins; the morels need a good rinse to remove grit before a quick saute in a teaspoon of olive oil - but is completely worth the 15-minute effort.  Finish with salt and pepper and a few shaves of good Parmesan cheese.  Perfection.  (If you make it for dinner, a glass of champagne would make a lovely chaser.)

Also perfect?  A new discovery (for me)...coconut water!  For you coconut lovers, it's the equivalent of putting a straw in a fresh coconut - beachy heaven.  It tastes creamy-dreamy and is loaded with potassium (I read about it as a terrific post-work-out drink, naturally packed with electrolytes).  About 45 calories/8 oz. glass.  I think of it as dessert and challenge myself to not suck it down in one long greedy gulp.  Yes, it's that good.  (I found it in the juice section at Whole Foods.)

Ooh, I found ramps (wild leeks) at Whole Foods today, yummy. I found (more) morels and fava beans as well. Springy springy! And naughty naughty, because it threw off my whole dinner plan. Or, I should say it doubled my dinner plan - the original plan is still in place, but just for Nathan and John (a quickie din - Whole Foods sushi, sesame broccoli salad, cabbage-almond salad, and Ling-Ling organic chicken & vegetable potstickers, which in a pinch are awfully tasty and not full of a bunch of chemicals). And for me? I got so excited about the ramps I decided to cook them (bulbs and greens, very simply, just in a little butter) with the morels and favas, and a dab of creme fraiche, and call it my own dinner (I would have shared if pressed, but neither J nor N would be one bit interested, whew). I can have take-out sushi any dumb day, but ramps and morels and fava beans? Together? Spring on a plate, baby, now that's a real treat.

Moderate it: a little butter and creme fraiche go a long way - small amounts = big flavor. Enjoy!

Spring unsprung and a sick son (bad cough), yet doing our best to keep chins up. Good thing we Minnesotans are hardy, yah, otherwise we might complain or something. Ahem.

I'll stick to the highlights.

Saturday night, John and I attended a fundraiser. Wha? Alright, I admit the term fundraiser doesn't usually conjure images of hilarity, but Suz and The Coreman (our wisely chosen guests) know how to put the fun in fundraiser, baby, I highly recommend them for your next gig. (Dial 867-5309 to hire them. Just kidding. If you don't get it, click through the link. If you still don't get it, you're too young/old, which you should feel good about, so no big. Apparently, cold weather dorks me right out...) Somehow there were four bottles of wine on the table for the four of us (I bought two, not sure how that happened), which meant leaving two bottles to waste, rather a bummer. But since I'm not complaining, and it was for charity...hopefully someone enjoyed both bottles.

Sunday night, Stu the Wine Genius + Hijinxing with My Minxes = FAB! Yes, Susie, Kim, and I hosted good-sport Stu (pictured here with his wife, Debbie) on Feminine Hijinx for a wine tasting. Because he chose the wines, they were incredible. Total. Blast. Yum. (Wines forthcoming, I lazily didn't write them down, but will have links soon...)

Monday lunch, Minneapolis Clubtomato soup and foodie chat with new friends Gary Johnson and Rebecca Monro, covering health, co-ops, vegetarianism, lentil varieties, and achieving the perfect split-pea puree. That's my kind of lunch.

Monday dinner, a chewy, hearty rigatoni with spicy cauliflower sauce for John and me, as well as fava bean salad with Parmesan and spring onionspour moi (I finally got to those favas). Delicious.

Tomorrow we'll celebrate Nathan's birthday, cough be damned. Sunday night a farewell dinner for my parents, I've got several tasty possibilities spinning 'round my head.

Next week, a Wednesday launch party (that we can't attend, noooo!) for Rudy Maxa's new PBS series, Rudy Maxa's World. But, never fear, we're hosting a dinner for Rudy& Ana Scofield, Stu (The Wine Genius) & Debbie Williams, and Rishia & Andrew Zimmern mere days afterward, that we can attend (since it's, er, here at our house). Oh yeah, serious food and wine will be had (although, I should mention that I'm the one cooking, so I can't guarantee how serious the food will be, but between Stu & Rudy, I know the wine will be great.) I'll most certainly give the menu my best go, so stay tuned...

Fava beans. Love them. Hardly ever see them in stores 'round these parts, but scored some today at Lakewinds Natural Foods (lovely, lovely store) in Chanhassen. They're a major pain to deal with (shell, blanch, peel, then cook), but so worth it in the end - bright green, tender, nutty, sweet. Just...yum. Check out this great NPR story on the bitter-sweet beauty of favas, along with a gorgeous menu and recipes... Love to know that not only are they delicious, they're fabulously nutritious.

I should clarify that I haven't actually cooked them yet - it'll have to be later this weekend. Tonight, we just had pan-fried tilapia alongside tomatoes and okra sauteed with bacon, my new favorite vegetable dish (as I keep saying, sorry). Can't. Get. Enough. Although a pan full of sauteed heavenly morels and favas could put me over the top (morels and freshly-shelled peas were the kill, but morels and favas, oh my...).

Stay dry! Stay warm! (Yep, it's cold and wet again. Will probably even snow. Again. Yep. Grrrr...)