I was just going to make a frittata with some bacon and greens, but as I was frying the bacon, I got an intense craving for a BLT. It was specifically the combination of bacon with mayo that I wanted, so I decided to try adding not just tomato, but also mayonnaise to the frittata,…
Strawberry Lime Shortcake
This is the kind of shortcake that my mother always made every summer to go with the berries from her strawberry patch. The recipe is from a Good Housekeeping Cookbook from the ’70s. I added the twist of lime and used regular baking powder rather than double-acting to omit aluminum from my diet — which…
Snow Pea, Snap Pea, or Mangetout?
What’s the difference between a snow pea and a snap pea? And what is a mangetout? Peas, Pisum sativum, have been eaten by people from time immemorial, first as wild plants in the Mediterranean region, then as one of the first cultivated farm crops, spreading east to India and grown all over Europe by the…
Stir Fried Chicken with Mustard Greens and Red Russian Kale
Mustard greens are commonly used in Asian, African, and Italian cuisine. I like to pop them in a stir fry, so that’s what I did with a few of my harvested plants, along with some Red Russian kale that needed thinning. My local grocer didn’t have any boneless chicken breasts, so I baked bone-in cuts…
Arugula Salad with Steak and Fava Beans
Two of my favorite vegetables — arugula and fava beans — are ready to harvest at the same time. Both are commonly used in Italian cuisine. I combined a popular Roman trattoria dish — Straccetti di Manzo con la Rughetta (“little rags” of steak with arugula) — and a riff on the classic way to…
Steak Tacos with Radish “Ceviche”
One of my favorite ways to eat radishes is in tacos. There’s no seafood in this recipe — the radish-based relish that’s soaked in lime juice just reminds me of ceviche. Although, I imagine adding some chopped clams to the relish for an actual surf and turf variation would be quite good. Ever wonder what…
Teriyaki Tofu Fried Rice with Baby Bok Choy and Mustard Greens
Since my bok choy and some of my mustard greens were starting to bolt from the hot weather, I had to pick them when they were still young. So, I popped them into a stir-fry with some leftover rice and a few other things I had in the fridge and freezer. Easy and tasty! Teriyaki…
Necessity’s Children
It has been SO hot and SO dry in Portland this spring that I am very worried about it. Yesterday we had wildfire condition warnings in effect. It’s early May. It should be cold and raining every day, and we should be complaining about it, with no hope for sunny 70°F weather until July. Instead,…
Spring Radishes with Herbed Feta Dip
My radishes are really coming in, now. Those that still need thinning to make room for their neighbors have fairly well developed roots, too, and make a nice little snack. The various herbs I’ve planted as companions in my orchard are also big enough that I can start pinching bits off of them to use…
Dandelion Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette
There is now plenty to do in the garden — planting, weeding, mulching, pest and disease control…but not much to harvest, yet. My rhubarb is busy sending out new leaves, but the stems are too slender to make more than a mouthful. My January radishes are just getting big enough to justify plucking them out…
A Portland Kitchen Garden 