GARDEN RECIPE FOR SPRING: EAT YOUR FLOWERS

April showers bring May flowers, right?  Though the selections of lovely spring blooms may be limited by a paucity of water and we didn’t really have April showers this year, the nasturtiums running wildly up and down my hill are plentiful and make a simple, peppery salad with bright red, yellow and orange  flowers and miniature lilypad-like leaves.  And from a favorite Flower Fairies book:

Nasturtium the jolly,
O ho, O ho!
He holds up his brolly
Just so, just so!
(A shelter from showers,
A shade from the sun;)
‘Mid flame-coloured flowers
He grins at the fun.
Up fences he scrambles,
Sing hey, sing hey!
All summer he rambles
So gay, go gay-
Till the night-frost strikes chilly,
And Autumn leaves fall,
And he’s gone, willy-nilly,
Umbrella and all.

NASTURTIUM AND ARUGULA SALAD

2 C nasturtium leaves
2 C arugula leaves
12 nasturtium blossoms
4 T really good olive oil
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 T cider vinegar
1 t honey
1 T finely chopped chives
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine nasturtium leaves, arugula and nasturtium blossoms.  Whisk remaining ingredients together and lightly toss with the leaves and flowers.  Swoon.

Photo Credit: Flowers, Creative Commons, Nasturtiums by Andy Wright is licensed under CC by 2.0 

Spring Recipe: Feta and Honey

Maybe not so pretty, but such a lovely vehicle for our favorite bee by-product.  It might make a bit of a mess in your cooking vessel, but REALLY: so worth it. You could use pita bread, but a rough, edgy cracker with some personality of its own is what you want.  Sit outside in the softly warm late afternoon with the spring bees making their happy noise and have a snack—and Pinky’s Paloma, too.

FETA AND HONEY

1 -6 oz piece of Greek Feta

2 T olive oil

1 T honey

Freshly ground black pepper

Triangles of toasted Greek pita bread and/or your best crackers
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place feta in a small casserole a little larger than the cheese and cover with the oil.  Bake about 8 minutes or until the cheese is soft to the touch.

Preheat broiler.  Heat honey in a small pan until melted and brush over the top of the cheese.  Place under the broiler and broil until the top of the cheese is brown and has begun to bubble.  Season with freshly ground black pepper.  Serve immediately with crackers and/or pita.

Photo Credits:
Honey, Creative Commons, Lemon & Honey Chicken Skewers 1of4  by Breville USA is licensed under CC by 2.0 

Feta, Creative Commons, Spanakopita – Feta chunks by Rebecca Siegel is licensed under CC by 2.0 

Olive Oil is under Public Domain 

Garden Cocktails: Pinky’s Paloma

Pinky is a fantastic floral designer in Los Angeles () and fills her clients’ homes with color from the garden.  We like her so much we’ve named a cocktail for her.

PINKY’S PALOMA

Serves 1

2 oz. blanco tequila

1 1/2 oz freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice

1 1/2 oz freshly squeezed tangerine juice

1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand dry curacao or Cointreau

1 oz sparkling water

Tangerine wheel and a sprinkle of sea salt for garnish

Mix first 4 ingredients in a mixing glass with ice, strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice, top with sparkling water and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt.  Garnish with tangerine wheel.

Photo Credit: Grapefruit Cocktail, Creative Commons, cocktail shaker, cocktail glasses, cutting board, and fruit including lemons and grapefruit by Pro Flowers is licensed under CC by 2.0 

Garden Recipes: A Taste of Summer with Pasta Meyer Lemon

Citrus fruit has a way of tricking us into thinking a corner of summer is with us in winter.  At Eye of the Day every one of our citrus trees are decorated with orange, gold and yellow fruit and I am HAPPY to harvest a few pieces every day. Get yourself some of the little golden, smooth skinned lemons that are on the trees and in the markets right now and make this: (don’t worry yourself silly about the cream, just do it!) And since you will have plenty of these yellow gems, make a cocktail too!

Pasta  Meyer Lemon  for 4-6 dinners

1 lb pasta, fettuccine or tagliatelle: perfect

2 C heavy cream

2 t Meyer lemon juice

1 sprig fresh rosemary leaves, chopped

Zest of 2 Meyer lemons

½ c freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

Flaky salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil  and cook pasta until perfectly al dente.  While pasta is cooking, put cream and lemon juice into a large skillet and bring to a boil…reduce to a simmer and reduce to half.

When pasta finishes cooking, drain in a colander.  Add rosemary, lemon zest, Parmigiano, red pepper, salt and pepper to the cream mixture and stir until the cheese has melted.  Add the pasta to the skillet and toss to coat.  Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.  SERVE IT RIGHT NOW!

After enjoying Suzi’s recipe for Pasta Meyer Lemon, use any leftover citrus juice to make this delicious cocktail.

Garden Cocktails: Meyer Lemon Sidecar

2 oz rye whiskey

1 oz triple sec

½  oz Meyer lemon juice

¼” wide strip Meyer lemon peel

Ice for shaking

Fill shaker with ice.  Combine rye, triple sec and lemon juice and pour over ice.  Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.  Serve garnished with the lemon peel.

Photo Credit: Cocktails, Creative Commons, Skylon, South Bank, London by Ewan Munro is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

The holidays are for eating, drinking and perhaps dreaming and planning for some future Spring garden. On these cold winter mornings, it’s nice to get up early and bake something that will make your house smell like your childhood holiday.

CINNAMON BREAKFAST PUFFS

1/3  c. unsalted butter
½ c. sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 ½ c all purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¼ t nutmeg
¼ t allspice
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch ground ginger
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
½ c whole milk, room temperature

CINNAMON SUGAR COATING

6 T butter, melted
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, melt the 1/3 cup of butter and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until browned and nutty smelling.  Pour into a medium mixing bowl and allow it to cool to room temperature

In the meantime, heat the oven to 350.  Grease and lightly flour a 12 cup muffin tin.

Add the sugar and egg to the cooled butter and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 6 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, spices and zest.  Add the dry ingredients in increments to the butter-sugar mixture, alternating with the milk and beating until fully combined after each addition.

Divide the batter evenly into the muffin cups.  Bake until golden grown about 20-25 minutes

While the puffs are baking, put the melted butter into a shallow bowl and combine the sugar and cinnamon in another one.  When the puffs are finished baking, use a knife to take them out of the muffin tin.

One by one dip each I the melted butter, covering the entire surface and then roll in the cinnamon sugar.  Transfer to a festive platter and serve warm.

Photo Credit: Cinnamon Breakfast Puffs, Creative Commons, the return of the egg puffs! by Jessica Wilson is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0