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 

My Annual European Expedition

This year I did something different, not only did my wife Suzi accompany me but my daughter Daisy and her husband, Greg, came along for the first two weeks. As I get closer to looking for some sort of exit strategy I’ve been thinking of why not blending our business with theirs. For years the English have expanded their garden centers from being just plants, pots, soils and amenities into restaurants, outdoor sporting goods like fishing tackle, wine bars and other miscellaneous shopping. So, off we went (Daisy has experienced traveling and buying with me for years), to show them a firsthand experience of what it’s like to GO AND SEE.

In many ways food and drink is different in Europe than the USA but they are not always ahead of us. Sometimes, for example with beer and coffee, it’s our opinion they are way behind. Greg made this very clear to us as we tracked down cutting edge coffee providers in the major cities we visited. As he explained “third tier” coffee and how it is different from the typical, Starbucks type coffee. I was amazed at the differences.  Should Eye of the Day add a coffee machine?  What about a cafe?

From world class tapas in San Sebastián to crepes in Montparnasse or simple but classic Tortellini en Brodo from Bologna, what would the impact be on EOD’s future?  So many questions, so many calories so we walked and walked and looked and as you may already know, Eye of the Day is about authenticity, quality and real personal service.  How would this type of expansion affect us?  How would we approach such an idea? A lot of questions coupled with a lot of ideas.

Milan to Bolzano to Bologna

The number of food oriented businesses in Italian cities is extraordinary like most large cities.  Density equals bars, coffee shops, take-out, pizza, burgers everywhere in Europe and restaurant on restaurant. The key to being different beyond the norm is the atmosphere and the that have exterior space as comfortable as the inside have a much better chance to succeed, just look at your typical Paris bistro with its tables on the Rue. Sausage and beers in big steins in Bolzano on a large open piazza covered with a tent let in the sunshine but the environment could have been so much more. Throughout Italy it looked as though most restaurants had nowhere to go when it warms up in the Spring.

I hope that someday soon our goals come together and we can blend our passions into one exciting, vibrant and delicious venue. Eye of the Day, Garden Design Center with the Eye of the Day Cafe.  Stay tuned…

Photo Credits:

Creative Commons, French quarter patio dining by Janice Waltzer is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Creative Commons, Une pizzeria rustique by Stephane Mignon 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!

From Your Edible Garden: Go From Terracotta Bowl to Salad Bowl

A few edible green things you could EASILY plant in your edible garden container are KALE and CILANTRO.  Oh, I know…kale, kale, kale…maybe you think you’ve heard enough about kale to last until the end of your days.  I’m with you.  But when I tasted this at the home of some great friends, I thought I could EAT this until the end of my days.

Salad Recipe:

1. Pick a bunch of young, black kale (lacinato kale, Tuscan kale, dinosaur kale) from the beautiful Italian terra cotta bowl you so carefully planted. Alternatively, purchase a bunch at your farmers’ market.
2. Do the same with a bunch of cilantro. Stem both kale and cilantro and mix together in a large bowl.
3. Douse it with the best tasting olive oil you know. Squeeze a lemon on it.  Scatter salt and pepper then toss it all together.  Taste it and add more lemon juice if it needs more sparkle.
4. It’s so perfect just the way it is, but thin shards of Parmigiano Reggiano only make you want to have a never ending supply of kale and cilantro for this salad.

Photo Credit: Kale Salad, Creative Commons, PA113178 by Joy is licensed under C.C. 2.0