Green garlic sauteing in my new pan...
I finally did it! I bought a new pan! And not just any pan, but an All-Clad nonstick French skillet! Which just happens to be the PERFECT pan for French-style omelets. So I attempted them again this weekend and they worked PERFECTLY.
Last week I attempted to make fried eggs with my one remaining frying pan (the one that used to be nonstick about a thousand years ago and is now all scratched up and ugly), and it was a total failure. You must understand, fried eggs are something I do well. My mom taught how to make them when I was super young, and while it did take a few dozen tries for me to master them, they've basically become second nature. So to FAIL....well that was just totally depressing. But my pan simply wouldn't cooperate - no matter how much butter I used! It just so happened that I had some birthday/Christmas money I hadn't used up yet, and I finally realized how I should spend it. PANS! Expensive ones that I would otherwise feel a little guilty buying. I still have some money leftover and already have my eye on a larger, no-non-stick classic saute pan...but that will have to wait. In the meantime, I can now make perfect french-style omelets. I made this version with cilantro, sauteed green garlic and a tiny bit of Vermont cheddar. We ate them on our porch in the sun with our favorite toast and half of the sweetest grapefruit ever for dessert.
French-style omelet recipe can be found here.
On another note, if you haven't noticed, IT'S SPRING! It's not official until Saturday, of course, but finding green garlic in my Farm Fresh To You box is proof enough for me. Green garlic is just that: garlic that has been plucked out of the ground while it's still 'green,' and before it's had time to bulb out. It's milder than mature garlic, with flavor somewhere between a leek and a green onion. In the past week I've used it in curry, pasta, and anywhere else that I would have used real garlic or green onions.
I recommend trying it, but green garlic is nowhere near the most exciting part of Spring. Because Spring means, among other things, ASPARAGUS. Last week my veggie box included a beautiful bundle of asparagus. I boiled the spears for 3 minutes until just tender, tossed them with some pasta and other veggies, and topped with a poached egg and fresh parmesan. (A dish worthy of a photo, for sure, but composed too erratically to merit a recipe post) I'll save my full asparagus post for another day...but just so you know, asparagus is really awesome and fascinating and I can't wait to tell you more about it!
pasta with asparagus, red cabbage and a poached egg
I'm totally ready for spring. I went to Stinson Beach this weekend (to help with Beth & Tom's engagement photo shoot!) and the weather was gorgeous...it's amazing how exhilarating it is to have warm evenings (where the sun takes it's sweet time setting) again after a long winter season. I also bought some young herb, green onion & pea plants for my garden. My parsley and sage from last season are still - amazingly - going strong and I can't wait to plant tomatoes!!! There is simply nothing more satisfying than knowing where your food comes from, and eating seasonally lets me build up excitement/cravings for food that's technically not available year round. Get ready for lots of spring recipes...because they're a-coming!
**Happy Eating**
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