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just got back from a week vacation in tuscany (way too short!) and am looking to recreate a pasta dish that i had in florence. the pasta was a basic bow-tie, but the sauce was a spring-pea puree deal and it was OUTSTANDING! not particularly creamy or rich, but light and spring-y and delightful. anyone have any ideas? i tried just pureeing fresh peas and adding stock, but i'm definitely missing something. anyone? thanks!!

Fiddleheads are out in my local market in Mtl.! yay. On the first tasting I just steamed them, added a tiny bit of butter and ate with rice. plain, plain, plain (wanted to get the full taste). They were good.
Next I'll try them in an omelette, with cheese as someone here had suggested a while back!

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/farfalle-with-morels-and-fresh-pea-sauce
http://www.vegetarianepicure.com/newrecipes/may01.html

meg - sounds seriously good.
i did a quick google and found two interesting approaches to the pea-puree for pasta...

i think a wee-bit of cream/butter will have to be necessary.

Meg,

Try cheese. a mixture of parmigiano and pecorino might be nice... but the flavor might be overpowering as well... what about a light, soft cheese (mascarpone) or some light whipping cream?

never had pea puree in pasta, but it sounds great.

good luck!

I had fresh cranberry beans for dinner last night - simmered for half an hour with garlic, sage, and red pepper flakes, and covered with fresh parmesan at the end.

Some friends just had a new baby - actually, they adopted a newborn, which has been a long process for them, and they are so happy and relieved to finally have their new little one! We are very happy for them, and we're throwing a big open house party on Sunday. It's going to be pretty informal, with lots of kids around.

I'm making some of the treats, and here is what I am planning on: a trio of tartlets (new silicone tartlet pans - on sale at Crate & Barrel! Whoopee!) - lemon meringue, lime curd with cardamom meringue, and grapefruit curd with whipped cream. Also, a whole bunch of sugar cookie sandwiches, for the kids, with jam or chocolate inside. And fresh popcorn - I was thinking of making several different flavors - parmesan, curry, and maybe peanut butter.

All that to say - anyone have a surefire sugar cookie recipe? One that tastes good - maybe a little chewy - and cuts out nicely? I'm going to be making these in serious bulk - I don't want an untested recipe.

Hi all - I have a huge, perfectly fresh bunch of sugar snap peas awaiting me in the refrigerator. I'd like to do something fun with them as a side to a simple lemon chicken dish tomorrow night. Does anyone have any good sugar snap peas recipes? Thanks in advance!

has anyone ever tried making a risotto with brown rice? i have some brown short-grained rice that might be starchy enough...if anyone has any hints/ideas, they'd be much appreciated! thanks.

Hello,

So I'm sitting at home with the windows open, enjoying the smells of neighboring barbecues. I love the summertime and being able to barbecue hamburgers, chicken, and kabobs. Problem is...I don't have any outdoor space and broiling just isn't cutting it.

Can anyone recommend one of those electric indoor grills? I'm thinking of something like the George Foreman grill they are always using in grocery stores for demos, etc. Should I get a George Foreman grill? I had one many years ago and it was a nightmare to clean so I was wondering if anyone here can recommend a product like that where I can get something close to the BBQ flavor I am craving. Thanks so much!

Christina

I bought asparagus last night & have been craving orzo salad, so this looks good to me for later:
http://www.canadianhomeandcountry.com/recipes/viewrecipe.php?id=144
love capers!
I also bought feta for a recipe but now I can't remember which one I meant to try! (Am I the only one this happens to?) Any ideas what I can make with it?

leeds,

one of my favorite salads uses feta. it's from jamie oliver. baby spinach, fresh peas (i use frozen peas usually, not cooked just defrosted) and feta. make a lemon/olive oil dressing and toss well.

i'm thinking of finally trying this salad with fresh peas since they are finally at the market now.

Christina - I'm not sure you can truly reproduce the flavors of grilling on an indoor electric grill BUT, I would highly recommend the Cuisinart Griddler for an indoor electric grill surface (with easy to clean removable plates) that doubles as a panini press and griddle.

Leeds - I just made a nice, impromptu whole wheat pasta salad with feta (mediterranean herb flavored), fresh parsley, scallion, and a good pour of olive oil to accompany some grilled pork chops (tossed the roasted veg into the pasta salad after the first night). Easy, and has held well as leftover lunch the last two days!

Now, to get to my question - I'm planning an outdoor birthday celebration dinner in my backyard. I'm stealing an idea from this month's Domino (the recipe testing pot luck) and sending out this month's Bon Appetit to each guest with a request that they each make one dish from the magazine. Anyone tried out any of the Caribbean recipes yet? Any suggestions? Since I am hosting, I would prefer a make-ahead dish.

Thanks!

k, thanks, sounds good! I have a Jamie Oliver cookbook at home, will check it as well for inspiration, and I have never worked from it.

minipanda, what a great idea for a dinner! I would make a Caribbean punch. (now I'll have to get the Bon Appetit) Thanks for the pasta salad idea.

And, yet another question:

A co-worker just posed an interesting question, she's having a family celebration on Sat.(15 relatives total) in honour of her son's 18th birthday as well as her brother's 50th birthday. She's wondering how to ice/decorate the(rectangular,2-layer)cake she will serve that will incorporate symbols etc of both birthdays.
(she thought of maybe drawing a character going up a hill & one on top of it...)
Anyone with some creative ideas on this one?

thanks jenPDX and paul -- a little butter and a little cheese definitely did the trick! i kept it pretty light and cut back on the stock, which made it a little too thick, but i didn't want to drown out the pea flavor. thanks!!

minipanda--thanks so much for the suggestion, it looks great! i know that nothing quite matches the taste from a bbq but something like this might be just perfect until i have a place with outdoor space!

k,

The Jamie Oliver salad you describe is one of my favorites also. I often use a creamy goat cheese instead of feta.

em, isn't that salad the best? it could not be any easier (no chopping!) and it tastes so good.
i usually use jamie oliver's cookbooks just for ideas, but this is one of the only recipes that i actually follow to a T.

meg, where in florence did you have the pea puree pasta? i live in florence (most of the time) and am always looking for new restaurants here.

I'm looking for some ideas--Last year I planted two sage plants (one wound up bouncing back after being eaten by someone (Parker, you dirty little girl cat, I'm looking at you!)) both of which have made it through the winter and gone nuts in our spring warmth. Any ideas on ways to use it up? Or should I just post Free Sage on freecycle?

I have a wildly growing sage plant right now too, and also have been puzzled on how to use it. Usually I only use a leaf or two in stews, soups, etc.

But then I started frying the leaves - saw this somewhere on Epicurious (search for fried sage) and they are totally delicious with a litte salt.

Just heat a quarter inch of olive oil in a small frying pan until it's almost smoking, then drop the leaves in a few at a time for about 2 seconds. Great with pasta, too.

Oh, faith I do that too. But the oil, the butter....all I can say is that sage leaves fried in butter + fresh sweet corn = heavenly.

You can use sage in biscuits with pancetta or bacon. You can use sage in bread stuffing for fowl. Or, this Potato & Turnip Gratin which I really like and recommend:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/233405

The Jamie Oliver cookbook I have does not have the spinach/pea/feta salad recipe; on his site I found this one, a chickepea/feta salad, seems nice too: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/2005/05/20/summer_chickpea_.php

k, em or anyone:
What I'd like to know is: if using fresh peas for this salad, do you cook them first or leave them raw? Thanks!