In early spring, when the first hints of green started poking through the soil, I was getting itchy fingers. I looked into community gardens and was excited to discover one hidden just a block away! The first harvest happened even before I started planting: while weeding my plot, I discovered it was full of delicious arugula and chives and cooked up an outstanding pasta with blue cheese. The plot also has a peach tree and mint, cilantro and oregano plants.

Garden progress: from weeding to planting

We got a head start thanks to the Southside Community Land Trust’s annual plant sale. If you live in the area and haven’t been, put it on your calendar for next year. It’s a great organization and they have some unusual and exciting plants. I picked up four varieties of tomato (red pear, sun gold, pink brandwine, and prudence purple – which really are purple), some herbs (sacred basil, purple opal basil, tarragon and epazote), alpine strawberries, and sweet peas.

A trip to the library was also fruitful. I’ve been reading Cultivating the Cook’s Garden by Theodore James, Jr. and Modern Vegetable Gardening by Christopher Bird. The former focuses on growing and cooking specific plants, with good advice about varieties. The author has a real enthusiasm for both gardening and eating, so it’s a fun read. The latter book is great for general gardening information and lots time- and money-saving tips.

I’m not an expert gardener: my experience consists of container gardening in apartments and helping my mother in the garden as a child. Jeremy hasn’t gardened a lot either, but garnered some great intuition while growing up in the midst of farmland. I’m sure we’ll make mistakes here and there, but hopefully we’ll end up with something delicious and fresh on the dinner table.

No food photo, but check out this asparagus napkin I silkscreened at AS220’s print shop yesterday!

Sometimes I gravitate towards recipes with multiple diced vegetables – I read them slowly, thinking of how therapeutic all that chopping will be (I suspect that visions of the beach do this for most people, but I’ll take what I can get). Last night I was reading Ruth Reichl’s Garlic and Sapphires, and when I got to the Risotto Primavera recipe, I knew it was the perfect fate for my Monday night and the extra bunch of farmers’ market asparagus I’d been saving.

While it doesn’t take that long to prepare, it’s the perfect evening “cooking retreat” – an excuse to turn off the phone, the TV and the computer, and immerse yourself in the acts of chopping vegetables and stirring risotto.

Now for the recipe…

Ruth Reichl included this recipe in her book Garlic and Sapphires (which I’m in the middle of, and loving her writing style). I made up for my lack of zucchini by using a bit more of the other vegetables. I also wasn’t ready to give up that much of my precious saffron stash, but 1/4 teaspoon made for plenty of flavor.

Risotto Primavera
½ pound asparagus
5-6 cups homemade chicken stock
½ teaspoon saffron strands, crumbled
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, diced
1 smallish carrot, diced
2 small zucchini, diced
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups Arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup thawed frozen peas
½ cup Parmigiano cheese, plus extra for the table
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut off the tips of the asparagus and set them aside. Dice the top half of the stalks (discard the rest), and set the diced asparagus aside.
Bring the stock to a steady simmer in a saucepan. Remove ¼ cup of the stock. Add saffron and set aside.
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter with the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the onion and cook for about 6 minutes, until its golden.
Add the carrot and cook for 5 minutes more. Add the zucchini, diced asparagus, and ½ teaspoon salt, and cook for about 5 minutes more.
Add the rice and stir until it is coated with the oil. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until it has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Now slowly add enough simmering stock to cover the rice, and cook, stirring, until it has evaporated. Keep adding, stirring, and evaporating for about 20 minutes, until the rice is soft on the outside and still has a bit of a bite at the center. Add a few more spoonfuls of stock, remove the pan from the heat, and add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the cheese. Taste for salt and pepper, and serve with extra cheese for people to add to their own taste.

In the process of moving, I lost my internet connection for a couple of weeks. On top of that, my laptop is still in the shop, so going online isn’t very convenient. In these tough times (maybe I’m being a bit dramatic) I’ve called upon an old friend – The Joy of Cooking.

The Joy of Cooking has always been my go-to cookbook. I would take it with me to the proverbial deserted island: if nothing else, its directions for prepping raccoons and possums might come in handy. In more mundane situations, the recipes are relatively simple and often are accompanied by tidbits of wit and wisdom.

Cinnamon Buns and Pizza Dough from the Joy of Cooking

Last week, unable to access my favorite bookmarked pizza recipe, I used its recipe for pizza dough on page 610 and it was perfect.

This week, I baked cinnamon buns based on their recipe for Cinnamon Snails (p. 614), leaving in the cardamom because it’s one of my favorite flavors. The recipe for Chicken Marengo seemed like the perfect way to use some of the chicken leg quarters in the freezer, especially after I was seduced by the description of how Napoleon had it prepared after his battles. To soak up its delicious wine and brandy-flavored broth, I whipped up a batch of Cheese Muffins (p. 631) in minutes and simply baked them in the oven with the chicken.

The Joy of Cooking was first published by Irma Rombauer as a way to support her family after her husband’s suicide during the depression. At the time, many families were struggling with very little, and the recipes and techniques in the book were both practical and economical.

I recommend the 1975 version (or earlier), which can often be found at used book stores. The 1997 version lacks many of the classic recipes. The latest 75th anniversary edition returns to the book’s original spirit, but I still prefer the older copies.