Month: June 2014

 

Staycation is one of my favorite words and activities.

After our last vacation in a big city, I was curious.  Are these cities really that rad?  Or, are we just in vacation la-la land, only seeing the positives in our surroundings?  After all, it’s pretty easy to have a good time when you have no responsibilities.  Knowing that, we started to wonder if we’d have as good as a time in downtown San Diego as we have in other big famous cities.  We just have to treat it as such.

So, we’ll see…we haven’t made the plans yet, but we will.  And while my wife and I are hemming and hawing over when we can afford to release the shackles of parenthood for a weekend; I cooked for a couple that did just that. With the kiddos in the rear view, this lovely Spring Valley couple decided on a staycation in La Jolla for a weekend.  I was brought in to cook for them on their first night there.  We all had a great time with the dinner, and they were cool enough to send me some pics of the food.

 

This party was yet another example of my minimalist needs. The kitchen was small, with an electric stove and not much else. I’ve been to amazing kitchens, hilariously tiny and several times, just gross. While this kitchen was clean, it had very little counter space. The couple’s dinner table was right next to me, which offered us easy access for good banter.

The nut’s ‘n bolts of this spring were nut’s ‘n beans.

This Spring I had a good time with green almonds and fava beans.  Favas were a revelation. I finally started grilling them whole and eating the entire pod.  Great food can be so staggeringly simple that it makes you question your own mental capacities.  I mean really!?  I never oiled that friggin’ thing up and threw it on the grill? Seriously though…treat a fava bean like asparagus on the grill and you’ll have a nice appetizer or side dish.  The younger and fresher the bean the better, and don’t eat the fibrous string.

 

Fresh almond

I had plans of a macadamia tree in my front yard. Had being the key word here.  Almonds are now the new plan, as they can be eaten in 2 or 3 stages. Before the nuts mature and dry, there is an early green stage. The shell and young nut can be pleasingly consumed.  The soft, fuzzy, soon to be hard shell is very tender in this early stage. For this stage, the earlier and fresher the better.  The almond itself in this stage is crazy, as it’s delicate and white with virtually no flavor. It has a thin tender skin with insides like a delicate grape.  I like to slice the whole thing or or bite into ’em when they are really fresh. You can also peel off the fuzzy shell and eat the “grape”.  

Almond grape is actually a great description.  They provide wonderful shape and interest to all things delicate and garnishy.  I’ve used them in a multitude of mélanges. I do whatever I can to keep the shape, texture and color intact. To the left they are seen sitting in cold water. Just waiting to be thrown into a topping for chunky salsa verde. Obtained easily in late spring from your local Mediterranean market.