FIG SALAD WITH WATERCRESS + BACON

For years, Abby has been telling me tales about a delicious fig salad she makes. Thanks to the hot and sunny weather we had through the month of October, our fig tree has been pumping out tons of juicy fruit. I get giddy when I can step out of my kitchen door to pick food for supper. Yippee!

This salad has that dreamy combination of sweet, salty, creamy, and peppery flavors.... a party in each bite. And there is a lot of room for playful substitutions here. You could try arugula or frisee instead of watercress. Blue cheese could stand in for the chevre, or you can skip the cheese all together. I also think roasted hazelnuts would be tasty. And Abs says that pomegranate seeds are a nice addition as well... yum!

INGREDIENTS

(printable recipe)

• 4 fresh figs
• 4 slices of bacon or pancetta
• 1 bunch watercress
• 2 tablespoons chevre
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 8 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• optional: toasted hazelnuts, pomegranate seeds 

Wash and thoroughly dry watercress. Scatter leaves, with some stems left on, over 4 salad plates.

Slice figs and nestle them into the watercress.

Crumble chevre over each plate.

Cook bacon until crispy. (I suggest cooking the bacon at the last minute so that it's warm going into the salad. It really makes a difference.)

While bacon is cooking, take a jar (that has a lid), pour in balsamic and salt. Give them a stir to blend a bit. Add the olive oil. Put lid on jar, and shake it like crazy. My kids love to do this part. Take off lid and you've got emulsified dressing ready to go.

Crumble warm bacon onto the salad. Lightly dress each plate with a spoonful or two of dressing. (You will have dressing left over to stick in the fridge for your next salad....never a bad thing.)

Eat and enjoy!

serves 4

WHAT ELSE IS COOKING?

• Stephanie's decadent Peanut Butter Topping
• Jamie's Watercress soup
• Phyllis' fig tart
• Julia's video... How to Cut a Quince

QUINOA SALAD WITH FAVAS AND PRESERVED LEMON

I am always looking for new ways to enjoy quinoa and I suspect this recipe will become a staple for us when favas are in season. If you don’t have access to favas, I think steamed, chopped asparagus or even spinach, would be a delicious substitute in this dish. Plus here's another use for those preserved lemons you might have made with me a while back.

Eating favas in the middle of California winter, I feel like a traitor to my friends at home. Here in New Zealand it is early Summer and favas ( aka “broad beans” ) are ready for harvest and impossible for me to resist. I stumbled on this recipe in Australia’s Gourmet Traveller (my new favorite food mag) and loved the mix of flavors. I ended up making a lot of changes to the original recipe until I was satisfied with the balance of fresh, creamy, lemony, flavors I craved. I served the salad to P and my mom - when they oohed and aahed, I figured I needed to share the recipe with you.

This salad can be a one-bowl-meal in itself or works as a substantial side dish for grilled fish or chicken.

Braised Lamb Shanks

When I cook, I rarely follow a recipe to the word. Usually I start with a great ingredient or two, then an idea for a meal emerges. Next I consult a few of my favorite cookbooks and off I go - adding an ingredient here, using a different technique there. Not so with this recipe from the Alice Waters' Art of Simple Food. I have made her lamb shanks numerous times and am never temped to stray; I cannot help but follow her words as they lead to such a delicious end.

Eating lamb is something we don't often do, and this recipe is a celebration of just how succulent a treat it is. I've also cooked a goat shank this way and it was just as good.


Ingredients

• 4 lamb shanks
• salt
• pepper
• olive oil
• 2 onions
• 2 carrots
• 1 head garlic
• 1 dried chili pepper
• 4 black peppercorns
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 1 bay leaf
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 2 cups chicken broth
• zest from one lemon
• chopped parsley
• garlic clove minced
  

If possible, salt and pepper your shanks the night before. Place braising pan (I use my cast iron Le Creuset pot for everything) on stove top over med-high heat. Pour in enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Brown shanks on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.

Peel carrots and onions and chop into large chunks. Cut whole head of garlic in half. Place carrots, onions, garlic, rosemary, bay, dried chili pepper, and peppercorns in the pan where the shanks were browned. Cook for a few minutes over medium heat until veggies begin to soften.


Add wine and tomatoes to pot. Cook vigorously until wine is reduced by half. Place shanks back in the bottom of the pot, nestled in amongst the veggies. Add enough chicken stock so that liquid reaches half way up the shanks. Bring to a boil then turn heat down to low. Cover and simmer for 2 and a half to 3 hours. When meat is falling off the bone, remove shanks. Run sauce through a food mill, or puree in a blender and then strain. (I once pureed, but forgot to strain, and ended up bits of garlic husk the sauce.) Done right, the sauce is rich and thick with a nice hot kick from the chili pepper.

Reheat sauce and shanks. Prepare gremolata (a mix of chopped parsley, lemon zest and minced garlic) to sprinkle over the top of each plated shank. I like to serve the lamb over a bed of creamy polenta, or along side some warm crusty bread. You need something to soak up the scrumptious sauce.

4 generous servings

Grilled Leg of Goat

My mom called to say she was buying a goat leg for Saturday supper. In West Marin, goats graze on grassy hills and breathe the fresh ocean air. That is my kind of meat.

This succulent goat served as a centerpiece in an epic meal with Braised Baby Artichokes, Lemon Cucumber Tzatziki, a simple green salad, Thackrey's local red wine, and Pear Galette with Almonds for dessert. We sat out in mom's garden and feasted, then went to the beach so the kids could play in the waves. It was a perfect afternoon.


Ingredients

Leg of Goat (or Lamb) 3-4 pounds, butterflied
1/2 cup olive oil
juice of 1 1/2 Meyer Lemon
2 big cloves garlic, chopped
fresh oregano, 3 sprigs
fresh rosemary, 2-3 sprigs
salt and pepper

Marinate goat overnight.

Bring meat to room temp, while heating up the grill. When grill is really hot, turn outside burners to medium, and turn off middle burner completely. Sear meat for 2 1/2 minutes per side. Cook goat over indirect heat for 30 minutes. Flip and cook 10 more minutes. Flip once more and cook 10 minutes. Take the goat off the grill when it gets to 135-140 degrees for medium-rare meat. Let rest for 15 minutes. Carve. Eat.

Serves 8