On Wednesday we typically work in the garden weeding, seeding, planting, harvesting peppers and lettuce, transplanting or picking fruit.  This week was particularly exciting because our beets grew enough so that we could thin and move them so that they can grow even more into big yummy beets in the soil.

We also were finally able to plant starts for Venezia and Oak Leaf lettuce that we had seeded about a month ago.  Lots of lettuce to come.

Aesthetically, they aren’t beautiful but they look very professional and they serve an incredibly important purpose in the health of our lettuce and starters.  I’m talking about he tarps.  And the best part about them, you can’t even see them from outside the garden because the hedge blocks them from view.  So who really cares?  We’ll all just have to learn to love them.  They come with the lettuce.

And, of course, Andrea showed us how to pick Quince like a boss.

Everything was pretty easy to make.  We used a little Cuisinart deep fryer for the cauliflower.  Just break a full head into pieces and toss them into light canola oil at around 400 degrees for about 8 minutes or until they turn golden brown.  For the baby artichokes, remove a few layers of the outer leaves and then steam them for about 12 minutes and then fry them in oil until they get crispy.  The other recipes were a bit more involved.

Baked Beets with Basil and Burrata

• 4 medium sized red beets, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• olive oil
• vinegar
• salt and pepper

Place the beets on a large baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.  Sprinkle generously with olive oil, vinegar, salt and fresh ground pepper.  Cover tightly with another sheet of aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Remove the top foil and bake for another 30-40 minutes, depending on how juicy or crispy you want them.  I like ‘em juicy so less time is better.

Mussels in a White Sauce

• 1 lb black mussels
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 cup cheap dry white wine
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 shallots, diced
• italian parsley, cleaned and torn

Soak the mussels in salt water for ten minutes and scrub them together to clean.  Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat.  Add the shallots and garlic and let them brown for about 4 minutes.  Add the white wine and let it reduce by about half (maybe 2 minutes)  Add the mussels and italian parsley, cover and cook on medium until the mussels open.  Remove from heat so you don’t over-cook the mussels.  Serve with bread to soak up the sauce.

Fried Zucchini Blossoms

• zucchini blossoms, cleaned with stamens removed
• 1 cup flower
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 egg, beaten
• pinch of salt
• olive oil
• anchovy
• mozzarella cheese, cut into strips

To make the batter, mix the flower and salt together and then add the water and egg and mix until the consistency is very thin.  Stuff the blossoms with a small half inch piece of anchovy and a chunk of cheese.  Heat about a quarter inch of oil in a pan.  Dip the blossoms and cover completely in the batter and place into hot oil.  Fry until light brown and crispy and then flip and repeat.  Dry on a paper towel.

Scott’s Tortilla Espanola recipe coming soon….