by Lauren Wilson

Stephanie’s Garbanzo Bean burgers looked delicious and offered a great variety of options to relay off of, but at this time of year I have one thing on my mind: ramps.

Yes, since blowing up on the food scene ramps have become one of the ubiquitous harbingers of spring for local eaters. And yes, many would yawn while proclaiming ramps are as hackneyed a culinary idea as, say, chocolate molten cakes, but I absolutely love them.  Their intense onion meets garlic flavor and the versatility of bulb plus leafy greens makes for endless cooking possibilities.

CLICK HERE for the full post and recipe.

It is that passionate love and insatiable hunger the ramp inspires that got it into so much trouble in the first place.  Ramps, or wild leeks as they are also known, began as a little-known forager’s delight.  A wild edible that was pulled up from the spring earth in dense woodlands, ramps soon gained popularity among the culinary cognoscenti giving rise to many festivals, making appearances in restaurants, and most recently being prized by the locavore movement.  And as the excited masses began munching on ramps, over harvesting became a serious problem.

Ramps are now protected in Quebec, where commercial harvesting is illegal and only a small amount (200g) of personal foraging is allowed outside of federal or provincial parks.  It is also a species of “special concern” for conservation in Maine and Rhode Island, and considered “commercially exploited” in Tennessee.

So if you plan on enjoying the wild leek this spring, it’s probably smart to ask the farmer or supplier about where the ramps are from and what harvesting methods were used. Or, if foraging yourself, never take more than 1/3 of what you see in the patch.  As the season for this fleeting spring ingredient draws to a close, you can easily substitute scallions or leeks in place of the ramp bulbs.  For greenery, spinach, mustards, arugula or any fresh green you fancy would work nicely.

Being the spoiled consumer that I am living in New York City, all I have to do is walk over to the co-op where I shop in Brooklyn to find sustainably harvested ramps and a full selection of other local and/or organic foods.  Since I had to whip up a quick brunch for out-of-town guests, I really didn’t have time to strap on the rubber boots and go out foraging.

But before heading out, a quick inventory of my food stores yielded some sliced whole wheat bread in the freezer, some eggs, some cheese (Pecorino) – all used in some capacity in Stephanie’s recipe.  These ingredients, plus the ramps, some mushrooms, goat cheese, milk and cream would make a nice little savory bread pudding.

The spinach and sunflower seeds Stephanie used cried salad to me.  With the addition of some sunflower greens, some mustard greens, cherry tomatoes and avocado we’d have a nice little side.   Some tarragon I already had would make the base for the dressing.  You could easily change up this side salad for your own garden greens or other local greens as they become available.

The recipe for the bread pudding yields about 8 portions.  You could cook them in individual ramekins, or a single large casserole dish.  The cooking time may vary depending on how you cook them.  The key to knowing the bread pudding is done is browned tops and a firm bounce-back texture when giving them a poke.

Happy spring eating!

Ramp Bread Pudding & Spinach Sunflower Salad

Bread Pudding:

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 40 mins

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 8 Servings

Ingredients

For the Bread Pudding

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ¾ cup milk (whole or 2%)
• 2.5 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
• 1 cup ramp bulbs, rough chop leaving large pieces
• 2 cups sliced ramp greens
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup grated pecorino cheese
• 2 oz soft goat cheese
• 2.5 cups cubed whole wheat bread (1/2 inch cubes, day old bread works best)
• salt & pepper to taste

For the Spinach Sunflower Salad (serves 4)

• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 cup sunflowers greens
• ½ cup mustard greens
• ½ avocado, cut into small chunks
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds
• ¾ extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 small shallot, quartered
• 2-3 sprigs tarragon
• salt & pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Prepare the custard: lightly beat eggs, then add the milk and cream.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour the custard into a spouted measuring cup. Set aside.
3. Separate the ramp bulbs from the leaves. Sauté sliced ramp bulbs in a mixture of butter and olive oil over medium-low heat until soft and translucent, without adding any color.  Add garlic and stir until fragrant. Remove from pan into a large mixing bowl.
4. Turn the heat to high, add a little more olive oil and when the pan is nice and hot add your mushrooms.  Sauté until nicely browned.  Season with salt and pepper, stir to combine, let cool slightly then remove from pan into the mixing bowl.
5. Add the ramp greens, cubed bread and pecorino to the large mixing bowl containing the sautéed ramps and mushrooms.  Toss well.  Season with salt & pepper.  Crumble the soft goat cheese into the bowl and toss gently.
6. Lightly butter or oil 8 ramekins (or one large baking dish if you prefer).  Add the dry ingredients to each ramekin until just overfull.
7. Pour the custard over the cups until about 4/5 full.  Gently press down any bread on the top so it is coated with the custard.
8. Put the ramekins onto a tray and bake for about 30-35 minutes, until the tops are nice and browned and the custard springs back when you press down the middle.  (Baking time will probably be longer if you do one large dish.)
9. Let cool 10 minutes before un-molding. Serve with a side salad.
10. For the salad:
    1. Make the dressing: in a food processor blend the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon, shallot, tarragon and salt & pepper.
    2. Toss with remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Garnish with some sunflower seeds.

    

Lauren Wilson is a jack-of-all-food-trades.  After eating up all the good bits of Toronto, Lauren followed a trail of crumbs to Brooklyn, where she is cooking, eating, writing, and teaching at Rustico Cooking happily.

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By Stephanie Tickner

Sandwich, MA - April vacation – a perfect time for the kids and me to visit my mother on Cape Cod and also to bring RecipeRelay to a place where I don’t really know the local and organic food landscape. I grew up on Cape Cod, but my love of cooking with quality food has grown over the 20 plus years I have lived in New Hampshire. Relaying from the place of my childhood would take some research.

On the 3-hour drive to my mother’s house in Sandwich, I pondered what to make. There were many things I could imagine relaying from in Valeria’s beautiful Nettle Goat Cheese Tart. Like Valeria, I wanted a dish that felt like spring such as this recipe for garbanzo bean Lemon Herb Sliders I had read earlier. Adding bright green herbs and baby spinach, and topping the burgers with spring greens seemed just right. I prefer baked veggie burgers so I relayed off Valeria’s baking method. I also wanted good cheese to top the burgers like she used on her tart. Finally, like Valeria, I even did a little foraging after my mother mentioned that somewhere in her back yard, among the invasive grape vines, there were some chives. It took some work to find them, but they were there. My mother said, “You can’t get much more local than that!”

CLICK HERE to get the full recipe!

The rest of the food gathering took a little more effort. Part of the problem was the time of year. The nearby Sandwich Farmers Market and the Waquoit Farmers Market were finishing out the winter season and did not yet have the fresh greens and herbs I was seeking. Searching online I discovered Windfall Market in Falmouth where I grew up. It is a small grocery store in the old A&P Market building by the harbor. There we found organic eggs from Cape Cod Organic Farm in Barnstable, and environmentally friendly tomatoes from Concord Nurseries just off the Cape in Rochester (when I called to ask what “environmentally friendly” meant, a helpful woman explained they garden organically but do not yet have the official certification). I also bought Portuguese rolls fresh from the store’s bakery. My stepfather was Portuguese, and summer cookouts were not complete without grilled linguica sausage on Portuguese rolls.

I didn’t see Cape Cod made cheese, but I was excited to find organic farmstead garlic cheddar from Neighborly Farms in Randolph Center, VT. Vermont is not exactly local to the Cape, but this organic cheese made with vegetable rennet was perfect for the vegetarians in our family!

I bought everything else at Stop & Shop supermarket in Sandwich. There were no local vegetables or herbs, but about half were organic. I also discovered another vegetable rennet Gouda cheese from Narragansett Creamery in nearby Providence, RI.

My 12 year old niece, Olivia, came to Sandwich the day I made the burgers. She loves to cook and take photos, and we had a great time working together, with my two children stopping in periodically to help. We learned it can be hard to cook in someone else’s kitchen – when you can’t find the food processor and the blender blends too well, you get “green monster” burgers!

Inspired by Allison Gooding’s Creamy Herb Garlic Sauce we made a yogurt based sauce to top the patties. We also made a side of what I call “Spanish Slaw”, a dish my host mother frequently made on my college semester abroad in Seville, Spain. It is the only coleslaw I like and seemed perfect to go with our spring meal.

Garbanzo Bean Burgers with Herb Garlic Sauce and Spanish Slaw

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 85 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 8 cloves of garlic, chopped and divided
• ¼ cup basil, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon fresh or dry dill leaves, chopped
• juice of 1 lemon, divided
• 2 cups green cabbage, chopped
• 2 cups purple cabbage, chopped
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• ¼ cup chives and/or green onions
• ¼ cup cilantro
• 1/2 cup fresh baby spinach
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds
• 1 egg
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• artisan cheese of choice, sliced
• selection of leafy spring greens
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• 6 burger rolls
• olive oil
• freshly ground sea salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. At least one hour before serving the meal, prepare the herb garlic sauce. In a small bowl mix together yogurt, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 clove chopped garlic, basil, dill, juice of ½ a lemon, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to blend.
2. Once the sauce is made, prepare the Spanish Slaw. In a large bowl stir together cabbages, vinegar, and a generous amount of freshly ground salt and pepper.  Set aside.
3. Pour ¼ cup olive oil into a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add six cloves chopped garlic. Stir constantly so the garlic does not burn. Remove pan from heat as soon as garlic is softened, trying not to let it get brown and crunchy, about 4-5 minutes.
4. Pour warm oil and garlic into cabbage bowl and mix well. Spanish Slaw tastes best at room temperature.
5. Next, make the garbanzo bean burgers. Add 1 clove garlic, chives and/or green onions, cilantro, and spinach to bowl of a food processor. Pulse until well chopped. Add the garbanzo beans and pulse briefly, leaving some chunks for texture.
6. Scrape mixture into a large bowl. Add sunflower seeds, egg, and juice of ½ a lemon and stir until well blended. Slowly stir in bread crumbs just until the mixture is not too sticky to be shaped into patties. You may not need the whole cup or you may need a bit more.
7. With your hands, shape six patties about the same size as the burger buns. Place patties on a cookie sheet lightly sprayed with olive oil. Then, lightly spray the tops of the patties with olive oil.
8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake the burgers for 15- 20 minutes, until the bottoms are browned. Carefully flip the burgers and bake for another 15 – 20 minutes until the other sides are browned.
9. Slice buns if necessary and toast in the oven or toaster.
10. Please toasted buns on plates then top with burgers, cheese, tomatoes slices, spring greens and a generous serving of herb garlic sauce. Add Spanish Slaw to each plate and serve!

Note: The garbanzo bean burgers they may be kept in the refrigerator for about a week, and they also freeze well. The herb garlic sauce keeps for about a week in the refrigerator. If you have leftover Spanish Slaw, it is best to bring it to room temperature and stir well before eating so that the olive oil returns to a liquid state.

Stephanie Tickner lives with her family and two dogs in rural Marlow, NH. She loves returning to Cape Cod where she grew up, spending time walking the rocky beaches, watching the harbor seals sun on the rocks, driving her old favorite routes along the water and eating delicious meals with her extended family.

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by Valeria Necchio

London, UK – There is a reason behind my continuous movings — from Bra to London via Venice – and silly though it might sound, the reason is cheese. Back in Bra last year, I was campaigning in defense of raw milk cheeses, here in London I am selling them from behind a cheese counter while chatting about them with customers and oh, yes, tasting them.

I couldn’t have been more happy when I saw that Sarah included Cremont, a goat cheese, in her recipe outline for Potato Leek Gratin. I knew I could relay off this ingredient pretty easily. Often times I take home from work samples of cheeses to try, and many times I end up using them in a dish. In addition, springtime is really the best season for most goat’s cheeses (yes, cheese is seasonal too!), and in the store we just started to have some pretty excellent ones. What a great coincidence!

CLICK HERE for the full post and recipe.

A few days ago, I took home a sample of Chabichou to taste before dinner. However, I forced myself to not eat it all and to include it in my recipe outline. Chabichou AOC  is a traditional French goat’s cheese (also called chèvre) made from whole goat’s milk and produced in the Poitou-Cherentes region. It can be eaten fresh, when the cheese is mild and milky, or affiné (aged), when it has developed a more complex and enhanced flavor profile. It is pretty versatile and it can be enjoyed raw as an appetizer or at the end of a meal, grilled, melted and in salads. What I had in my hands was an aged Chabichou, so I had to make sure that the rest of the ingredients weren’t too overpowering, but rather had a delicate and subtle flavor.

To me, seasonal eating is something that relates to a specific time and place, but also to memory. Springtime cooking, for instance, has always been synonymous with wild herbs and vegetables. As a kid growing up in the Italian countryside, I went gathering hop sprouts, wild asparagus, wild garlic, dandelion and nettle with my grandma or my uncle every year. Our spring table featured risotti, frittate, stir-fries or savory tarts made with these ingredients. I may have cultivated this ancient human instinct for gathering and foraging a bit too much, as I try to practice it even now that I live in London! As a matter of fact, during my daily walk around Wimbledon Park (which is where I live) I spotted some nettles growing between trees in the shade. I stopped immediately, memorized the exact position, and then ran away. The next day I went back with gloves, scissors and a bag, and gathered as much as I possibly could.

My recipe started to come together just then. I thought about going the traditional route and making a frittata with nettle and goat cheese, or maybe a good risotto. But after a second look at Sarah’s gratin, I thought I could relay off the baking technique, too. So, I made a savory tart instead. I wanted the crust to be rustic and to reflect the nature of the filling. No commercially available pastry dough has satisfied me in this respect. Don’t get me wrong, ready-to-use puff pastry or pie dough are great options for an impromptu, quick meal –they just lack that rustic, down-to-earth flavor that I often crave in a tart. So, I made a wholemeal and olive oil crust myself, which is surprisingly easy to make and requires only a few ingredients. I simply used what I had in my pantry: organic olive oil, organic whole wheat flour, salt and chives from my balcony. As for the filling, I wanted my nettle to be the protagonist. I simply added a couple of eggs (free range cotswold legbar from Clarence Court) and some Neal’s Yard Creamery organic crème fraiche (I am totally addicted to it) to bind all the ingredients together, and some sliced goat cheese on top for some flavor boost. Perfect –and inexpensive. Are you considering foraging, too? Good idea!

Nettle Goat Cheese Tart

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Yield: 4-8 servings

Ingredients

For the tart crust:

• 2 cups (8.8 oz) whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 1 Tablespoon chopped chives
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup very cold water

For the filling:

• 1/2 cup crème fraiche
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 1 Tablespoon chives
• 4 handfuls nettle
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
•  1/2 cup sliced or crumbled goat cheese (I used half of a Chabichou)

Cooking Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine flour with salt and chives. Add the oil and mix with a wooden spoon to incorporate, then add the water little by little and keep mixing with the spoon and then with your hands until the dough comes together. Shape into a ball, cover with clean film and store in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. In the meantime, rinse and drain the nettle.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and cook for a few minutes, until golden. Add the nettle, reduce the heat to low and cover with a lid. Mix with a wood spoon every now and then, until nettle is tender and cooked, about 4 minutes.
4. Remove the garlic clove and set aside.
5. Prepare the filling: in a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs with the crème fraiche. Add salt, pepper and chives to the egg mixture. Set aside.
6. Preheat the oven to 375° F.
7. Take the dough out of the fridge. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough using a rolling pin. Give it a round shape and roll it until it is about 3mm thick.
8. Grease a 10-inch tart pan with some olive oil or butter. Transfer the rolled dough into the pan and press to let the dough adhere to the edges and the corners. Remove any exceding dough.
9. Fill the shell with the cooked nettle, then pour the egg mixture evenly on the whole surface. Move the pan to spread around. Top with goat cheese slices or crumbles.
10. Fold the edges of the tart shell toward the center.
11. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the shell is crisp and the filling settled.
12. Remove and let cool 10-15 minutes before serving.

Valeria Necchio graduated from the University of Gastronomic Sciences with a master’s degree and immediately took off on a path connecting her interests of food, blogging and photography. Her passion for artisan cheese brought her to London, where she is currently living and working as a cheeseroom specialist for Whole Foods Market, surrounded by amazing cheeses from all over Europe. Her spare time is divided between the weekly market, the park, and the kitchen.

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By Sarah A. Maine

Sunnyside, NY-

Leeks.  I can’t resist them.  Ever since I took the plunge a couple of years ago and started experimenting with leeks I have become a firm believer in their wonderousness.  Sautéed leeks exude a nutty oniony-ness with a hint of citrus that makes almost anything better.  Maybe not ice cream, but even that might be possible.

When I saw leeks pop up in Allison Goodings’ Savoury Leek Pancakes I was thrilled, and I dared to hope that they would still be in play when my turn came a few weeks later.  You can imagine how happy I was then when I got Kara’s recipe outline for  Potato Leek Soup - the leek Relay was on!  All that remained was to figure out what to do.

CLICK HERE for the full post and recipe.

I got lucky again later that week, this time at work. A shipment of Cremont from Vermont Butter and Creamery arrived at the Saxelby warehouse in Red Hook a little worse for the journey.  Usually shaped into elegant discs, a flat of six had melded into a gooey pool.  A mixture of goats’ and cows’ milk, Cremont (or as my boss Anne re-christened this group: Cre-messy) are dreamy creamy with a gentle tang.  This puddle of cheese needed a new home, remembering my leeks I began to imagine a gratin.

I had heard talk of asparagus appearing at local markets, thinking that it would be a nice friend for my leeks, especially under a blanket of cheese, I went to find some but I came up empty.  I’m not sure if it has to do with my work schedule or the temperature roller coaster that has characterized this spring in the Northeast, but either they aren’t here yet, or I missed them, or they never came.  So you will see no asparagus in this dish – although I think it would be a good addition or substitution.

What I did find was potatoes, a lovely fingerling potato mix from Mountain Sweet Berry Farm would accompany leeks from Nolasco Farms.  Wanting to  keep the dish pretty simple I decided to use up some of my reserve of pinto beans from Cayuga Pure Organics (I used them in my Shepherd’s Pie last season too!). Leeks, cheese, potatoes, beans, a few bread crumbs, salt & pepper, done.

 Potato Leek Gratin

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 65 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

•  2 cups sliced leeks
• 3 cups fingerling potatoes
• 2 cups cooked pinto beans (or any beans you like)
• 1 cup cheese (in gooey, grated or crumbly form)
• 1/8 cup bread crumbs
• olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Rinse and quarter the potatoes (for faster cooking), place them in a baking dish, drizzle with a couple of Tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and roast for 30 minutes at 350 F.  Check them at the half way mark and stir them around with a spoon.
2. While the potatoes are roasting, slice and clean the leeks.
3. Heat a pan and add two Tablespoons of olive oil, add the leeks and sautée for about 7 minutes, until they are broken down a little and the white parts are becoming translucent.  Add the beans and cook on low for another five minutes or so.  Taste!  Add salt and pepper as needed.
4. Line the bottom of a pie dish with the leek and bean mixture.  When the potatoes are done roasting, layer them on top.
5. Next step – cheese!  Use a fork to spread dollops of cheese on to the potatoes.  I imagined I was making a kind of cheese cobbler.  The cheese is going to end up going where it wants to go so try to position it to spread evenly throughout the dish.  If you’re using a dry cheese, sprinkle liberally.  Add a dusting of breadcrumbs on top.
6. Broil on high for 3-5 minutes.  Keep an eye on it, you want to end up with a pleasingly golden brown topping, not a charred one.
7. Get out a big spoon and serve with a side of greens (maybe a Caesar Salad?).

By night Sarah A. Maine is a co-founder and editor of RecipeRelay, by day she is a cheesemonger at Saxelby Cheesemongers at the Essex Street Market in New York City.  She is surrounded by amazing food every day and thankful for it! 

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by Kara Rota

New York, NY – Alison’s Savoury Leek Pancakes with Spiced Fillet of Salmon were perfect for early Spring, appropriate for Passover or Easter meals and featured two of my favorite farmers’ market goodies this time of year: leeks and fresh eggs. I decided to carry both of those flavors over to my recipe this week: a rich, creamy soup made from potatoes, leeks and onions, and a baby romaine salad with Caesar dressing from scratch.

I’ve been on a Caesar kick lately and have experimented with a few variations, from a chunky, minimally mixed preparation with anchovy-rolled capers to a creamy, cheesy Caesar made in the blender, but the version included here is my favorite thus far. Potato leek soup is an excellent transitional meal this time of year: thick with potato, it’s comforting and hearty, but the fresh bite of the leeks, onions and thyme makes it light enough for Spring (and good to eat cold, too!)

CLICK HERE for the full post and recipe.

For soup inspiration, I began with Julia Child’s recipe for Potato and Leek or Onion Soup. I decided to go with both leek and onion and liked the sound of the fresh thyme in this Robert Irvine recipe. I headed to the 77th Street Greenmarket for potatoes and leeks from Gajeski Farm in Riverhead, Long Island. I had fresh thyme purchased at Fairway, from Rockhedge Herb Farms in the Hudson Valley, and my favorite butter from Kate’s Homemade in Maine. With the help of a sturdy food processor and a large stockpot, this soup is incredibly simple and rather quick to make, although I recommend refrigerating it, once cooked, for 12-24 hours and then reheating for maximum flavor.

Potato Leek Soup

Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 medium-large Russet or Yukon Gold Potatoes
• 1 large yellow or white onion
• 1 bunch leeks
• 2-3 Tablespoons butter
• 1 oz package fresh thyme
• salt & pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Fill a stockpot half full with water and boil.
2. Slice the potatoes, leeks and onions, add to the boiling water and cover.
3. After 15 minutes, add half of the fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Recover.
4. Cook for another ten minutes or until the leeks are bright green and the potatoes are soft.
5. In batches, process the cooked vegetables in a food processor, adding butter as you go. Add the rest of the fresh thyme, reserving a few springs to garnish bowls in serving.
6. Return the blended soup to the stockpot and simmer for 5-10 minutes, adjusting seasoning to taste.
7. Serve with crusty bread, croutons, or, for Passover, matzo.

As much as I adore good Caesar, I often find restaurant incarnations too bland and heavy-handed, lacking in the anchovy and garlic and overly enthusiastic with the Parmesan. This version is strong, but good, fresh lettuce stands up to it well. Think of this recipe as an outline, and experiment with quantities to suit your taste. I prefer it without Worcestershire sauce, which provided the anchovy-like flavor in the original version – I find the addition of both ingredients to be overkill. I bought the eggs at the farmers’ market, from Knoll Krest Farm in Clinton Corners, NY. The anchovies were Cento, headquartered in West Deptford, NJ, and the lettuce was purchased at the Westside Market, distributed by Uncle Vinny’s of the Bronx. I’m still struggling with brands that are distributed/packaged by a local company, but likely produced/grown elsewhere. Does it help that the packaging at least carries fewer food miles? Am I still better off supporting a local company than a national corporation? It’s tricky. I’m trying to grow some basil on my desk at work. Baby steps.

Caesar Salad

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 4-6 cups baby Romaine leaves, or 2 heads Romaine, chopped, torn or shredded
• 2 eggs
• 1 2-oz can anchovies, flat fillets or rolled with capers
• 1 lemon
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• salt & pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Mince the garlic finely and combine it in a bowl or jar with the olive oil and the juice of 1 lemon.
2. Drain the oil from the can of anchovies. Chop the anchovies finely and whisk them into the mixture.
3. Wash the eggs first. Boil water in a saucepan and add 2 eggs. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Spoon the yolk from the eggs and add it to the mixture – discard the whites. Whisk briefly.
4. Whisk in the grated Parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Toss with the shredded or chopped lettuce and serve, topped with grated Parmesan and black pepper.

Variation: Pulse the dressing in the blender for about 15 seconds with additional Parmesan for creamy Caesar.

Kara is a professional food enthusiast at Cookstr, a freelance food writer, and a sporadic livetweeter @karalearota. She lives on Manhattan’s Upper West Side with her boyfriend and their cat, Mel.

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