Maggie keeps watch as we spruce.
A few weeks ago, I brought a few books and leftovers from Charlie Bird up to the farm in Connecticut. The weather was indecisive, as was I regarding recipes and cooking. We spent some time outside, sprucing a bit if, if the sun allowed. I spent a great deal of time in the kitchen, as it is one of the main reasons I like to visit the farm. What a treat to cook in a large, light space with endless counter space and a powerful new oven, as opposed to trying to keep all my ingredients within a 12-inch radius in a cramped New York apartment. I relished my hours nella cucina with the fresh herbs and greens that I brought up from my favorite farmers at the Union Square Greenmarket, and everyone did a lot of eating. We kept it healthy though, as you will see from the collection of very ‘salad-y’ photos below. I was, however, convinced to throw one chicken meal in the mix. A mostarda from The Girl and the Fig removed a fair amount of legwork on that one, so that I could focus on the rainbow quinoa with orange, beets, and chickpeas, and other small items. I think it is safe to say that winter is firmly behind us, and the next farm visit will be bursting with actual spring dishes.
The boss.
The figs weren’t quite ripe yet but I love them too much to wait. Carrots, tomatoes, pomegranate seeds, basil, dill, arugula, and swiss chard.
We put a can of The Girl and the Fig ‘Nana Mae’s Gravenstein apple, raisin, and fig mostarda to work on a whole chicken. Makes life a bit simpler. The mostarda adds essences of seeds, rosemary, and spices. We had every intention of baking apple chunks to serve alongside, but whoops, we forgot.
Toasted olive bread, rubbed with garlic and topped with fresh chopped parsley and blistered yellow tomatoes.
A little bit of everything.
A colorful salad bowl with herbs, raw pepper, tomatoes, and figs.
Reading Michael Ruhlman’s article about plant based diets and savoring leftover farro salad from Charlie Bird. The squash in the farro salad dates this photo.
Snack: orange rounds, pomegranate seeds, strawberries, and radish.
Just a few too many ingredients in this arugula and chard salad, including but not limited to strawberries, orange, pomegranate, cucumber, bell pepper, radish, parmigiano, avocado, smoked salmon (not yet added), and leftover Tuscan beans from Charlie bird.
There is the aforementioned smoked salmon. Apparently I didn’t have quite enough on the plate without it.
Rainy night lox and eggs and baguette.
Happy in the kitchen.
Categories: Dinner, Farmstand Meal
Annalee in Italy 
