Mariquita Farms Mystery Box!

I just picked up my first Mystery Box--$25 for all this, which I slung over my shoulder and lugged home from Incanto, a few blocks down the street from home... thank you, Julia and Andy! What should I make for dinner?? Feeling like a giant, herbed-vinaigrette salad with roasted garlic bread crumbs, but pasta with wilted chicory could do the trick, too...

Seduction on the Stove

Here's what smells so damn good in the kitchen right now. It's the beginnings of sugo, or my great-grandmother's Abruzzese tomato sauce, which starts, as shown, with finely chopped salt pork and a bit of garlic browning in a pool of olive oil before beef and pork ribs get browned... before chopped onions, celery, bell pepper, parsley, celery leaf, basil all get mixed in and around.

The tomatoes come soon, but this part smells the most heavenly...

Holy Man, Holy Mother!!!!!

GUESS WHAT?!

I WON!

Saveur sent me a note today saying my recipe for my Parsley Pesto Pasta was a "huge, huge hit" with the editors, and they are going to post it today! Which means, dearest reader you, that you might just be here, reading this, thanks to them and that! My biggest squeeze of gratitude.

I will tell you that my blog is not full of professional, pretty photos, or many smart posts. This is my humble space for sharing what I love, which is being in my home kitchen and surrounded by good ingredients and friends and almost always a glass of wine. Thank you for visiting!

Radish Salad and Pea Soup with Chevre

I never got any presents like a giant bag of just-picked radishes from my neighbors at 223 Manhattan Ave. But I came home to that a few days ago in my new city!

This is part of the reason San Francisco is The Best. 

I am on a radish kick right now, so I felt pretty bowled over and ready to stuff my face with this recipe I've been ogling: http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/recipe-of-the-day-radish-salad/

I also felt the need to put the kibosh on a bag of frozen peas now that fresh ones are all up in my space, so I whizzed them together with homemade veggie stock, fresh mint and a healthy dose of salt and pepper.

Finally, I got a riotously tasty fresh chèvre from Bi-Rite (thank you, girl with short hair, for the rec as I stared blankly at the cheese wall). I dolloped it on the soup and also smeared that all over a baguette (for good measure) and called this my first Perfect Spring Dinner of 2011.

On the Menu in Heaven

Welcome to Heaven!

Menu for the Lord's table...

Your first course: 

 Pan-Seared Local Brussels Sprouts with 

Parmesan, Sea Salt, Black Pepper and Meyer Lemon Zest.