Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Today the Sunday Funday group is writing about and sharing pesto recipes. Thanks to Stacy of  Food Lust People Love , Sue of  Palatable Pastime , Rebekah of  Making Miracles , and Wendy of  A Day in the Life on the Farm  for coordinating this low-stress group. This week, Sue is hosting. Here's the line-up... Avocado Pesto Sandwich by  Mayuri’s Jikoni Baked Cod with Asparagus Pesto by Food Lust People Love Basil Pesto With Almonds & Walnuts by  Sneha's Recipe Carrot Greens Pesto-Topped Roasted Salmon by Culinary Adventures with Camilla Pesto Cavatappi with Meatballs by  Amy’s Cooking Adventures Salmon with Fusilli and Creamy Basil Pesto by  Palatable Pastime Spinach Pesto Pasta by  A Day in the Life on the Farm Swiss Chard and White Bean Soup with Basil Pesto by   Karen’s Kitchen Stories Vegan Mint Pesto by  Sizzling Tastebuds Pesto Pesto  is a sauce that originated in the Ligurian region of northern I...

I  thought that I was on Orphan-detail today for the  Secret Recipe Club . Turns out she wasn't an orphan after all, but I decided to cook and post anyway because   I am  so  excited about having been introduced to Karen of Lavender and Lovage . What a lovely blog! One of the reasons I always volunteer to help out an SRC orphan is to meet new foodie bloggers. And Karen is definitely one to follow. She divides her time between North Yorkshire and South West France, where most of her time is spent food writing, food styling and photographing. She grows most of her vegetables and all of her own herbs, specializing in old-fashioned and seldom used herbs. And she hosts regular French and seasonal cooking workshops in her specially designed kitchen. Wow! How I wish I lived closer. I would definitely find my way into one of her classes. Speaking of those old-fashioned and seldom used herbs and ingredients, I was intrigued by her Blue Blossom Salad - greens with...

It's time for Group B's  Secret Recipe Club   May  reveal .  This month I was assigned to  Secrets from the Cookie Princess , but one of the other bloggers needed help finishing her assignment and I happily took on A Spoonful of Thyme as well. Kathy is the blogger behind A Spoonful of Thyme and this is the first time I've gotten to explore her blog. She's been part of a gourmet group for thirty-three years. Wow!  So many of her recipes were intriguing -   Red Wine Pot Roast with Honey and Thyme , Fiddlehead Fern , Heirloom Tomato Marmalade , and Plum Tart with Ginger Crust .   But, as I was limited on time, I picked her Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs . I made a few adaptations, swapping out capers and pickles for marinated artichoke hearts, subbing a different mustard and using the herbs that I had in my fridge. But the smoked salmon is truly the star of this dish. They were the perfect first course for my Mothers' Day feast. Thanks for the ...

Though a cognate for what comes out of a bright yellow squeeze bottle, this relish has very little in common with that Easter egg-colored condiment. Mostarda  is a chunky agrodolce  (sour-sweet) sauce made with whatever fruit you have on hand and is a delicious topping for everything from cheese to roasted meats. I decided to use a combination of rhubarb and strawberry for my sweet-sour combo, though I don't typically like those together. The fennel, honey, strawberries, and carrot top greens came from our High Ground Organics CSA. Ingredients 1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and diced 1 T crushed garlic 1 t brown mustard seeds splash of olive oil 2 T honey (I used the honey from Keith Kimes's Apiary) 4 T vinegar (I used a pomegranate vinegar) 1/2 C water 1 t ground mustard 1 t prepared yellow mustard 1 stalk of rhubarb, trimmed and sliced 1/2 C organic strawberries, hulled 2 T carrot top greens, triple-rinsed and rough chopped 2 pinches sea salt flakes P...

Inspired by Shocking Delicious's  Basil Honey-Dressing recipe , I was so excited to use the honey I just got from our  High Ground Organics  CSA box this week. Thanks for the eucalyptus-wildflower honey from Keith Kimes! Click to read about Keith Kimes's Apiary on High Ground Organics's farm: here . Also, I added in more herbs, even using the carrot top greens, from my CSA. Ingredients 1 roasted spring onion, papery parts removed 1/2 C basil leaves, destemmed 1/2 sprig of fresh, organic oregano leaves, destemmed 1 T fresh chopped mint 1 T fresh chopped carrot greens 1/4 C honey (I used a local eucalyptus-wildflower honey from Keith Kimes) 1/3 C olive oil 1/4 C vinegar (I used a champagne-mimosa vinegar) Procedure Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until dressing is smooth. There will be small green flecks - like herb confetti. Pour into a jar and refrigerate before serving. This keeps for a week, or more, in the refrigerator. You'll ...

To go with the main dishes, I opted to make a version of Pommes Anna. Only I forgot to take a photo of the completed dish. Whoops. What this lacks in photographic artistry it made up with in earthy, fabulous flavor and texture. The classic French dish is made, traditionally with sliced, layered potatoes cooked in a very large amount of melted butter. I've made a version that included apples and cream as well. But for tonight, I decided to add in the flavors of black truffle, wood ear mushrooms, and carrot top greens. 6 T chopped carrot top greens 6 T chopped wood ear mushrooms freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper 3 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices black truffle oil Preheat oven to 450°. Brush your baking dish - I used a round baking stone - with truffle oil and arrange a layer of slightly overlapping potato slices in a circular pattern in pan. Brush the potatoes with truffle oil. Sprinkle freshly ground salt and fresh...

While my uncle, my mom's brother, declared that it was the first time he'd ever had brie, I shared that it was the first time I've ever made a buttermilk dressing. It was easy and the salad was delicious. 1-2 handfuls of greens per person fresh radishes, halved fresh fennel, thinly sliced 1½ t ground mustard 3 T seasoned rice wine vinegar 5 T  extra virgin olive oil 8 T buttermilk 1 T fresh carrot top greens, washed, dried, and finely chopped freshly ground salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste Place all of the dressing ingredients in a mason jar with a lid. Shake to emulsify. Toss to coat. Serve chilled.

Though a cognate for what comes out of a bright yellow squeeze bottle, this relish has very little in common with that Easter egg-colored condiment. Mostarda is a chunky  agrodolce (sour-sweet) sauce made with whatever fruit you have on hand and is a delicious topping for everything from cheese to roasted meats. 1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and diced 1 T crushed garlic juice and orange segments from 2 oranges 2 T raw organic honey 4 T vinegar 2 t water 1 t ground mustard 2 T carrot top greens, triple-rinsed and rough chopped 2 pinches sea salt flakes In a large flat-bottom pan, soften the garlic and fennel in a splash of olive oil. Once softened, add in the orange zest, orange juice, honey, vinegar, and water. Whisk in the ground mustard until completely dissolved. Simmer for 50-60 minutes, until the fennel is almost translucent and the sauce syrupy. To finish, stir in the carrot top greens and season with salt. You'll be seeing this tomorrow on my Easter cheese tr...

I was inspired to make some carrot marmalade because tomorrow is Easter. You know...Easter...bunny...carrots...sweet. Well, that's how my brain works anyway. I found carrot marmalade recipes that included brandy, lemon juice, and even bitter almonds. I decided to make a version that used a whole vanilla pod, four cardamom pods, saffron liqueur, and a handful of the carrot top greens. Don't toss those greens, they are herbaceous and nutritious...just be sure you rinse out all of the dirt! Ingredients 1 whole vanilla pod, split down the middle 4 cardamom pods, crushed 1/4 C raw organic honey 1/2 C organic raw sugar 10 carrots, scrubbed and shredded 4 C water 1 handful of carrot top greens, triple-rinsed and rough chopped 2 T saffron liqueur (substitute brandy, if you wish) Procedure To make the jam, place the vanilla, cardamom, honey, water, and sugar into a large pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add in the carrots, bring to a boil again. Cont...