Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Last night I made a greens-heavy risotto topped with roasted lobster and a slice of Meyer lemon. The secret to risotto, as Maria told me, is stirring:  usa il cucchiao...sempre.  Use your spoon...always; keep stirring. Maria was the cook for the Nuzzo family who was ordered to teach me all her recipes. Then she was fired and I was tasked with cooking for the family six days a week. Thankfully she didn't blame me for the impossible situation and we stayed close throughout the year that I was there. And sometimes when I cook, I hear her instructions in my head. Make risotto with whatever you have on hand!  I used rainbow chard from Fogline Farm along with some zucchini and mushrooms. And I used some delicious, rich stock that I had made with the carcasses from our Thanksgiving ducks . I topped it all with chunks of Roasted Lobster . For the risotto: saute your ingredients - greens, seafood, whatever - in a large flat-bottom pot in a splash of olive oil unt...

It's fairly rare that I see something in my CSA box and think: what is that? I knew it was a pepper. That's obvious. And I knew it had to be the Jimmy Nardello - from the description in the CSA newsletter - because I knew the other two varieties. But, seriously, making this acquaintance has been eye-opening. And I have a little foodie-crush. Now I just need to find more of them!

My radishes are most often relegated to salad. There's nothing wrong with that; I love fresh radishes. But I had seen a recipe for  Butter-Braised Radishes that was posted in  The Washington Post  in 2008 . I decided to give that a try with my own little twists. The braising rendered the usually piquant radishes mellow and silky. 2 T butter 1 bunch French breakfast (or any kind of) radishes, cleaned, greens removed, halved lengthwise freshly ground black pepper 1 t raw honey 1/2 C water Italian flat-leaf parsley olive oil  Use a pan large enough to hold the radishes without crowding. Melt the butter over medium heat; let it brown slightly.  Add the radishes, honey, and water. Stir to combine. Raise the heat and bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes or so.  Uncover, increase the heat to high and bring back to a boil. Cook for another few minutes, until almost all the liquid has evap...

Last year, when I went to Edible Monterey Bay 's pop-up brunch at Ventana Inn and Spa [click to read my blogpost on the event ], I was dazzled by their selection of morning cocktails. I have to admit that I have never seen such a unique selection of brunch libations; I had a tough time deciding. There was, of course, the de rigueur bellini and ubiquitous mimosa. But it was the more innovative offerings that intrigued me. I vacillated between the St. Germain Royal—Roederer Brut with St. Germain elderflower liqueur, and a lime wheel—and the Hair of the Dog Punsch—lemon-infused Zaya rum with spiced black tea. In the end I opted for the Hair of the Dog Punsch; punsch—with its seemingly errant “s”—is not actually a typo. I was initially reluctant to order it because rum cocktails are notoriously syrupy sweet, but I couldn’t resist the name. The concoction turned out to be surprisingly spicy and slightly bitter. It was quite enjoyable but a vivid contrast to the chilled, effer...

This week I wrote about eating a rainbow and offered these three recipes as an inspiration to the WE Cooperative CSA members. Our Fogline Farm box has all sorts of color this week! Click the titles for the recipes. Strawberry + Mint + Feta Skewers = RED and GREEN Blueberry Lemonade = BLUE + YELLOW Malfatti di Ricotta e Bietola ('badly formed' dumplings with ricotta and chard) = GREEN + YELLOW

This was a new one for me : Little Gems lettuce. I'm a fan. I love these tight blossoms of edible goodness. There were at least three in our Fogline Farm CSA box today, two green and one burgundy. Lovely. I used the oregano and purple Little Gems lettuce from the box in a colorful Caprese for dinner tonight. 2 C ciliegie mozzarella 2 C heirloom cherry tomatoes, some halved 1 Little Gems lettuce head, torn into bite-sized pieces 1 T chopped fresh oregano freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper olive oil Place all of the produce in a salad bowl. Dress with a splash of olive oil; season to taste with salt and pepper. This was a great dish paired with my Warm Brown Rice Salad  and a fresh pear. Dinner's ready!

Last week we visited our CSA farm - Fogline Farm - to plant leeks and cauliflower. During the farm tour, Riley spied these full leafy greens with canary yellow stems in rows. Rainbow chard! They looked just about ready. Today, when we picked up our first box of the season, there were two bunches included. Oh, happy day. I decided to make the rainbow chard the focus of a warm brown rice salad for dinner. 2 C cooked brown basmati rice 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and diced 3 carrots, scrubbed and diced 1 bunch rainbow chard, rinsed and chiffonaded 2 T finely chopped Italian parsley olive oil sea salt flakes freshly ground pepper juice from 1 blood orange 1/2 C raw pistachios While your rice cooks, saute the onion and fennel pieces in a splash of olive oil until they begin to soften. Stir in the carrots and cook until the fennel and onion are caramelized and the carrots are fork tender.  Add in the chard and cook till just wilted. To...

Trompe-l'oeuf is not a real phrase. But it popped into my head as I was happily whisking some fresh Fogline Farm eggs into my crêpe batter this morning. Trompe l'oeil (trick of the eye) is a technique in art that involves realistic imagery to create an optical illusion that the painted objects exist in three dimensions. Think Pozzo's painting in Chiesa di Sant'Ignazio in Rome. L'oeuf means 'egg'.  Trompe-l'oeuf = egg trickery. That's what I was pondering while cooking breakfast this morning. Layers at Fogline Farm in Soquel Here's my question: can I really discern the taste difference of an über-fresh egg from pastured-raised, antibiotic-free, and pesticide-free layers? I think I can. Are the whites more clear, more taut? I think so.  Are the yolks more vibrant from the insects and worms that the chickens have in their diets? Yes. Is my EGG-citement about these beauties justified? I think it is.  Or is it a trick of the eye...

I joined the WE Cooperative team this year and will be sharing recipes with the CSA members weekly, inspiring (hopefully) some culinary creativity. This week there will be chard, kale, yellow onions, oregano, fennel, beets, radishes, arugula, and Little Gems lettuce available from Fogline Farm . I shared my recipes for... Roasted Fennel and Cannellini Dip Speedy Kale Sauté Roasted Beet Salad What would you make with the CSA goodies? Would love to hear. Comment below. Or email me at constantmotioncamilla[at]gmail[dot]com.

I didn't have any dove paper pans to make the traditional Columba di Pasqua ; I had heart pans. So, this year, I made Cuore di Pasqua ...and I blended the recipes for a traditional buttery brioche and a traditional Columba . 1/2 C warm water 1 T active dry yeast 5.9 oz package almond paste (in the baking aisle of most grocery stores) 6 extra-large eggs*, at room temperature 4-1/2 C all-purpose flour 1 t sea salt 10 T butter, at room temperature splash of olive oil *We were so happy use our Fogline Farm eggs for this special bread! Combine the water and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Let bloom for 5 minutes. Add the eggs and pinches of almond paste and beat on medium speed until well mixed. With the mixer on low speed, add 2 C of the flour and the salt and mix for 5 minutes. With the mixer still on low, add the remainder of the flour and mix for 5 more minutes. Scrape the dough into a large oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight. This is ...

Ever since we visited Fogline Farm last week, and saw their Cornish Cross chickens and the layers, my boys have been asking me when we'll get to try the chickens and the eggs. The answer: today! Since my office was closed in the afternoon for Good Friday, we were able to make it to the Friday farmers' market and pick up a chicken and a dozen eggs from Johnny and Ali. Woohoo. I wanted to really highlight the taste of the chicken, so I seasoned simply. Preheat the oven to 400. Stuff the bird with whatever you have on hand to help it keep its shape - an apple, an orange, an onion, whatever. I stuffed our Fogline bird with a onion, sprinkled it with freshly ground sea salt and freshly ground pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Cover with a foil and roast, covered for 60 minutes. Uncover and roast for an additional 10-15 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes. Rub the skin with melted butter and lemon juice, if desired. Carve and serve. We called this dinner with so...