(Photo LOF - Broad bean soup)
A summer suggestion - it is also good cold, in the shade
Another suggestion : Use the last green broad beans, the ones that are already a little tough, and use olive oil instead of cream to thicken the soup.
One more : No need to complicate things . broad beans (without their pods or skins), chicken stock, a touch of garlic and thyme.
Last one : We eat this soup blended and before serving add a few purslane leaves, it adds a bit of texture.
(Photo LOF - Curly endive and cracklings - and after the ordeal its still crisp)
Contemporary genetics reveals the existence of the first domestication of pigs in the 9th millennium BC. The domestication of chicory (Cichorium intybus) and its cousin the dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is dated by archaeologists in the 5th millennium. These dates are not confirmed by geneticists, which gives jcp and I room to doubt that humanity could have roamed around for 5 milleniums before developping curly endive.
Cut the curly endive in 3cm strips.
Put black pepper, Dijon white wine mustard, a crushed clove of garlic and some very good portuguese vinager in a salad bowl. Add the curly endive on top - no salt and no oil. Don't toss the salad yet. 
(Photo LOF - salted pork bacon)
Cut the salted pork bacon into 0.5cm cubes, let them melt in a large skillet, on low heat, stirring from time to time. It is not at all the same if you use normal bacon or smoked bacon.
The purpose of cooking it on low heat is to get hot liquid fat and small crisp cracklings.
Be sure that the table is set because between the time the liquid fat touches the curly endive and the moment you eat it should not be more than 10 seconds.
Use wooden salad servers (because they have to live through the torture of boiling oil)
Pour the liquid fat and cracklings over the salad, it should sissle. Toss the salad and then put some of it into the skillet for a few seconds, then back in the bowl.
Toss well. Serve. It is absolutely delicious. I know it sounds really fatty but it tastes wonderful on a cool day, crisp salad (yes it should still be crisp) and crunchy cracklings.ummm
(Photo LOF - cracklings)
(Photo LOF - pois mange tout)
Snow peas and snap peas can be eaten raw. Cooking them gives them a sweeter taste - which is their charm.
Steam them for 6 minutes, 7 if they are older.
Arranged on a plate, sprinkle them with a few drops of balsamic vinager, a pinch of salt and olive oil. The result is what is commonly known as snow pea carpaccio.
« Commonly known as» because the dish is, like it or not, entirely green.
So it actually has nothing in common with Vittore Carpaccio (1472-1526) rennaissance painter of religious scenes where everyone wears red - god, angels, birds - everyone.
Red was such an obsession with Carpaccio that raw beef, thinly cut , served with olive oil was named after him.
(Photo ac-besançon - Vittore Carpaccio a young woman dressed in red looking for a good restaurant in the red Michelin guide)
So when you serve snow peas made this way you should always say "Snow peas Veronese" just to be on the safe side. Paolo Véronèse (1528-1588) – preferred green
Because as the ancient greeks believed : it is not your eyes that see but your imagination.
(Photo RMN - Paolo Veronese Bella Nani Louvres )
(Photo LOF - pois gourmands)
(Photo LOF : New potatoes and lettuce)
Consider the following syllogism :
Major premise : All lettuce like water,
Minor premise : No potatoes like water
Conclusion : All lettuce like potatoes...
....Well something like that.
In other words : Friends of our ennemies can be our friends - especially sautéed.
Take it from the beginning : Spring lettuce Reine de mai - Rainha de maio – is a shy sort, yet she has a weakness : showers. A good watering and she almost sings.
Last night, at last, we got a good hard rain. So for lunch - lettuce.
New potatoes even more than older potatoes hate water. At LOF we peel them (not always) a quick run under the tap, dry them and then cook them in a skillet with a small amount of olive oil and nothing else.
Just a touch of salt after they are ready and have been blotted to remove excess oil.
New potatoes cooked this way are crispy, light, almost breaded.
Just what you want to accompany a lovely spring lettuce.
Don't forget the garlic in the vinagrette.
(Photo LOF : Lettuce : Reine de mai)
(Photo LOF - Tamarinds , they grow here in the south of Portugal)
The Journal International de Médecine, published an article by Dr Odile Biechler which discusses a study (Trichopoulou A et coll : « Modified mediterranean diet and survival : EPIC-elderly prospective cohort study. » Br Med J 2005) over an 8 year period of 520000 europeans with the aim of evaluating the impact of a modified Mediteranean diet on elderly europeans.
It is a first study on such a large scale.
The study demonstrates a clear and impressive correlation between a "mediterranean diet" (low in saturated fats and high in unsaturated fats) and a lower mortality rate !
She wrote « the european variation on the mediterranean diet which increases life expectancy significantly is characterized by an increase in fruit and vegetable consumption and is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids.
The mediterranean diet is lots of fruits and vegetables, olive oil, fish, cheese, a little wine, little red meat.
Its not good news for the fruits and vegetables in the garden but its motivating for gardening cooks to keep up the good work. (Photo LOF - Pattypan squash, in portuguese barete de padre (priests beret)
(Photo LOF - Cressonnette du Maroc with poached eggs)
The cressonnette is a real southern lettuce, Crunchy and tasty - so much so that you even hestitate to add a vinagrette. So no garlic in your vinagrette
However, serving it with a poached egg develops the taste. If you can't find or grow cressonette, oak leaf lettuce is close.
Poach for 3 ½ minutes - maybe 4.
Don't let the eggs get tough, Mlle cressonette likes them just so.
In the land of poached eggs, the biggest difference between the neolithique era and the 20th century is the egg poacher. No question. (Photo LOF : egg poacher)
You can add 4 garlic cloves to the water just to perfume the steam and add a little character to the eggs.(yes I know I said no garlic , but this is really just a little)
When they are cooked, place the eggs on top of the cressonette already prepared with its vinagrette.
Excellent moment.
Some people use asparagus instead of cressonette, but with the cressonette its different - its a "total experience" - its crunchy, runny, yummy ... , its almost sweet, a bit salty, a tiny bit bitter - its the total.
Add a big blue sky and a sea breeze ...
(Photo LOF - the last ones left)
Zucchinis - though mediterranean - don't seem to be eaten much here. So we grow lots for our friends.
JCP is here for artichokes and as we tour the garden, we find more zucchini in flower. Zucchinis are generous, JCP likes them.So, for a change we'll try them stuffed with cheese.
All you need to do is put a cube of cheese in the zucchini flower (female flowers are better- yes there is a difference). Today its Pont l’Evêque .
Then 4 minutes in a pre-heated oven 220° on an oiled dish.
A Maroilles or a Livarot would also be good.
The cheese shouldn't melt, it should be warm but not runny.
JCP wanted this recipe published because he adored it - so here it is.
(Photo LOF - Purslane)
Purslane, now there is a plant for a gardener-cook.
Purslane has got to be the most persistant "weed" that exists here in an Alentejo garden. Everyone who comes to the garden (when it is full of purslane and I'm complaining) says ah but you know it makes an excellent soup. I mean how many times can you possibly eat purslane soup - no matter how good it is. This weed makes crab grass look like a kid.
There is purslane and then there is our friend Yesims Turkish purslane - another story entirely. The Turkish seeds have been feeding us for 2 years, it is a much larger leafed plant and its tastier and it doesn't bolt.
Serve chilled with a yoghurt, salt and garlic sauce. Its crunchy, fresh ...
And about purslane soup - we'll talk about it some other day.(Photo LOF - Purslane salad)
(Photo LOF - Strawberries & lemon)
Robert Courtine (French gastronomic writer ) used to say that he liked the first strawberries of the season with lemon juice - and thats all.
He also prefered them cut into bite size pieces to fit onto his spoon.
Our own tests with cut strawberries and lemon were not conclusive. Though the idea is good. The first strawberries of the year haven't seen enough sun to be sweet (except the Everest variety which is always excellent).
The solution is (thanks to Ester ) add an aromatic herb, mint, lemon-basil, or a touch of black pepper.No sugar.
It works!
(Photo LOF - Zucchini flowers + foie gras + steam)
Rinse the zucchini flowers, put a cube of foie gras inside put them in a steam oven at 90° for 2 minutes (or an equivalent steaming method)
Eat right away.
Its fast food at LOF
