Amen to the Garden

Cannellini Bean Dip with Dandelion and Parsley Another fun dip to try in spring or summer when dandelions are plentiful. Scrumptious creamy beans with slight bitter dandelion - awesome! 1-14 ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained 2 large garlic cloves, diced 1 serrano pepper, or any hot pepper, seeded and diced ½ cup lightly packed dandelion leaves, thin ends of stems trimmed ¼ cup packed parsley stalks ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, more or less to taste ¾ teaspoon salt mix freshly ground black pepper Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Taste for seasoning and serve with your favorite crackers, cucumber or zucchini rounds. Pan Seared “Wedge” Salad with Spicy Jalapeño Basil Ranch Dressing I came up with this dressing for my daughter Cristina since she isn’t a big fan of blue cheese. It also makes a great dip for a vegetable platter. Serves 2 with enough dressing for 6 1 head romaine lettuce, split in half into 2 wedges, washed and patted dry 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil 1 garden tomato, seeded and chopped 4 slices smoked Niman ranch bacon cut into lardons (crosswise slices) ½ small red onion, thinly sliced 4-6 basil leaves for garnish In a medium skillet, cook the bacon until crisp, then remove with slotted spoon onto paper towels to drain. Drain most of the bacon fat out of the skillet, leaving just a remnant. Drizzle about 1 teaspoon of olive oil per wedge and with your hands, rub in and between the leaves. Pan sear the romaine on medium heat in the same skillet as you cooked the bacon, about 2 minutes per side. Pan sear the back side first and then the cut side second (feel free to grill if you have that going). Place each wedge on a plate, drizzle the dressing over the top, serving extra dressing on the side. Sprinkle with the tomato, bacon and onion slices. Garnish with chopped basil and freshly ground black pepper. Spicy Jalapeno Basil Ranch Dressing Makes enough for 6 wedges 1 cup homemade buttermilk ¼ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup Greek yogurt, or ½ cup Greek yogurt and no mayonnaise 1 jalapeño, seeded 1 good size scallion, chopped 1 extra large garlic clove or 2 smaller ones scant 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard ¼ cup packed Genovese basil 1 tablespoon dill, chopped ¼ teaspoon lemon zest ½ teaspoon salt mix freshly ground black pepper Add all ingredients into a small food processor and blend well. Taste for seasoning and store in the fridge until ready to serve. Porterhouse Steaks on the Grill It’s nice having kids that can drive because while I was home making the chimichurri, my son Nolan was happy to go pick up and then grill the steaks. 2 - 1½ inch thick grass-fed porterhouse steaks Peruvian salt, or your favorite salt, patted in on both sides tons of freshly ground black pepper Preheat gas grill to medium heat. Place the steaks on the grill and cook for 6 minutes, then using tongs, turn to rotate halfway to get crosshatch, another 6 minutes. Flip and grill 3 minutes, then turn to rotate halfway to get crosshatch, another 3 minutes. Place on a platter and rest for 10-15 minutes. Serve with the basil cilantro chimichurri, or any you choose would be awesome! Genovese Basil and Cilantro Chimichurri When the herbs are plentiful, and the hot peppers are ripening, there’s nothing better than whipping up some chimichurri sauces. True, they may not be totally authentic Argentinian sauces, but they sure are fun to create using a variety of different herbs and vinegars. 2 - 2 ½ cups packed Genovese basil leaves, washed and dried 1 cup packed cilantro, washed and dried ½ cup extra virgin olive oil 2 - 4 garlic cloves, 2 large or 4 smaller 1/8 cup lime juice 1/8 cup red wine vinegar 2-3 Thai peppers, seeded and chopped, optional 1 ¼ teaspoons ground cumin ½ teaspoon salt mix freshly ground black pepper Add all the ingredients into a large food processor. Pulse blend and add only a ¼ cup of the olive oil to start. Then scrape down the sides of the bowl and blend in the last ¼ cup of olive oil through the feed tube. Taste for seasoning. Best made ahead so the flavors have a chance to blend and bring to room temperature for serving. Roasted Rosemary Garlic Buttercream Potatoes Way back in good ole 1995, I was given a cookbook from my mother and father in law simply called Roasting, by Barbara Kafka, and she forever changed the way I cook potatoes. If I had to pick one thing I could live on, it would most likely be these potatoes. Serves 3 - 4 2-3 pounds garden buttercream or fingerling potatoes, washed, unpeeled and cut into half to 1 inch chunks 1/3 cup olive oil or more to drizzle 3 sprigs rosemary, each about 6 inches long 3 garlic cloves, minced, or in a pinch, ½ teaspoon garlic powder (But the garlic crunchies after roasting is what everyone wants!) ¾ teaspoon salt mix freshly ground black pepper Preheat oven to 450°F. Lightly spray a 9x13 glass casserole dish, or larger. Place potatoes in a large bowl and blot dry with paper towels. Strip the leaves from the rosemary stalks and mince. Place in a small bowl. Mince the garlic, or add in the garlic powder, salt and pepper to the rosemary. Pour in the olive oil and mix. Pour onto the potatoes and mix well. Turn the potatoes into the baking dish and scrape the remaining oil with a spatula. Potatoes should be in a single layer. Roast for 20 minutes, then toss the potatoes around with a spatula. Roast another 20 minutes. Toss the potatoes again then roast a final 20 minutes. Potatoes should be golden brown. In prepared serving dish, place a paper towel and with a spatula scoop out the potatoes while with one hand you are draining the oil to one end of the baking dish. Sprinkle potatoes with salt and remove the paper towel and serve.