Deep Dish Turkey Pot Pie

Post-Thanksgiving Comfort Food

Recipe by Robin

Seriously now, is there anyone who doesn’t like pot pies? When my friend Raven shared photos of her post-Thanksgiving turkey pot pies, I knew I had to give the concept a whirl with our leftover 12-pounder for 2. I eliminated the bottom crust to maximize the savory filling, and use more leftover turkey. To simplify further, I employed TJ’s all butter puff pastry rather than making my own. Any good crust will do, since it’s mostly about the filling.This batch o’ filling makes 2 round pies, which can be frozen. Since my freezer is packed, I made one giant pie in a 9” x 11” baking pan, the dimensions of my premade puff pastry.

Green Pea Hummus

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

Meanwhile, back in the bean fields, May’s eat-‘em-whole pea pods have matured. No longer edible “in toto,” only the peas inside the pods are nosh-able. Removing the pods takes time and effort. It's rewarding work, producing peas with infinitely more flavor and texture than their frozen counterparts. Fresh English peas improve any recipe, like this one, that calls for frozen peas. Preparation couldn’t be simpler: blanch the peas, throw ingredients into the food processor and spin. Scoop into a bowl and top with olive oil and ground sumac.*

Escarole and Poached Egg Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

Hearty Dinner Salad

Recipe adapted from Magazine Clipping

How do you turn a side salad into a satisfying dinner salad? Start with a somewhat larger bed of greens, then add a substantial quantity of topping ingredients, especially protein and carb-rich veggies. Then increase the quantity of dressing accordingly. In this case, I increased the amount of tomatoes, peas, and eggs. Rodoni Farms is still selling fresh English peas at the Farmers’ Market, which make the salad all the more healthful and delicious than the frozen peas in the original recipe. This is the perfect salad for that short period of time when the last of the peas’ season converges with the first of the tomatoes’.

Minestrone with Chen Pi (Tangerine Peel)

Minestrone with Tangerine Kick

Recipe from Chinese Herbal Cookbook

As my friend Jon says, “One of the reasons I love food so much is that it’s an adventure if you go for new things...exotic spices, cuisines from around the world and ingredients that make you go 'hmmmm'. My most memorable meals are a symphony of textures and flavors. It's the magic of one flavor picking up where the last left, harmoniously and at the same time an experience all its own.” Inspired by Jon, I offer this long-forgotten recipe: Italian style minestrone with Chinese chen pi, or dried tangerine peel. Tangerine permeates the dish in a subtle but game-changing way.

Fresh Mushy Peas

Try a Chive Blossom Garnish

Recipe adapted from Victoria Magazine

Mushy peas don’t sound like something that most Californians would like. But my husband and I were pleasantly surprised by this classic British side dish while visiting the Isles last year. The Brits reconstitute and cook dried peas with minced onion and plenty of butter. I wanted to  use fresh peas rather than dried, and Victoria Magazine had the same idea. Using their recipe as a starting point, I added extra herbs from the garden. It's lighter in color and texture than the dried pea version and highlights the sweet delicate flavor of fresh peas. This could become a springtime habit. Try it with the last of this year’s English pea harvest.

Spring Broccoli Salad with Radishes and Lime

Drain Veggies before Dressing

Recipe adapted from LoveRadish.co.uk

My husband and I will be traveling in England soon, so we hosted a Brit Night to hear stories and look at books and photos provided by our Anglophile friends. Of course, the menu needed to match the theme. My first attempt at Beef Wellington was a given, but being Californian at heart, I wanted to add a salad. “Traditional British salad” sounded like an oxymoron until I discovered LoveRadish.co.uk. This UK-based radish appreciation website contains scores of recipes for unusual salads as well as sandwiches, slaws, and snacks. Radishes are England’s first spring crop, and the harvest continues into mid-autumn. This salad pairs radishes with the early season harvests of purple sprouting broccoli, asparagus, and spring peas. Though we’re just past spring, I pushed the season by substituting frozen peas, with tasty results.

Spring Peas with Mint

Fresh Green Spring Ingredients

Recipe Adapted from The Secret Garden Cookbook

Peas are the quintessential springtime crop. One of the earliest harvests of the year, springtime peas are particularly favored in snowy climates. Where few fresh veggies are available in winter, people particularly appreciate signs of spring. In Victorian England, before large-scale transportation of foods, peas were even more popular to grow and eat. According to The Secret Garden Cookbook, the pea plant was dubbed “prince of the vegetable garden,” and Victorian recipes called for up to 4 cups of peas per serving.  This delightful recipe pairs peas with perky mint, another favorite springtime flavor from the garden.