Dreaming about a terrine

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Yes, you read that correctly- I woke up this morning in mid-dream (thank you, Tom, for leaving your alarm clock on while in CA; it beat the boys this morning, but at least it was NPR and 6:03a), focused on a fresh english pea, goat cheese and pureed walnut terrine. Might this make sense? I’m thinking a tiny bit of roasted garlic, a drizzle of walnut oil? The peas are so gorgeous right now. I have made exactly 1 terrine in my life, so if you have tips, do send them on to me. Chef Mike B in Tulsa- do you ever concoct terrines? I am thinking of this terrine chilled and served alongside a cold, poached salmon. Yes? I’ll have to start reading recipes to get a gist of terrine construction.

I am also beyond thrilled to see fresh favas- this truly marks the start of spring whether poor Mother Nature knows it or now (we have really done a doozy on her, world peoples). If you live in the DC area and have not had 2 Amy’s Fava Bean Crostini, your life is not complete, and you must make haste to have some. I know my friend, Charis, will concur. T and I tried to replicate it all last season and got close, but theirs is just remarkable. I sometimes call for a pick-up order of it while I’m out running errands and scarf it down greedily between red lights. Think grilled bread, fava beans/basil?/mint?/parmesan whipped into a gorgeous green froth, spread on the bread, topped with a shave of parm and then generously drizzled with EVOO, s&p. Insane.

We did find a fava bean crostini recipe last year that called for fresh pea shoots resting atop the parm. That was quite good, a nice addition. You should discover pea shoots/tendrils this season- farmers market should have them or you might be thinning your peas… Try the shoots as a base for a salad, OR, and this is delish, saute’ them quickly in very hot EVOO. Yuuuumm!

Tomorrow is anothuh day...

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I’m channeling Scarlett O right now. No, I’m not fashioning a dress out of curtains or verbally abusing anyone, but I am looking ahead to tomorrow as anothuh, hopefully bettuh, day. Suffice it to say that this weekend sucked. You know it’s not been a good couple days when the high point is the dog NOT having peed in the basement. Go Percy! It’s rare that you are the shining light in the family.

On a more positive note, I finished the pan of brownies, so at least that’s that, the tree I transplanted seems to be doing quite well, and I saw the sun -finally- for about 6 minutes this evening. The kids are in bed, and since my DH left for CA earlier today, I am going to read a few apps and call it a day there too.

I purchased a lovely herbed roasted chicken from Whole Foods tonight as the idea of roasting one myself at this point in time was abhorrent. I am thinking about making comfort couscous as the side though. Have you ever read Amanda Hesser’s delightful book, Cooking For Mr. Latte? It is terrific and chock full of fabulous recipes (she being a NY Times food writer and critic among other things). Anyway, this recipe actually came from Mr. Latte, and it’s been a favorite in our house since T and I lived in Amsterdam in ‘04 (I was reading this book then). God does that seem like eons ago…

Here goes:
Comfort Couscous a la Amanda and Mr. Latte

2 c beef broth, boiling
1 c couscous (I like whole wheat)
scant 1/4 c safflower (or vegetable) oil
2 T red wine vinegar
4 stems parsley
5 inner stalks celery (the light green, center-most, tender ones)

Pour couscous into a serving bowl and pour boiling broth on top; immediately cover with plastic wrap, a plate, whatever will keep the steam in and thus cook the couscous. While the cous steams, dice the celery and mince the parsley. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil and vinegar and season with s&p. Once the couscous is done (about 5 minutes), scrape the celery and parsley over, stir to incorporate and repeat with the dressing.

This is so good with everything so make extras if you want leftovers. Yum!