thoughtful consumption

Pre-season (and early spring) always means lots of salad. And salad goes with lots of things. Here are some of the meals Chris and I have had with salad.

• scrambled eggs

• sausage and kabocha squash (More on kabocha squash later. And this supper was one of my favorites ever. It’s when I figured out that the creme fraiche and the beets go on the lettuce.)

• corned beef wraps

• pasta and pine nuts

• onion soup with cheese toast

Can you see how the hydroponic lettuce turns pink and red in the ribs? I can’t tell any difference in the taste or texture, but I appreciated the heads up that it was time to finish it. It’s gone now along with the crème fraiche. With food from the CSA, I don’t throw stuff out at the first sign of age. Because I know the food’s history, I’m willing to try it and see how it goes. The reward this time was another day of fresh lettuce. (The bunnies outside, however, are not in favor of this policy.)

The onion soup came mainly from this recipe. (I always opt for onion soup with cheese toast rather than official French Onion Soup. It’s so much easier and usually results in less mouth burning.) I’ve made this soup plenty of times before, and I’m so glad I finally got to make it with homemade beef stock! It was much better than with boullion – thicker, more flavorful, but less salty.

So the stock, garlic, and bay leaf were local. The onions were from Kroger, and the wine was Three Buck Chuck.

Now we just have a bunch of spicy salad to eat. One night we’ll have spaghetti, I think. And Friday’s lunch will probably be cat food salad and a couple of sweet potatoes.