FROM GARDEN TO TABLE, cont.

 

From the garden to my table.

The winter-to-spring garden—a plot of not much more than 125 square feet, fenced against wild boar intrusion—continues to produce. I am now picking small broccoli florets that the plants produce after the large, center heads have been cut. These cook in about 3 minutes. The cute “baby” cauliflowers and cabbages are a perfect size for a small household. 

The chard goes on and on. The favas and peas are nearly finished. A second round of lettuce arrived to remind me that I won’t be eating soup forever. Here are some of the dishes that have been on my table this week. 

On a sunny spring day, my favorite lunch salad, straight from the garden: lettuce, raw cauliflower, and peas embellished with sliced cooked potato, egg and canned tuna. A sprinkling of (garden) green onions. Dressing is simply extra virgin olive oil and Sherry vinegar. (There soon will be new potatoes from the garden plot.) Another cauliflower recipe: Moroccan Cauliflower Salad with Olives. And a recipe with broccoli Fettucine with Broccoli and Blue Cheese.

Oven-baked brown rice casserole with broccoli and cauliflower. I learned this technique of cooking rice years ago when experimenting with Macrobiotic cooking. The rice grains are toasted before baking. It remains one of my favorite ways to cook brown rice (arroz integral), although I have varied the ingredients considerably. The dish makes an excellent vegetarian main dish or a side with meat, chicken or fish. (Recipe is below.)

Broccoli and cauliflower al ajo arriero, or "muledrivers' style. Different from the typical muledrivers' preparation, these vegetables are cooked crisp-tender.

1 ½ cups cauliflower florets

2 ½ cup broccoli florets

¼ cup olive oil

Bacon slivers (optional)

1-2 cloves garlic, sliced

Red pepper flakes, to taste

¼ teaspoon cumin seeds

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pimentón (paprika) to garnish

Bring a pan of salted water to a boil. Add the cauliflower and cook 1 minute. Add the broccoli and cook 3 minutes. Drain the vegetables and refresh them in cold water. Place in a serving bowl.

In a small skillet heat the oil. Add bacon strips, if using, garlic, red pepper and cumin. Fry until the garlic turns golden. Remove the pan from the heat and add the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Immediately before serving pour the dressing over the broccoli and cauliflower. (Lemon juice will darken the broccoli if allowed to macerate in the dressing.) Sprinkle with pimentón. 

The cabbages are small but they go a long way. A quarter of a head is perfect for a stir-fry for two with strips of pork. I've made potaje de coles, a sturdy Andalusian stew with chickpeas and sausages (recipe is here). This week, with prayers for peace in Ukraine, I am making borscht, a Ukrainian soup with beef chuck, carrots, celery, turnips, potatoes, beets and cabbage. (Only the cabbage is from the garden, although there are carrots yet to come.) I finished the soup with a squeeze of sour-orange juice instead of usual cider vinegar. More soups with cabbage: Pork and Vegetable Soup (Garbure Navarro) and Mallorcan "Dry" Soup with Cabbage (Sopas Mallorquinas)

Cabbage from the garden is both tender and crisp, a delight to eat raw. So, coleslaw. My version with grated carrots and onions as well as cabbage has a dressing of olive oil, Greek yogurt, jarred mayonnaise, and Sherry vinegar. 

Only a handful of fava beans and peas. I made a small tortilla with them plus a diced cooked potato and diced serrano ham. More recipes with favas Fava Beans with Ham (Habas con Jamón), Fava Bean Puree (Porra), Chopped Salad with Favas (Machacao), Cuttlefish with Fava Beans (Chocos con Habas), 

Baked Rice with Vegetables

Arroz al Horno con Verduras

Use either medium-short grain (Spanish) or long grain brown rice for this recipe. The vegetables can be varied according to what are available in the garden or farmers’ market. Miso (fermented soybean paste, white or black) adds meaty umami to the dish, but if not available, just omit it. Neither pepper nor herbs were included in the original version of baked rice, but they are fine additions, to taste. 

Serves 4 as a main dish or 8 as a side.

1 ½ cup brown rice

Boiling water or vegetable stock

4 cups broccoli and cauliflower florets

Salt

1 tablespoon miso (optional)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup diced carrot

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1 cup chopped chard

Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Chopped herbs such as oregano or thyme (optional)

Toast rice without oil.

Place a heavy skillet on medium-high heat and add the rice. Do not add any oil. Toast the rice grains, stirring frequently, until they are golden and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and pour the rice into an oven-safe casserole. Add ¾ cup of boiling water or stock and stir well. Leave the rice to soak.

In a small bowl combine the miso, if using, with ¼ cup boiling water or stock and stir to dissolve the miso.

Mix vegetables with rice and bake the casserole.

Add the broccoli and cauliflower to a pan of boiling salted water. When the water returns to a boil (30 seconds) remove the pan from the heat, drain, and refresh the vegetables under cold water. Stir the broccoli and cauliflower into the rice in the casserole.

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Heat the oil in a skillet on medium and sauté the onion, carrot, mushrooms, and chard until softened, 5 minutes. Stir in the miso-water. Add the sautéed vegetables to the casserole with 3 cups boiling stock or water. Season as desired with salt, pepper, and herbs. 

Cover the casserole with a lid or foil and place in the oven. Lower oven temperature to 375ºF. Bake the rice until tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the rice sit, covered, 5 minutes. Serve hot or room temperature. 

Brown rice baked with vegetables.

BACALAO FOR LENTEN MEALS

Do you observe Lent? Fish on Fridays and abstinence from luxuries and alcohol are some of the observances for the 40-day period preceding Easter (April 20, 2025). Spain, a predominantly Catholic country for the past 500+ years, has hundreds of special dishes and sweets for cuaresma, Lent. They are called comida de vigilia, or meals of abstinence, and include, besides fish, vegetarian and dairy dishes. Heading the list are the many recipes for bacalao, dried salt cod. 

Bacalao is dry salt cod.

Why cod, a fish that is not even captured in Spanish waters? Medieval Basques who engaged on long whaling expeditions, invented the method of salt-curing cod, making it an important food that would keep on long ocean voyages. Salt fish became an important item of trade. Before the days of refrigeration, unless you lived within a few hours by mule from a coastal port or on the banks of a trout stream, salt-cured fish was the only fish available. For observant Christians eating fish on Fridays meant salt cod and other salt fish as the only alternative to meat during Lent. 

Garden chard ready to cut.

Anyone interested in the history of cod should read Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky (Penguin Books, 1998).

My annual tribute to bacalao this Lenten season is an Andalusian potaje of bacalao, chickpeas, and chard. Chard because I am blessed with a small plot of chard (acelga) that needs harvesting right now.  

Potaje, which means “pottage,” is neither a soup nor a stew. It’s soupy and almost always contains legumes and other vegetables, sometimes with meat and sausages, sometimes vegetarian, and, this time of year, often with bacalao or fresh seafood. 

A hearty main dish with chickpeas, potatoes, vegetables, and cod.

A serving of potaje with eggs and crushed croutons.

Lenten Stew with Chickpeas, Bacalao, and Chard

Potaje de Cuaresma con Bacalao y Acelgas

Bacalao is sold whole, in pieces (the thick lomo or loin is the choicest cut), and in migas or scraps. In specialty shops you can find it already desalted and ready to use. 

If you are starting with dry salt cod, allow two or three days to desalt it. Wash the pieces of salt cod to remove surface salt. Place them in a glass container and cover with cold water. Cover the container and refrigerate. Soak the cod for 36 hours, changing the water twice daily during the soaking period. Drain well and keep refrigerated until ready to cook it.

If you’re starting with dried chickpeas: Put the chickpeas to soak in hot water for 8 hours or overnight. If your water is very hard, use bottled water or add a pinch of baking soda to both the soaking water and the cooking water. Add the chickpeas to a saucepan of hot water and bring to a boil. Add a whole tomato and onion. Cover the pan, reduce the heat, and simmer until tender, about 90 minutes. Drain the chickpeas, saving the cooking liquid and the cooked tomato and onion. One cup of dried chickpeas yields approximately 3 cups cooked. Puree the tomato and onion in a blender and use them in the recipe instead of the chopped onion and crushed tomatoes.

Serves 4-6.

1 pound desalted salt cod

12-16 ounces chard

¼ cup olive oil

1 cup chopped onion (or cooked onion)

½ cup diced carrot

3 cloves garlic

½ teaspoon smoked pimentón (paprika)

Pinch hot pimentón or cayenne (optional)

1 teaspoon cumin

½ cup crushed tomatoes (or cooked tomato)

4 cups drained, cooked chickpeas

5 cups water, chickpeas cooking liquid or fish stock

1 bay leaf

Salt to taste

2 medium potatoes, diced

Croutons of fried bread

Hard boiled eggs to garnish

Chopped parsley to garnish

Cut the cod into 1-inch pieces. Discard any skin and bones. Refrigerate the cod until ready to cook.

Wash chard and separate leaves and stalks. Strip away any stringy fibres from the stalks and chop the stalks. Shred or chop the leaves. 

Heat the oil in a soup pot and sauté the onion, carrot, and garlic until softened, 5 minutes. Stir in the pimentón and cumin. Add the tomatoes and chickpeas. Cover with the water and add the bay leaf and salt to taste. Bring the water to a boil and add the potatoes and chard. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, until potates are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. 

Immediately before serving add the pieces of cod to the pot. Cover and cook 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to settle 5 minutes. Lightly crush the croutons with a rolling pin or in a mini food processor. 

Serve the potaje in bowls garnished with quartered egg, the crouton crumbs, and parsley.

More potajes for Lenten meals:

Spinach and Chickpeas with Cod Dumplings.

Chickpeas with Shrimp and Seafood Sausage.

Cuttlefish and Chickpea Stew.

Lenten Fennel Potaje with Beans. (vegetarian)

Spinach with Chickpeas. (vegetarian)

SWEET AND MILKY PUDDINGS FOR SPRINGTIME

 

Catalan custards with burnt-sugar topping.

Springtime brings wildflowers, rain showers, baby lambs, strawberries, and Lent.  It is the season for sweet and milky puddings. 

Traditionally, spring lambing season meant an abundance of milk (from cows and goats as well as sheep). During Cuaresma, the Lenten period of abstinence from foods such as meat, dairy foods were a stand-in. Here is a round-up of typical puddings that continue to be favorites during Lent, Semana Santa (Holy Week) and Easter. Or any spring day, rainy or bright.

Catalan Custard with Burnt-Sugar Topping (Crema Catalana, Crema de San José). Pictured above, these sweet and rich custards are typical for the festivities of Spanish Fathers' Day, San José, (March 19) as well as for Lenten meals. The recipe, with instructions for caramelizing the sugar topping, is here. 

Creamy Rice Pudding (Arroz con Leche) in the traditional style is made with milk (often goat's milk) infused with cinnamon and lemon peel. Other versions might be flavored with vanilla or rum; have cream or butter incorporated, or be sweetened with honey or molasses instead of sugar. Restaurant renditions often have a burnt-sugar topping, similar to the above custards. The recipe for old-fashioned Spanish arroz con leche is below. Here is another version Rice Pudding with Cherries and almonds.

Custard Pudding with Meringue (Natillas con Merengue). Natillas is a simple homemade pudding, typical in rural areas where fresh milk and eggs are plentiful. In La Mancha it is made with warmed sheep’s milk (Manchego cheese is a sheep’s milk cheese). The custard is poured over tortas, sponge cookies, somewhat like ladyfingers, then sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. In Andalusia natillas is made with goat’s milk and served with crispy galletas, plain cookies. The pudding is especially good with fruit. It can be topped with baked meringue made with leftover egg whites. Get the recipe for Natillas here.

Honey with Fresh Cheese (Mel i Mató). So simple it is not really a pudding--a fresh, unsalted cream cheese, in Catalonia called mató, served with honey or fruit in syrup. The recipe for serving is here. 

"Burnt" Cheesecake (Quesada al Estilo de Cantábria). This is a cheesecake with no crust, more of a baked custard, made with soft, fresh cheese. Should you have a surplus of milk, you can easily make the cheese yourself. The recipes for both cheesecake and cheese making are here.

Mango Pudding with Fresh Cheese (Pudín de Mango con Cuajada). Cuajada is a sort of “custard” with no eggs. In Spain you can find cuajada in individual cups in the dairy section of grocery stores. Cuajo, an enzyme (rennet or junket), sets the custard. Cuajada is, basically, the first step in cheese making. But, instead of cutting the curds and draining off the whey, the thickened milk is poured into cups and allowed to cuajar, set. Serve it with honey, fruit and nuts, an old-fashioned traditional dessert especially in Euskadi (Basque Land). For this pudding the cuajada is mixed with fruit, sugar, and whipped cream. The recipe for the pudding is here.

Caramel Custards (Flan con Caramelo). Old-fashioned flan is as Spanish as sunshine! Baked in caramel-coated molds, the custards are easy to prepare and can be made in advance of serving. The basic recipe is here.

Dark Chocolate Cream Custards (Crema de Chocolate). Perhaps these rich custards are a bit too decadent for Lenten abstemiousness, but joyous feasting of Easter is near, when chocolate is very much on the menu. The recipe for Chocolate Custards is here.

Creamy Rice Pudding

Arroz con Leche

Serves 4-6.

6 cups whole milk

1 strip lemon peel

1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick

½ cup medium-grain rice

Pinch salt

1/3 cup sugar

Ground cinnamon, for dusting

Place the milk in a pan with the lemon peel and cinnamon stick. Bring just to a boil over high heat, then remove the pan from the heat and let the milk infuse 10 minutes. Strain the milk, discarding the cinnamon and peel.

Add the rice and salt to the milk. Heat over medium heat until the milk begins to barely bubble. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is very soft and the milk thickens, about 45 minutes. Add the sugar and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly so the sugar doesn’t scorch on the bottom.

Ladle the hot pudding into dessert cups or a pudding bowl. Allow the pudding to cool. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving time. The pudding will thicken as it cools. Sprinkle generously with ground cinnamon before serving.