On the island of Crete, March and April are the best months to pick wild edible greens for making pies. Also in spring, in the markets of Heraklion, you’ll find neatly tied-up bunches of aromatic greens called yahnera: a few shoots of wild fennel bunched with salsify tops, leaves of young corn poppy, Roman pimpernel, shepherd’s purse, wild carrot, edible chrysanthemum, and a thick furry thistle called eryngo - all sweet fragrant greens nearly impossible to put together outside Crete.
Vegetarian friends love this. Even meat eaters do, too!
Eggplant, so good on its own, is also a culinary chameleon, absorbing herbs and spices to become any number of different dishes. In Romagna, palm-sized slices are steeped in garlic, basil, parsley and olive oil before grilling over hot coals. Eaten either hot or at room temperature, this is one of those simple, but ultimately satisfying dishes that goes with almost anything and is so good eaten on its own.
I love making this dish with the onions from the farmer's market, but the recipe works just fine with storage onions too. With their golden, caramelized surfaces framed by the sides of an earthenware gratin dish, these onions look spectacular, yet they require minimal effort to prepare. They're perfect for winter holidays in place of the traditional creamed onions. Look for firm onions with crisp, papery skins.
Sugar snap peas are one of nature's finest treasures. As the name implies, they are naturally sweet, and their texture is crunchy. Because of that combination, they meld effortlessly with the other ingredients in this dish. The "snap" counters the creamy goat cheese, and the earthy tarragon contrasts perfectly with the vegetable's natural sugars.
My daughter, who has examined many religions, said the broccoli with chili oil was a sensation at a Buddhist breakfast. I suppose you could say this got rave reviews from vegetable experts.
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Aloo Bhona
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Ingredients