BEET WONDERBROTH(TM). This is not a drill.
Last year, I set out to make a versatile, delicious vegetable stew base that would play nicely with other flavors as the seasons ebbed and flowed. I was pleased enough with the result--a brown veg stock base pureed with tahini, lemon, garlic confit, and honey--that I briefly mounted an unsuccessful campaign to convince people to drink it straight, hot or cold.
The beets this year have been amazing, and I wanted to showcase them somewhere that wasn't a salad. Behold Beet Wonderbroth(TM). It's the same stock, with beets, toasted cashews, and a little sherry vinegar. We're putting it with black chickpeas, spicy mustard greens, onion, ginger, and garlic, and a little chard stem chutney for a sweet/sour/lightly spicy garnish. It's a worthy addition to the canon.
I'm looking to the super-seasonal for the salad too, with organic asparagus and a classic accompaniment, romesco sauce: a roasted pepper puree with nuts, garlic, and sherry vinegar. This one has a little kick to it, and I'm serving it with black rice, tatsoi, and tuma--a goat version of fresh mozzarella from Decimal Place.
For the sweet, we've got coffee cake again! This time with strawberries and foraged mullberries, still with the granola on top, still perfect for your easy morning treat.
Finally, happy Mother's Day to those of you who celebrate it. My own mom is generous of spirit, prepared for every eventuality, exceedingly photogenic, and has always been gracious with her firstborn despite the fact that I'm a hot mess who's spent most of her adulthood cursing a blue streak and hiding from cameras. I like to think that my grandmother instilled in me the belief that if you're going to have standards, they should be high and ironclad--a good starting point for most chefs. If you're also a hot mess and still need to get mom something nice, might I suggest a Good Meal? Let her pick her own faves at her leisure and comfort yourself that you didn't let the day pass unnoticed.
Have a great week y'all, and enjoy that sun!