Seasonal Ontario Food

Not too fancy, but a quick and easy salad with a nice balance of sweet and bitter, sour and sharp.  Hooray for winter salads! Fight the stodge.

My red cabbage was a bit pale but isn't it pretty with the other very pale green vegetables?

4 servings
20 minutes prep time


Make the Dressing:
the juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil

Squeeze and strain the lemon juice and mix it in a small bowl or jam jar with the mustard, salt, and pepper. Mix in the olive oil. 

Make the Salad:
1 1/2 cups grated red cabbage
1 1/2 cups peeled and grated celeriac
1 large OR 2 medium Belgian endives
1 large crisp firm apple

Trim and grate the cabbage and put it in a bowl. Peel and grate the celeriac and add it to the cabbage. Wash and trim the endives, and cut them in quarters lengthwise. Cut them into thin slices widthwise. Add them to the salad. Wash and grate the apple, and add it.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss well. Serve at once. 




Last year at this time I made Russian Cabbage Fritters. 

This easy but elegant soup has a nice balance between the creamy, uh, cream and the astringent Belgian endives. Carrot adds just a blush of colour and the onions and garlic add their notes to the whole. Simple and satisfying. Despite their subtlety there are quite a lot of vegetables in this so it isn't excessively rich.

4 servings
45 minutes - 30 minutes prep time


4 large (375 grams; 12 ounces) Belgian endives
1 large red or pink onion
1 small carrot
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons barley flour
3 cups unsalted chicken OR vegetable stock
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper & nutmeg to taste
1/2 cup 10% cream

Wash, trim, and slice the Belgian endives thinly. (Reserve a green tips for garnish, if there are green tips). Peel and chop the onion. Peel and grate or finely dice the carrot. Peel and mince the garlic.

Heat the butter in a heavy-bottomed soup pot until melted and sizzling. Add the endive, onion, and carrot. Cook over medium-low heat with the lid on for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Add the garlic and mix in well. Add the flour and mix in well, and cook for a minute or so until pasty. Season with the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Slowly stir in 2 cups of the chicken stock. Raise the heat to medium and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, until thickened.

Purée the soup in a food processor, and return it to the pot. Add the remaining chicken stock and the cream. Heat until steaming hot but not simmering. Serve at once.




Last year at this time I made Red Cabbage with Rye Crumbs.

Clementines are not local, but they are certainly a familiar fruit of the season. They make a great sweet and tangy sauce for slightly bitter Belgian endives. Later in the winter you could use other oranges to supply the juice - most of those will be big enough that one will do.

This is a very quick and easy recipe, but it does require several minutes of very concentrated attention right at the end, as you cook the sauce down.

4 servings
30 minutes - 10 minutes prep time


4 medium-large Belgian endives
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 clementines
1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Wash and trim the endives, and cut them in half. Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. When it begins to sizzle, add the endive halves, round side down. Add a tablespoon of water to the pan to help cook them. Cook for 5 or 6 minutes then turn them over.

Meanwhile, juice the clementines. Leave the juice in the lemon juicer, but remove any seeds. Peel and grate the ginger and add it to the juice. Add the honey and soy sauce to the juice.

When the endives are turned over, pour in the clementine juice, etc. Continue to cook the endives over medium heat until quite tender, about 10 minutes more. Transfer them to a serving dish using a slotted spoon, then turn up the heat and cook the remaining sauce in the pan for a few minutes until thickened. Watch it carefully; it can turn just a shade brown but that is the signal to remove it from the stove and pour it over the endives at once. Serve as soon as the sauce is put on.




Ha, ha! Oh look - last year at this time I made Endive, Walnut, Cranberry & Blue Cheese Salad.

Rather plain and sparse on the ingredients, I thought as I was making this. However, it didn't taste plain - it tasted extremely good and even Mr. Ferdzy went back for seconds; pretty amazing for a salad that contains Belgian endive, which is not his favourite thing at all. Perhaps it was because it has been a long time since we have had any pears. Their season is nowhere as long as that of apples, and they really are sugar in fruit form as well. Still, they are so good and I intend to eat a few this fall.

As usual I got sucked in by the fact that my hydroponic lettuce was amazingly pretty and I could not bring myself to just chop the stuff up. The pear slices on top were a bit pointless too, but even though I know better I just can't help myself. I should just chop everything up in advance then not have to supply a knife to eat the salad, but whatever. It did look nice for 30 seconds after it hit the table.

4 servings
15 minutes to make the dressing
15 minutes to make the salad

  
Make the Dressing:
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
5 or 6 pods of green cardamom
1/4 teaspoon salt (but see notes)
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons almond or other nut oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons sour cream
the juice of 1/2 large lemon

Grate a little lemon zest into a small bowl. Crush the cardamom and remove the green papery husks, then grind the remaining seeds with the salt. Note, however, that if you are using roasted, salted pumpkin seeds in the salad I would suggest cutting the amount of salt way back. Add this to the lemon zest then grind in plenty of black pepper.

Mix in the oil, the mustard, the sour cream, and the lemon juice. The dressing is best if made at least half an hour to an hour in advance to allow the flavours to blend.

Make the Salad:
4 cups chopped lettuce (1 large head hydroponic lettuce)
1 large or 2 medium heads Belgian Endive
OR 2 cups chopped arugula
1 or 2 stalks of celery
2 medium firm-ripe Bartlett or 3 Bosc Pears
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

Wash, trim, and chop the lettuce, the Belgian endive or arugula, and the celery. Mix them in a salad bowl.

Wash, core, and chop the pears. If you like, you can cut enough thin slices to form a circle over the salad. Mix the chopped pear into the salad and arrange the slices over the top, if that is what you are doing.

Note: If you are starting with raw pumpkin seeds, they should be toasted in advance in a dry skillet and then turned onto a plate to cool as soon as they are full and lightly browned. I recommend these over the ones bought already roasted and salted, but you have to use what you can get, of course.

Either toss the dressing into the salad, then arrange the pear slices and toasted pumpkin seeds over it, or sprinkle on the pumpkin seeds and pass the dressing separately.




Last year at this time I made Turkey & Mushroom Stuffed Leeks.

Beets and feta cheese are a very popular combination and when you throw in some lentils along with cabbage, nuts, and cranberries you have a complete meal. The sprouts gave it some greenery and crispness but they can be hard to find these days. You could use micro-greens or even just hydroponic lettuce shredded up fairly finely instead.

As usual, very easy and quick to put together once you have done the advance cooking which is very easy too, just not so quick. No problem to cook the beets and lentils a day in advance if that is helpful.

2 to 6 servings
allow 1 hour plus cooling time for the beet and lentils
20 minutes prep time to assemble the salad


Cook the Lentils & Beet:
1/2 cup brown or green lentils
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water
1 large beet

Put the lentils into a rice cooker with the water and salt; turn on and cook. Let cool. (If you cook lentils some other way, or use tinned ones, you will need about 1 1/2 cups, well drained.)

Put the beet into a small but deep pot and cover with water generously. Bring to a boil and boil steadily for about 45 minutes, until tender. Drain and let cool.

Make the Dressing:
the juice of 1 large lemon
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground Aleppo pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons walnut or hazelnut oil

Squeeze out the lemon juice and strain out any seeds. Put it in a small bowl or jam jar and whisk or mix with the remaining ingredients.

Make the Salad:
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated or finely chopped red cabbage
1 1/2 to 2 cups sprouts or micro-greens
1 small head Belgian Endive
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup dried cranberries

Peel the beet and coarsely grate it. Wash, trim, and coarsely grate the cabbage. Mix them with the well-drained lentils in a mixing bowl.

Wash the sprouts and drain them very well. Pull them into little clumps and mix them into the salad. Wash, trim, and chop the endive and mix it in. Arrange the salad on a flattish salad dish or platter, and sprinkle the chopped walnuts, crumbled feta cheese, an cranberries over it.

Drizzle the salad with the dressing and serve.




Last year at this time I made Cocoa Crepes. Wow, was that just a year ago? I've made them several times since then and they are good. They are even on my new diet!

Beets are best friends with just about any kind of fruit that there is; the strong earthy flavour contrasting and supporting the tart acidity of fruit, and the sweetness of both intermingling. Juicy lettuce, slightly bitter Belgian endive, and the crunch of nuts make for a very well-rounded salad. Yes, the mango comes from away, but sometimes you just gotta. 

2 to 4 servings
15 minutes prep time plus 1 hour to cook beets


Cook the Beets:
2 or 3 medium beets

Wash them and trim off any stems, but don't cut the roots. Put them in a pot with water to cover them generously, and bring them to a boil. Boil them for 40 minutes to an hour, until easily pierced with a fork. Drain them and let them cool.

Make the Salad:
3 cups torn-up hydroponic lettuce
1 large head Belgian endive
1 large ripe mango
1/3 cup chopped nuts of your choice

Wash and tear up (or chop) the lettuce and the endive. Mix them in the salad bowl.

Peel the beets and cut them in slices; arrange them over the greens. Peel the mango and cut two thick slices off along each flat side of the pit, which face the two wider sides of the mango. Cut them into smaller slices, and slice off the remaining mango flesh from the pit. Discard the pit and arrange all the mango slices over the salad. Sprinkle the salad with the chopped nuts.

Make the Dressing:
1/4 teaspoon anise seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons walnut or other nut oil
the juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Grind the anise and coriander seeds, and put them in a small bowl or jam jar with the salt and pepper. Add the nut oil, lemon juice, and mustard. Stir or shake until well blended. Drizzle over the salad.





Last year at this time I made Apples Baked in Lemon-Anise Custard.

We've been settling very nicely into sturdy winter comfort foods, but now it's time for something completely different. Fresh Ontario strawberries! Yes they are from a greenhouse and no they are not quite as good as field-grown berries in June, but they are really not bad and better than imported ones. What an amazing salad to have in the middle of winter!

Honey and lime juice add a touch of sweet and sour to complement the sweet-tart berries, soft smooth lettuce, and slightly bitter endive. So good! You could add a little apple or cucumber if you had some, to make it even fruity-er or even salady-er, whichever you prefer.

4 servings
20 minutes prep time


Make the Dressing
the juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, ground
1/2 teaspoon coriander seed, ground
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Squeeze the lime juice and mix it with the honey in a small bowl or jam jar. Grind the fennel and coriander seeds, and add them along with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.

Make the Salad:
1 head greenhouse Boston lettuce
1 head Belgian endive
1 small greenhouse cucumber, optional
1 medium apple, cored and chopped, optional
225 grams (1/2 pound) greenhouse strawberries

Wash, tear up, and dry the lettuce and arrange it in a salad bowl. Wash, trim, and chop the endive and sprinkle it over the lettuce. Wash and chop the cucumber or apple (core it) if using. Wash, trim, and slice the strawberries. Arrange everything over the salad, and drizzle with the dressing.




Last year at this time I made Sweet Potato, Lentil & Feta Salad.

Here's a lovely salad that can be made all winter and is very quick and simple. It is also tasty and colourful enough for a special occasion. Of course it contains my favourite fruit, nuts, and cheese salad combo, but it is nevertheless a side salad rather than the main event.  

4 servings
15 minutes prep time


Make the Dressing:
the juice of 1/2 lemon
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons walnut oil

Whisk or shake all in a small bowl or jam jar.

Make the Salad:
1 head hydroponic Boston lettuce
1 head Belgian endive
1 large leaf red cabbage
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup dried cranberries
60 grams (2 ounces) crumbled blue cheese

Separate and tear up the lettuce. Trim and slice the endive. Trim and shred the lettuce. Give them all a good rinse and dry them in a salad spinner. Arrange them in a salad bowl and sprinkle the walnuts, cranberries, and crumbled blue cheese over them. Drizzle on the salad dressing and serve.





Last year at this time I made Chocolate Pretzel Cookies. 

Warm mushroom salads were all the rage when I was a young adult back in the early '80s. No restaurant with any pretensions to style would have neglected to have one on the menu. Inevitably their popularity waned, but they were often very good salads and are worthy of a come-back. I think they are coming back, and hopefully this time they won't become so ubiquitous as to wear out their welcome.

I used a mixture of button and oyster mushrooms; a few shiitake would have been good, or use whatever you can find - part of the pleasure is the subtle differences in flavour and texture of the mushrooms. At this time of year it was hydroponic lettuce and pea shoots, but later in the spring there should be arugula and spinach; both of which go really well with mushrooms.

2 to 6 servings
1 hour prep time


Make the Dressing:
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/8 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon walnut oil

Peel and mince the garlic. Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl or jam jar. 

Make the Salad:
1 large head Belgian endive
3 cups chopped greenhouse lettuce
2 cup chopped pea shoots, micro greens, or other sprouts,
     spinach or arugula in season

Wash, trim, and chop the endive. Wash, trim, and chop the lettuce. Wash and chop any other greens to be added to the salad. Toss them all together in a salad bowl, or distribute them amongst individual serving dishes.

Cook the Mushrooms:
400 grams (scant pound) mixed mushrooms
3 or 4 shallots
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon rosemary leaves, ground
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons sherry

Clean and chop the mushrooms roughly. Use a mix of mushrooms; oyster, button, and shiitake are the easiest to get and make a fine combination.

Peel and slice the shallots thinly. Peel and mince the garlic.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook the shallots until just softened. Add the mushrooms and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring regularly, until the mushrooms are softened and browned, and cooked to your liking. Add the rosemary, salt, pepper, mustard, and garlic, and cook for just a minute longer, stirring constantly. Add the sherry and stir them up once.

Remove the pan from the heat and let the mushrooms cool for just a couple of minutes, then spread them out over the salad (or salads). Drizzle with the salad dressing and serve at once. 

Well, what is there to say about this? Other than that it's lovely to have a crisp green salad in the middle of winter, which can definitely be a bit salad deficient if you aren't careful. I mean, if I'm not careful. You know.

Mr. Ferdzy liked this better than most things I make with Belgian endive (not a fave of his) because there were lots of other strongly flavoured, and sweet things to balance it out. I just thought it was very tasty and hit the salad spot perfectly.

2 to 4 servings
30 minutes prep time


Make the Dressing:
the finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
the juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons honey
3 tablespoons hazelnut OR walnut oil

Wash the lemon and grate the zest into a small mixing bowl or a jam jar. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Set aside. 

Make the Salad:
1/3 cup hazelnuts
2 medium-large carrots
1 or 2 heads Belgian endive
1 1/2 cups chopped pea shoots or other micro greens
1 1/2 cups chopped hydroponic lettuce
1/3 cup dried cranberries

Toast the hazelnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking or stirring regularly, until fairly evenly showing toasted spots all over. Tip them onto a clean but not elegant tea-towel, and let cool. Rub them in the towel until most of the skins have come off. Discard the skins.

Wash, peel, and grate the carrots, and put them in a mixing bowl. Wash, trim, and chop the endive. Wash and drain well the pea shoots and lettuce, then chop them and add them to the bowl with the other ingredients. Add the cranberries and hazelnuts. Toss well.

Transfer the salad to a serving bowl or individual serving dishes. Drizzle the dressing evenly over them and toss gently. 




Last year at this time I made Ham, Cheese & Belgian Endive -bwahaha - in Buckwheat Crepes with Mushroom Sauce.

There are some strong flavours in this elaborated version of the good old Waldorf salad. I lost the celery (it is long over, alas) and replaced it with carrot and Belgian endive. With the cranberries and nuts these make for a pretty intense interplay between sweet and bitter elements. I found I needed to add more salt than I would normally put in a salad of this size to balance them out.

The anise is an unusual touch. It's one of those spices I think should be used much more often than it is, but if you can't get it (or don't want it) a bit of fennel will substitute it reasonably well. Note that grated apples will be a fair bit juicier than chopped ones, and will likely need a little less sour cream but as ever, adjust the quantity you use to the exact volume of your ingredients and to your taste.

4 servings
20 minutes prep time


2 medium carrots
1 large apple
1 or 2 large head Belgian endive
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or other nuts
1/4 to 1/3 cup sour cream
the juice of 1/2 lemon
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon anise seed, finely ground

Wash, trim, and grate the carrots. You can peel the apple, or not. You can core and chop the apple, or grate it. If you choose to grate it, use the lower quantity of sour cream - you will need a bit more if you chop it. Put these in your salad bowl.

Wash, trim, and cut the endive in half lengthwise. If it has a pithy core, cut it out. Slice them thinly across the width and add to the salad.

Add the cranberries and nuts to the salad. Mix the sour cream with the lemon juice, and put it in. Season with salt, pepper, and the ground anise seed. Mix well.




Last year at this time I made Baked Potato Skins with Samosa Stuffing.

Admittedly this is a bit complicated; not an everyday dish by any means. However it would be ideal for entertaining, as the crepes and the sauce can both be made in advance, leaving the assembly and baking for just before serving, and both of those are very straightforward. 

Note that I first list the crepes under "Finish the Crepes" but they need to be made ahead of time. They can be done a day ahead if you like, and kept wrapped in the fridge until needed. Heat the sauce (in the microwave is easiest) until it's just hot enough to spread easily. The number of crepes used is not a full recipe, but with a full recipe you should have no trouble getting the number of nicely formed ones that you need. Leftover crepes are very easily disposed of, after all.

The number of servings depends on whether people will eat one filled crepe or two; and that in turn depends on appetites and what else is being served. I'm inclined to think a nice crisp salad is what is needed to finish this off.

3 to 6 servings
1 hour 15 minutes - 45 minutes prep time
not including making the crepes


Make the Mushroom Sauce:
300 grams white mushrooms
3 to 4 large shallots
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon rubbed thyme or savory
1 cup ham or chicken stock
1 cup light cream

Clean and slice the mushrooms. Peel and mince the shallots. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat; when melted add the shallots and mushrooms. Cook for 10 minutes or so, stirring regularly, until the mushrooms are lightly browned.

Sprinkle the flour and seasonings over the mushrooms and shallots and mix in well; cook for a minute or two longer. Slowly mix in the stock, stirring well to prevent lumps, and simmer for a few minutes until thickened. Mix in the cream and continue stirring and cooking until thickened once more. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Finish the Crepes:
1 recipe buckwheat crepes, made ahead
 - you actually need 6 to 8 crepes
6 to 8 medium or 3 to 4 large heads of Belgian endive
6 to 8 slices smoked ham
3 to 4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
8 ounces smoked Cheddar or Gruyere
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Put a pot of water on to boil, and blanch the endives for 2 minutes. Rinse them in cold water to stop the cooking and drain them well.

Spoon a little sauce into a 9" x 13" shallow baking (lasagne) pan and spread it out.

Take a crepe, and lay a piece of ham in the middle. Trim an endive, and slice it in half. Use half an endive or a whole one per crepe, depending on their size. Lay the endive piece(s) across the ham to cover most of the crepe from side to side. Sprinkle with a little balsamic vinegar. Add the cheese, sliced to cover the ham and endive from side to side. Spoon over a little of the mushrooms sauce. Basically, you are placing a rectangle of fillings across the middle of the crepe, with the ham no doubt spreading out further. Roll up the crepe - I didn't bother to tuck in the sides - and place it in the prepared baking pan, snuggly against one short end.

Repeat with the remaining crepes and fillings until they are all done and the pan is full. Try to use about half of the mushroom sauce in this process, reserving the rest to spread over the top. Spread the remaining sauce over the top, and sprinkle it evenly with the Parmesan cheese.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbling.

We've been enthusiastically growing dry beans for about 4 years now, but we haven't been keeping up with eating the beans. This year I am determined that we will eat our way through at least last years and the year before's. Yeah. That's how much we haven't been keeping up. So far we've been doing quite well as we are now eating bean soup at least twice a week. Time for a change, though, so here's a nice bean salad.

The sweet and mild beans, carrots, and cooked onions make a great foil for the stronger, rougher flavours of mustard, lemon and endive. Serve this as part of a salad medley, or as a meal in itself. Some good bread and butter or some toast would be all that might be needed to round it out.

4 to 6 servings
20 minutes prep time, not including cooking the beans


Cook the Beans:
1 cup white, yellow, kidney, or pinto beans
1 teaspoon salt

Rinse and pick over the beans, and put them in a pot with plenty of  water to cover them. Bring them to a boil, then cover and turn off the heat and let them soak from several hours to overnight. Add the salt and bring them back to a boil. Simmer gently until tender.

This should be done a day in advance.

Make the Salad:
1 large onion
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup sunflower seed oil
a pinch of cayenne
1 teaspoon rubbed savory
freshly ground black pepper to taste
a grating of lemon zest
the juice of 1 large lemon
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 large carrots
2 medium heads Belgian endive
1 cup peeled, diced celeriac (1 or 2 stalks celery)

Peel and chop the onion. Peel and mince the garlic. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet, and gently cook the onion until quite softened and slightly browned; about 10 to 15 minutes. While it cooks, add the cayenne, savory, pepper, and lemon zest. Stir regularly.

Mix the lemon juice and mustard together. Drain the beans well and put them in  your salad mixing bowl. Peel and grate the carrots, and add them, and trim and chop the Belgian endive. Peel and dice the celeriac (or chop the celery). Toss the beans and vegetables together.

When the onions are cooked, add the garlic and stir it in for a minute. Add the mustard and lemon juice, and mix well. Scrape the onions etc into the salad and toss well. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.




Last year at this time I made Scotch Broth with Dried Peas & Barley.

Oh, wasn't this nice! It's been too long since I've made a good, green, crunchy salad. Since we've so gotten out of the habit of buying any vegetables, I've kind of forgotten to get greenhouse veggies for salads in the late winter and early spring. But it is possible to make a good green salad at this time of year.

In addition to the lovely colours this had such a great blend of crispy, crunchy, and smooth; sweet, tart, and bitter. The apple I used was a Red Prince; a wise choice this late in the season. So good!

If you are treating this as 2 servings; i.e. a meal for 2 people, you may want to be a little skimpy with the ingredients and supplement it with a couple of chopped boiled eggs. Otherwise, it should serve 4 to 6 as a side salad. 

2 to 6 servings
20 minutes prep time


Make the Dressing:
the juice of 1 large lime
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
a little salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons sunflower or olive oil

Squeeze the lime for the juice; whisk or shake all the ingredients in a small bowl or jar. 

Make the Salad:
1 head hydroponic lettuce
1 large or 2 small heads Belgian endive
1 large or 2 small greenhouse baby cucumbers
1 large or 2 small apples
4 to 6 button mushrooms
1 medium avocado

Cut the lettuce from the roots. Tear or chop it up into bite-sized pieces, give it a quick rinse, and drain very well. Trim the endive and cut it in half lengthwise. If the core is large, cut it out. Cut the halves into 1 cm strips widthwise. Wash the cucumber and trim the ends; cut it in half lengthwise and into small pieces widthwise. Wash, core, and chop the apple. Clean and slice the mushrooms.

Toss all the above prepared ingredients together, and put the salad into the serving bowl. Cut the avocado in half, and cut each half into slices (I use a sharp-edged large shallow spoon to remove slices from the skin.) Lay them on top of the salad, and drizzle over the salad dressing.




Last year at this time I made Tomato & Celery Barley Soup.

Well, here I am. Trying to get back into a routine that includes this blog.

Everyone is back from their winter vacations meaning that Mr. Ferdzy and I have much more chauffeuring and visiting of parents to do, and on top of that there is a quarantine in the nursing home while we make an attempt to sell the cottage belonging to Dad and his partner. It makes arranging for the offers and counter-offers to be signed a bit of production, but hopefully it will happen and we can get on to the next project, whatever that will be.

I'm struggling with my usual late winter/early spring depression, but I expect that to lift fairly soon. We've started cleaning up the garden, and have planted peas, along with lettuce and spinach. We planted spinach and lettuce in the fall, too, which is when we usually plant it, but it didn't come up. Or rather, I suspect it did come up but was eaten by last years bumper crop of slugs and snails so quickly that it seemed like it didn't. The rhubarb is starting to unfurl and the welsh and walking onions, parsley, and sorrel are all coming along nicely; in fact I believe this will be the last "winter" recipe of the year, and the next one will use some garden greens. I may be a bit overly optimistic about that, but we shall see.

2 to 6 servings
20 minutes prep time


Make the Dressing:
1/4 cup mayonnaise (light is fine)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon apple butter
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl.

Make the Salad:
200 grams (1/2 pound) Belgian endive (2 medium heads)
100 grams  (1/4 pound) button mushrooms
2 cups finely shopped Savoy cabbage
50 grams (2 ounces) chopped walnuts
50 grams (2 ounces) crumbled blue cheese
2 to 4 tablespoons dried cranberries (optional)

Wash, trim and chop the endive. Clean and slice the mushrooms. Finely chop the cabbage.

Mix all the ingredients in a salad bowl and toss with the dressing. Reserve a few of the cranberries and walnuts to sprinkle over the top of the salad.




Last year at this time I made Lamb Steak & Kidney Pie, and Rhubarb & Carrot Muffins.