The other day I had the grand plan of recreating a dish I had in Paris. It was an unmitigated disaster. The key ingredient was the artichoke. I had never prepared one before and I may never again. The dish was a lovely tender bottom half of an artichoke with amazing smoked salmon, a poached egg, and a mustard sauce. The last three I was able to do. However we now have a pot that is blackened and I’ll have to attack that with oven cleaner. I hope that works. I was steaming the artichoke and it ran out of water. Sigh.
So I moved on to other things. I decided it was time to get the leeks and onions into the ground. We like to rotate our little crops each year and that was the plan for the leeks and onions. Mother Nature had other plans as one bunching onion plant is regrowing and some seeds that didn’t sprout last year are coming up now. Which is pretty cool but that bed is staying the same as last year.
For the leeks I dig out two small trenches to plant them in and mix in organic compost and fertilizer. A lot of gardeners will bury the leek as it grows to blanch it. I only do that a little bit until the leeks are pretty sturdy as I like the dark green. More flavour.
I plant them carefully and they are so delicate at this point. Hard to believe they can get up to 5 feet long and you can use them as bats. 🙂
The bunching onions are much easier. After mixing in the compost I just plug them in willy nilly. I left space to plant more seeds in a few weeks to stagger the harvest.
Our garden is well on it’s way now with the bulbs and flowers starting to grow. The peas are poking through and I think spring is finally here to stay!
I’m going to Paris in June! It will be my second visit, but this time I will be there a bit longer. I can’t wait to eat so many good things. It’s funny that you mentioned the mustard as an ingredient in a dish because I’ve had some of the best when I was last there. Also, a creamy butter that I have never found since then that my friend and I still dream about.
The food there is hard to beat. Our kids loved it. Their new favourite ingredient became duck after that trip. 🙂
Planting onions was my job as a kid. I have a feeling my rows were a bit willy-nilly then, for sure!
🙂 I like plants where perfection isn’t needed!
Do you mean “oeufs carême”? There is a good recipe here: http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/512190 🙂
It was along the lines of that but the artichoke was a spring green and tender with the smoked salmon as the next layer with a poached egg on top with a drizzle of the mustard sauce and some micro greens on the side. It was a seriously good starter.
I am salivating…
🙂 Shame it didn’t come out right!
I can’t wait to start our garden, still too cold here. My onions and chives though are popped up as usual. My rhubarb is doing well too. I love digging in the dirt and getting the tasty rewards 🙂
Our Rhubarb is coming along like gangbusters. 🙂 We still get some frost but the plants we’ve put in so far can handle it.
Hoping you won’t be put off by your artichoke experience as they really are delicious freshly cooked, as you know from the dish you had in Paris.
I think I need to do a bit of research. And fix the pan. So far I’m not having much luck!
I think mos of us have had pans that look very much like the one you used for your artichokes. I know I certainly have — even walked one out to the trash in disgust. (It was a cheap pan.) I’m sure you’ll try again and with better effect. In the meantime, just look at your garden! Granted, it’s not looking like mid-July but it is coming along nicely. 🙂
We’re getting there. 🙂
I like the green bits of the leeks too, as you say lots of flavour!
Jealous of your garden! I have a small patio with NO sun, so growing vegetables is out of the question. I look forward to seeing more updates of your plantings.
That’s a shame. I used to have a small balcony but it got a bit of sun so I had a few things. It was nice to just have something growing.