Marinated Anchovies with Artichokes Braised à la Greque
For the anchovies

• 2 whole anchovies

To marinate the anchovies – using your hands, remove the head and the backbones from the anchovies. This is best accomplished by pushing the flesh away from the bones with gentle pressure from your thumbs.

Marinate the anchovies with the following:

• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 bulb thinly sliced fennel (fronds reserved)
• 1 small sweet onion
• 1 small carrot peeled and cut into thin coins
• 2 cloves peeled garlic (thinly sliced)
• 1 tsp Italian chili flakes
• 20 or so parsley leaves
• 20 or so cilantro leaves
• Salt to season the fillets of anchovy

Mix together the wine, vinegar and the olive oil. Mix together the dry ingredients. Lay the dry ingredients out in a thin layer on a cookie sheet. Place the anchovy fillets on top of the vegetables in a single layer, season with salt. Add the liquid ingredients and cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate overnight.
For the artichokes:

• 4 large artichokes
• 2 small carrots
• 1 small freshly dug sweet onion peeled and cut into eight wedges
• 3 cloves fresh garlic peeled and cut into thirds
• 1 tsp coriander seed
• 1/2 tsp fennel seed
• 2 cups white wine
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 bouquet of thyme, parsley stems and basil stems
• White vinegar to taste
• 20 basil leaves torn
• 8 small vine ripened Campari tomatoes, halved (available from Jaime farms, at the Wednesday and Sunday Santa Monica Farmers Markets)

Place a non-reactive saucepan on the fire (preferably La Creuset or the like). Add half of the olive oil, the garlic, the spices and the bouquet.  When this begins to sizzle add the onions, carrots and the artichokes. Toss the mixture to coat with the olive oil and season with a generous pinch of salt.  Sweat, for about two minutes over high heat. Add the white wine and cover the pan for five minutes.  Remove the lid and add the remaining olive oil. Season with the vinegar to taste and continue to cook until the artichokes are tender. Rectify the seasoning and turn the fire off. By this time the liquid in the pan should appear slightly thickened. Check the flavor of the liquid and rectify the seasoning.  Allow the artichokes to cool to room temperature in the pan. When they are cool transfer to as serving platter and add the torn basil leaves and the vine ripened tomatoes. Arrange the marinated anchovies on top of the braised artichokes, finish with a sprinkle of coarse sea salt and a drizzle of good olive oil and serve.

Cherry Almond Salad

This recipe was inspired by one that I found in a 1911(!) Los Angeles Times Cookbook. Who knew we were eating clever combos like this back in the day. Cherries aren’t often used in savory dishes, but here they add a sweet-tart snap to an elegant salad. Use several kinds of cherries for flavor, color and texture contrast; a slightly bitter frisée or escarole and wedge of cheese nicely sets off summer’s first stone fruit.

1/2 head escarole or 2 heads frisee

1/2 cup almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups (about 1/2 pound) mixed cherries, such as Bing, Rainier, Brooks, Garnets, and sour Montmorency cherries if you can find them, pitted and halved

1/4 cup dried cherries

1 Eureka lemon

2 tablespoons grapeseed or almond oil

Kosher or sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces mild camembert, goat, or blue cheese

If using escarole, cut the leaves crosswise into thin ribbons. You’ll have 3 to 4 cups. If using frisee, use the tender, light-colored hearts and tear them into bite-size pieces. Toss together the cherries, almonds, and escarole or frisee in a salad bowl. Use a zester to peel the yellow skin of the lemon directly onto the salad. Add the oil, a squeeze of lemon, and salt and pepper to taste. Divide salad among 4 plates. Cut cheese into 4 wedges or slices and place a slice on each salad. Makes 4 servings.

Adapted from The Santa Monica Farmers’ Market Cookbook by Amelia Saltsman (Blenheim Press, 2007)

Moroccan Beet Salad
Makes 8 servings

Dressing:

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon sorghum syrup or dark honey
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• Salt to taste

Salad:

• 8 medium-large beets (about 2 pounds) with green tops
• 1 cup peeled, halved, seeded, chopped tomatoes
• salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, without stems

Prepare dressing:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined. Makes about 3/4 cup dressing.

Prepare salad:
Wash the beets well, being careful not to break their skins. Cut off the tops, leaving a stalk of about 1 1/2 inches. Reserve green tops and set aside. Place beets in a 3-quart saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until a knife can be easily inserted and removed, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool in cooking water. Slip off the beet skins, trim off the tops, and cut beets into bite-size pieces. Toss beets and tomatoes with 1/4 cup of the dressing. Set aside to marinate.

Wash greens. Transfer greens, with some water still clinging to the leaves, to a large pot over high heat. Cook, stirring until just wilted but still bright green, about 4 minutes. Drain greens and squeeze out excess moisture. Cool slightly. Chop coarsely.

Transfer greens to a medium bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the dressing and toss to coat. Season greens with salt and pepper. Arrange tomatoes and beets in the center of a platter and surround with greens. Garnish with cilantro. Pass remaining dressing separately.

Goat Cheese Nasturtium Ice Cream

(From Miche Bacher’s Cooking with Flowers. Published by Quirk Books.

I can’t resist goat cheese. Hard, soft, aged, fresh—I love it all. With the addition of nasturtiums, this goat cheese ice cream treads the line between sweet and savory (like most of my favorite indulgences). In fact, if you want to push it up to the top of your menu, you could serve it with savory toppings such as caramelized onions, crunchy bacon pieces, or spiced nuts and call it an appetizer. Try it; see if anyone argues.

Makes about 2 quarts.

Ingredients

1 cup (8 ounces) goat cheese*

1 ½  cups milk

2/3 cup sugar, divided

6 egg yolks

Pinch sea salt

1/3 cup nasturtium flowers, finely chopped

*Fresh, soft goat cheese is ideal for making ice cream.

1. Put goat cheese in a large (3-quart) heatproof container that has a lid.

2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm milk and stir in half the sugar. Simmer until sugar dissolves. Meanwhile, whisk yolks with the remaining sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl. When the milk has absorbed all the sugar—but before it comes to a boil—begin to temper your eggs by slowly pouring half the warm milk mixture over the yolk mixture while whisking vigorously. Then slowly pour the egg-milk mixture back into the saucepan, whisking vigorously. Heat mixture until it coats the back of a spoon and the temperature reaches 165°F on a candy thermometer.

3. Slowly pour mixture over goat cheese, whisking to fully dissolve and incorporate it. Fold in chopped flowers and chill mixture for at least 4 hours and up to overnight. Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Let ice cream sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving.

Note: The flowers will release their essential oils when they absorb some of the residual heat from the cream.