This was a busy month, with schoolwork, travel, and some cooking.  Here are some of the brief highlights of Spring, when we did get into the kitchen.

Spicy Guacamole

Now that I’ve learned how to make guacamole with some zip, it is becoming a more frequent topping for my breads at lunch.  Here’s what it looked like on May 23rd:

Ramps Mean Springtime

One of my seasonal favorites is the wild leek known as Ramps.  I don’t always buy them when I see them, because they can be very expensive ($15-$20/lb.) and frequently look terrible by the time they make it to the market.  I did find one lovely batch at Russo’s in late May.  I pickled a few and cut up some of the rest of them, cooing the greens separately from the bulbs.  Here is an artistic rendition of those two components:

The greens were much sweeter and tastier than I remembered from previous attempts.

Baked Pasta

One night I played with a large, ribbed pasta, making a baked version with tomatoes and chopped greens.  The dish was a good match for a Nebbiolo I bought recently in NY.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

For variety one night, I decided we should do some Vietnamese Spring Rolls, Vegan and delicious.  I even remembered where we had some of the dried rice paper needed as the wrapper.  Naturally, this called for Barbara’s pastry/dough handling skills, which are considerable and transcend many cultures.

Miscellaneous Vegetables

One night we did a cabbage braise, and another featured the other half of the cabbage, in a Baked Rice with Vegetables.

If it looks like we were losing enthusiasm for long, involved dishes, you are correct.  But it was a short interlude, not a lasting change.