English Peas, Buckwheat Greens And A Strawberry Tart

It has been quite hectic around here.

During these past couple of weeks, I have had to park my book writing routine aside to focus on a couple of other projects I am super excited about. I wish I could share more, but we will have to wait. All I can say is that it involves a major magazine and I had a blast.

However, all of this has taken a bit of a toll on me.



When I woke up Sunday, I felt as though I had run a marathon. Sore and exhausted.

C. encouraged me to take some time for myself in the morning. He took the kids and I headed to the farmers' market. I find it relaxing to walk around, people watch and get inspired by the produce and talking to the farmers I have come to know this year.



Unfortunately, it was the last day of the market. Yes, when the rest of the country is just now gearing up for their growing season, ours is coming to an end. Well, not exactly. Things will still grow in the summer, but much slower and not so abundant. Most of the farmers I know take the summer off to travel and learn from other farmers.

As it was the last day, I indulged in everything I saw. The usual suspects such as eight ball zucchini, heirloom tomatoes, strawberries, mulberries, farm eggs, kale, beets, english peas... But I also found buckwheat greens.



This was the first time I had even seen buckwheat greens. Beautiful greens with tiny little flowers.

As I started to read about them, I found out that they can be somewhat toxic when consumed in large amounts and that is why they are not recommended in juicing. However, a small amount can be beneficial.

Sunday night, I made a quick soup with English peas and buckwheat greens. The soup was tasty and mild. Spinach or even lettuce would work just as well.



When Monday came around, I was ready to start testing more recipes for the book.

I really feel so lucky to be able to do what I love. Time flies when I am working and enjoy every second of it.

But when time flies, lunch must also be quick. Crushed pea, cherry tomato and goat cheese tartines to go with leftover soup from the night before. I blanched some English peas in salted boiling water, then crushed them with a fork. Mixed with goat cheese, scallions, olive oil, salt and pepper on toasted gluten-free bread.



I was testing a new tart dough and with the leftovers, I made a quick almond and strawberry tartlet that Miren and I had for dessert. Took a couple of chairs outside and had an impromptu picnic in the back lawn.

Then back to work.

English Pea and Buckwheat Greens Soup

Serves 4

2 Tbs olive oil
1 leek, white part only diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
2 cups shelled peas
2 cups buckwheat greens or spinach
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
5 sprigs thyme leaves
3 cups chicken stock
Goat cheese, optional
Chopped scallions, optional
Olive oil

In a small pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the leek and the garlic and cook for 3 minutes until soft.

Add the rest of the ingredients and bring the liquid to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce heat to medium low and let it simmer for 15 minutes or until soft.

Puree the soup. Serve with chopped scallions, goat cheese, drizzle of olive oil, and toasted bread.


Strawberry and Almond Tart

Makes 6 3-inch tartlets

Pie crust of your choice (mine was gluten free)
½ cup (110 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup (110 g) natural cane sugar
1 egg
½ tsp almond extract
1 cup (110 g) almond flour
1 Tbs (10 g) tapioca starch
¼ tsp salt
2 cups sliced strawberries

Pre-heat oven to 400F.

In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar with the paddle attachment until light. Add the egg and almond extract and mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix.

Roll out the pie dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut 6 4-inch disks and fill tart molds with them. Cut off excess dough.

Fill the tart molds with frangipane and arrange the sliced strawberries on top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until crust golden.

Spring & Its Tutti Frutti Crumble

It was about two months ago when I received a phone call from Loren, my uncle in law. Loren and Jan live in Wenatchee, Washington where they are surrounded by cherry and apple orchards. "I am going to send you a few cherry blossom branches" he said. "Cherry blossom branches? But how?".

A few days later a package arrived in the mail. Tightly wrapped and with very specific instructions, there were four cherry branches. "Cut the ends and place them in water. They will bloom in a few days".

And indeed they did. Tiny little white flowers that reminded me of the blossoming trees back home.



This little gesture planted a seed in my mind. I got excited about the idea of being able to see these trees in person. "We should take a trip while my parents are here and visit cherry blossoms. It would be a wonderful family vacation before they leave" I suggested to C.

I knew the kids would love it.

I really wanted to go visit Loren and Jan in Wenatchee, but a trip to Washington state was just not practical considering it takes a whole day to get there and back. "How about Washington DC?". And so we found the National Cherry Blossom Festival.



We spent last weekend there. at "George Washington CD" as J calls it.

I welcomed the wintery cold.

Beautiful flowering trees all around the Tidal Basin. Dad and I walked around the entire basin by ourselves. He had his arm around my shoulder just as he used to do when we were kids. I cherished every second of it.



Then back home, I dreamt of the wild poppies that grew in the field next to our school and blossoming apple trees.

I received my copy of Heidi's "Super Natural Cooking". I had been waiting so anxiously since I had pre-ordered it months ago. Beautiful as I expected and filled with recipes I want to cook and eat.

"Look at that crumble" I said to my mom as we were flipping through the book. Heidi's tutti frutti crumble filled with berries, oats and poppy seeds. I made a gluten and dairy free version on Saturday for our last dinner with my parents. It was delicious, light and the perfect way to put an end to a wonderful visit. I miss them already.



And then, I have to thank all of you for your kind words and excitement over the workshop in France this upcoming October. Stephanie is working on some additional details as we speak (she is in France at the moment!), and then, we will post a brief notice a few days prior to opening registration to the public.

Thank you and stay tuned!

Tutti Frutti Crumble

adapted from Heidi Swanson's "Super Natural Everyday"

1/2 cup superfine brown rice flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1 Tbs potato starch
2 Tbs poppy seeds
1/2 cup gluten-free oats
1/2 cup natural cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup melted coconut oil (do not microwave it, melt it over water bath)

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until it comes together. Divide the dough into three parts and form patties. Freeze them for 10 minutes.

1 1/2 cups diced strawberries
1 1/2 cups diced rhubarb
1 1/2 cups golden raspberries
1 Tbs cornstarch
1/3 cup natural cane sugar
1/4 cup Beaujolais

Toss the first five ingredients together in a bowl. Let the fruit macerate for 10 minutes. Add the wine and gently mix.

Transfer the filling to a 10" pie plate or divide it amongst individual ramekins. remove the crumble patties from the freezer and break them over the fruit leaving some chunkier pieces.

Bake at 375F until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes.

What Basque Cooking Is About

It has been hot in South Florida this past few days, reminding us that the cool weather that I love so much is leaving us soon. Mornings are still cool, but temperatures soared into mid to high 80s during the day.

This is the peak of growing season. It was really noticeable when I visited Robert and Paula at their farm Sunday afternoon. I had to get my weekly eggs and say hello to the baby goats and chickens.

Their tomatoes were ripening, the squash were also ready to be harvested and all the herbs were flowering. All this warmth and abundance of produce put us in the summer spirit.



"What do you want to have for lunch?" mom asked after breakfast. You see, this is how it goes in our family. We finish one meal, clean up, and start thinking about the next one. Is this normal?

"Let's stop at Whole Foods after the farmers' market and see what kind of fish they have today" I told her.

When we arrived, we picked up a whole yellow-eyed snapper. Fresh as can be. "Why don't we make your fish soup? I would love that". We smiled and proceeded with local clams, mussels, and Key West pink shrimp. I was anxious to get home and start cooking.




While my mom was busy in the kitchen making the fish stock, prepping all the vegetables, and also cooking a batch of arroz con leche, Miren and I ate a bowl of heirloom cherry tomatoes with olive oil and sea salt.

We went outside to look at the flowering herbs and our wild strawberry plant. There is one ripe strawberry at the moment. I think I will wait one more day to pick it. There are some more ripening and there is such anticipation in the family. They are nature's candy for sure.




When we came back inside, dad took over baby watching duties. By the time I walked into the kitchen, mom had the arroz con leche cooling and the fish soup ready. "I'm waiting for you to take photos so I can add the fish into it!". She's amazing. So efficient. And well, me?... procrastinating.



But I did manage to make a quick galette with leftover dough from the book shoot. Tossed together strawberries, rhubarb, apple, sugar, and chamomile leaves to make a super simple filling. By the time I photographed the soup, the galette was ready.

"Mahaire!" I shouted to get my dad's attention who was still bird watching with Miren. Lunch was served.

And so when people ask me what Basque cooking is all about I say, "taking what is available and fresh, and preparing it as simply as possible". No big fuss. Knowing how to pick the best ingredients, how to smell the fish and look into their eyes to see how old it is... That is what Basque cooking is about.



All the credit for these dishes goes out to my mom who keeps us nourished and well fed during this crazy time for me. I'm not sure what I would do without her.

Eskerrik asko amatxu.

Ivory Lentil Salad, Strawberries and Buttermilk

As I am sitting in front of the screen trying to write this post, my mind went blank.

I have been cooking and photographing so many recipes lately that it is hard to remember which recipe I was going to tell you about. "Wait, was it the snapper or the vegetable tart?... Wait, what was I going to talk about?". It gets confusing.

I also realized that most of my blogging has been set aside for weekend cooking and baking when mom and I spend time in the kitchen together. I hope you don't mind. I hope that our everyday simple meals are also interesting enough to draw you into the kitchen. I hope so.



So just as we have been doing every Sunday morning, yesterday we headed out to the farmers market. It was sunny, breezy and beautiful. We did our round and got our usual eggs, heirloom cherry tomatoes, radishes and strawberries. Also several kinds of greens and beets.



Do you ever get anxiety after you go to the farmers market? I do. A good kind of anxiety. The kind that makes me want to cook everything at once and photograph it as soon as we get home. The fresher the better.

"Wait, don't put those away yet" I told my mom. "I need to take photos of them". She shook her head.

While I was upstairs shooting, she cooked some ivory lentils for lunch. They cook in about 20 minutes and have the perfect texture for a salad. A little bite still left in them. Perfect with spicy radishes, peppery watercress, sweet julienne carrots and a chili and garlic vinaigrette.



Kai Kai Farms had beautiful tiny little strawberries. So sweet. Then I remembered this recipe and decided to adapt it to include buttermilk, millet and a little bit of corn flour for some extra texture.

It was so good. We had it after dinner while playing a game of "Go Fish".



I also wanted to tell you that I am honored to be listed in Babble's Top 100 surrounded by such great bloggers. Thank you Babble.com!

Spring Ivory Lentil Salad with Spicy Garlic Vinaigrette

Serves 4

1 cup ivory lentils, rinsed
3 cups cold water
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup radishes, thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and julienned
2 cups watercress, washed
2 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 tsp chili flakes
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

In a medium saucepan, combine the lentils, water and salt. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain and cool for 5 minutes.

Toss the lentils, radishes, carrots and watercress.

To prepare the vinaigrette, heat the olive oil in a small saute pan. Add the garlic and chili flakes. Cook for 2 minutes or until it starts to get a bit of color. Do not burn the garlic. Add the vinegar. It will splatter so stand back. Turn the heat off and swirl the vinegar into the oil. Pour over the salad. Season wih salt and pepper. Toss and serve.