Cacio e Pepe AKA Pasta with Pecorino and Cracked Pepper

The seed packet for arugula states that you should be able to harvest in 40-45 days. My first pickings were at 35 days! If you are a fan of arugula, toss some seeds in a pot (or the ground if you have the space) and grow your own! Homegrown arugula is so much more peppery and spicy than whatever you buy at the store (some farmers markets' stalls come close) but picked fresh from the earth cannot be beat!

To celebrate the first veggies from my garden since planting 5 weeks ago, I made Cacio e Pepe con Rucola, AKA pasta with pecorino romano cheese, cracked black pepper and arugula. Traditional Roman fare, cacio e pepe is fresh pasta (if you've got it) tossed with finely grated pecorino romano cheese and black pepper ground over all. It is divine! Gild the lily by tossing in some freshly washed arugula and allow the hot pasta to wilt the greens and you'll be singing Puccini to the birds!

Fresh Fennel Salad, Moroccan Style

Ahhh fennel. I love its crunch, its slightly anise-y taste, its herb-green scent. But it rarely is the star of the dish, always the supporting player. Here it shines all on its own.

Add a few dashes of piquant flavor enhancers - lemon juice, salt, harissa (!), mint - and fennel glides to the forefront like a prima balleria who has been waiting for her chance to sparkle in the spotlight.

While the flavors are decidedly Moroccan, the preparation is based on a simple Italian (or French, depending on whom you ask) dish that uses salt to bring out the natural juice of the vegetable and adds lemon to spread it around. The most common version is with carrots, and a dash of olive oil helps the salt make its rounds and do its magic.

Mediterranean Marinated Chick Peas

As I mentioned here and here Chick peas are a favorite legume of mine, and whenever new ways of preparing them cross my path I quickly give it a try.

Cooked chick peas with Mediterranean herbs, salt and olive oil. So simple it is kind of shocking that this is the first I have heard of it. This has no cookbook or blog origins. In fact, there is no cook to whom I could attribute it. Some nameless cook working for a specialty food company produced this idea to help boost sales at olive bars and it is genius!

Grilled Salmon with Sweet Chipotle Glaze

Salmon is one of my favorite fishes. I love it smoked, salted cured (gravalax) as well as baked or grilled. It stands alone easily with salt and perhaps lemon but it also takes to a little dressing up as well. This is a dressed up version.

When I saw Joanne's version from Eats Well With Others I knew it would be a winner; chipotle in adobo, apricot preserves, cumin and vinegar. So simple, so easy, so delicious! She baked her fish, we grilled it. Both work wonderfully. To top it off, there is no long marinating process. Just mix, slather on the glaze and bake or grill. Perfect!

Swiss Chard, Onion and Potato Gratin

Gratin, it can be a decadent dish of cheese and cream mixed in with some vegetables. Or it can be as simple as layers of vegetables with some cream to steam them under a covered dish in the oven. This dish was the later. I was craving vegetables but wanted something warm, and a little on the light side. Layering potatoes, swiss chard and onions turned into an inspired dish.

Clearly a cousin to scalloped potatoes, which were a regular feature at the Just Food Co-op hot bar when I was deli manager, I left out the cheese and simply added the cream to help steam the layers. It was divine! Imagine the natural juices of potato, Swiss Chard and onions mingling with a touch of cream and salt and pepper and you have this delicious dish.

Roasted Red Pepper and Sausage Pie with Potato Crust

I am been meaning to try this potato crust for some time, ever since Stacey posted about it here. With my first try, my mandoline didn't slice the potatoes quite as thin as I had hoped, and the egg leaked all over. It tasted great, but not a pretty picture! Trusting my steady hand and my favorite chef's knife I set out to make thinner slices and this time it worked.

As for the filling, my ingredients were similar if not exact. Some breakfast sausages in need of being cooked up were joined by homemade roasted red peppers. Of course I had to toss in some of my favorite herb, parsley, to add some color.

A great treat for breakfast or brunch, however this must be eaten warm; it does not do well at room temperature the way its cousin quiche is want to do.