Friday, March 31, 2006

It's Spring, Dammit

But you'd never know it from the weather in the Bay Area. We've had rain, hail, snow, wind, freezing temperatures — all in March. In fact, this is the wettest March on record.
Even so, we found some asparagus at the market yesterday, and I knew exactly how I wanted to enjoy them: Simply.
A few years ago, during a pouting spell (or maybe it was just a languid, ingenuous moment), I asked Cranky to make me some toast with asparagus on top. Whole asparagus, laid lengthwise on richly buttered country bread.
It was amazingly good to eat.
Then, a few weeks ago, I ordered a simple, vibrant, pagan lunch of eggs fried in breadcrumbs, atop spears of asparagus, at Sausalito's upscale restaurant, Poggio.
I thought I could do that dish one better, and today I did.
No, not fancier — Simpler. Heartier. Better.
Alas, I could not find an announcement for End of Month Eggs on Toast Extravaganza for March. I've never joined this fun event, and finally, when I whip up the perfect entry, I can't find mention of it anywhere. I don't even know what the clever theme is, if there is such an event this month.
Well, I'll choose my own theme: It's Spring, Dammit.

Sources: Eggs from Triple T Ranch in Santa Rosa (no Web site), Italian sourdough from Pan-o-Rama in San Francisco, asparagus from Zuckerman's Farm in Stockton, butter from Clover Stornetta in Petaluma, salt from — psyche! — not my own Marin-harvested salt. Savin' that for May.

16 comments:

Michelle said...

Traitor! (you know what I'm talking about!! ;) But aside, that's a beautiful, perfectly poached egg sittin' on that spring asparagus. It is spring, dammit! Stupid rain go away!

cookiecrumb said...

Ack! OK, then let me amend the "apple-y" remark to read "soapy."
Hey, anybody here like to eat cooked cucumbers? Ew, right? Go read michelle's blog. (LB will never come here. I think.)

MizD said...

Psssst:

End of Month Eggs on Toast Extravaganza.

Passionate Eater said...

Make the rain stop Cookie and Cranky. Please? We live in the Bay Area, not Seattle! Fog is okay, rain is not.

Anonymous said...

One of the first gooormet cooks I knew loved to serve cucumbers with fish. She would take the time to make small ovals by "turning" them (learned that way back when I was in high school). They were sauteed in butter, served with snipped chives alongside mild fish. Very nice. Haven't had them in eons. Maybe I will make some soon.

Kalyn Denny said...

Eggs look delish. It's raining here too.

Michelle said...

Ha ha ha - you never cease to make me giggle. Actually, Kudzu's cooked cukes don't sound so bad...indeed, they are a perfect accompanyment to fish. Maybe I'll hint that way of cooking them to LB - I'll, of course, never be able to make them on my own...why then he might get the idea that I was "wrong" again, and that will just never do!

Guy said...

Oh yes. I drove about 6 miles and bought some Fatted Calf sausage and salami. Then, I walked 10 feet across the street and bought some Happy Boy greens with these really bright flower petals in them. Oh man it's been good.
Afterwards I patronized a local liquor store for some cheap bourbon, stowed in truck. Looked across the street at the best local hardware store in the WORLD, Pastime Hardware in El Cerrito. I found me a bitchen door mat for the front door, outside. It's really nice, got vines and green leaves. It makes you smile when you walk across.
I glanced at the green/muddy lawns and thought maybe tomorrow, after tonights thunderstorm.
Just because it's not raining right now, doesn't mean it won't rain in 30 minutes.

Biggles

cookiecrumb said...

Mrs. D: How come you know that! Google failed me! Thanks.
PE: Even my doggie is begging us to make the rain stop; he doesn't understand that we can't. (Oh. Em. I speak "Dog.")
Kudzu: I have to laugh at turned vegetables. I understand the reasoning, so that every morsel cooks at the same rate, but it's just this big waste of food!
Kalyn: It's stopped here for the moment, but I think April is going to be a wet one, too.
Biggles: Well. You're all set!

Guy said...

Awww crud. It's raining again.

cookiecrumb said...

Der. Gonna go pour me a Jackie D.

Dagny said...

In checking with my dad about the farm, he said that they only grow summer crops so they are only open in the summer. To get there, you take Freeport Blvd. out to the Old River Road and take the road toward Walnut Grove. I love the Delta and can't wait until the Crawdad Festival this year in Isleton.

cookiecrumb said...

Dagny: Aw, rats. We'll go in the summer then. Thanks for the directions, because I couldn't find the farm online. :)

Dagny said...

No prob on the directions. My dad was impressed that I knew the way. I reminded him that we passed the place on the way to Isleton last Father's Day. But my dad's a wuss. He paid for the crawdads but refused to eat them. Oh, and the Zydeco music.

Jeanne said...

Hey there Cookiecrumb

Don't despair!! There is in fact an EoMEoTE this month - Stephanie's hosting over here:
http://thehappysorceress.blogspot.com/2006/03/eomeote15-hard-boiled-edition.html

Feel free to join in! Tell your friends! :-)

cookiecrumb said...

Hey Jeanne: Yeah, Mrs. D. clued me in. But I looked at the theme, and it's all noir and hardboiled and more about writing than eating. Maybe next month I'll get clued in SOONER.