We arrived in a beautiful farm and Horticultural Education Center about 20 km outside of Bilbao, Spain in the Basque Region. Lush hills of farmlands and forest, this area is beautiful. Known for fresh local ingredients the Basque know how to enjoy food. We were unaware that it was a holiday and therefore no stores were open – we had a half loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter and ready for dinner. No worries the produce on the farm was gorgeous and plenty! The chickens had eggs for us, there were herbs of plenty and fresh citrus – here is what I made for a perfect spring dinner.
Orange Herb Dressing
Juice of one orange – throw in some of the sections as well
¼ cup good olive oil (check the date! Olive oil spoils)
Sea salt to taste
1 cup or more chopped herbs – I had parsley, dill, mint, chives, fennel and lemon balm
Chop herbs, add all ingredients and mix – adjust to taste with any of the ingredients. If you desire more of a punch in your dressing feel free to add lemon or a light vinegar – sherry, apple or white wine.
Garden Salad
Fresh spring greens
Spring onions
Rocket (arugula works)
Cabbage
Edible flowers – I had chive blossoms and broccoli flowers
If you don’t have a garden, the next best thing is a local farmer’s market, use what is fresh and what looks good to you. These ingredients will change with the seasons, use what you have, use what is in season and play around with combinations. Wash and tear greens, finely slice onions and cabbage. A note on edible flowers – they can be delicious, a bit spicy and add a beautiful touch to your plate. Talk with your local farmers or send me any of your questions. If you have a garden, taste the flowers your plants make on their way to seed – it’s a great way to mix up your plate!
Housemade Croutons
Bread – any that you have will work.
Olive oil
Salt
I like to tear the bread into bite size pieces giving more surface area to toast and fill with oil, you can cut it if you like. I toss the pieces with a generous serving of olive oil and salt to taste. You can toast them in a pan, bake them in an oven on 350 until crisp – or my favorite – toss them on the BBQ! If you BBQ them make sure they are large enough pieces to not fall through the grates. BBQ on medium turning continually until they are toasty on the outside and a lovely chewy on the inside!
6 Minute Eggs
Bring enough water to cover your eggs to boil, carefully lower eggs in using a spoon so you don’t drop the eggs and crack the shell. Boil for 6 minutes. Remove the eggs and submerge into an ice bath (bowl of ice water). Peel when cool enough to handle the eggs. Slice them in half and sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika – or whatever you have on hand!
Toss the salad ingredients with dressing in a serving bowl, top with edible flowers, eggs and croutons. Enjoy!
