the softest silence of a sunday morning – punctual and punctuated by a light spring snow. beyond the dog’s heavy sighs of protest i hear her reasoning – the sharp winds eliminating things like visibility and querying things like the strength of new spring life. the recent lilac blooms coat the driveway, shaken down with no offering of recourse. it is one dreary morning in an oceanic year of many – but beneath the guise is the reality that spring has emerged from gestation. her poetic arrival has been well-received in a town too laden with winter.
the garden is developing a beating heart slowly and surely. each warm evening we set our hands into the rich dirt and turn it until it resembles home. the peas are jetting their tendrils to the sky, the radish sprouts are satellites collecting sunshine. the garlic grows greener, deeper, taller, and fuller every day. strawberries softly but intuitively map their destination with all the poise of a spring fruit. much seed is invisible, patiently gathering its surroundings. and still yet, an exquisite passel of warm-weathered plants are with us indoors, thriving on a cultivated atmosphere.
both inside and out we are celebrating a noted shift in season and temperature. the feeling of humidity has returned to the air, the patient measure of a breeze and not a gust, and the unhindered warmth of direct sunlight.
- 5 large egg whites
- 5 cups kosher salt
- 2 tbl minced dill
- ½ lb new potatoes
- ½ lb beets, greens reserved
- 1 medium bunch radish
- ½ cup dill fronds
- greens from beet bunch
- 2 tbl lemon juice
- 2 tbl olive oil
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 cup peas, thawed if frozen
- mint and dill for garnish
- preheat oven to 400 degrees, and spray the bottom of a large sheet pan with non-stick spray. in a large bowl combine egg whites, salt, and dill. stir mixture until you achieve the consistency of wet sand.
- halve larger vegetables only if necessary, so all sizes are generally even. pack the salt mixture around each vegetable until covered entirely, and place each on the sheet pan. bake vegetables in oven until the outer crust is golden, and the inner vegetable tender - about 45 minutes. remove sheet pan from oven, allow to cool for ten minutes, and remove vegetables from salt.
- in a food processor combine dill fronds, beet greens, lemon juice, olive oil, and mustard, process until smooth.
- toss roasted vegetables with peas, pesto, mint, and dill.