I was recently at a potluck and learned an important lesson about myself. I shouldn’t be allowed to stand next to the salsa verde. At least, not if anyone else wants to have any. Not only did I eat more than my fair share on whatever bread was around, I also had a bit more on the sausage, the veggies or anything else I could get my hands on. I might have picked up the dish and licked it clean. Except that I’m pretty sure that would have been a serious party foul.

The good news is that my garden is full of good stuff for salsa verde right now. I have a mini forest of scallions and herbs, so I was quick to make the Bobby Flay scallion vinaigrette recipe in the August Food & Wine. Green onions, cilantro and jalepeño with a healthy splash of sherry vinegar and dribble of honey. Sounds delicious, doesn’t it? It is. Hot, sour, salty, sweet. It’s great on fresh veggies, baguette, grilled chicken, my fingers.

It’s also easily adaptable. Yesterday, I made a variation with the addition of fresh shiso, padrons and agave instead of the honey. Yum.

Scallion Salsa Verde
adapted from Bobby Flay’s Scallion Vinaigrette in Food & Wine August 2010

6 scallions, pale and dark green parts only, coarsely chopped
1 or 2 peppers
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon agave nectar
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 or 3 shiso leaves, chopped
3 tablespoon olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Place all the ingredients except the oil in a blender, and pulse until well blended but a little chunky. Stream in the oil while blending, and season to taste.

Makes about 1 cup

My dearest favorite scones,

You are so fluffy and light, and I love your for it. I really do. You always put a smile on my face on a grey day, or a sunny one. You play well with my favorite fruits. My friends comment on how great you are, and ask me to share you with them. I still remember the giddy first days of loving you, when I brought you to my friend’s going away to London party. You fit in so well, and I just wanted to gobble you all up. I couldn’t keep my hands off of you.

But I have a confession. Over the past few years, my eyes have, on occasion, strayed. To scones with a little more substance. Scones that are a bit more hardy. Scones with a depth of flavor. Scones that are a bit less simple.

The moment I saw these certain buckwheat cornmeal scones and I was taken in. I must have had too many spoonfuls of the strawberry rhubarb jam that was simmering away on the stove top. I didn’t know what I was doing. Before I could come to my senses, my hands were sticky with dough. I had crossed the line.

I think I mentioned in my last post, that after a couple of months hiatus from doughtnuts everyday for the book, I have been a bit doughnut crazy once again. In addition to the vetkoek I posted about over the weekend, I made no fewer than 4 batches of doughnuts on Father’s day morning for a doughnut taste-off my friends Dawn and Eric blogged about (my cake doughnuts came in 3rd, beating out quite a few of the big-name doughnut shops in Seattle! Not bad for cooking in the groggy hours of the morning).

I also was excited to be asked by iVillage to share a recipe for the 4th of July. It won’t surprise you to find I made doughnuts. This time, Ricotta Drop Doughnuts with a fresh cherry sauce. These fritters are very quick to make and hold up quite well for an hour or two, so you can take them with you to a picnic (if you can resist eating them all while they are still warm).

If you are looking for more great recipes for the 4th, make sure you check out the other featured recipes from some of my favorite blogs, including a to-die for looking Smoked Tomato Salsa from Gluten Free Girl and the Chef, a tempting Raspberry, Honey and Black Tea Sorbet from Not Without Salt, and spicy Firecracker Chocolate Pudding from Not Martha!

June 5th was National Doughnut Day. Did you make doughnuts?

I was out of town, so I sadly missed it this year, but I’ve been making up for it since I’ve been home and getting very excited about the upcoming launch of Doughnuts! Did you know it comes out on October 1st? Did you know you can pre-order it on Amazon now?

Can I tempt you with a sneak peak of the book?

How about, to tide you over for a bit, you try making vetkoek (which translates to fat cake)?
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What better mementos could you bring home from a trip than a handful of new recipes? They don’t take up space in your suitcase, and you’ll have them for years and years to come.

From South Africa, I came home with more than a couple of recipes, but I’ve been very eager to share these two with you. Of course, arriving home after two weeks away meant that things got very busy, but this week has pleasantly returned to a more leisurely pace. Time for cooking and shooting and sharing.

First off, when we were in Durban, it was all about the Bunny Chow, a hearty dish of knock-your-socks-off curry that is served in a bread bowl that is a half loaf of bread. Bunny chow doesn’t have anything to do with rabbits, but rather the dishes Indian heritage, from a vegetarian immigrant group known as the Bania. The original vegetarian curry was served up in a loaf of bread, which allowed it to easily be transported to eat in the streets, at work or wherever (depending on whose history you believe). Over the years, the curry has changed and is more often a lamb or mutton curry made with a very spicy red curry spice. But it’s still eaten without utensils, using the bread to scoop out bites of the curry.

The day after the race, Cam and I stopped in to a cute cafe in Durban, Bean Bag Bohemia, to sample our first bunny chow, although there it was called Durban Stuff. And stuffed it was, with chicken and prawns and one of the spiciest curries I’ve ever had. Good thing there were also cocktails!

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