Spicy Greens

OK,

so in this heat it's hard to eat

lots of meat.

                 Really.

Especially at my tender, advanced age.

So on this hot un-negotiable night

I thought I'd go light.

I have this almost obsessive interest

in the green salad, and

in how much variety you can get in a salad,

just using green.

So, this caught my eye

at a local cooperative grocer:

Sounds great,  doesn't it?

So I bought it, and when I opened it,

I was struck

by the variety of greens,

and the similarities they hold

to something a cow would eat.

Now, look at it:

I almost felt I could go out

into my backyard

and pick it,

but then I looked closer,

and began to get excited about eating it.

So I'm now going to show you

what I did with it, 

because the salad I'm eating right now

is simply fabulous.

So, of course I cleaned it once, 

then put it in a drainer to clean it

again,

but this time, I started adding stuff,

starting with arugula

from my own porch garden--

Now, I was surprised when my arugula grew in this shape;

it must be the variety.

I'm more familiar with the longer, leafy kind

that I used to be able to get

when I lived in Turkey.

After that,

I added some basil,

also from the porch garden,

Oh, and I should point out,

I put in a handful of mesclun mix,

and then a couple leaves of romaine,

Now, you clean that up and stir it up,

and look at all that color!

So, to this I added 

this rather lovely locally produced feta

(yes, I'm giving some local plugs here)

and I used some dill

(again from the porch! - no I did not use the part

where it has come to flower.

Now, should I?)

in a very simple oil and balsamic vinegar dressing,

and,

well, 

here is the outcome:

Now, will tell you,

I'm just reveling in the experience

of having just eaten

that salad,

and I will tell you -- it was fabulous!

Those Spicy Greens are really spicy --

But while I'm at it,

I'll also tell you

what I ate it with.

My other food obsession

is rice,

and I found this lovely mixed rice,

thanks to my brother --

which I made with a vegetable broth,

and I'll tell you,

its nuttiness really compliments

the greens' spiciness.

And I washed it down with a glass of this,

which I have to say is a very nice

Spanish white wine from the Rioja region,

 which I can get in my area

for below $15.00

So,

there you go --

I was inspired to write a blog entry

about a meal which,

by the way,

was a fabulous summertime meal!

And it all began with the title

"Spicy Greens"

(note: I just noticed the Spicy Green people

have a website named right

on their package --

it is:

www.remembrancefarm.org,

and here's a paragraph from their website

about who they are:

"Remembrance Farm is a 90-acre biodynamic vegetable farm located in Trumansburg, NY, in the heart of the beautiful Finger Lakes region.  We specialize in growing salad greens and root vegetables for sale to local stores and restaurants, and to individual households through a cooperative Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program known as the Full Plate Farm Collective."

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