Files, favas, and socca

[vgqn]

Monday I moved all the files relating to my now defunct boutique jelly business out of the file cabinet and into long-term storage. I then moved a bunch of Master Gardener material into the now vacated file cabinet. Woo hoo! All winter long I kept intending to do it some rainy day, but did I? No. So I figured It Was A Sign when we got rain on Monday (awfully late in California for a rainy day, usually no rain from April - October).

Yesterday I organized the planting of 60 tomato plants for the Master Gardeners tomato trials. I think we even got the right ones into the right holes. Later I shelled a million fava beans while watching Alton Brown and Jaques Pepin. Ate half for dinner, made the rest into a garlicky salad for later.

Today I listed 2 items on Craig's List. I've been vaguely thinking of doing this for the past year. First time listing, we'll see what happens. Also made rose petal jelly (for friends & family only, no more selling). Made socca for dinner, as best I can considering I don't have a copper 'plaque' or a hot wood-fired oven. Went great with the fava bean salad and roasted artichokes with garlic & lemon. Mmm.

Socca de Nice

Comments

[idahoswede.livejournal.com]

What, pray tell, is socca? And rose petal jelly sounds yummy, I haven't had any of that for decades. Do you do lavender jelly as well?

[vgqn.livejournal.com]

Socca is thin flatbread made with chickpea flour, traditionally cooked on a large, flat copper pan in a wood-fired oven. You can find socca stands all over Nice. It's simple and unassertive, yet surprisingly addictive. (The link that I stuck in but failed to label talks about socca de Nice. Maybe I'll go back and edit that.)

When I had it in Nice, I asked someone nearby what it was made of. "Pwahsheesh," she said. I puzzled over this until I finally managed to spell it correctly in my brain as "pois chiches," i.e., chick peas.

Yes, I made lavender jelly, as well as rosemary orange (divine on roasted chicken), bergamot mint (a mint that tastes like oil of bergamot), and cinnamon basil (a basil with a marvelous cinnamon flavor). Plus mulled wine and nutmeg sherry jellies for the holidays. I may have to make another batch of those this fall. The irony of this whole venture, though, was that I hardly ever eat jams or jellies myself -- I really, really like plain buttered toast.

[alces2.livejournal.com]

"Later I shelled a million fava beans while watching Alton Brown and Jaques Pepin. Ate half for dinner..."

Wow!!! You ate 500,000 fava beans. That's a lot!

Gary

[vgqn.livejournal.com]

Oh, well, I should have said approximately a million. I mean, who's counting?