Recipe updated & photo added in 2007 May 2005: "Can't say I've ever made a 'sauce' before, you know, the la-di-da sauces in French cooking. Tonight's first-ever attempt yielded less than perfect results but I won't be intimidated again -- I think this Florence Fabricant recipe is forgiving. And delicious. And flexible. My mistake was focus, to be precise, failure to focus. Imagine a stack of dominoes collapsing. I started cooking during the next-to-last episode of the enigmatic Lost . While the castaways struggled, the white wine/shallots/garlic burned. When it ended, I started over. But short on white wine, I resorted to part white / part (decidedly pink) pinotage which likely affected flavor and noticeably affected color. Rules for the next attempt. Stay in the kitchen. Pay attention to the pot. Revel in the result." August 2007: I tackled this sauce again and found it easy if slightly fussy. The good news is that the sauce can be made ahead of

Odd little knobs, these Jerusalem artichokes. And who'd guess that something named such would neither be from no where near the Wailing Wall nor an artichoke? (And here I was thinking this could be one artichoke I'd actually like ...) Like hapless-prunes-turned-chic-dried-plums, these are now marketed as sunchokes. The new name fits. Supposedly they're related to sunflowers. And well, to be frank, peeling them is a bit of a choke. That said, I'm glad I tried these. They're all about crunch. Good crunch. I'd add them to a crudité platter any time, like tonight. Well except for the fact that they turn a dull gray after about 15 minutes of air exposure. No matter, just eat fast. Or close your eyes. However, people do cook Jerusalem artichokes. I found recipes that called for peeling scads of them for gratins and mashed somethings. I can't imagine: peeling is extraordinarily tedious, especially because even with great care, they just don't look that

~ recipe updated & photo added in 2007 ~ 2005: Simple butter can be sublime. But tonight, by pure accident, I learned the virtue of 'doctored butter' when using up a shallot, lime and jalapeño butter leftover from last week's fish. (It worked great for an omelet too.) Other 'doctored' butters come to mind. Garlic and ginger. Lemon and wasabi. Let your imagination -- and your pantry -- inspire you! 2007: In the early months of A Veggie Venture, I cooked one bag of frozen vegetables after another: such was my habit, 'before blog'. It really wasn't until much later, when I was tallying 'favorite' recipes, I realized how few there were from the first couple of months. And virtually none started with frozen vegetables. I still like frozen vegetables, but these days, whenever I can, turn to fresh vegetables for enjoyment. These simple beans were simply delicious . FOR INSTANCE IV (doctored butter) Tonight, For Instance, Green Beans with Jalapeño Li

I wonder if farmers and home vegetable gardeners get as much satisfaction from pulling fresh corn and tomatoes from their gardens as I do from stepping outside to snip a few strands of fresh chive. Or rosemary. Or dill. It's not too late to put in a few pots of herbs! This is a yogurt-lightened version of what my grandmother used to make with sour cream. The yogurt version was good -- but I remember the sour cream version as delicious so will try again, her way. On Day 65 , I happened to have both the cucumber and sour cream on hand. Swoooooooooooon. Some things are worth investing calories in. NANA's CUCUMBERS with NON-FAT YOGURT Active time: 10 minutes Time to table: Just over an hour Serves 4 1 English cucumber 1 tablespoon sea salt or kosher salt 1/2 cup non-fat yogurt Generous bunch of fresh chive, snipped with scissors (See ALANNA's TIPS) Pinch sugar Salt & pepper to taste Slice the cucumber in thin rounds. (See TIPS.) Combine with salt and l

Vegetable jam? Hmm. The idea intrigued me. And I had asparagus in the frig that needed attention. So, yes, why not? It can be fun to 'play' with food! This might be good along roast pork or some other rich meat where the sweetness would contrast richness. By my measure, though, it's a side dish or condiment and another time wouldn't count as a 'vegetable'. ASPARAGUS JAM Active time: 15 minutes Time to table: 40 minutes Makes about 1 1/2 cups 2 teaspoons olive oil 3 shallots 1 tablespoon water (see ALANNA's TIPS) 1 pound asparagus (see TIPS) 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped fine 1/3 cup brown sugar 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar 1/3 cup water Heat large skillet on MEDIUM HIGH, add oil and let heat until shimmery. While it heats, mince the shallots. Add the shallots and 1 tablespoon water to the skillet and saute until shallots begin to turn gold, 5 - 10 minutes. Trim tough, woody ends from asparagus, then cut in half-inch lengths. Add

Stop! It's too early for full summer heat! It's been too hot to cook so the frig is filling up with cold-served vegetables, tonight a simple cucumber dish that was good with fish. It wasn't 'special' but to my taste -- well, let's just say that 'good' can be 'good enough'. I would definitely make this again! CUCUMBER WITH MUSTARD & DILL Active time: 10 minutes Time to table: 10 minutes Serves 4 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar 2 teaspoons Dijon or other mustard 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt Fresh pepper 2 tablespoons fresh dill 1 English cucumber Whisk together all ingredients except cucumber. Cut cucumber in half length-wise (or in quarters if it's quite big as was the one tonight) and then cut in thin slices cross-wise. Combine cucumber with dressing. Serve. NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Serving: 43 Cal (68% from Fat, 5% from Protein, 27% from Carb); 1 g Protein; 4 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 3 g Carb;