Raw

The farmers market is so wonderful this time of the year! The asparagus spears are slender and delicate; snap peas are still tender enough to eat with the pods; spring onions are so sweet that they don't make me cry - and I would cry if someone mentions onions in a conversation; the greens are beyond fresh, and there are innumerable varieties: lattuces, chicories, miner's lattuce, arugula, pea greens, beet leaves, nettle, spinach, sorrel, what's not. Not all of the greens are green, and this makes salads even more interesting.

And the pullet eggs. The guy at the egg stall is very excited about them. They are eggs from "teenager" hens, under six month old. The young hens are just learning to lay eggs, so these practice eggs are tiny - the ones sold at the market barely qualify as medium; they are not allowed to sell even smaller ones, - have bright yolks and very delicate texture.

Every Thursday after a trip to the market I'm tempted to skip the dinner and just slice some raw vegetables for a salad. Do I resist? No. The possible combinations are endless. I just go with what looks the best today. Two examples:


Salad #1: arugula, cresta di gallo, curly cress, mediterranean cucumber, fava beans (shelled and lightly cooked), fresh asparagus, soft-boiled pullet eggs, red wine vinegar and EVOO dressing.
Salad #2: fresh asparagus, heirloom tomatoes, avocado, snap peas, thinly sliced spring onion, soft boiled pullet eggs, goat cheese; dressed with mayonnaise made of one yolk of a pullet egg (tiny!) with about 3 Tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard.