Thanks to all the rains we have been blessed with, Chanterelle mushrooms have been growing amid the oak trees that dot the ranches and farmlands of Santa Barbara County. They are one of our favorite wild mushrooms. They are on the dinner menu this evening.
Walla-walla onions are also a favorite of ours. They are delicious in their raw state as well as cooked.
And the most exotic offering was puntarella. Puntarella (means little shoot in Italian) is a member of the chicory family like endive, and radicchio are. It has a bitter taste which is tamed by plunging the leaves and shoots in cold water until they curl. In Italy, they are tossed with a dressing made with anchovies, garlic, red wine vinegar and olive oil. Two of our favorite farmers had large selections of puntarella.
Wishing you an abundance of Saturday Smiles!
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