Mother's Day Paonia (Colorado) Style! Spring Green Pea and Mint Soup A bright delight heralding spring. Makes about 8 cups. 1 lb. (approximately 3 ½  c.) fresh shelled peas ½ c. thinly sliced white ends of scallions, chop and reserve green ends ¼ c. fresh mint leaves, chopped 2 tbsp. butter or quality margarine 2 c. water, mild vegetable (or chicken) broth 1 c. (I medium) peeled diced potato 1 ½ c. milk—nondairy or dairy, or use cream as desired 1 tbsp. or so—a good squeeze—fresh lemon juice 1 tsp.-big pinch! fructose or turbinado sugar- to brighten salt to taste freshly ground pepper to taste additional mint sprigs for soup garnish swirl of sour cream or crème fraiche, if desired Gently sauté white ends of sliced scallions in butter or margarine. Add water and potato and bring to rapid boil until potato is very soft, add fresh peas and simmer briefly until peas are  just tender. Pour into food processor, scraping pan. Puree until smooth with mint and green sliced scallions. Pour back into pot, add milk and taste for seasonings. Serve immediately while soup is brightly colored. Fresh Herb and Goat Cheese Fritters Growing up in the mid-west, we ate corn fritters for breakfast with maple syrup and sausages. Try this North Fork version on for size - great for brunch or dinner and snacks in between. Serve hot! 1 1/2 c. unbleached flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1 1/2 tsp. salt 3 tbsp. minced fresh herbs 2 eggs 1/2 c. milk 1 c. crumbled goat cheese vegetable oil for frying Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Whisk in eggs, milk and herbs. Heat heavy skillet with 2 or 3 tbsp. oil over medium high heat. Fold crumbled goat cheese into batter, then when skillet is hot, drop batter by tablespoons into skillet and fry, turning with spatula when golden brown. Let second sides brown, then place on paper towel or cloth and keep warm, uncovered in low oven while you fry the rest of the fritters. Mixed Greens with Tomato Olive Vinaigrette A pretty confetti of a dressing adapted from Deborah Madison’s fine recipe. Perfect with a variety of lettuces. ½ c. minced fresh chives 4 tbsp. red wine vinegar 3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar salt and freshly ground pepper 8 tbsp. cold pressed virgin olive oil 1/3 c. or so finely diced tomatoes of choice-red, yellow, a combination… 1/3. c. or so diced Kalamata or Nicoise olives Combine first four ingredients in a bowl. Whisk in olive oil in thin stream. Add tomatoes and olives, taste and adjust the balance if needed. handfuls of tender, delicious, local, organic! mixed salad greens Toss dressing with lettuce and serve. Rolled Frittata with Spinach and Wild Mushrooms This Spanish style omelet is made in an 8 to 10 inch nonstick skillet, quickly spread with roast red pepper mustard sauce, rolled, then sliced on the diagonal. Studded with the earthy flavors of sautéed spinach and any variety of mushrooms you choose, it is absolutely delicious. The size skillet you use will determine the thickness of the finished frittata 4 tbsp. olive oil, butter, quality margarine, or combination 6 -7 eggs—local, free range, vegetarian fed, organic from happy girls! spring onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal 2 tbsp. fresh minced garlic 1 ¼ - ½  lb. fresh mixed wild mushrooms, or one favorite, or reconstituted dried—cleaned and sliced 1 packed cup fresh washed and chopped spinach leaves 2-3 tsp. minced fresh thyme salt and freshly ground pepper 1 c. roast red pepper puree 1 ½ tbsp. stone ground mustard or to taste     Whisk red pepper puree and mustard together in a bowl. Taste and let stand at room temperature. Heat 2 ½ tbsp. oil in skillet, sauté mushrooms and garlic until lightly browned. Add spinach, stir and heat until wilted and bright green, and liquid is cooked off. Transfer to a bowl and wipe skillet clean. Whisk eggs with thyme, salt and pepper—a pinch or two of salt, a few generous grinds pepper. Stir in prepared vegetables. Heat rest of oil in skillet, when it is hot, pour in eggs and lower heat. Cook for a minute, give the pan a few jerks. If the eggs are sticking, loosen with a rubber spatula, letting uncooked egg slide beneath. Cook over medium low heat— until the eggs are nearly set, cover pan to finish cooking eggs. Remove from burner. Off heat, spread quickly with about half of roast pepper mustard sauce and roll the frittata, using a spatula to guide you. Slide onto a serving platter, pour rest of sauce over. Slice frittata on the diagonal. Olive Oil and Cracked Pepper Roast Radishes and New Potatoes Spicy, happy, root vegetables galore. A new dimension for the lovely radish, served hot and tender with taters and onions jostling alongside. If the radish leaves are in nice condition, wash and turn them into the mix the last few minutes of roasting. variety of radishes, scrubbed and ends trimmed reserve leaves if in good shape new red potatoes or fingerlings, washed  (select smallest new potatoes you can find) small spring or pearl onions quality olive oil cracked mixed peppercorns—red, green, white and black, if you have ‘em! salt Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Select quantity of radishes, potatoes and onions desired for the number of eaters. Wash and trim as needed. In separate bowls, toss radishes, then potatoes and onions with olive oil. Salt and generously pepper vegetables in each bowl. Place potatoes and onions in flat baking dish and roast on top rack about 30 minutes, shaking pan occasionally to turn vegetables. Add radishes to the mix and roast about 20 minutes more, turning vegetables once or twice, until lightly browned and tender. If adding radish leaves, stir them in, coating with a little pan oil for several minutes before serving. Homemade, Divine Lemon Curd ~ with Local Strawberries Makes about one quart. Wonderful for dipping fruits, with scones and muffins, spooned into a phyllo tart shell and covered with a deluge of berries…. 1 c. butter or quality margarine 2 c. fructose or granulated sugar. Turbinado or Succanat is      fine, but will affect lemon yellow color of finished curd 2/3 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice 3 tbsp. lemon zest (grated lemon rind) 4 large, local eggs 1/8 tsp. salt strawberries! washed and dried, as many as you want to eat Melt butter in large saucepan. Add fructose or sugar, lemon juice, zest and salt, and whisk until fructose dissolves, about 2-3 minutes. Beat eggs until frothy, stir in about 1 cup lemon mixture, then pour in steady stream back into saucepan and continuing whisking, 7-9 minutes until thick. Ladle into jars and cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.