Fresh Sugar Snap Peas

I didn’t follow my original menu as planned due to a lack of baby artichokes at the market and a bumper crop of fresh and sweet sugar snap peas. The meal, however, turned out even better than expected, except for the pork tenderloin with rhubarb chutney, which was as boring as can be. Don’t bother. Most definitely DO bother, however, with a fresh snap pea salad with burrata cheese. This has spring and summer written all over it. It’s well worth it to hunt down fresh burrata as this rich and delicate cheese makes the dish. I cannot wait to tuck into this summer salad again. And again. And again.

Pork Tenderloin with Rhubarb Chutney

Snap Pea Salad with Fresh Burrata

Wow do I love this stuff. Probably not surprising, however, considering I am also a fan of straight lemon or lime juice and fresh sour cherries sans sugar. I suppose I have an influx of sour-friendly taste-buds, which doesn’t always pair well with my husband’s penchant for all things sweet. Lucky for him rhubarb season is fleeting.

So what did I make over the weekend with my pounds of gorgeous, ruby-red rhubarb stalks fresh from the Farmer’s Market? Several jars worth of strawberry-rhubarb refrigerator jam (definitely on the tart side, but oh so delicious) and a vat of rhubarb chutney to complement grilled pork tenderloin. I am also looking forward to enjoying steaks with a rhubarb red-wine sauce later this week as well.

Wow was this delicious and so very different. The combination of sweet and crisp fresh pea shoots, crunchy tart apples and rich briny scallops was fabulous! The dish was both savory and fresh. Crispy and tender. Sweet and tart. Loved this!

Trini Chinese Chicken: this will definitely go into my grilling recipe rotation. It’s so easy and the flavors are smashing — lime juice, habanero-based hot sauce and Chinese 5 spice powder. Finger lickin’ good without all the fatty fried grease and calories. I sucked off every bit of meat from my bones and then went to town on my husband’s leftovers, too.

Trini Chinese Chicken

The flaming heat of the chicken and dipping sauce was nicely tempered by a simple chopped salad and roasted piquillo peppers. Certainly you can decrease the spice factor by backing off on the habanero sauce, or you can double or even triple the amount, as I did. Oooooh it was good!

Chopped Salad

Roasted Peppers