Simple and fresh

I recently went to a wonderful cooking demonstration at Central Market taught by Virginia Willis, a lovely French-trained chef from the South who is also a culinary television producer. The title of the demonstration was "The Flavors of Fresh Herbs," and it was absolutely delightful in that it tantalized every one of my senses. Luckily, I got to partake of all the food Virginia prepared using lots and lots of fresh herbs, and, oh!, what a party in my mouth! Virginia says she mostly uses fresh herbs in all her cooking, and now I am a firm believer that fresh herbs make all the difference.

Take these potatoes, for example. Regular, old little red potatoes. But stick a fresh bay leaf or two inside and roast them for a while and you've got the most perfect little almost sweet-scented potatoes ever. I never knew what bay leaves really tasted like until I stuck these in the oven only to find the smell of bay permeating the rest of my little apartment.

Before:

Think those leaves in the jar can do that??? Virginia noted that "even a semi-fresh bay leaf several weeks old from the fridge will have more flavor" than those "brown, tasteless dried bay leaves" you've had sitting in your spice cabinet for--what, 3 or 4 years now? Duh! How can they be good?!

After:

(Imagine: the smell of bright little bay leaves wafting through your house...)

Indeed, I have learned my lesson well. Make no mistake about it: fresh is ALWAYS best. Just try and see for yourself.

Bay Roasted Potatoes

Adapted from a recipe by Virginia Willis from Bon Appetit, Y'all

8 medium red-skinned or Yukon gold potatoes (or double that number if you're using small ones like I did)

16 to 20 fresh bay leaves (again, double the number if using small potatoes)

1/2 cup olive oil

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

sea salt, for finishing

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a sharp knife, thinly slice each potato, stopping each cut 1/4 of an inch from the bottom, so the potato is sliced, but still intact. Insert 1 to 2 bay leaves into each potato.

Place the potatoes in a large roasting pan. Drizzle oil over the potatoes and toss to coat. Season the potatoes with kosher salt and pepper.

Roast the potatoes until tender when pierced with the point of a knife, about 1 hour. Season with sea salt and additional freshly ground black pepper. Serve hot.

Serves 4 to 6.

After the feast

The worst part about having a party? No, it's not all the dirty dishes in the sink that you're going to put off until later in the week when you're finally feeling up to it. No, no, I think it's the quiet after the storm. You know, when everybody leaves and you realize that the room is no longer buzzing with delightful chatter and polite raves about the food. And then you get all depressed wishing your company would've stayed longer.

But then you think to yourself, "I should do this more often," and that all the stressing and fussing was unnecessary. And then you start dreaming of the next time you're going to have a gathering. So you get all excited just thinking about and planning the menu you might put together.

And you realize, once again, that's what it's all about. That's what's most important. The people and the chatting and the memories and the sharing and the laughs. So you have stuff to talk about later. Which keeps you connected to the people in your life.

And yes, of course, the food is important, too. I'll be the first one to tell you that. Good food is important. It gives you something to talk about, especially when it's interesting and fresh and new. And it makes you feel joy. It makes you happy because it nourishes you, both physically and emotionally. We're really lucky that something God meant for us to do every day is also something that can be pleasurable, amusing, and fun, too.

Today I cooked up a couple of new dishes for my friends. I'll share one of the recipes with you today and save the rest for later. It's an easy one, and appropriate for an Easter feast or for any time of year, especially suited for the Easter bunnies in your life. And it won't stress you out, promise. It's a snap: Honey glazed carrots. Deliciously sticky and buttery and slightly sweet. EnJOY! And Happy Easter, too.

Honey Glazed Carrots

Adapted from a recipe by Sunny Anderson from Cooking for Real

kosher salt

1 pound baby carrots

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice

freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Salt the water, and then add the carrots. Cook until tender, about 5 to 6 minutes (pulling one out and eating it, or stabbing one with a fork is a good test). Drain the carrots and return to pan over medium heat. Add butter, honey and lemon juice and stir to combine, making sure to coat all the carrots. Cook about 5 minutes, until a glaze forms over the carrots. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with parsley. Serve hot or warm.