EAT YOUR VEGGIES

Been raining . . . and if you hear an Oregonian say that, you know it's been wet!  Larry and I went for our usual walk along the Willamette this morning, and the water was level with the pedestrian/bike path in some stretches.  The little beaches have disappeared, and trees are standing up to their knees in the now-muddy river.  The water has almost reached the bottom of the Steel Bridge deck, so yeah, it's been raining!
But the Farmers' Market has re-opened, therefore, it must be spring.  I haven't visited it yet, but in preparation, I've been musing about vegetables.  How many helpings a day?  In any case, I've pretty much run out of creative things to do with broccoli.  Cabbage.  Green beans.  But Larry gave me a vast, encyclopedic, Italian cookbook for Christmas, and I've come across two recipes that I'll type up for you in a minute.
The phone rang a paragraph ago, and it was David and Caroline.  The conversation veered onto veggies, and their experience with a CSA.  Seems they got flooded with kale, unto "if-I-ever-see-kale-again-I'll . . ." but they've recently been adding it to their diet by blending it into their smoothies.  Um.  Don't know about that, but they said they can camouflage it pineapple, coconut milk, mangoes, and other tropical goodies -- none of which will be showing up in our Famers' market.  So I'm not recommending this idea, just passing it along.
The recipes I do want to share are for radicchio, and fennel.  First the radicchio:

Radicchio with Parmesan
2 TBS butter, plus extra for greasing the pan
2 supermarket radicchio (the book calls for 8-10 Castelfranco radicchio hearts -- whatever they are?)
2 TBS grated Parmesan, or more -- your discretion
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease ovenproof dish with butter.  Cut the raddichio into 4 wedges,  and blanch in boiling water for a few minutes (like 2).  They will lose their pretty purple color, slumping into grayish, but don't worry about that.  Drain them in a colander, then place them fan-side up in the dish.  Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with Parmesan.  Dot with butter, tucked into the leaves.  If the wedges have come apart, just deal with it.  It'll be great.  Bake about 20 minutes.
I've taken liberties here with the cookbook, called The Silver Spoon, so don't blame it if the recipe doesn't work for you!  I use one radicchio for the two of us -- just so you know how much you might want.

Now for the fennel.
Devil's Fennel
2 anchovies (I use a brand packed in olive oil, in a cute little glass jar)
Scant 1/4 cup olive oil
4 fennel bulbs, trimmed and cut into wedges
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 TBS white wine vinegar
juice of one lemon, strained
salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a large skillet, add the anchovies and cook, mashing with a wooden spoon until dissolved.  Add fennel wedges.  Season with salt and pepper.  Combine mustard and vinegar and sprinkle over the fennel.  Cover and cook, turning with tongs from time to time for 50 minutes (or so).  Remove fennel to serving dish.  Add lemon juice to cooking juices and cook a few minutes longer.  Pour over the fennel and serve.

Okay, I like this one beyond reason, but I'm guessing no kid would go near it.  If you haven't used anchovies like this before, be brave.  You really don't taste them in a fish sense.  You might start with one fennel bulb for two adults, which is probably enough.

Now off to Hawaii, and two weeks of sunshine!  Hooray!