By The family's first week on the farm. Sarah, Jim, Teddy, Finn — arrived Saturday afternoon in the warm July light, the car stopping in the drive, Finn out first (always out first), Teddy carrying his notebook. The house took on its people-quality immediately: voices, footsteps, the sound of someone rifling in the kitchen at six-thirty in the morning which turns out to be Teddy getting a head start.
He's grown since Christmas. Not just taller — more himself, a quality that the cooking intensive and fifteen years of being himself have clarified. He moves in the kitchen with confidence that isn't performance. He knows where the equipment is (he always knows where the equipment is) and he's identified what needs sharpening and what needs replacing before I've said anything. He found the carbon-steel pan I hadn't been using and asked: why is this in the back? I said: I don't know. He said: you should use this pan. He was right. We used it that evening.
The garden dinner on Saturday: corn, tomatoes, beans, summer squash — everything from the property, assembled simply. Not a meal I would describe as ambitious. It was the right meal for the arrival evening. The farm speaking directly. No translation required.
Jim and I walked the property after dinner while the light lasted. We've been doing this on his visits for years now, the farm walk that's become its own kind of conversation. He asked about the memorial garden. We went to it. He stood at the Japanese maple for a moment. He said: Carol did this? I said: Carol planned it. We both planted it. He said: you've got a good sister. I said: I know.
Teddy was right about the carbon-steel pan — and this is exactly the kind of dish it was made for. After that first evening of corn and tomatoes straight from the garden, I kept thinking about how the best summer cooking is really just getting out of the way of good ingredients, and a fennel spinach sauté captures that same instinct: fast heat, a little olive oil, and vegetables that need almost nothing from you. It’s the side dish we’ve been making all week, and it has Jim’s approval, which around here counts for something.
Fennel Spinach Sauté
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 22 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 large fennel bulb, fronds reserved, bulb halved and thinly sliced
- 6 oz fresh baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Prep the fennel. Trim the fennel bulb, remove any tough outer layers, and slice it thinly through the core. Roughly chop a small handful of the feathery fronds and set aside for garnish.
- Sauté the fennel. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or carbon-steel pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the sliced fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes until softened and lightly golden at the edges.
- Add garlic and heat. Push the fennel to the edges of the pan and add the sliced garlic and red pepper flakes to the center. Cook for 60 seconds, stirring, until fragrant — do not let the garlic brown.
- Wilt the spinach. Add the spinach in two or three batches, folding it into the fennel and garlic as each addition wilts down, about 2 to 3 minutes total. Season with salt and pepper.
- Finish and serve. Remove from heat. Drizzle with lemon juice and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving platter, scatter lemon zest and reserved fennel fronds over the top, and serve immediately.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 95 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 8g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 310mg