HASHTAG SPRING

   

   Spring's been springing around these parts since early February. I noticed it was coming the first night I couldn't fall asleep because of  the deafening, sexy, silvery, come-hither croaks of the frogs outside my window. I noticed spring in the warm, drenching rains the Chinook winds brought, and I'm just enough of a local curmudgeon to reject the current nomenclature "Pineapple Express"  to describe that phenomena. 

   Those warm, wet winds from the west at this time of year are Chinooks. So let's call them that. And while we're at it, let's bring back these words: parfleche and skookum. And chiffarobe. Definitely chiffarobe, as in "my keys are in my parfleche in the top drawer of the chiffarobe." You're on your own for skookum, but I'll try to prune "awesome" from my vocabulary and insert skookum in its place.

   Winter is vacation time for us fruit marketeers, and contrary to what many people think, most of us don't jet off to someplace where pineapples are grown. And we don't all return to Yakima, either, since none of us are from there, and we don't commute from Yakima every day as some people imagine. In fact, I bumped into a lot of our fruit market friends around town this winter, and on my vacation to the Oregon Coast, I saw one such gentleman in Lincoln City. Small world!

Lincoln City

D river - worlds shortest river

   In Lincoln City I combed the beach (no antique glass fishing floats to be found), walked along the world's shortest river, paid $12.00 for two canning jars of agates, and on a whim, and against my better instinct, I ordered smoked salmon hash for breakfast one day. Disclaimer: I don't like hash. 

   However, it turns out that I love smoked salmon hash, and I decided I better revisit the whole hash genre. 

SMOKED SALMON HASH WITH ASPARAGUS

1 cooked, cooled, baking potato, chopped into bite size pieces (about 2 cups)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped red pepper

1/2 cup 1" pieces asparagus spears (about 8 slender spears, uncooked)

1 cup your favorite smoked salmon, chunked up

1 tablespoon minced parsley

2 tablespoons butter

Optional: salt, pepper, squeeze of lemon, ketchup

                               

   Melt  1 tablespoon of the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium high heat. Cast iron is great.

    Spread potatoes, onion, pepper, asparagus, salmon and parsley evenly. Cook without turning about 6 minutes, until potatoes have a crusty crunch on them. Adjust heat if it's too high. Dot remaining tablespoon butter over the top, and flip hash with a wide spatula, cook another 4-5 minutes until bottom of potatoes are lightly browned and asparagus is crisp-tender. Makes 4 reasonable servings or two hungry camper ones.

BACON-YAM HASH

2 strips cooked bacon, torn into pieces (reserve 1teaspoon bacon grease)

2 cups cooked, diced yam (or sweet potato)

1/3 cup diced onion

2 cups baby greens

1 poached or fried egg

1 tablespoon minced green onion tops

   Dressing: combine 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon maple syrup with a pinch of salt.

   Heat 1 teaspoon bacon grease in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Evenly spread diced yams and onions in skillet, cook without turning about 6 minutes until yams are nicely browned. Reduce heat if it's too high. Flip hash and cook another 4 minutes, until yams are lightly browned and heated through. 

   Meanwhile,  twitch your nose like Samantha on "Bewitched" and come up with a poached or fried egg.

   Place greens on a serving plate, top with hash, green onions, egg, and drizzle with dressing. Serve immediately. Serves two generously.

    In case we get this posted before we open, our Grand Opening day for 2015 is Wednesday, March 4, open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.  As usual, we'll have a cup of coffee and a slice of cake for you on that day. Happy spring!

And Hon and Di, if you're reading this, thanks for making our trip to Oregon so skookum!

Fruitfully yours,

KARIN