“Why Aren’t Vegetables Always This Good?”
A recipe that proves vegetables aren’t second-class citizens
Hello!
Mushroom Festival Countdown
Only one week to go for the Santa Cruz Mountain Mushroom Festival (SCMMF)! I’ve been testing up a storm here at HIM headquarters.
What am I making? Not one but TWO recipes:
Candy Cap Caramel Popcorn
Savory Porcini Popcorn
Initially I was going to go with just the savory popcorn but that felt too easy. Of course popcorn will taste amazing when you sprinkle some umami dust on it. I wanted a bigger challenge.
Ever heard of candy cap mushrooms? They're not the kind you'd sauté like shiitakes. They're special—used more like vanilla or tea leaves, to infuse things. They smell like maple syrup, taste a bit like curry, and are a total anomaly in the mushroom world: sweet instead of savory.
I’m infusing dried, powdered candy caps into a caramel sauce that coats the popcorn, then baking it until it’s crunchy and golden. Yesterday’s batch was delicious but slightly grainy (rookie caramel mistake), and yet I still ate far too much. Thankfully I have neighbors that I can share the leftovers with.
Are you coming to the festival? I’ll be doing my demo at 11am on Saturday, May 3rd. Please come by and say hi!
Want discounted tickets? My friends at Shared Cultures are offering 20% off with the code SHAREDCULTURES25.
Don’t forget: the Mushroom and Cheese Shortbread I demoed last year is still up on the site if you missed it!
Spring Vegetables, Supercharged
My ongoing series High Voltage Vegetables is an ode to seasonal cooking full of punchy invigorating flavors.. Every season gets its own moment—and the next class, devoted to spring, is coming up on May 30th.
We’ll be making:
Primavera Minestrone with Dashi & Preserved Lemon
Herby Spring Caesar Salad
Asparagus with Tahini Dressing and Pine Nut Dukkah
Smashed New Potatoes with Shio Koji, Halloumi & Pea Greens
Sweet & Savory Green Garlic & Miso Shortbread
The first time I taught this class in 2023, something happened that I still think about. A guy signed up with his plant-based friend… then tried to bail a few days before. He couldn’t sell his ticket, so he showed up, reluctantly.
At the start of class, I asked everyone why they came. He said he’d taken a pork class recently and loved it.
Ah. Yes. Now, I understood the reason he didn’t want to come. He thought that a class on vegetables would mean that he would have to be insipid, boring and borderline gross. He likely also thought that he would have to get a pizza or something afterwards because he wouldn’t be full.
Well, I don’t want to go to boring vegetable class and I most assuredly don’t want to teach it. A sentiment that I have received from students in the past is… surprise. Surprise that the food tastes so good. Surprised that they are satisfied and satiated.
Spoiler: he stayed. He tasted everything. And when offered seconds of the Primavera Minestrone, he polished off his bowl and said yes—“definitely more.” Even with a full plate still in front of him.
Then he asked the question I get all the time:
“Why aren’t vegetables normally like this?”
I have a couple theories:
Vegetables aren’t Created (or Grown) Equal: Many people say they don't like tomatoes when what they've had are out-of-season, forced-ripened facsimiles. No one likes those flavorless imposters! Quality, seasonal ingredients are the foundation of exceptional vegetable dishes.
The Price Perception: Vegetables are cheaper than meat, which can actually work against them. People often equate expensive things with better quality, while vegetarian food sometimes reads as "depression-era" cooking in people's minds.
Shelf Life Challenges: You can freeze meat but try doing that with lettuce. The shorter shelf life of most vegetables drives up restaurant prices. This is why sometimes a simple salad on a menu seems cripplingly expensive.
So for this week’s recipe I want to share the soup that the pork loving student enjoyed so much:
🍋 Primavera Minestrone with Dashi & Preserved Lemon
It’s bright, brothy, and brimming with spring
We start with a slow-simmered kombu dashi (two methods!), layer in sugar snaps, peas, fennel, and finish it off with preserved lemon paste and fresh herbs that make every spoonful sing.
Why you’ll want this soup on repeat for the next month:
Unreal umami payoff: Kombu dashi adds a savory depth that tastes like you’ve been cooking for hours (you haven’t).
Two Dashi Methods: My friends Chang-ho and Wonbin showed me how to get even more flavor out of kombu. I walk you through both the classic and their extra-delicious method. It’s very simple and only takes about 10 extra minutes.
Bright, clean, and zippy: Preserved lemon + lemon juice = sunshine in a bowl. It instantly enhances the flavor—no extra cooking required.
Customizable comfort: Want it heartier? Add farro, pasta, or a poached egg. Want it brothy and light? Pour in a little extra dashi and call it a day. It's a choose-your-own-adventure soup.
Peak spring produce: Think tender peas, fennel, sugar snaps, herbs—plus room to swap in asparagus, nettles, green garlic of whatever looks best at the market.
Chef-level, not fussy: You’ll learn two easy ways to make a knockout dashi—and once you do, you’ll want to have a jar in your fridge at all times.
Satisfying but light: A brothy soup that’s hearty enough for dinner but won’t weigh you down.
Ready to Transform Your Spring Cooking?
This soup is just one example of how vegetables can take center stage with the right techniques. Tired of disappointing vegetable dishes? For less than the cost of one mediocre restaurant salad, you can upgrade to a paid subscription today and immediately access this recipe (plus the entire recipe archive).
Turn those spring farmers market finds into something extraordinary tonight!
XO,
Marie
P.S. Confession: I like to have just a mug of the broth all by itself in lieu of tea. It’s so good.
UPCOMING CLASSES
You can find the full list of upcoming classes HERE
High Voltage Vegetables: Spring Edition
Friday, May 30th at 6-9:30pm
It’s another installment of High Voltage Vegetables! We are going to make full-flavored, no-holds-barred vegetable dishes and it will rule.
The produce of spring tends to be light, tender, and green, green, green! In this class, we balance that youthful Big Green Energy with mature, aged flavors like shio koji, preserved lemon, seaweed and, of course, miso.
Primavera Minestrone with Dashi & Preserved Lemon
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