Spring. A magical time of year. You can see and feel life bursting forth with great force and energy. Dry Creek Peach included.
Our fruit has set by this time, green leaves are growing, and peaches will soon begin to take shape.
We do a big spring clean every year and then we set out our outdoor furniture and prepare our screened porch. The porch turns into our dining room, living room and reading room from this point on until the rains start again in the winter.
I always love a good brunch. In spring, when we eat outside or on the porch, the sun is shining but it’s not yet too hot, colors are vibrant and flavors are fresh and delicious.
Sunday brunch was a special meal growing up, for my dad was involved in it. He had his one dish of renown, and that was fried rice. He did it very well, and we all loved it when he made it, which he did on Sundays, if we were lucky. He was a busy man, an orthopedic surgeon with a private practice, chief of staff of his hospital.
He was meticulous in his preparation; all vegetables and bacon were chopped consistently. I marveled at his knife skills, which I did not inherit. He took time with the flavorings, too, and always added a dash of sugar at the end, for balance. Our traditional Sunday brunch consisted of my dad’s fried rice, scrambled eggs, sausage and fruit. We make it here now, with some adjustments.
For Healdsburg brunch, we try to replicate my dad’s fried rice, but we have adapted some of the other dishes. Brian’s favorite eggs hail from SaraBeth’s in Manhattan, so he adds cream cheese and chives to his scramble. We always serve Franco’s sausages, fresh fruit and green salads of the season. This time of year, we often slice oranges from our tree, too. They are sweet and really delicious. In a few months, peaches will be here!
Dad’s Fried Rice
Ingredients: Three cups cooked and refrigerated rice Half pound bacon Half onion Two celery stalks One large carrot Two large garlic cloves Seasonings like soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, sugar, etc.
Process: My dad always started with bacon, that provided the overall flavor. I like Sonoma County Meat Co. and I alternate between their classic and honey lavender bacon. It’s all delicious. I chop/dice the bacon, cook until crisp in a hot frying pan and remove fat/lard into a small bowl. Vegetables like onion, celery and carrots are then diced evenly. Garlic is chopped fine. And then I add other vegetables I might have in the fridge or whatever looks good at the market. If there are nice fresh beans, I chop them up and add them. If peppers are growing in our garden, I add them, too. Add the chopped vegetables to the cooked bacon and heat through. I then add the cooked rice to the pan, and mix it all together over medium heat.
Season everything with soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and a dash of sugar. Taste and continue to adjust flavor to preference. Ta da! Note: This can be made a day or two in advance.
Brian’s Eggs (from Sarabeth’s, NYC)
Sarabeth’s calls them green and white eggs. We call them Brian’s. Whatever the case, it is eggs scrambled with cream cheese and chopped green chives or scallions added at the very end. Quick and easy. Anyone that visits us on weekends gets these eggs.
Franco’s Sausage
I always have a pack in my freezer or I buy some at the farmers market. I brown the sausages in a pan, and then add water to steam with a cover, until they are cooked through. Then I slice them into pieces. His sausages vary from mild to spicy; they are all so good. Fresh fruit and green salad Right now I serve a salad with fresh greens, fresh cut sprouts, sunflower seeds, and sliced oranges. It is so refreshing and bright. I then drizzle olive oil and light vinegar, mix, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
That’s it, a quick, easy and delicious brunch.
Next: The Jazz of Food
Gayle Okumura Sullivan is co-owner, with husband Brian, of Dry Creek Peach & Produce in Healdsburg.
