Last week’s recipe – an aromatic, restorative bowl of noodle soup!

• Vegetarian Phở (Vietnamese Noodle Soup) (The Kitchn)

Gregory and I received a most intriguing piece of mail today …

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The Modern Vegetarian by Maria Elia is one of my favorite new cookbook purchases. A couple of weeks ago, I went over to Gregory’s mom’s house (where there’s more room to cook) and made Elia’s Chestnut Pasta Rags with Brussels Sprouts and Wild Mushrooms.

Made with freshly ground chestnuts and wheat flour, the pasta (known in Italy as stracci di castagne) was mildly sweet and nutty. I might try store-bought chestnut flour next time, but it was fun to do it from scratch at least once. After a quick dip in simmering water, the tender noodles were tossed with sage brown butter, cooked chestnuts, Brussels sprouts, and yellowfoot chanterelles from the farmers’ market. Served on the side was Gregory’s salad of butter lettuce, dried white figs, Marcona almonds, and buttermilk dressing. It was such a hit with Gregory’s mom that I think fresh pasta dinners will become a regular tradition.

Although I have always had a fondness for lichens, I have rarely paid much attention to fungi. However, after the surprise mushroom finds of two weeks ago, I suddenly became smitten. Now I’m spending my free time clicking through Flickr mushroom group archives and dreaming of traveling the world on a mycological expedition. Mushrooms are so strange and wonderful and charming and full of character that thinking about them literally keeps me up at night!

We had more rain this past week, so by the time the weekend rolled around, I was dying to go on a mushroom-oriented hike. Gregory and I drove down to the Cleveland National Forest in Orange County, lured by the description of a riparian woodland in Chiquito Basin. The trail took us in and out of chaparral and oak groves. One minute, I’d be sweating in the sun, walking over rocks, and then the next minute I’d be in the shade of an old tree, poking through leaves still moist from the rain. I’ve never been so excited about rotting wood.

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Just realized that I forgot to post last week’s recipes. Both grew out of my winter citrus experiments (i.e., add citrus to everything and see if it works). I think this kale salad is one of my better creations.

• Kale Salad with Blood Orange and Meyer Lemon (The Kitchn)
• Roasted Almonds with Paprika and Orange (The Kitchn)