Recipe: Classic Cobb salad by Charlie Abowd

I hope everyone is enjoying our beautiful spring days as much as I. This is one of my favorite times of year in Northern Nevada, when the mornings turn from cold to gently warm, the light becomes brighter, and we begin gearing up for summer and all the good times that come with it.

As most of you know, Cafe at Adele’s hosts the annual Concert Under the Stars, A Benefit for The Greenhouse Project each July, an event that raises money to cover greenhouse operating costs.

We’re excited and fortunate this year to bring the amazing talent of Tower of Power to Cafe at Adele’s on Thursday, July 14. My dear friends The Rowans will perform the opening acoustic set. Tickets are available at www.carsoncitygreenhouse.org.

For those who may be new to our community, The Greenhouse Project grew out of a conversation my dear wife Karen had with a young person she was mentoring, in which this child explained she and her family lived with hunger as a daily part of their lives. Karen determined then there had to be a way public entities and private business could work together to create a sustainable way to not only feed the under served in our town, but to also educate and grow the next generation of farmers who would be well-versed in sustainability and organic practices.

As a result, The Greenhouse Project was formed. The facility is located on the Carson High School campus and is a living, growing educational hub for all of Carson’s students. We have many special needs children participating; students are engaged in the business aspects of farming through classes taught by ag teacher Charlie Mann. Greenhouse manager and site educator Cory King comes to us through Americorp and runs the facility in a manner that shows great passion and knowledge. And all of this happens while food is grown to provide for those in need and also to supply food for the high school’s culinary arts programs.

In 2015 alone, 2,348 pounds of produce was grown, with 1,430 pounds donated to Friends in Service Helping (FISH), Circles, Ron Wood Family Resource Center, Salvation Army and CHS culinary. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) baskets distributed 918 pounds to 11 subscribers. It’s a wondrous place!

The Greenhouse Project’s Spring Plant Sale offers an array of established plants for all your gardening needs as well. The sale takes place Saturday, May 7, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 1111 N. Saliman Road. The sale features diverse vegetable and floral plants for all your gardening needs, including tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, squash, greens, herbs, petunias, annual flowers and perennials.

Music will be provided by Hick’ry Switch. To get there, take Robinson Road past the school buses onto the dirt road, then turn left. See you there!

Classic Cobb Salad

Serves 4

Dressing ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

1 teaspoon fresh, finely chopped mint leaves

1/4 teaspoon sea salt to taste (I prefer Maldano’s)

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Salad ingredients:

8 pieces of bacon cooked and rough chopped

4 hard-boiled eggs (see instructions below)

4 cups romaine or iceberg lettuce, chopped

4 fresh Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped

2 avocados, ripe but still firm, cut into 1/4-inch squares

3 bunches green onion, finely chopped

3 (approximately 4 ounces) chicken breast, cooked and chopped into 1/4-inch squares

1/2 cup good bleu or Roquefort cheese, crumbled

Directions

Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper and garlic, baking at 350 degrees until done. This can be done prior to dinner if you prefer warm chicken or ahead of time if you prefer chilled.

Place lettuce in a bowl and in a separate bowl, mix dressing ingredients thoroughly. Check the balance of the dressing for flavor and if needed, adjust accordingly.

Peel and cut hard-boiled eggs in half, removing yolks from the whites. Fine chop each separately, resulting in a pile of yolks and a pile of whites.

Mix dressing into lettuce, tossing gently.

To assemble salads, place equal portions of lettuce on 10-inch plates and about 1/2-inch deep. At the top of the salad (12 o’clock position and working down the center to 6 o’clock position), place a row of tomato. On the right side of the tomato, again from top to bottom, place bacon. To the left of the tomato, place the chicken. Now on both the right and left sides of the salad, place crumbled cheese (two strips from top to bottom). Then place egg whites on the right side and egg yolks on the left side, followed by a thin line of green onion on both sides, finishing the assembly.

Spring screams for a new vintage rose (2014-2015), which should be rolling into local wine outlets, as the perfect pairing. Add a beautiful sourdough bread, and you’ve got the perfect meal. Enjoy!

Chef Charlie Abowd co-owns Café at Adele’s with his wife Karen Abowd. Café at Adele’s is located at 1112 N. Carson St., Carson City, and is open daily at 8 a.m. for breakfast. Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. For more information or to makes reservations, call 775-882-3353, or visit adelesrestaurantandlounge.com.