Green Curry with Fennel, Cauliflower, Chicken + All the Herbs

I love the meeting point of two seasons. It feels like the kind of poetry you can feel, taste, hear, and smell. First you feel the change in the air, some days still cool, others threatening the heat of summer. The food is fresher as the herbs fill the garden and the greens and flowers follow. The birds start their song around 4 or 5 in the morning, I’m not sure exactly when, but I always wake up to hear it, just like when Holden was a newborn and the birds were my beacon that the night would end and daylight was coming soon. And the smells. The other day it rained. The mountain mahogany, a member of the rose family, permeated the yard with its sweet smelling flowers. This hardy, slow growing tree, perfect for our dry high desert backyard, celebrating in its own way that spring had crashed into summer.

Green Curry with Fennel, Cauliflower, Chicken + All the Herbs

5 tablespoons cultured butter
EV olive oil
1 inch of fresh ginger, finely chopped (no need to peel it!)
1 head of cauliflower, chopped
1 fennel bulb, cut in half, core removed, and diced
1 large handful oyster mushrooms, separated
1-2 tablespoons curry paste or powder
1-2 tablespoons turmeric
1-2 cups shredded organic chicken
Sea salt
2 5.4oz jars organic coconut cream
1 1/2 cups water
1 lemon
1 large bunch of spinach
1 handful parsley, stems and leaves chopped
1 handful chives, chopped
Avocado
Cilantro
Queso fresco
Spicy kimchi sriracha

Method

Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the butter. Yes, I used 5 tablespoons of butter and this curry tasted like a dream. Toss in the cauliflower and ginger, drizzle with olive oil as needed, and sprinkle with salt. Cook for a few minutes, then throw in the fennel and mushrooms.

Bloom the curry paste and turmeric, by this I mean clear out a little space in the Dutch oven, add the spices, then let them cook a little as you gently stir them.

Add the chicken, and season with more salt. Stir everything together, then add the coconut cream, water and juice from one lemon.

Bring the curry to a gentle simmer. Taste and season as needed. Then, add the spinach, parsley, and chives. Cook until the greens wilt, then serve with avocado, cilantro, queso fresco, sriracha, and chive flowers.