Frank Picchione

Pizza with Fiddlehead Ferns, Ramps, Shiitake Mushrooms & Goat Cheese

The season for fiddlehead ferns and ramps is so short it is important to enjoy them while you can.

Meeting Murka

This is Murka. She is a three and a half year old orphan I met in Tsavo East, Kenya, at The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's Ithumba unit. She was playful and took a liking to me. Sadly, her mother was the victim of poachers and Murka was discovered with a spear lodged in her head, which left the scar that remains.Here I am pretending to have my own trunk. To foster Murka or one of the many orphans like her go here.

Sweet Peas

Strawberry Shortbread

Stawberry shortcake is one of my favorite summertime desserts, so when I made a batch of Scottish shortbread the other day I turned it into a variation of the classic. It was pretty tasty - though I need to work on my decorative fork docking.

Burgundy Fringed Tulips & Roses

Romaine & Pea Shoots with Avocado, Hearts of Palm & Carrot-Ginger Dressing

I love pea shoots in a sping salad. These are the tender sprouts of snow peas.

Hippos in the Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

We had a lot of fun watching these hippos spray bursts of water high into the air as they resurfaced. The hippopotamus is said to be among Africa's most dangerous animals. They are protective and aggressive. A young English couple we met on their honeymoon said they had to make a run for it when one angry hippo charged their Land Rover. A thrill we sadly did not experience.

Baked Potato Chips

I left these potatoes unpeeled before slicing them very thinly. Then I baked them until crisp with olive oil, chopped thyme leaves, and a good amount of salt and pepper.

Easter Bread

Oddly, I have had Easter bread only a handful of times in my life, but I have always felt nostalgic for its sweet chewiness and the festive holiday tradition - like that of hot cross buns. Made with eggs and sugar, the dough is both puffy and stretchy, and the resulting bread is just the same. In place of the conventional dyed eggs and multi colored nonpareils I used naturally colored eggs from pastured chickens and white pearled sugar to decorate the individual loaves I baked. Above photo, before baking. Below photo, the final twelve.

Green Cauliflower, Nicoise Olive & French Feta Salad

Green cauliflower tastes just like ordinary white cauliflower, but it is much prettier to look at. The color is such a spring green and it would go well with freshly shelled English peas and mint. However, here I combined it with Nicoise olives and Valbreso French feta, which is a spectacular cheese and better than any feta I have tried. The dressing I used was a classic French vinaigrette with lots of Dijon.