CELEBREATING SPRING

 

                                            Celebrating spring

           The past weekend warmth finally came to Maine after the much-needed rains. Our gardens have been reluctantly yielding spring flowers until now and blooming fruit trees have been cautious to unfurl their leaf and flower buds in the past weeks, intimidated by cold and cloudy nights and even days. So, over the weekend, hungry bees converged on the partly opening crabapple buds outside my kitchen window. Not willing to wait for nature, some of them were actually prying open the more open buds to find the coveted pollen. Hunger is a great motivator after a long winter.  

          Inspired by nature this cook improvised Saturday breakfast with chive and cheese scrambled eggs leading to colorful tasty results; all served in Pita bread. Pita bread originated in the Mediterranean region and is a wonderful vehicle for sandwiches, lamb, Falafel, hearty salads and even scrambled eggs.

                                              Breakfast Pita bread

          You will need a halved regular Pita bread per person (reduced calorie Pita won’t hold the filling) and double that amount for people with hearty appetites. For each half of Pita bread: scramble 2 large eggs with a splash of milk, salt and pepper and a dash of Tabasco (optional). Spread in a heated pan with melted butter, sprinkle with a tablespoon of chopped chives and partway through cooking sprinkle with a handful of shredded cheddar or Feta and finish scrambling till cooked. Serve in heated Pita halves and garnish with grape tomatoes.

                                      Baked Italian sausage-Ziti Rigati

          Baked pasta dishes are easy and filling for those cooler days even in summer and Ziti Rigati (hallow tubes) are smaller than Rigatoni and adapt well to different sauces.

          Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a skillet and sauté 6 oz. crumbled Italian sausage (mild or hot), 1 chopped medium onion and 4 oz. sliced mushrooms for 5 minutes, stir in 3 chopped garlic cloves for another minute. Add ½ cup white wine, 1tsp. salt, 1/3 tsp. pepper, 2 tsp. thyme,1/2 tsp. sugar, ½ tsp. Dijon mustard and cook for 2 minutes.

Cook pasta in salted boiling water and drain, saving 1 cup of boiling water. Toss pasta with ½ cup Parmesan and 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese.

Add ½ to ¾ cups pasta water to meat sauce and mix with the pasta.

Coat 8x8x2 baking dish with a nonstick baking spray, spread sauced pasta evenly in the dish, sprinkle with an additional ½ cup Mozzarella and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve hot with a salad.

To many, rhubarb with its bright color and tart taste, personifies spring in the kitchen. It is often paired with strawberries but is wonderful by itself when baked in a coffee cake.

                                                    Rhubarb-ginger coffee cake

Sift together 2 cups flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, ¼ tsp. salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl beat together ½ cup soft butter with 1 and ½ cups brown sugar. Beat in 1 tsp. orange flavoring, 1 tsp. vanilla, ½ tsp. nutmeg, 1 egg and 1 tsp. fresh grated ginger. Add the flour mixture alternating with 1 cup milk to the butter sugar mix until well blended, starting and ending with flour. Fold in 2 ½ cups rhubarb cut in 1-inch pieces and dusted with 1 tbsp. flour. Pour mixture in a 7x11 inch baking dish coated with baking spray. Sprinkle on top with a mixture of 1/3 cup sugar, 3 tbsp. chopped walnuts and 1 tsp. cinnamon.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes until the cake tests done by a toothpick coming out dry from the center. Cool, slice in rectangles for serving and enjoy.                           

          (I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day…”and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

 

 

SPRING GREEN; ASPARAGUS AND PEAS

 

                            Spring green; asparagus and peas

 

          May Day, the ancient Celtic spring festival Beltane, arrived in Maine sunny but a bit cool to celebrate dancing around a maypole. There is still only a bit of white peeking among the green buds of my Sargent crabapple outside the kitchen window. Still May association with the color green is emphasized not only by those emerging crabapple leaves but also first spring vegetables such as arugula, chives, asparagus and peas. One might also include dandelion greens, if you are quick enough to harvest them before the first bloom makes the greens too bitter for salads.

          With our recent culinary emphasis on greens, peas tend to be neglected as a vegetable. Modern freezing methods make them available year around and often relegate them to a standby side dish. Yet their bright color wakes up not only spring vegetable soups but also adds flavor and texture to other dishes often named Primavera (Italian for spring).

                                          Creamy shrimp Primavera

          Peel and slice 3 medium potatoes in ¼ inch slices. Cover with salted water, bring to boil, cook for 2 minutes, add 1 cup frozen peas and cook for 3 additional minutes. Drain all and set aside.

          Thaw and peel 12 very large shrimp. Heat 2 tbsp. butter in a large pan and fry shrimp with 4 minced garlic cloves for about 4 minutes until shrimp are pink. Set aside. In the same pan sauté 1 large thinly sliced shallot and 1 chopped garlic clove in an additional tbsp. butter for 4 minutes. Add 1/3 cup dry white wine, reduce to half and stir in 1/3 cup chicken broth and the potatoes and peas. Simmer with stirring for 3 minutes and add the shrimp, 2 tbsp. chopped dill for another couple of minutes. Stir in ¼ cup heavy cream, heat and serve with chopped dill.

                                              Roasted asparagus quiche

          This recipe can be made with ½ lb. either roasted asparagus or asparagus blanched for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. To roast asparagus, trim the tough bottom part, rinse and blot dry, then spread on a sheet pan, spray or rub 1 tbsp. olive oil in the stems, sprinkle with kosher salt and roast in a 425-degree oven for 10 minutes for thin asparagus and 15 minutes for thick asparagus. After roasting cut into 2–3-inch pieces.

          Prebake a single deli-case roll out pie crust, fitted and fluted on edges in a 10-inch pie plate. Thinly slice 1 medium onion and sauté in 1 tblsp butter 8 minutes till softened. Beat 4 eggs in a bowl with ½ tsp. salt, ½ tsp. tarragon and ¼ tsp pepper. Stir in 1 cup milk or half-and half.  Shredd 2 oz. Gruyère.

          Assemble the pie on the baked crust by placing: a layer of the onion, Gruyère and ¼ cup fine Parmesan, ¼ cup julienned sundried tomatoes, 2 tbsp. chopped dill and parsley each, scatter the asparagus pieces and pour the egg and milk mixture to cover. Press down to assure the vegetables are submerged. Bake on top of a baking sheet in a375 degree oven for 50-60 minutes until well puffed. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

                                           Currant buttermilk scones

          Scones are welcome at any time of the year and make a delightful breakfast or snack. Traditionally they are served with clotted cream and jam.

          In a food processor pulse together 3 cups flour, 2/3 cup sugar, 1 tbsp. baking powder and ½ tsp. baking soda. Add 12 tbsp. (1 ½ sticks) cold unsalted butter cut in 1 tbsp. pieces and pulse together 23 times until finely crumbled. Transfer flour mix to a large bowl and toss with 1 cup dried currants. Beat 1 large egg in a bowl with 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 tsp. lemon extract and 1 cup buttermilk. Make a depression in the flour, pour in the liquid and mix roughly with 2 forks to moisten. Mix using your hands 5-6 times, turn out on a floured board and make sure all the flour is moistened by kneading a few times by hand. Do not over mix. Divide dough in half and flatten each half on a parchment lined sheet pan, making a 6–7-inch round. Using a sharp knife cut each round in 6 wedges leaving them attached. Brush with additional buttermilk and sprinkle with Demerara sugar. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and separate the wedges for serving. The pansy garnish is edible.

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day…”and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

 

 

SEASONAL MENUS-BUTTERFLIED LEG OF LAMB

 

                                                Seasonal menus

           Seasonal food is slowly fading as a concept with international food flooding our supermarkets regardless of season. Years ago, I would take a trip to New York for a night at the theatre with an afternoon feast at Lindy’s to get not only their famous cheesecake but also a special treat a dish of fresh strawberries in February. Now every supermarket is willing to sell me strawberries at any time of the year.

          In Germany, seasonal food is still epitomized by ‘Spargelzeit’, the national obsession with white asparagus available only in April and May. Because of it’s brief season fresh asparagus is still a harbinger of spring even in Maine. A less familiar harbinger of spring is lamb. It has been historically associated with a variety of dishes for spring festivals and although it is used extensively in Mediterranean dishes has not gained the same popularity in USA. Recent appearance of a variety of lamb cuts in our supermarkets have been a welcome addition to my seasonal menus.

                                           Butterflied Greek leg of lamb

          A 6 lb. leg of lamb may seem formidable to cook for only 4 people but fortunately the butterflied cut with the bone removed is a more moderate 3.5 lb. as advertised and is much easier to handle. A note of caution, check the actual weight of the package for cooking time since mine arrived at only 2.5 lb.

          For tender flavorful slices of lamb, the meat needs to be marinated overnight, seared and quickly cooked to rare or medium rare, or it will get tough unless braised in a stew.

Marinade: 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, zest of 1 lemon, 3 large garlic cloves minced, 2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. black pepper, 1 tbsp. dried oregano, 2 fresh rosemary sprigs, ½ cup olive oil.  Cut 1 pkg. butterflied leg of lamb in half for easier handling and marinate the meat overnight in the refrigerator in a plastic bag, massaging the bag for the marinade to reach all surfaces.

          Remove the bag from refrigerator and allow 1 hour at room temperature before cooking. Set a large pan on high heat, spray with olive oil and sear meat for 2-3 minutes on each side. Place pieces on a rack or a ridged sheet pan and bake in the oven pre-heated to 350 degrees for 21 minutes for medium rare (meat thermometer to 135 degrees). Remove from oven, tent with aluminum foil for 10 minutes before slicing. Garnish with fresh basil and rosemary. Serve with Pistachio Pilaf and asparagus Hollandaise. Leftovers make wonderful sandwiches on pita or other bread with Tzatziki sauce and greens.

                                                           Pistachio pilaf

          Rinse basmati rice in 3 changes of water and set aside. Melt 2 tbsp. butter in a medium pot and sauté ½ large onion finely chopped and 1 diced carrot for 5 minutes. Stir in the rice and coat with the vegetables then ½ cup white wine and cook for 1 minute. Add 2 ¼ cups chicken broth, ¼ cup dried currants, 1 bay leaf, ½ tsp. saffron and 2-3 strips lemon zest. Bring to boil, cover and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Uncover, stir in 1 tbsp. butter and ½ cup halved pistachios. Heat for additional couple of minutes, remove bay leaf and serve warm. Can be reheated in microwave.

                                           Blackberry dumplings

          Easy colorful fruity desserts are a boon to the home cook in any seson. These dumplings are adapted from “Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking” by Meta Givens (1955), who got it from an American Indian woman, dating before the time of home ovens.

          Place 1 qt. washed and drained blackberries in a 3 qt. pot. Stir in ½ cup sugar, ¼ cup water, 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice, small pinch of salt and grated zest of 1 lemon. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes.

          Dumplings. Sift together in a small bowl: 1 cup flour 1 ½ tbsp. sugar, ¼ tsp. salt and 1 ½ tsp. baking powder. Using 2 knives cut in 1 ½ tbsp. cold butter until size of rice. Stir in vigorously ½ cup plus 1 tbsp milk. Drop dumplings from a heaping tsp. into the simmering berries. Cover tightly and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Serve dumplings in individual dishes with berries and sauce on top.

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day…”and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)