When Less is More

When Less is More.

            Sometimes less is really more! No, this is not a contemplation about the coming summer swim suit season. Rather, by paring down extraneous distractions, we sometimes can concentrate on the basic substance of what we see, hear and even taste of the natural wonders in front of us.

            While a bouquet of flowers is likely to cheer us, a single blossom is more likely to draw our attention to the color, the shape of the petal and the simple grace of a flower. Years ago, I recall one of my more successful flower arrangements for a friend’s engagement party consisted of no more than some drooping willow branches standing in a long shallow dish, hovering over a couple of large light blue irises with a simple rock at the other end of the dish. Japanese flower arrangements draw attention by personifying simplicity.

            In a similar vein, large orchestras and choral works can overwhelm us with their power and majesty of sound. Yet, a single instrument or voice can focus and evoke emotion on a very directed way.  Even the song of a single lark on a sunny summer morning can make you smile, because all is well with the world.

            Food trends, in at least the last ten years, have moved toward discoveries of delightful global cuisines with unusual  ingredients, spices and intriguing flavors. Often, the wider availability of such spices and ingredients has also translated in various fusion cuisines, each more and more complicated with an ever expanding list of ingredients. Before anyone tells me that “the pot is calling the kettle black”, I will confess to a long shelf and a full kitchen drawer full of spices and innate curiosity about most of those intriguing ingredients.

                                                Steel cut oatmeal

            Even in spring, steel cut oatmeal makes a simple and satisfying breakfast. The nutty flavor is worth the extra time for preparation. Bring 3 cups of salted water to boil and stir in 1 cup steel cut oats. Lower the heat to medium and continue to cook for 30 minutes, making sure to stir occasionally for the last 10 minutes, to avoid a cement like mixture on the bottom of the pan. Serve plain, with a dab of butter in the center or a light sprinkling of brown sugar.

However, the season of fresh local ingredients is upon us.  The fact that those local ingredients have inimitable and sometimes delicate flavors should at least occasionally be emphasized and sometimes rediscovered with only minimal enhancements.

                                    Sorrel, barley soup

            Sorrel is a leafy green that grows well in the cool New England climate and is one of the first to appear in spring. It is similar to spinach, but has a distinct acidic flavor. It is best to cook the barley separately to preserve the texture of the soup.

            Rinse ½ cup barley in several changes of cold water to remove the powdery fines. Cook it for 30 minutes in 2-3 cups of salted water and drain. Wash one or two bunches of sorrel in cold water, trim the stems, very coarsely slice and set aside. Simmer 1 Tblsp. onion flakes for 5 minutes in 4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth. Stir in the sorrel and simmer for 2 minutes. Then stir in the barley to heat before serving. Serve hot with a chopped hard-boiled egg on top. Alternatively, serve cold with a Tblsp, sour cream stirred in at the table. This soup can be also made with diced potatoes, but cook those in the broth before adding the sorrel.

                                    Fresh crab cakes

            Fresh crab has one of those delicate natural flavors that is easily overwhelmed with too many ingredients in the recipe. This recipe keeps the flavor with minimal amount of filling.

            Mix ¼ cup sour cream or mayonnaise with: 1Tblsp. lemon juice, ¼ cup dry fine bread crumbs, ¼ tsp. salt, 2 Tblsp. chopped parsley, 2 finely chopped scallions and ¾ lb. fresh crabmeat. Chill 20 minutes, then form patties using ¼ -1/3 cup of the mixture. Dip lightly in more breadcrumbs and fry in batches, 2 minutes on the side in 3 Tblsp, canola oil.  Serve with potatoes and vegetable or arrange on leaf lettuce.                 

                              Steamed fiddleheads

            Strange to say, but I first encountered fiddleheads on my plate at a Sierra Club fundraiser dinner out west, where they were considered an exotic vegetable. Fortunately in Maine we can look forward to this delicacy each spring. Their delicate flavor is best appreciated with a simple and quick preparation.

            Trim and rinse 1 lb. fresh fiddleheads. Steam over boiling water sprinkled with some sea salt for 5 minutes. Place in a bowl and toss with 2 tsp. rice vinegar. Optional: 1 Tblsp. melted butter. Enjoy!

            And finally, when it comes to strawberries one needs to concentrate on their natural flavor, but strawberries are a whole other topic.

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

SPRING DREAMING

Spring Dreaming

            Spring actually arrived by official count on March 20^th in Maine like elsewhere with the vernal equinox.  Unfortunately Mother Nature forgot us up here this year, despite the teasingly warm winter months. The grass still has not greened, the snowdrops, crocuses and winter aconite have faded to be replaced only by a some grape hyacinths and scillas. The only two daffodils are shivering and feeling lonely closely butted up against the house in sub-freezing nights.

            But the sun cheers the still bleak landscape and I’m reminded that in Maine the saying: ”April showers will bring May flowers” is actually literally true. Years ago, when we first moved to Maine, it was an eye opening discovery that trees actually did not leaf out until relatively late in May and those tulips, that had survived the connoisseur deer also did not appear until then. So there is still hope.

            Spring dreaming in the kitchen thus is likely to lead to active considerations of things like radishes and definitely the embodiment of spring everywhere – asparagus. It may not really qualify as ‘thrifty’, but prosciutto wrapped asparagus spears make a tasty appetizer or even a light lunch accompanied by some crusty bread. After all, one can rationalize that the prosciutto slices are very thin and you don’t need much.

                             Prosciutto wrapped asparagus

            Snap the tough ends from asparagus spears, wash them and cook in salted boiling water for 3 minutes. Immediately immerse in ice water to cool and allow to drain. Spread a 2-3 inch line of cream cheese or softened goat cheese on one side of the lower stalk and wrap tightly with about ½ slice of prosciutto. Layer asparagus in a star shaped pattern on a large plate, or for a large amount pile on an elongated plate as ‘logs’. Decorate between or around the spears with thinly sliced large red radishes, each topped with a dab or goat cheese.

                                    Creamy asparagus soup  

            Trim tough ends from 1  ½   lb. asparagus and save 1 ½ inch tips from 10 spears. Cut the rest in 1 inch pieces. Lightly sauté 1 medium onion in 2 Tblsp. butter, add the asparagus spears, 4 cups chicken broth and 1 medium potato cubed.  Bring to boil and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes. Meanwhile blanch the reserved asparagus spears for 2-3 minutes in boiling salted water and chill in ice water. When soup is slightly cooled purée in a blender and return to the pot. Heat to boiling and add 1 cup light cream heating again to just boiling. Stir in 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with croutons and the asparagus tips.

            Quiche is something that can taste equally well at breakfast, lunch or dinner. A  starburst of asparagus on the top is likely to give it not just eye appeal, but tempt many a jaded palate. In certain company it may be prudent to name it simply “Primavera Pie” to avoid the old prejudices that “…. don’t eat quiche”.

‘Primavera pie’

            Bake a prepared pie crust in a 9 inch pie plate according to instructions. Cook 4 slices thick bacon to crisp and drain on paper towels. Trim and blanch for 3 minutes 8 asparagus spears in salted water and chill. Slice thinly 2 shallots in the baked pie crust and crumble the bacon over them. Sprinkle with 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese and layer the asparagus spears like the spokes of a wheel across the top. In a bowl beat 4 large eggs with 1 cup ½ and ½ cream, ¼ tsp. nutmeg, ½ tsp. salt and dash of pepper. Pour over the asparagus, pressing the mixture down. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 40 min. or until the center looks cooked. Cool for 5 minutes and slice in wedges.

            Having my green eye receptors refreshed in the kitchen, I find myself looking at the still bleak landscape with definite hope.

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)