Spring
My friends V & B were expecting a baby girl but I was unfortunately already booked during the day of their baby shower in California. Instead, I had them over for a lovely spring meal featuring fresh produce and fun things I picked up at Market Hall Foods.
| The Menu | |
| PINOT NOIR ROSATO From Witching Stick vineyards SPRING VEGETABLES Asparagus, English peas and thyme cooked with yogurt whey | POLENTA Wild mushroom with shallot and garlic NASTRI Vegetable dyed pasta with pecorino, parsley and lemon |
I still think about Bodhi Tree Farm and am so sad they aren't coming to Grow NYC markets anymore. However, many other farms provide super cute baby lettuces and you can use this dressing to enjoy any of them.
| Things you'll need: | |
|
1 lb baby lettuces 1 ripe heirloom tomato, sliced thin 1/2 cucumber, sliced into thin rounds 1/4 lb of snow peas, ends trimmed | 2 tbl yuzu juice 1 tbl tahini 1 tbl miso water |
Serves 4
If you can't find yuzu, try Filipino calamansi. And if you can't find either of those, mix 2 parts lemon juice with 1 part tangerine. It's not the same but I like that combination.
Whisk the miso, tahini and citrus to combine. Add water gradually to thin it out into a creamy dressing.
Divide the vegetables onto four salad plates. Drizzle the dressing before serving. Do not pre-toss if you are not serving right away. Dressing will keep for a week, covered.
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Like the recipe? Let me know how else you enjoy this dressing!
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I know it looks like I pulled up a corner of grassy field and put it on a plate. It's a showcase of my market finds last spring and it was an easy enough salad to bring to work! Crunchy, spicy and totally healthy. No fretting about transporting salad dressing, either.
Here's what we have:
At the top we have a delicate purple chive flower. You can break buds off and use them as garnishes for a wide array of dishes, from tea sandwiches to sushi.
Clockwise from there are the deep green fronds of agretti. Uncooked, it resembles a thick dill. If you think of seaweed, you're not far off. It is nicknamed "land-seaweed" and is actually a succulent. I was told to blanch them before eating and they retain a crunch when you add them to salad.
At the bottom, we have small Japanese turnips from the Brooklyn Grange (vending at the McGolrick Park market after the winter break). If you're short on time, pre-wash, quarter these little babies and store them in a tub of water until you're ready for a snack.
Hiding underneath we have gorgeous heirloom tomato. I like to leave mine out on the counter stem-side down until they are ready to leak all over the place. Kind of like a firm water balloon. If you try to pick it up and it liquifies, that's too far (but I don't need to tell you that).. It is moist enough to constitute a light "dressing" with our next ingredient.
Sprinkled on top are chunks of sheep feta and some of its brine. Its saltiness alone is enough to season this whole plate of vegetables. I like the way it crumbles in my fingers.
Lastly, and quite possibly my favorite new discovery is the minutina. Long, salad greens with a clean crunch. Much like arugula but shaped like linguine and minus the spicy bite.
The most exciting thing is that once spring hits, these specialty greens will be returning to the farmer's markets. My favorite source is Bodhitree Farm at the McCarren Park Greenmarket.
What are you looking forward to this spring? Let's talk about it! Tweet me @Randwiches.
I'm a fan of a fry. So much so that I need to watch out for my health. I also need to shake it up, you know? Boiled potatoes have this "old" stigma attached to them and I assure you, there are many a thing to do with boiled potatoes. Don't just leave them undressed!
| What you'll need | |
| 2 Small red potatoes
Pickled mustard greens Dijon mustard |
Chives and chive blossoms Salt Optional: Soft egg |
It's ok if you didn't pickle your mustard greens 2 or 3 days ahead, boiling up a quick brine and letting the greens soak in it is pretty effective. You can also use any leftover pickle jar brine, I never throw mine away for this reason!
Wash and scrub the potatoes before you boil them in salted water for about 10 minutes or until they are fork tender. If they fall apart when you try to stab them, you've gone too far.
Place a potato in a bowl and two stalks of pickled mustard green over it. The hot potato should warm up the greens. Sprinkle on the chives and flowers, then squeeze a healthy amount of mustard on or near it. Salt to taste.
Most dishes benefit from a gooey soft egg, this one even more. Imagine making a rough mashed potato with your bowl and it soaking up the silky yolk. Cozy and filling for any meal.
Tried it? Show me by tweeting to @Randwiches or tagging me on Instagram.
My first encounter with lion's mane mushroom was the McCarren Park farmer's market. I glanced at the John D. Madura Farm's table and spotted this white fluffy ball, not unlike a tribble.
The kind man at the stand advised me to slice it into steaks and cook it slowly with butter and pepper. That's it! This is totally optional and only because I want to complicate everything: I put the whole head in the smoker and it tinted the entire lobe a dirty brown. I sliced it and pan fried it. Minutes later, it was rich, sort of lobster-y and striated like a piece of chicken breast. I implore you to try it if you can find it!
| You'll need: | |
| 1 medium head of lion's mane (Or enough to constritute a head of cauliflower) |
2 tablespoons of butter Pepper Salt |
If you're going to smoke it. Try and smoke other vegetables like tomatoes or cauliflower so you don't fire up just for a little bit of mushrooms. I recommend 30 minutes with maplewood.
If you don't smoke the mushrooms, they still turn out great!
Brush off any dirt or black bits on the "fur" of the mushroom. Cut off the "foot", where it used to attach to the tree (it resembles the stalk of a cauliflower). Cut the mushroom into 1/2 inch steaks or as best you can, uniformly.
Place them in a dry pan on medium. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes and flip. When the mushrooms have released water and start to brown, add the butter. Make sure every piece gets a bit on both sides. Be delicate as you handle them and don't stir them around. Season with salt and generous amounts of fresh ground pepper. Bring the heat down to low and cook until both sides are golden brown.
The furry fronds will go from soft to crispy and soak up all that butter. MMMMPH. So satisfying as a side dish or garnish to a warm salad.
Love mushrooms? Check out these other posts.
Have you had lion's mane? How do you cook them? Tell me by tweeting to @Randwiches.
One of my favorite stands at the McCarren Park farmer's market is Bodhitree Farm. I grew up knowing lettuce as only iceberg and romaine, so it was really cool to learn all about stringy plants like minutina and mustard greens.
I made this salad for a big group bbq. The different textures of cooked and uncooked mustard green are up against fresh lemon and the crunch of fiddlehead ferns. It's simple but so nice to chew on with smokey meats.
| You'll need: | |
| 1 bunch of mustard greens, washed 1/4 lb of Minutina* 1/4 lb of fiddlehead ferns |
1 lemon, zested and juiced Fariway Barbara Sicilian olive oil Salt *Substitute with any light green |
Cook half of the mustard greens in a dry pan on medium, watching as they wilt. Pour on a quarter cup of water to steam them. Turn off the pan and squeeze half the lemon into it. Let it cool.
Grill or pan fry the fiddle head ferns in a little olive oil. Make sure to brown them on both sides.
To assemble the salad, place the cooked greens at the bottom of the bowl. Pile on the uncooked mustard, minutina and fiddle head ferns on top. Squeeze the rest of the lemon over all of it. Sprinkle the salt and lemon zest, then drizzle olive oil to your liking.
How about you? Have you tried cooking greens and tossing in fresh ones? Tweet me if you try it @Randwiches.
Bagels were a roommate tradition when I lived in Bed Stuy. Jeff would go get a dozen from Bergen Bagels and stored them in the freezer. Some mornings when we'd wake up at the same time (a rare occurrence), he'd treat us all to a bagel board with lox and whipped cream cheese out of the KitchenAid.
I've since moved out and established my own rituals on the weekend. I wake up early, as if I'm going to work, but instead I head for the McCarren Park farmer's market. Sometimes when I've still got room in my backpack, I walk over to the Meat Hook. That first time I went in as someone who lived in the neighborhood, I picked up slices of lamb bacon.
This bagel was an ode to the old times but also a small housewarming gift to myself.
| You'll need: | |
|
1 Everything Bagel 3 slices of lamb bacon, cooked Sohha sea salt yogurt |
1/3 bunch of mustard greens 1 pat of butter 1/2 can of crushed tomatoes 1 small heirloom tomato, sliced |
Start by washing and soaking the mustard greens in a bowl of water. Jostle them a few times and change the water, this will help get the sand out. Once the greens are clean, drain them and dry.
Put the crushed tomatoes in a shallow pan and start sautéing them on medium. Add the greens and cook until they're wilted down. Turn off the heat, add the butter and season the whole thing with a little salt and pepper.
To assemble: Slice your bagel and toast it.
Slather on the yogurt, tomatoey greens, lamb bacon and sliced tomato; in that order! Smash it a little bit so the insides don't slide around. Makes one delicious sandwich.
What do you like on your breakfast bagel? Tell me by tweeting to @Randwiches!
Having a career in tech doesn't leave me a lot of time to cook, but I do revel in the moments that I get to bring lunch to the office. While anyone can add hot water to a cup noodle ramen, or go to a ramen restaurant where the chefs spend days making perfect tonkotsu; I found the best of both worlds.
Back in April, my roommate Jeff got me a Benton's smoked ham leg for my birthday. I was thrilled! What I didn't know about it is that you have to peel away the tough, salty and inedible skin. The instructions say to bring the leg to a butcher and ask them to slice it. I'm really stubborn and always say "I CAN DO IT MYSELF." Let me tell you, it's really hard without a machine. Now, I know not everyone will have access to a whole ham leg, but in case you do, then I implore you to try this broth.
| You'll need: | |
|
1 pound of Benton's ham skin* *feel free to substitute salt pork or even bacon |
1 handful of bonito flakes or 3 chopped anchovies Water to fill a slow cooker |
Place the ham skin in a slow cooker and fill with water. Cook on low for 8 hours or overnight. Discard the ham. Stir in the fish and store in the fridge for 8 to 12 hours. Strain the broth and taste for saltiness. Dilute with as much water as needed. It might congeal and that is normal, it will liquify when heated again.
How do you enjoy this at the office with only a microwave?
| You'll need: | |
| 1 sous vide egg, cooked at 140F* 1 cup of Hot Ham Water Dashi 2 garlic chives, chopped 1 pack of dry ramen noodles *Or a soft boiled egg |
Broccoli flowers or any microgreen 1 spring onion, sliced into rings 1 slice of Benton's ham, fried & sliced into strips Crispy onions Water to dilute, if needed |
Transport the broth in a leakproof container or jar. Pre-boil store-bought ramen noodles at home and drain. Bring them in a separate container. Roll up all the other ingredients in a bundle of parchment paper wrapped in plastic wrap, careful to fold the paper over where you want to separate the crispy from the moist herbs.
At the office, fill a mug with water and microwave it for 2 minutes. Take it out of the microwave and plop the egg into the water. This will warm it up without cooking it. Put the broth in a bowl and heat it up for three minutes. Put the noodles in the broth and let stand for a minute. Dress the bowl with ham, greens and onion. When you're ready to eat, crack the egg into it and pop that glorious yolk. The office will moan in unison.
Do you have any office lunch hacks? I want to know. Tweet me @Randwiches.
