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APRIL
19. 2006 |
Peter
Davis: The executive chef of Henrietta's
Table at The Charles Hotel in Cambridge,
Mass., holds a dish made with fresh pea
tendrils, fiddleheads, ramps, grilled striped
bass, and several fresh fruits.
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Ah,
spring. The season of rebirth is warmly
welcomed by most of us, but for chefs who
strive to cook with local seasonal ingredients,
springtime holds a special allure. Hearty
soups and stews move to the back burner,
and fresh-picked peas, earthy morels, and
foraged fiddleheads take center stage.
It's
a season that thrills northern California
chef and caterer Jesse Ziff Cool. "When
those tender little greens finally shoot
up from the earth," she says, "we
know that - yahoo! - winter is finally over."
Peter Davis, executive chef at Henrietta's
Table in Cambridge, Mass., savors springtime
for its bounty of fresh ingredients. "There's
just much more to play with," he says.
"Spring's arrival also means even more
foods will become available as the weather
heats up."
For
Michael LaScola, executive chef and co-owner
with his wife of American Seasons on Nantucket,
Mass., spring is the season he opens his
restaurant doors after the island's sleepy
winter months. This year, his spring menu
features "tons of morels," he
says. Chef LaScola is also innovating dishes
with fava beans, baby beets, and ramps,
which are essentially wild onions similar
to scallions but with a garlicky flavor.
Asparagus,
one of the most beloved harbingers of spring,
is a darling among restaurant chefs. Those
interviewed said they prefer medium-size
stalks. Pencil-thin ones, though elegant-looking,
are too easily overcooked and can turn limp;
jumbo ones are "woody."
Chef
Davis suggests simply drizzling the spears
with olive oil, sprinkling them with salt
and pepper, and grilling them. Or you can
steam asparagus and serve it with a lemon-herb
vinaigrette. As with all fresh produce,
he adds, don't embellish too much. "If
you get vegetables in season from a local
farmer, you don't want to mask the flavor,"
he says. "Just let it speak for itself." |
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Seasonal
Bounty: Spring offers a chance to cook
with such fresh vegetables as (L to
R) fava beans, ramps, peas, pea tendrils,
fiddleheads, and chives. |
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For
Sunday brunch at the Hominy Grill in Charleston,
S.C., chef Robert Stehling serves asparagus
Southern-style: with shrimp and grits. "Grits
are everyone's breakfast down here,"
he says, "and shrimp are even more
plentiful than pigs."
But
asparagus season is on its way out in Charleston;
Stehling is now relishing ramps from the
mountains of North Carolina. "Ramps
are a big springtime specialty in the South,"
he says, "but with such a strong flavor,
I use them sparingly. I often chop them
and bake them in spoon bread with cornmeal.
When cooked, their flavor mellows."
Fiddleheads
are another spring favorite, but with a
short season that begins around mid-April
and fizzles out a month later. They are
foraged in forests in New England and Washington
State.
Chef
LaScola likes to make the most of the season
by simply warming the fiddleheads to keep
their crunchy texture, and then tossing
them in a warm bacon vinaigrette. "They
can get slimy when cooked," he says,
"I just trim down their ends and leave
them as fresh as possible."
Chef
Davis is partial to fiddleheads grown in
New England, which he finds less bitter
than those from the West. He prefers to
blanch them, then sauté them in olive
oil, minced shallots, and salt and pepper.
He often mixes fiddleheads with fresh peas,
or he'll show off the intriguing-looking
fiddleheads by presenting them as a garnish
with a variety of dishes.
Ziff
Cool is showcasing baby vegetables such
as radishes, beets, and carrots on spring
menus at her three restaurants in the Menlo
Park area of California. To avoid overcooking
them, she suggests steaming or blanching
them in salted water. Then she likes to
toss them with olive oil, garlic or onions,
fresh herbs, salt, and pepper. Baby vegetables
also are wonderful just warmed over the
grill, she adds. "Sure, baby vegetables
are fashionable, and a lot of chefs use
them," she says, "but if you're
really trying to cook with the rhythm of
the seasons, it just makes sense to serve
them in the spring." |
Asparagus
and Brie Risotto
California
chef Jesse Ziff Cool heralds asparagus season
with this dish, which she often serves as
a bed for grilled salmon.
4
cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 green onions, minced
1 cup arborio rice
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into
2-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces brie cheese, cubed
In
a large saucepan over medium heat, bring
broth to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover,
and simmer.
In
a deep, heavy saucepan over medium heat,
heat the oil. Add the green onions and rice
and cook for 5 minutes, or until the rice
is golden brown. Begin adding the broth,
1/2 cup at a time, and cook, stirring constantly,
for 20 minutes, or until the broth is absorbed
and the risotto begins to get creamy. Just
before adding the last of the broth, add
the asparagus and pepper. Stir in the cheese.
Serves
4.
Source:
"Your Organic Kitchen," by Jesse
Ziff Cool
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Spring
Vegetable Sauté
3/4
pound new potatoes, cut in half
1/2 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
2 tablespoons butter
3 to 4 small spring onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped mint
Salt and pepper
Bring
a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add
potatoes and cook for 20 minutes, or until
tender. Add snap peas during the last 2
minutes of cooking time. Drain.
Heat
butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes,
or until tender. Add potatoes, snap peas,
nutmeg, and mint. Toss to coat well.
Season
to taste. Serves 6.
Source:
"Your Organic Kitchen," by Jesse
Ziff Cool
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