SPRING GREEN

Asparagus~artichokes~arugula~green garlic~sick of cooking for two? [Tip #2]~wine around the U.S. and the world . . . in particular, those of southern California's Paso Robles and New Zealand

Cherry blossom blooms in Washington, D.C. Dogwood tree blooms in the South. Lilac blooms in the Midwest. Super blooms in California. Lovely flowers all, described for centuries by lovely words, including those—in the 1390’s!—of Chaucer who wrote in The General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales about the “piercing drought” of March that yielded to the “sweet-smelling showers” of April which bathed “every vein” of plants from which the “power the flower is created.” As I understand the story, way back then King Richard II gave Chaucer 250 gallons of wine a year as payment for his now-cherished scribblings.

This Easter dinner began at the farmers' market and grocery store with asparagus, morels, green garlic, lamb lollipops plus a lamb tri tip-tenderloin roast, red beet root, and mushroom risotto. It ended up cooked and placed on a Royal Copenhagen platter before being plated on Royal Copenhagen Blue Fluted Full Lace dinner plates, handed down from a generation ago by my Danish relatives. As for the food, it was good. But, BTW, all morels aren’t equal. The ones I bought for this dinner on the West Coast were not even close as tasty to those I once foraged in the Midwest. Go figure . . . .

. . . AND SPRINGS GREEN FOOD, TOO

ASPARAGUS

While flowers may first capture our attention this spring, it’s also vegetables that stir our souls. Think asparagus, long with its feathery foliage. It can stand out in a festive first-of-the-year feast next to any other food in the most delightful way. And also think delicate baby peas, crunchy Chinese snow peas, peppery arugula, sweet spinach, bitter kale, and artichokes on the West Coast.

Asparagus

I’m no forager. I’ve only foraged for wild asparagus once. In the 1970’s, I was in Deephaven, a far western suburb of Minneapolis. One fine spring morning I ventured outside into my neighborhood only to discover a couple of stalks of wild asparagus near some bushes a neighbor’s yard. That launched an expedition around the neighborhood, but to no avail. It immediately dawned on me: This is why asparagus is grown by farmers! If I depended on foraging, I’d never come up with enough for a meal. I like the elegance look of thin green stalks as well as the taste, of course. I boil or steam, roast, grill, saute, stir-fry or raw.

One of my food writer heros and cookbook authors is Michael Ruhlman. He likes asparagus in a dish of fried (or soft-boiled) egg and pasta. In one of his books, Ruhlman’s Twenty, he writes about that dish . . . “[F]inding myself with a good bunch of asparagus, I thought, ‘I'll bet pureed asparagus makes an excellent sauce for pasta. But still it's going to need a little oomph. Hmmm. Perhaps some freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano . . . I was hungry, and the dish needed a little extra something, which in so many instances is solved simply by adding an egg. Oh hell, why not mount a good deal of butter into that beautiful pureed asparagus and top the plate with a chicken's egg’ . . . an absolutely fabulous, intensely asparagus-y pasta topped with more asparagus, cheese, and a fried egg.”

The New York Times’ Mark Bittman, another iconic food writer, offers 12 asparagus recipes. Bittman: “The recipes . . . assume 1 ½ to 2 pound of asparagus, which will feed four, but adjust up or down as necessary. Both thin or thick asparagus will work here; it’s really just a matter of preference. The thin ones cook almost instantly and you don’t have to peel them; the thick ones are sturdier and have an incredible snap, and are better if you take the time to peel them (but honestly, I don’t always). Whichever you use, you’ll want to cut the bottoms off; I snap one by hand to see where the natural break is, then chop the rest of the ends off with a knife in one fell swoop. I prefer crisp-tender asparagus to soft, but either way, it’s done when you can pierce the thickest part of a spear with a sharp knife without much resistance. This might take less than five minutes for very slender asparagus, twice that for thick ones.”

Speaking of heros, I’m a longtime fan of Thomas Keller. If you ever have the chance to enjoy his cooking, you’ll know why. I have purchased two of his superb MasterClass videos in which he gives cooking lessons for home cooks. On one, he offers instructions big-pot blanching of asparagus which is surely a recipe for perfection. If you don’t want to pop for the class, you can catch most of it here on YouTube.

Some intriguing asparagus salad recipes come courtesy of Leite’s Culinaria. A guide to buying, cooking and storing asparagus comes from The Spruce Eats. White asparagus is a variety grows entirely underground, deprived of sunlight, which gives it a very fine texture and its color. This recipe is with luxurious bottarga at Alma Gourmet . . . . What about purple asparagus? Like its white counterpart, purple is mild in flavor but sweeter than green. Purple asparagus is also nuttier in flavor. When cooked, purple asparagus taste resembles a blend of barley, almonds and artichokes . . . . Eating Well has an idea for you.

ARTICHOKES

Artichoke in the field

Artichokes are the tantalizing bud of a flowering plant. I’m fond of their sweet, nutty flavor, so artichokes are on my home menu twice a week come spring. I’ve been looking for baby ones this time of year at farmers’ markets. If I’m lucky, I’ll find small ones instead. But I find even giant ones wonderful! Check out these artichoke photos and recipes on Instagram for more ideas.

It’s a bit early for the East Coast and Midwest seasons, but in California, where 99% of the artichokes in the U.S. are grown, ’tis the season. In-season artichokes are splendid but some aficionados think frozen artichokes are just fine. The other nice thing about frozen is that there’s no fuss trimming tops and leaves or scooping out the choke.

There are an abundance of recipes for artichokes online, and include a dip, stewed with beans and peas, braised hearts with ham, wine, and lemon. Here are some from Love & Lemons, the Minimalist Baker, and The Mediterranean Dish. Lastly, Food52’s asparagus with spring garlic pesto.

ARUGULA

Arugula

Giulia Scarpaleggia, in her Substack publication, Letters from Tuscany, says “arugula always and everywhere.” And it “is delicious, slightly hot, with a peppery flavour that tingles your tastebuds. Arugula is an adventurous green and welcomes spring back into the kitchen with its bright, lively kick.” In that newsletter, Scarpaleggia gives us an arugula pesto recipe plus one for an arugula, walnut, and apple salad. Arugula has a place in any salad in my book. I find that mixing it with other greens for its flavor boost is every bit as satisfying as using it alone in a salad.

GREEN GARLIC

Green Garlic [The New York Times]

Green garlic is a new kid on the block for me. It’s essentially baby garlic and early in its growing cycle and looks like a scallion. I sauteed green garlic in the above recipe and sprinkled it like it was salt or pepper all over my Easter lamb dinner. With my interest piqued, I looked around for recipes that use it. Here’s one from Greatist for green garlic aioli. Another from Fearless for green garlic pesto. An Alice Waters recipe for spaghetti with green garlic, too. From FOOD52, half-moon pizza with melted green garlic and shrimp.

SICK OF COOKING FOR TWO? [TIP #2]

LEGO Taco Tuesday Guy Set from The Lego Movie Collectible Minifigures

Taco Bell actually opened the door for my wife and I into the world of wonderful Mexican foods. Ya. Believe it! While we had always made a regular habit of making homemade tacos, then Taco Bell came along. Increasingly and rewardingly we’ve ventured out to taco bars and restaurants in our town with rewarding results! Fast forward a couple months and I went on the hunt for more for my Mexican meals. And I’ve found it. For dinner a couple nights of late, with the help of recommendations of friends, I’ve come across some way cool new options. One taco restaurant made their own soft corn tacos right in front of me with a pressing machine, grilled them, then filled them with the meats, veggies, and sauces I specified.

Guisado, or guiso, is a term for something braised, stewy, homey, and delicious. It’s worth searching for decent guisados in your city. Finding the best versions of these luscious, saucy Mexican stews may take some searching but will be as rewarding as foraging for morels and finding a mother lode not far from your home.

What’s more, quality masa is paramount for great guisados. It’s not only a wrap but it also comprises the majority of the dish, be it taco or gordita, burritos or some dish made with masa and stuffed with cheese, meat, or other fillings. The best masa is made with yellow maize—also known as corn, which is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. It has a taste resonant of corn, like freshly made popcorn. The best Mexican restaurants may well offer numerous varieties of guisado at a time—grilled or shredded chicken, shrimp, grilled or beer battered fish, brisket, carne asada (grilled beef), lengua (beef tongue), chile verde (several types of meat with three types of chiles), chicharrones (pork belly), tripas (made with the intestines of cows, pigs, or goats), carnitas (pulled pork shoulder or butt), al pastor (pork marinated with chiles), chorizo, grilled veggies, refried beans, or “beyond meat.”

“Taco Tuesday” may have achieved immortality but are there other foods of the week? How about Meatless Mondays, Taco Tuesday, Whatever Wednesday, Pasta Thursdays, Fish Fridays, Stir fry Saturdays, and even healthy takeout for Sunday.

While my taco journey is still in it’s infant stage and I’d never heard of it before, Taco Tuesday will soon be a thing with my wife and me. Tacos are terrific! While Taco Tuesday began eons ago, it’s brand new to me.

WHAT I’M WATCHING

We are enjoying Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico with it’s heavy emphasis on Mexican food. It premiered March 26

WHAT I’M DRINKING

The U.S. wine industry is comprised of some 11,000+ wineries. Washington, D.C., has one and California has nearly 5,000. See how many are in each state. Worldwide wine production has the U.S. in 4th place. When measured by exports, the U.S. and New Zealand are tied at 6th place.

As far as U.S. wines go, I’m partial to white wines, especially blends of Rhone grapes, produced in the U.S. So here’s one trip from Food & Wine to Paso Robles that floats my boat. It’s not Napa. It’s not Sonoma. What it is is a region de dejur three hours south of San Francisco that grows 40 different varieties of grapes—cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, zinfandel, chardonnay, viognier, and roussanne—are the most planted. And one take on Paso—as those of us in the know!—calls it a drinkers paradise.

I know nothing about and drink no New Zealand wines, yet. But thanks to Wine Folly that will soon change.

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