Posts Tagged “recipe”
Most minestrones I have known (and loved) are heavy, rich and satisfying on a cold winter day. This wonderful spring minestrone is rich, but it is also light and bright and filled the best of spring produce: peas, asparagus, artichokes. A perfect vehicle to use up the last of the ramps.
We finally scored a couple of bunches of ramps. Now what do we do with them? First off we pickled the white and red ends of most of them – so they would last a little longer. Then we used the green wings to make biscuits. And a frittata. And spring minestrone. And a pesto.
The essence of pot-au-feu is that it consists of low-cost cuts of beef like shank, oxtail, short ribs or even brisket; some meat with a lot of cartilage like marrowbone or shank to give the broth a gelatinous texture; simple, usually root and winter vegetables, spices and sometimes sausage.
I hate meatloaf, Fellow FoodBeest. Ok, “hate” is too strong a word. I am completely disinterested in meatloaf. I once made a meatloaf and took it out of the oven only to have the meatloaf promptly slide off the pan and onto the floor. “Oh, darn, now we’ll have to order out.”
This recipe has an architecturally stunning presentation and will impress your friends, but it is much easier to cut and eat after you take the clam meat out of the shells and put it on the pizza by itself. I can’t vouch for its authenticity, but I can tell you it has good roots and, most importantly, it tastes great – a little like eating steamed clams with a great crusty bread to soak up the juice.
There is a moment late in March in my part of the world when the world changes. If you look closely, you will notice tiny chartreuse sprouts poking up through the ground that were not there the day before. And then, if you are watching for it, within a week, you will also notice that first robin beaking for food around the no-longer-dormant ground that you’ve seen since maybe September.
Spring.
One of my favorite recipes for spaghetti squash is this amazing casserole based on one in Moosewood It is a great side dish or a main dish. Lose the pancetta (you won’t really miss it) and you have a delightful vegetarian entrée.
I experimented a lot making this soup, tasting a lot of French onion soup along the way. I did it all on your behalf.
Here’s what I learned.
1) Like most soups, this one is best if you make it a day in advance. Two days is even better.
2) Use Gruyère cheese and plenty of it.
Tyler (who just turned 5) wants to be a baker, Fellow FoodBeest. He also loves science and what better science is there than what you get when you mix flour with sugar and butter and baking powder and then add heat? We got to use two machines: the food processor and the stand mixer. A little noisy, but fun. And the outcome was strawberry cupcakes.
These bourbon-glazed short ribs are perfect for a winter dinner. They are rich, filling, sweet, tangy, savory, and just a little spicy all at once. You’ll want to serve it with something to mop up the sauce, like mashed potatoes or polenta. Good crunchy bread isn’t a bad idea either.
