Onions - Check out the woods

Posted on June 9, 2012 by bilrob

Onions – Check out the woods

ESCANABA – The north woods are overflowing like one giant edible herb garden.

In the wild, Mother Nature sets up the fixings for an awesome salad bowl.

After the warm spring rains dance upon the fields, meadows and forest floors, green spouts pop out.

Everyone loves the brightly colored flowers. The sweet smell of wild arbutus flowers and the fragrant yellow lady’s slipper make these posies pretty popular.

Besides the bright “Indian paintbrush” flowers, and the beautiful “bashful little hare bells of blue, Upper Michigan’s wilds contain the pungent plants, too.

Very early in the spring, one of the first green plants to sprout up in the hardwoods is the wild leek or “ramp” as they are often called down south.

Wild leeks are a welcomed sight because they are a promise of the growing season. Early pioneers often gathered smelly leeks and dried them for use in soups and stews. With a strong oniony or garlic like flavor, leeks jazzed up many plain rabbit stews or venison roasts.

Leeks are hard to pull from the ground. Digging is usually required to get out the tasty white bulb. In the Great Smokey Mountains people spend hours gathering leeks for their annual “ramp” festival. Besides salads and soups, the juice from these plants is used to treat insect stings.

Another aromatic wild weed that stands along many streams and rivers like purple swords, are the wild onions. Perhaps you’ve walked on these “chive” like plants and noticed how your tennis shoes or flip-flops smelled like onion soup for hours.

At this time of the year, the lavender dome-like flowers of the wild onions are covered with butterflies, bees, skippers and stoneflies.

Wild onions are so strong, they seem to burn going down. Early explorers would parboil them and then mix them with food. They were also used to treat colds.

So if you’re out hiking in the woods and something smells like onions, get a wild plant guide and see if you can find wild leeks or onions.

Folks are working hard these days to get in the rest of the kitchen garden. Vegetables, herbs, greens are so healthy for us. Mother Nature, too, has planted her herb garden. Please do not sample any wild plants unless an experienced gatherer identifies your find.

Enjoy the herbal essences of a walk in the woods.

—

Karen (Rose) Wils is a lifelong resident of North Escanaba. Her folksy columns are published each Friday in Lifestyles.

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Seasonal 'scallion' pancake: Puff pastry made easy

Posted on June 7, 2012 by bilrob

Seasonal ‘scallion’ pancake: Puff pastry made easy

A pancake is a thin, flat, round cake prepared from a batter, and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. Most pancakes are quick breads, which use a quick leavening agent such as baking powder, while some use a yeast-raised or fermented batter. Typically, pancakes are cooked one side on a griddle and flipped partway through to cook the other side. Depending on the region, pancakes may be served at any time of day, with a variety of toppings or fillings including jam, chocolate chips, fruit, syrup, vegetables or meat.

Archaeological evidence suggests that varieties of pancakes are probably the earliest and most widespread types of cereal food eaten in prehistoric societies whereby dry carbohydrate-rich seed flours mixed with the available protein-rich liquids, usually milk and eggs, were baked on hot stones or in shallow earthenware pots over an open fire to form a nutritious and highly palatable foodstuff.

In the medieval and modern Christian period, especially in Britain, pancakes were made to use up stored items prior to the period of Lent fasting beginning on Shrovetide. Since eggs were forbidden foods during Lent, making pancakes on Shrove Tuesday was a good way to use up eggs before Lenten fasts began.
The pancake‘s shape and structure varies worldwide. There are numerous variations of them throughout Europe. In Germany, pancakes can be made from potatoes. A crêpe is a Breton variety of thin pancake cooked on one or both sides in a special crepe pan to achieve a network of fine bubbles often compared to lace – a savory variety made from buckwheat is usually known as a galette.

Scallion Pancake

There will be no leftovers from this 10-inch spring-garlic pancake, even if you’re eating alone.
(Edward Schneider for The Washington Post)
Scallion pancakes: crunchy, salty, flaky pan-fried dough with sweet oniony morsels throughout. When made with care, they’re a perfect snack or first course — and not only in the context of a Chinese meal.

At this time of year, I take advantage of the young members of the onion/garlic (allium) family to make seasonal variations on these crisp discs. I’ve done it with leeks no wider than my thumb and, perhaps best of all, with that mild springtime garlic whose cloves have just formed and are not yet enclosed in their papery capsules. This change of ingredient doesn’t alter the essence of the pancakes: Beyond the flavor of whichever allium you choose (some caramelized as the pancake fries), they are about dough and fat.

But it’s dough and fat combined in a very clever way, perhaps the easiest way of all to make a multi-layered pastry. If you’ve ever made puff pastry or croissants, you’ll know that those laminated doughs take considerable time, skill and labor. Scallion pancakes take very little.

Spring garlic: The perfect substitute for a season-oriented “scallion” pancake.
(Edward Schneider for The Washington Post)
The basic dough is simple to make and easy to handle. I use the food processor, but a bowl and wooden spoon, plus some extra kneading, will do the job, too. For a pancake about 10 inches across, put a cup of all-purpose flour and a 1/2 cup of boiling — yes, boiling — water into the workbowl and run the machine until a dough forms. (It must be pliable, but shouldn’t be sticky, so be ready with another tablespoon or two of flour.) A quick knead to smooth it out, a 10-minute or longer rest wrapped in paper or plastic, and it is ready to roll. (At this point, it can also be used to make dumpling wrappers, especially for potstickers.)

While it rests, peel the outer coat from three heads of spring garlic and mince the bulbs — not ultra-fine, but small enough that the garlic will cook when the pancake is fried. Include some of the green tops for color and flavor. (You would do the same with scallions or spring onions, but using more of the greens in the case of scallions.) Melt a tablespoon of lard (I do it in the microwave). Other fats work perfectly: duck, of course, but also sesame oil (possibly mixed with a more neutral oil) or, if you want to erase all Chinese associations, clarified butter.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a roughly 12-by-18-inch rectangle, which means that it will be quite thin. Lightly brush the entire surface with melted lard and sprinkle it evenly with coarse salt and the minced spring garlic. With your fingers, roll it up tightly, jelly-roll fashion, into an 18-inch-long rope, then coil the rope into a thick disc. Roll this into a 10-inch circle with a rolling pin. A little extra bench flour may or may not be needed, and it is not impossible that a patch of the lard-slicked interior structure will be exposed — that doesn’t matter, as the pancake will be fried anyway.

See what happens? By jelly-rolling, coiling and rolling out the greased dough, you create multiple layers separated by fat — the same theory as puff pastry, but with no advanced skills needed.

Heat a scant 1/8-inch of peanut or other oil (plus the lard leftover from the pancake-making) in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. When it is hot, carefully lay the pancake in; it should more or less fit the flat base of the skillet. When you hear it sizzling, lower the heat to medium-low and brown the first side slowly, but well. This could take as little as seven and as long as 12 minutes, and at a certain point, you may wish to raise the heat a little. Turn (tongs are helpful here) and brown the other side. If you need to flip the pancake again to make sure the first side is brown and very crisp, don’t hesitate to do so.

With your tongs, move the pancake onto a chopping board or platter lined with paper towels to soak up any extraneous frying fat, and cut it into wedges. In most Chinese restaurants, these are served with a dipping sauce, but with good alliums, good fat and enough salt, none is needed.

There will be no leftovers whether you be two, three or four people — or even if you’re eating alone in the kitchen.

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Greek-style pork belly and leeks

Posted on June 5, 2012 by bilrob

hellenika pork belly

Greek-style pork belly and leeks

Pork belly is a boneless cut of fatty meat derived from the belly of a pig. Pork belly is popular in Asian cuisine, and forms a part of many traditional European dishes such as the Alsatian Choucroute garnie, the Swiss Berner Platte, and the German Schlachtplatte. In the United States, bacon is most often made from pork bellies.

A 100-gram serving of pork belly typically has about 520 calories. The calorie breakdown is: 92% fat (53 g), 0% (0 g) carbohydrates, and 8% (9 g) protein.

This cut of meat is enormously popular in Chinese cuisine and Korean cuisine. In Chinese cuisine, it is usually diced, browned then slowly braised with skin on, or sometimes marinated and cooked as a whole slab. Pork belly is used to make Slowly Braised Pork Belly or Dongpo pork in China (Sweet and Sour Pork is made with pork fillet). Koreans cook Samgyeopsal on a grill with garlic, often accompanied by soju. Uncured whole pork belly has more recently become a popular dish in restaurants in the United States as well.

Greek-style pork belly and leeks

Serves 4-6

Preparation time: 30 minutes (+ 6-8 hours to shape the pork)

Cooking time: 2 1/2 hours

Skills needed: Basic

Ingredients:

2kg pork belly (rind on)

100ml extra virgin olive oil

150g Maldon sea salt

8 leeks

100ml lemon juice (reserve a little for finishing the dish)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 220C. Using a craft knife or Stanley knife, lightly score the skin of the pork belly, making even, shallow 2mm cuts, 1cm apart.

Using half the oil, rub oil and salt into all sides of the pork, almost like a massage. This is the key to gaining a crispy finish.

Place the pork in a 30x40cm roasting tin, skin side up, and roast in the oven for 40 minutes or until crackling starts to form.

Reduce the oven temperature to 190C and continue cooking the pork for a further two hours. At this point add 1 litre of water to the tray so the flesh stays moist.

Once the pork is ready, take out of the oven and set aside for at least 6 hours. Put a tray on top and press with something heavy. This will help to set the shape.

Cut the pork into 2cm-thick slices with a sharp serrated knife. Ideally at this point you would preheat a char-grill, but a hot frying pan is more than adequate to reheat the pork. The char-grill just adds a lovely smoky finish to the pork.

To prepare the leeks, wash thoroughly to remove any grit. Cut in half lengthways and then in 4cm slices. Heat most of the remaining olive oil in a pan, add leeks and saute until soft. At this stage add most of the lemon juice and reduce this liquid, season to taste.

To serve, place leeks on a plate and put the pork on top. Finish with a little lemon and olive oil mixed together.

———

CHEF’S TOP TIPS

1. “You need to cook the pork 6-8 hours in advance so you have time to press and set it in to shape to get a perfect result,” says chef Bryan Kelly.

2. “By cooking the pork ahead of time you’ll also get an amazing stock from it. Add this to the leeks once they are soft and you’ll get a lovely, rich finish.”

———

Want the recipe for a signature dish at your favourite restaurant? Send your requests to [email protected]

——–

More food stories and recipes in Taste in Qld Life in this app

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Chicken recipes: A bird in the hand

Posted on June 4, 2012 by bilrob

chicken pot pies

Golden: Chicken, lemon and leek pot pies. Picture: Brett Stevens
Source: Supplied

Chicken recipes: A bird in the hand

MANY a cook starts the night with chicken in the fridge and dinner on their mind.

By the time the food hits the table it’s been transformed into something delicious and nourishing. Why do we love it so? Probably because it’s the most versatile of all proteins with endless recipes to match. Here are three delicious ways to cook chicken tonight for your family.

- Sophia Young, Food Editor, MasterChef Magazine

–

ROAST CHICKEN WITH STUFFING

Serves 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 90 minutes

Skills needed: Basic

1/2 (about 300g) loaf day-old sourdough bread, crusts removed, cut into 2cm pieces

1.8kg organic or free-range chicken

1/2 bunch basil

1 bulb garlic

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra, to rub

400g can whole tomatoes

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

150g kalamata olives, halved, pitted

2 bulbs baby fennel, trimmed, thickly sliced

1 red onion, cut into thin wedges

200g fresh goat’s cheese

Preheat oven to 200C. Place bread on an oven tray and bake, turning, for 30 minutes or until dry and light golden.

Meanwhile, rinse chicken inside and out, then pat dry. Pick basil leaves and reserve stems. Reserve 3 cloves from garlic, then cut bulb in half horizontally. Stuff the cavity with basil stems and halved garlic, then tie legs together with kitchen string. Rub the skin all over with soy sauce until stained a light golden, then rub with extra oil. Season with some salt and pepper.

Tip tomatoes into a large roasting pan. Using scissors, cut each into quarters. Thinly slice reserved garlic cloves, then add to pan with vinegar, oil, olives, fennel and onion. Season. Toss to combine. Top with chicken and roast for 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 180C and roast for 30 minutes. Add bread. Roast for a further 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Crumble over the goat’s cheese and scatter with the basil leaves. Carve the chicken and serve with stuffing.

TASTE TIPS

* For even, golden skin, tear off small pieces of foil to cover parts of chicken that are browning faster than others.

* For ease of cleaning, use disposable foil roasting trays; double if roasting on the barbecue.

* Shred leftover roast chicken and add to soups, pasta, pies and rice dishes for a quick midweek meal.

–

CHICKEN, LEMON LEEK POT PIES

Serves 6

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 1 1/4 hours

Skills needed: Basic

2 tbsp olive oil

1.5kg chicken thigh fillets, each cut into 4 pieces

40g butter

2 carrots, roughly chopped

1 stalk celery, roughly chopped

2 leeks, cut into thick rounds

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp thyme leaves

2 tbsp plain flour

300ml chicken stock

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/3 cup pouring cream

6 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 egg, lightly beaten

Heat oil in a casserole over high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then brown, in two batches, for 2 minutes each side. Reduce heat to medium. Add butter, carrots, celery, leeks, garlic and thyme. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes or until all softened.

Preheat oven to 200C. Scatter flour over veg and stir until grainy. Gradually add stock and bring to a simmer.

Return chicken to casserole with bay leaf and simmer for about 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Stir in lemon juice and cream, then season. Tip into a large bowl, place bowl in a sink of cold water, then stir to cool rapidly.

Stack the pastry sheets in groups of 2, then cut out rounds 2cm larger than dishes.

Spoon chicken mixture into dishes, brush edges with egg, then cover with pastry. Brush with egg and bake for 25 minutes until golden. Serve immediately.

TASTE TIPS

* To make these pot pies, you first cook a chicken casserole, so stop there if you prefer, and eat it with mash.

* You’ll need 6 x 250ml (1-cup) ovenproof dishes.

Add extra flavour to the pies by scattering tops with sesame or mustard seeds before baking.

–

CHICKEN WITH CABBAGE AND ROCKET

Serves 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Skills needed: Basic

4 chicken breasts

3/4 cup plain flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup parmesan, finely grated

1/3 cup olive oil

80g butter

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tbsp baby capers

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 lemon, juiced

2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped

340g white cabbage, finely shredded

1 cup rocket

Cut chicken in half horizontally and pound. Place flour on a plate and eggs in a bowl.

Dust chicken with flour, shaking off excess. Combine cheese with remaining flour.

Dip chicken in eggs and coat in cheese mixture.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 20g butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook half the chicken for 2 minutes each side or until golden. Repeat with another 1 tablespoon oil, 20g butter and remaining chicken.

Wipe pan clean and melt 20g butter over high heat. Stir in garlic and capers, then cook for 30 seconds. Add wine and simmer for 3 minutes or until reduced by half.

Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in parsley and remaining 20g butter.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat.

Add cabbage, season, then toss until wilted. Stir in the rocket. Divide among plates. Top with chicken. Drizzle over the sauce to serve.

TIP

* To prevent sauce forming a skin, cover surface directly with cling wrap.

–

TASTE SHOPPING LIST

CHICKENS

What’s the difference between the types of chicken available?

In a nutshell, conventional chickens are intensively raised to be ready for consumption in as little as six weeks.

Such rapid growth is not the result of hormones (banned in Australia in the 1960s); rather, feeding and selective breeding.

Free-range chickens are also intensively farmed, but have more floor space and access to outside areas.

Corn-fed chickens have a mainly corn-based diet (which is not organic and not always GMO-free), resulting in yellow-tinged skin and, many claim, a more tasty meat.

Organic chickens are raised to strict guidelines: 95 per cent of their food must be organic and they roam organic land.

They’re slower to reach maturity, so cost more to farm, hence the heftier price tag.

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Frogs and snails: try this at home?

Posted on June 3, 2012 by bilrob

Frogs and snails: try this at home?

duchessoftea via Flickr
Into a covered basket with you, Gastropoda!

Reviewing Dale Levitski’s “midwestern bistro”

Frog N Snails

this week, Mike Sula steered clear of its namesake dish, described on the current menu as “frog n snails, kale, leeks, green peppercorn ragout.” For some reason, this brought back a time years ago when, as a broke undergraduate with nothing in the fridge but a few shriveled scallions, I picked up the copy of Joy of Cooking I’d been given for my high school graduation and tried to distract myself.

There I learned that

when [snails] feed in late spring and summer, they may indulge in some foliage inimical to humans and, if used during this period, must be placed in a covered basket in a cool place and starved for 48 hours.

Clearly, snails are a delicacy requiring advance preparation:

For the next ten days to two weeks, feed them on lettuce leaves, removing the old leaves and furnishing new ones every few days. Then, in any season, scrub until all slime is removed.

After you’ve repeatedly soaked and rinsed the mollusks,

Discard any snails whose heads have not by this time popped out of their shells. Drain. Cover with boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain, cool and remove the snails from shells with an oyster fork. Hold the upper part of the snail with the thumb and forefinger and score the lower part of the body to pull out the swollen intestinal tube. Discard it.

Why Joy and its authors, Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker, aren’t given more credit for anticipating local, seasonal, snout-to-tail, and other culinary trends of the last ten-plus years, I’ll never know. They at least deserve some appreciation for their sang-froid. Take their advice on the preparation of frog legs:

Separate and wash the legs in cold water. Begin at the top and strip off the skin like a glove. Through an experiment with a twitching frog leg, Galvani discovered the electric current that bears his name. Should you prefer keeping your kitchen and your scientific activities separate and distinct, chill the frog legs before skinning.

Sauteeing them with hazelnuts is optional.

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Last Chance Foods: Springing Leeks

Posted on May 28, 2012 by bilrob

Last Chance Foods: Springing Leeks

McIlwaine explained that the leeks being harvested now were planted last fall and left to overwinter. The spring leeks look a little different from their counterparts that come up later in the year.

“Our leeks in the fall are really tall and grand… but I think because they are such short days in the wintertime, [spring leeks] come out a little stunted, a little shorter, a little more tender,” McIlwaine said.

The taste is a little different, as well. “They seem to me a little bit juicier and maybe not as fierce in flavor,” she added.

While McIlwaine and her customers are enjoying the harvest now, the real work that went into growing the leeks started last fall. The allium can be a little labor intensive to plant. “We have a long… metal spike about six inches long, it’s called a dibble,” McIlwaine explained. “We punch holes into the ground, so we get a really deep root and that gives us a nice long white, which is the preferred part.” Then each baby leek, which was started from seed in a nursery, is carefully rooted into the hole.

There’s one step that can be skipped after getting the leek into the ground, though. “We don’t even fill in the holes, which end up being about the diameter of a quarter, and they fill out as they grow,” McIlwaine said.

With some mulch, a mild winter, and an abundance of patience, farmers, she notes, were rewarded with a healthy spring leek harvest this season.

Keha McIlwaine Out of the field and at the farmers market, there are a few things to look for when picking out leeks, said Cornelius Gallagher, the chef and owner of the new Upper East Side restaurant Dragonfly.

“You want to make sure that the bottom part of it is really tight, that it’s heavy, it’s not light,” he explained. “You want to look at the top of the leek to make sure that it’s bright green and crisp. And you should be able to snap a piece off and there should be water inside.”

When it comes to those greens, McIwaine notes that her customers profess to use that part of the stalk, as well. Gallagher confirmed that they are edible, but recommended them for specific purposes.

“Well, you can use the green part for stocks,” he said. “It’s something that’s going to be cooked a little bit longer, you can use the green part. But it’s usually just for infusion of flavor, to give a mild onion background flavor, especially for fish broths, things like that.”

(Photo: McIlwaine on the job. Courtesy of Keha McIlwaine.)

One of the most important steps in preparing leeks, Gallagher emphasized, is to make sure they are cleaned well. He chops up the leek and then soaks the pieces in several changes of water to make sure all the sand and dirt in the leek sink to the bottom of the bowl.

McIlwaine concurred and recommended dunking the greens in the sink a few times, as well. Ultimately, though, she takes a farmer’s view on the matter and declared that “a little grit is good for you!”

Below, try Gallagher’s curry recipe with leeks.

Pan-Roasted Fresh Shrimp
with glazed leeks, young coconut and yellow curry
by Chef Cornelius Gallagher, Dragonfly

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp yellow curry paste
¼ cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp water
2 ½ tsp palm sugar
1 cup fresh shrimp, peeled (laughing bird large)
½ cup julienned and glazed leeks
1/3 cup raw pea shoots (long thin)
1 red birds eye chili, sliced on bias

1. In a wok, add the oil and stir fry the curry.

2. Add the coconut milk, fish sauce, water and palm sugar. Add the shrimp and cook this until a light sauce comes about.

3. By the time the sauce is reduced, the shrimp should be cooked

4. Add leeks and cook until shrimp are 100 percent cooked and the leeks are warmed throughout.

5. Adjust the seasoning and spoon this mixture into the serving plate.

6. Garnish the top of the dish with the pea shoots and the sliced chili.

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Nigel Slater's spring recipes

Posted on May 28, 2012 by bilrob

Nigel Slater’s spring recipes

The fridge is as green and lush inside as I have ever seen it. There is a bag of spinach leaves, a bunch of broad beans in their fur-lined pods, a couple of bunches of spring onions and some leeks barely thicker than my middle finger. There are the first Italian courgettes and a superb spring cabbage. There is a vast, crisp-leaved lettuce bought as the base for the weekend’s salads but whose crackling leaves would be so much better in a sandwich with some soft, flour-capped white bread and a few sprigs of watercress.

The idea of a green meal suddenly appeals. Big bowls of soup, chock-a-block with beans and maybe peas, a well thought-out mixture of the first greens of the summer, will be tonight’s main course. If I fancied something more filling I could blitz a third of the mixture in the blender and return it to the vegetables to make an altogether richer soup. An alternative would be to use a meaty broth instead of a light vegetable stock.

Green and light is the way to go at this point in the year. A frittata of asparagus. A spinach soufflé. Little pancakes of herbs and spring onions or perhaps a crisp filo parcel of green beans, sheep’s milk cheese and spinach. You could make a hummus with broad beans and dill, a fettucine with a sauce of fresh peas and parmesan, or a mixture of herbs with lemon zest and a spoonful of ricotta.

A favourite verdant supper of mine comes courtesy of the River Café. Broad beans, garlic and tiny, waxy-fleshed potatoes are simmered in olive oil and water with a last-minute addition of asparagus and peas until the vegetables are tender and the liquid has almost disappeared. A handful of mint, fresh, uplifting and vibrant, is stirred in at the end.

I don’t feel the need to have protein with every meal but, if you wish to, any green dish can be volunteered as a side dish to a piece of grilled fish or meat. A couple of days ago we ate broad beans stewed still in their pods with olive oil, water and mint. After 20 minutes of cooking over a moderate heat they were tipped on to a plate alongside some lamb cutlets I had grilled with thyme and crushed dried chillies. The coolness of the stewed beans with the slightly spicy lamb was delightful.

Even the home-grown fruit is green this month. The first, hard, young gooseberries are still sour enough to make me shudder: cooking gooseberries as I think of them, rather than the sweeter dessert varieties that will come later. Not having quite enough for a pie, I chuck in a handful of red ones from the freezer. And rather than a rich, butter and egg yolks pastry, I use light curls of filo – a pastry for early summer.

A quick green minestrone

Chop and change the vegetables to suit what you have available. The point is to keep the ingredients fresh and green. French beans chopped into short pieces are an option, too, as is thickly shredded, mild-tasting spring cabbage. To make the soup more substantial you could add spaghetti, broken into short lengths, or any of the tiny star- or rice-shaped pastas. As this is a variation on the traditional tomato-based minestrone, there are no rules. You can add and subtract according to what is in your shopping bag. You could include some bits of chopped pancetta, too. Add them with the leeks and onions.

Serves 4 to 6
broad beans in the pod 400g
baby leeks 200g
spring onions 200g
courgettes 200g, small
flageolet beans 2 x 400g cans
peas 200g, podded weight
vegetable stock 1 litre
chives 25g
parsley a handful
parmesan grated, to serve

Pod the broad beans, boil them in lightly salted water, then drain and cool under running water. Unless they are really young and small, I like to pop them out of their pale skins, but it is up to you.

Thickly slice the leeks (I like to do them diagonally), thinly slice the spring onions and cook them in a saucepan, under a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, covered with a piece of greaseproof or baking parchment to encourage them to steam and soften rather than fry. You want them to be tender, but they shouldn’t brown. Cut the courgettes into short lengths.

When the leeks and onions are soft and still bright green remove the paper, add the courgettes, the beans, peas and then the stock, bring to the boil, turn down to a simmer then add the chives, chopped into short lengths. Roughly chop the parsley and stir into the soup. Season, and pass round a dish of grated parmesan at the table for those who want it.

Gooseberry filo pie

Placing a baking sheet in the oven before you put the pie in will help the pastry to crisp. Cream is essential to accompany this.

Serves 4
gooseberries 350g
caster sugar 80g
ground almonds 125g
butter 50g
filo pastry 6 leaves
Demerara sugar a little
cream to serve

Top and tail the gooseberries, removing any stalks and dried flowers. Put the berries in a bowl, add the caster sugar and the ground almonds and toss them gently together.

Melt the butter, then brush a little of it on the base of a 22cm metal baking dish or shallow cake tin. Lay a piece of filo pastry in the tin, leaving the edges overhanging the sides, then brush it with butter. Add a second sheet and continue, layering and brushing until all the sheets are used. Set the oven at 180C/gas mark 4 and place a baking sheet on the oven shelf.

Tip the gooseberries into the baking dish, then pull the over-hanging pastry sheets into the middle to lightly cover the berries. If you twist the pastry sheets as you do so you get interesting folds and ripples and the crust will crisp nicely. Brush lightly with butter and sprinkle with Demerara sugar.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, on the hot baking sheet (the extra heat will help the base to cook, although it will always be slightly soft) till the top of the pastry is crisp and golden. Serve hot, with cream.

Email Nigel at [email protected] or visit guardian.co.uk/profile/nigelslater for all his recipes in one place

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Mushrooms - Moral of a failed morel hunt: Enjoy what's at hand

Posted on May 26, 2012 by bilrob

The real Morel Mushroom - edible

Mushrooms – Moral of a failed morel hunt: Enjoy what’s at hand

The scent of green garlic reminds me of tromping through woods and farm fields this spring on a quest for morel mushrooms (ultimately a middling success, but fun, nonetheless, for the hunt). Thin wild onions (or leeks, we weren’t quite sure) grew everywhere, giving off their pungent aroma as we followed my brother Paul around his favorite spots near his country home north of Indianapolis.

We tried pulling up the thin shoots, but they clung stubbornly to the soil. Too much work, and besides, mushrooms were the mission.

A few weeks later, I bought the first green-garlic stalks that popped up at a local farmers market. Chopped, they gave off their mild garlicky scent, a reminder of that morel hunt. Briefly sauteed to preserve flavor and crispness, they formed the inspiration for this spring pasta dish. But now that I think of it, morels would have worked beautifully in this dish.

TIPS:

Look for green garlic at farmers markets and some specialty markets; sub with green onions if unavailable.

Use any short pasta you like, such as penne.

GEMELLI WITH SHRIMP, PEAS AND GREEN GARLIC

Servings: 6

1 pound gemelli pasta

1 tablespoon each: olive oil, unsalted butter

6 green-garlic stalks, chopped (or green onions)

1 pound shrimp, shelled, deveined

2 cups fresh shelled peas (or frozen)

1 cup dry white wine

? to ? teaspoon salt

? teaspoon red pepper flakes

Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted boiling water until al dente; drain, reserving ? cup cooking water.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet until the butter melts and the foam subsides. Add the green garlic; cook, stirring, just until beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.

Add shrimp to skillet; cook, turning once, until just cooked through, 3 minutes; remove. Stir peas, wine, reserved green garlic, salt and pepper flakes into the skillet. Cook over low heat just until peas are tender, 2 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Return shrimp to skillet.

Add the drained pasta to the skillet; stir to coat the pasta. Stir in some of the pasta water if mixture seems dry.

Recipes for Mushrooms with Bill & Sheila

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Leeks play starring role in this quick spring stew

Posted on May 25, 2012 by bilrob

Leeks play starring role in this quick spring stew

This is a fast-cooking stew, which makes it great for warmer days. The dish comes together in about 45 minutes.

It also is easy. The hardest part is cleaning the leeks, which often are filled with sand that needs to be washed away. First, remove and discard the tough green tops. Next, slice each leek in half and run under cold water, fanning the layers. Slice the leeks, then soak the slices in a large bowl or sink filled with cold water. Finally, remove the leeks from the water with a large skimmer or colander. The 10 minutes this will take is well worth it to ensure a sand-free dish.

There are very few ingredients in this stew, so make them count. Use the best, most full-flavored chicken broth you can find; homemade is best. For the potatoes, try one of the many specialty baby or fingerling potatoes available in stores and at farmers markets.

Make ahead: This dish is even better the next day. The potatoes can be cooked in advance, cooled and refrigerated, or you can boil the potatoes right before serving.

SPRING CHICKEN, LEEK AND POTATO STEW

1-1/2 pounds baby white or red potatoes, well scrubbed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound trimmed leeks, sliced in half down the length of the leek, each half thinly sliced (rinsed well)

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1-1/2 pounds chicken breast tenderloins

2/3 cup dry white wine

2 cups no-salt-added or homemade chicken broth

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives

Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and add water to cover. Cook over high heat until the water boils; adjust the heat to maintain a steady boil and cook for 12 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. The cooking time will vary according to the thickness of the potato. Drain the potatoes in a colander.

While the potatoes are cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 4-quart Dutch oven, soup pot or enameled cast-iron casserole over medium heat. Add the leeks. Season with salt and pepper to taste; cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are very soft but not browned. Adjust the heat as needed.

While the leeks are cooking, season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add as many of the tenderloins as will fit without crowding. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until nicely browned on one side; turn and cook for about 2 minutes until browned on the other side. The chicken does not need to be cooked through at this point. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining tenderloins.

When the leeks are soft, add the wine. Increase the heat to high and bring the wine to a boil; cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the wine has reduced by half. Add the browned chicken tenderloins and the broth. Once it has come to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low; cover and cook for 15 minutes, adjusting the heat so that the liquid is barely bubbling. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed.

To serve, divide the potatoes among shallow bowls or pasta dishes. Top with the chicken and leeks, spoon the cooking liquids over the chicken and potatoes, and garnish with the chopped chives.

Nutrition per serving: 320 calories, 30 grams protein, 29 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 75 milligrams cholesterol, 190 milligrams sodium, 3 grams dietary fiber, 4 grams sugar

Servings: 6

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Lovely leeks

Posted on May 16, 2012 by bilrob

Salt cod with leeks.

Salt cod with leeks. Photo: Domino Postiglione

Lovely leeks

After all these years cooking for work and pleasure, I’m still surprised when I come across new dishes that combine ingredients in such a seamless way that the final flavour is greater than the sum of its parts. The makers of modernist food attempt to find new combinations, but rather than coming up with new dishes, the results are mostly constructions on the plate that look pretty.

Recently I dined at Michael Ryan’s Beechworth restaurant, Provenance. He served a small ramekin of freshly made silken tofu with new-season salmon roe. Simple enough, but it was new to me and it’s a taste I’ll remember.

Taste and memory led me to a similar combination, though one I’m familiar with and have been for a long time, which is the main recipe this week: the sweet, salty, mineral and fish classic of salt cod with leeks.

That sweet and salty pairing is also evident in the second recipe that combines leeks with pancetta. Improvising from that point, successful partners for leeks are leg ham, bacon, duck and quail.

For breakfast tomorrow, I’m making soft poached eggs with fried leeks and prosciutto.

Salt cod with leeks

750g baccala (salt cod)
500g leek, washed and trimmed
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 stick celery, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
4 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1/2 cup basil leaves, chopped
1 tsp chilli flakes
450g canned tomatoes, pureed
Salt and pepper
12 slices country bread

Soak salt cod in a large tub of cold water for 24-36 hours, changing every 6-8 hours. I do this in the laundry and let the tap run slowly into the tub so I don’t have to remember to change it. Once that’s done, drain and cut cod into large pieces to fit in a large pot. Fill with water, bring to the boil and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Drain, let it cool a little and shred cod into flakes, discarding any bones. Set aside. Cut leek in half lengthways and slice into 1cm rounds. Heat 4 tbsp oil and lightly fry leek, onion, garlic, celery and carrot with parsley, basil and chilli until soft. Add tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes. Add flaked salt cod, stir and cook for another 5-6 minutes. Season to taste with salt, if needed, and plenty of pepper. Grill bread and brush with remaining olive oil. Serve hot.

Serves 6 as a substantial first course

Wine Italian or Australian vermentino or fiano

Leeks braised with pancetta

1kg large leeks, trimmed
Salt
50g pancetta, cut to half-matchstick lengths
1 small carrot, peeled and finely sliced
1 small onion, peeled and finely sliced
250ml chicken stock
Juice of half a lemon
25g salted butter, softened

Wash and cut leeks into equal lengths of about 10-12 centimetres. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil and plunge leeks in. Simmer for 10 minutes then drain. Scatter pancetta sticks on the bottom of an ovenproof dish along with carrot and onion slices. Lay leek pieces on top and pour in chicken stock. Lightly salt and cover dish with foil. Bake in a preheated 160C oven for 90 minutes. Meanwhile, work lemon juice and butter together with a spoon until well incorporated. When leeks have finished cooking, remove from oven and place on a plate. Whisk lemon butter into remaining liquid, replace leeks and return, uncovered, to oven for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Serves 4 as a first course

Wine Chardonnay or viognier

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Leeks play starring role in this quick spring stew

SPRING CHICKEN, LEEK AND POTATO STEW

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