Mmm... there's nothing like fresh, organic garlic in the spring! While garlic is something we find all year round, the spring yields many varieties fresh from the defrosted winter ground, and there's nothing like this pungent yet subtly sweet herb to stir up some springiness in your dishes!
Until recent years, the ubiquitous "button" mushroom was THE American mushroom, most often available in a can. Thankfully, the past couple decades have brought to the American diet an endless variety of wild mushrooms of all different shapes, sizes, flavors and textures: shiitake, porcini, portabello, crimini (actually just baby portabellos), morels, enoki, chantrelles, oyster, maitake - the list goes on and on.
Also recently dispelled is the myth that mushrooms contain virtually no nourishment, and are hard to digest. Not true! In fact, the past few decades have taught us quite the opposite: almost all mushrooms contain powerful nutrients for health. Some examples: Oyster mushrooms have been shown to inhibit tumors and dramatically reduce cholesterol and show promise as a blood-builder; Shiitakes strengthen immune function, lower LDL cholesterol, are strong anti-virals, and have exhibited strong anti-tumor properties. Portabellos and criminis have powerful anti-tumor abilities, and Maitakes have been shown to lower high blood pressure, protect the liver, stimulate T-cell production, and inhibit the growth of tumors.
In Japan, mushroom extracts are part of the most progressive medicine in caring for cancer patients and strengthening delicate immune systems ravished by disease.
As it turns out, mushrooms are a powerful super food - and these super powers can be of great service to us as we fend off invaders during the cold days of winter.
Some tips:
• You can buy mushrooms fresh or dried. Dried are convenient to have on hand always, and reconstitute within 20 minutes. The reconstitution liquid makes a nutrient-dense and very flavorful broth.
• If buying fresh, inspect your mushrooms for vital signs; their gills (the underside of the cap) should be intact and undamaged, and the mushroom should not smell of ammonia or mold, but rather a pleasant odor evocative of earth. Be careful buying mushrooms suffering behind plastic - Mushrooms hate plastic, and often don't look so hot if they've been there for a while. Store your mushrooms in paper bags or glass. Never plastic.
• Mushrooms are best cooked. Many raw mushrooms contain a substance that makes the protein in them difficult to break down. This substance cooks out. Some mushrooms (such as morels) have substances in them that can cause serious gastric distress if not cooked out. In general, the nutrients in mushrooms are more bio-available when cooked.
• Cleaning mushrooms: always do this right before cooking. With a damp cloth, gently brush off any dirt. Washing mushrooms washes away delicate flavor, and mushrooms don't like a lot of water, so only submerge them if they're looking really grimy. In that case, fill a bowl or clean sink with cold water, and delicately swish your mushrooms around. Remove promptly.
• In case this has inspired in you a sense of adventure, make note of an old mushroom hunter's phrase: "there are old mushroomers, and there are bold mushroomers, but there are no old, bold mushroomers!" Don't pick and eat a mushroom unless you're absolutely, completely sure what it is. There are better things worth dying for...
Wild Mushroom Fricassee Over Farro (or Barley)
Note: This recipe calls for a pressure cooker to cook the grain quickly. If you're not so equipped, that's ok: you can cook it in a regular pot on the stovetop (1 part farro to 3 parts liquid - simmer for 25 minutes). You'll want to start that first, and skip step 4.
2 lbs mixed mushrooms (shiitake, chantrelle, cremini, oyster - whatever you want!)
3 T olive oil
1 1/2 t coarse sea salt
fresh black pepper
1 1/2 c. farro or barley (yummy, nutty grains!)
2 T butter
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 t all-purpose flour
2/3 cup dry red wine
2 T each of chopped flat-leaf parsley, thyme, and rosemary
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
grated parmesan cheese
1. Place a rimmed baking sheet in the middle of an oven and preheat to 450 degrees
2. Cut the mushrooms into 1-inch pieces, leaving small ones whole
3. Toss the mushrooms with 2 T olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Spread the mushrooms on the hot pan from the oven and roast there for 15 minutes.
4. Prepare the farro: In a pressure cooker over high heat, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the farro and 1 teaspoon of salt, and secure the lid. When the pot comes to full pressure, reduce the heat to med-low and simmer for 9 minutes. Remove from heat, and slowly release pressure (with the gauge, or by running cold water on the closed pot at the sink). Test the farro for doneness, and if necessary, simmer, uncovered, for a few minutes more, until tender. Cover to keep warm.
5. Melt the butter in a large saute pan and add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Saute until the onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce to low, cover, and simmer another 5 minutes.
6. Transfer the roasted mushrooms to the onion pan. Add the flour and saute, stirring, until the flour browns and begins to stick to the bottom, about 3 minutes.
7. Add the wine and 1/2 cup water. Scrape up the brown bits from the pan with a wooden spoon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.
8. Add the herbs and garlic, simmer 1 more minute. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over farro, and finish with a sprinkle of parmesan.
Recipe borrowed from one of my favorite cook books, Peter Berley's Fresh Food Fast.
Figs grow on the ficus tree, which is a member of the mulberry family. The fig originated in southwestern Asia and was one of the first cultivated fruits from Asia to the Mediterranean. A species of fig, the bo, is the tree under which Siddhartha Guatama sat and Buddhism was born. Today, most domestic figs are grown in the orchard county surrounding Fresno, CA, which calls itself the Fig Capital of the World.
It's no coincidence that this watery fruit ripens at the same time the sun is highest in the sky: again, the wise ways of mother nature have got our backs.
Benefits
As the name implies, watermelon is a great source of pure water. It delivers more nutrients per calorie, which makes it an excellent health food. It's packed with some of the most important antioxidants in nature, including lycopene - the red carotenoid the also gives tomatoes their color, and is known to fight macular degeneration - a disease leading to blindness as we age. Watermelon is also a good source of vitamins C, A and potassium. It has only half the sugar of an an apple, but tastes sweeter because it is the main taste-ingredient. Watermelon relieves thirst, mental depression, edema, and is an excellent diuretic. However, it is not recommended for someone with weak digestion and it can apparently inhibit semen production.
How to pick 'em
With all melons, choose one that feels heavy for its size. Look for ones with a smooth surface and a cream-colored underbelly. It's really hard to gauge from the outside. Inside, if you cut it open and there are white streaks or white seeds, the watermelon is not fully ripened. Watermelons should be refrigerated (if you can fit it! of course, if not - cut it up) to preserve their freshness and juiciness.
Preparation
Watermelon doesn't stand up to cooking and the texture doesn't really allow you to mince it, so use large chunks. But don't be relegated to just fruit salads - you can blend it and add herbs for a cold soup, or create a refreshing drink, or add it to vegetable salads to change things up.
Watermelon Feta Salad
I've been enjoying the mix of heat from pepper with the cooling properties of watermelon lately. The feta in this recipe adds just a touch of tang and the mint pulls flavors together. Try bringing it to your next backyard BBQ.
3 cups Watermelon chunks, preferably with seeds removed
1 cup crumbled feta
Course black pepper
handful of mint
combine all ingredients; chill and serve!
One of the most pleasurable summer weekend activities is to visit your local farmer's market and ogle over the colorful array of fresh fruits, veggies, flowers and other artisan products - and then to go home and prepare something lovely. One thing I've been enjoying lately is asparagus soup - easy to make and very tasty:
Market Fresh "Cream" of Asparagus Soup
The creative addition of oatmeal to this soup gives it a creamy texture without adding any actual cream to the soup at all.
2 leeks, sliced small
2 lbs asparagus
1/4 cup oatmeal
1 cup veggie stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 cups water
salt + pepper
juice of 1/2 fresh lemon
1. Boil 2 cups cold water, and add some salt. Lop the tops off the asparagus and boil (blanch) them for 2 minutes, then remove, keeping the cooking water, and wash under cold water. Chop the rest of the asparagus in 1" pieces
2. Saute leeks in olive oil in your soup cooking pot, over medium heat, adding some salt, and allow them to sweat - getting soft but not brown, about 8 minutes.
3. Add all ingredients except the blanched asparagus tips to this pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and let it cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Blend the soup: transfer bits at a time to a blender - be sure not to fill the blender more than 1/3 - 1/2 full or it will explode everywhere. Blend bits at a time. This seems like a pain but it's really no big deal.
5. In the last batch, add 1/2 the asparagus tips, and don't blend fully, leave it slightly chunky. Add all the blended soup back to the pot, squirt in lemon juice and season to taste with salt + pepper.
6. Serve in bowls with some asparagus tips on top.
If you want to shop at your farmer's market but aren't sure where to go, let local harvest help you find one.
French for "lion's tooth" ("dent de lion") - named after the herb's pointed leaves, the dandelion is a plant a lot of us probably grew up with right in our back yards. In fact, cultures the world over have revered this valuable herb. The dandelion is a rich source of nutrients and other compounds that may improve liver function, promote weight loss, possess diuretic activity, and improve blood sugar control. This plant is regarded as both food and medicine, and in the spring, it becomes abundant - just at the time our liver could use its support.
Fennel is not only beautiful to look at, but relatively fun to cook with - providing a unique texture, flavor, and shape on your plate.