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Mar 31

7 Great Ways To Serve Spring Vegetables

The past couple of weeks I’ve been talking about lightening up our menus when spring produce isn’t ready. Fortunately, that isn’t too difficult because most produce items are available all year. Fresh asparagus has been plentiful all winter for the first time, thanks to modern transport, but in mature form, not fresh and young denoting ‘spring’. In fact we even use different terms in reference to gathering vegetables in this season. Normally we say “harvest” but in spring, we say “pluck”.

By now, however, spring produce should be appearing and please watch for it. It will be thinner, brighter and more delicate than the more mature items and the taste will be fresh, light and more subtle. It’s even better if locally sourced and brought to market that day. These are young and tender vegetables and deserve to be treated in kind. Forget boiling and roasting. Their texture and taste is best preserved and enjoyed raw with only cleaning, a bit of scraping and/or trimming or brief cooking. The key words here are fresh, easy and fast. I’m going to quote my blog of April 19, 2013 to better explain. To read more click Table of Contents.

“FAST preparation of food refers to methods of cooking raw ingredients quickly, sautéing, grilling, blanching, broiling, or to foods that can be served au natural or prepared ahead and simply plated; sliced raw vegetables and salad greens for instance.

EASY is a term that seems to go with “Fast”, but not always, because it can involve the prep time as well. ‘The lunch wouldn’t have been so easy if the peas were bought shelled’, and most quick cooking methods require close attention or they may burn. All fresh ingredients usually require some work too. Oh, and are we including clean-up? So “easy” is relative to the meal and, I think, the cook. Remember, all the T.V. Chefs doing demos on Fast, Easy, Fresh recipes have the prep work done ahead. They don’t stop to measure, run to the cupboard for ingredients, search for clean utensils or wash dishes.

FRESH is the key word here. Frozen or canned foods can be fast, and easy, but fresh stands alone. These days with air freight, refrigerated trucks on super highways, flash freezing and globalization of crops, making produce items always “in season” somewhere, its definition is debatable. I like to think of “fresh” as recently harvested, hopefully that morning and not too far away. It’s so discouraging to get to market and find the produce jet lagged or travel tired. It’s even worse to buy it and find it has quickly wilted once out of the store’s chilled case. That being said, we are fortunate to have all sorts of fresh produce available to us year round, and if we can’t find fresh, there is always frozen. Actually, frozen is sometimes better than fresh. Often processed on harvesting site, it can be fresher than the transported raw items, and is every bit as nutritious.

Yet, nothing tastes quite as good as fresh, particularly local produce, especially to those who are used to it. However, it can be very expensive even at farmers’ markets which are becoming scarce or combining into co-ops to meet the brick and mortar overhead, upping prices. The best solution is to familiarize yourself with what’s available in your area and when, because for some items these markets are the best bet; early peas in shells, not petit pois, real baby carrots, not the dwarf variety, ramps and my favorite dandelion greens, among them. Other items, like asparagus, that harbinger of spring with a really short season, shallots, green onions or scallions, radishes and Bibb or garden lettuce are more readily found in various types of markets.

Whatever true spring produce you buy, or wherever you buy it, plan ahead for its use, as soon as possible, store it properly and treat it gently—it is only a baby. Don’t over think it, over process it, over season it, over whelm it with other ingredients or over cook it. I’m sharing some starter ideas below to give you direction including a family boiled dressing recipe, which also makes a great mayonnaise, when chilled, without preservatives. Spring produce combines really well to create tasty salads and, mixed with grains, nuts or a bit of meat or fish builds truly memorable main dishes. This is one area where you can really take off and show your imagination

Asparagus
Break off the woody part of the stems and put the spears in a microwave proof dish in one layer, if possible, no more than two, or cook in batches. Microwave on high 3 to 9 min. depending on the thickness of the stems. If marinating, put drained spears on a serving plate, pour marinade over them and allow it to infuse as the asparagus cools, then refrigerate or serve. If saucing, shock spears with cold water, chill them and sauce before serving or sauce at once and serve hot.
For Marinating: A vinaigrette of choice is best
For Saucing: A plain white sauce is good or optionally for 4 servings combine
1 cup cooled cooking water
1 Tbs. cornstarch
Lemon pepper to taste
Dissolve the cornstarch in the liquid and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly until thickened. Add seasoning to taste. For a richer sauce, add 1 beaten egg yolk to the cooled sauce and reheat, over low, stirring constantly until sauce is quite thick. Check to adjust seasoning.
Garnishes: Asparagus loves to be decorated, with or without a sauce, and will accept many things: sliced or chopped roasted or fresh peppers, chopped eggs, toasted chopped nuts and seeds, anchovies, capers, herbs crumbled bacon, even breadcrumbs.

Green Peas, Lettuce and Scallions (Green Onions) Serves 6
1Tbs. butter
2 heads Bibb lettuce-halved lengthwise
3 bunches scallions—roots and tough green ends trimmed
1 lb. peas- frozen or fresh
1 Tbs. oil
Salt and pepper and/or lemon pepper

Melt the oil in a sauce pan over low heat, gently toss the lettuce and scallions to coat well. Sprinkle with a little salt and freshly ground pepper. Butter, cover and cook 5 min. stirring once. Add peas, toss to coat well in sauce and add ¼ cup water, cook 5 min. Uncover, increase heat to medium and stir constantly until water evaporates. Adjust seasonings using only lemon pepper. Serve.

Peas and Mint Serves 4-6
1 lb. fresh or frozen peas
¼ cup chopped fresh mint.
2 Tbs. butter
Steam or lightly boil the peas until crisp tender about 5 min or as stated on package. Drain, add mint or butter and toss to coat and mix, Serve at once.
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Peas with Garlic: Serves 4
2 lb. shelled fresh new peas
4-6 cloves garlic-depending on preference
½ lb. cooked ham – cubed
2 Tbs. olive oil
Parmesan cheese
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic cloves and sauté until browned then remove and discard. Add the ham to the pan and turn a minute to coat, add the peas, lower the heat a bit and stir constantly until just crisp-tender. Serve at once with a grinding of fresh black pepper and passing Parmesan as a garnish. This is excellent with a loaf of crusty bread.

My family had 2 favorite dressings for spring salads. One is a vinaigrette made on the spot with the salad, the other a cooked one that is wonderful hot and equally great used as a mayonnaise when chilled, and keeps just as long in the refrigerator.

Vinaigrette Tossed Salad
I recently read an article in Bon Appetit stating that a proper salad should be dressed in layers. If so my family’s been doing it the right way for generations. There are no set quantities. It’s all to preference.
You will need
Sugar
Salt and Pepper
Cider or white wine vinegar
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Garlic powder—optional
Herbs—optional

Cut or slice the vegetables as preference for salad. Blanch asparagus, peas or beans if using. Place then in the bottom of the salad bowl and toss with a few capfuls of cider or white wine vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Tear the lettuce or other greens into bite sized pieces and place over the vegetables in the bowl. Drizzle with lemon juice and chill for at least 30 min. Before serving sprinkle with garlic powder and herbs if using and toss with just enough oil to give the greens a sheen. Adjust seasonings toss again and serve.

Hot Boiled Dressing Makes about 2 cups
This dressing is wonderful, cold in place of mayonnaise in sandwiches and salads like potato, chicken, tuna and salmon. Hot it gives a new dimension to spinach and, if you can get them, dandelions. Young spring spinach is best but the “baby” found pre-packed all year is also acceptable. Just make sure both types of greens are well washed and the hard part of the stems is snapped off. Either salad can be garnished with crumbled bacon. Used cold with the addition of quartered hard boiled eggs it can make a meal.
3 Tbs. sugar
½ tsp. dry mustard
1/8 tsp. paprika
1 Tbs. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. butter
½ cup water
½ cup cider vinegar
2 eggs – well beaten
Using the top of a Bain Marie or double boiler, whisk together the first 5 ingredients. Whisk in the next 3 and place top pot over bottom in which the required amount of water is boiling. Cook, constantly stirring, until smooth and butter is melted. Pour a little into the beaten eggs, stirring to prevent curdling, pour the rest of the hot liquid into the eggs. Then return the mixture to the top of the double boiler and cook constantly stirring until mixture is thick and smooth.|
Serve hot over chosen cleaned greens. Do not use over lettuces. All greens will wilt with the heat and lettuces don’t stand up well.
Chill leftover and use as mayonnaise or a salad dressing.

Mar 23

8 Great Recipes For Brunch Or Supper On Easter

Easter traditionally, includes a full day of scheduled social activities and can be a rat-race. ‘The Parade’ may be a thing of the past, but there is still church, with emphasis on clothing, an egg hunt, afternoon socializing and, of course dinner. When combined with the following day being the start of a work week, it’s stressful. No one relishes preparing and cleaning up after a large meal at such a time, unless it’s a real part of the family gathering with lots of help. Restaurants do allow scheduling options. Dinner can be early for those who have travel plans, or later to accommodate afternoon engagements.

However, people need some nourishment to carry them through such a full day. The solution is, depending on the schedule, a brunch or supper dish which can be mainly prepared ahead or is so easy to make that it doesn’t cause the cook any anxiety or require more precautions than covering clothes with an apron. This can be a casual pick-up, or a more formal seated meal, either way it makes guests, and family feel catered to in a special way while giving the host a sense of having filled hospitality obligations and freedom to enjoy the holiday.

Last year, my Easter post gave 13 brunch recipes suitable for holidays or just a weekend, all simply made. (April 1, 2015- Click either Blog or Table of Contents) This year, I reprint the Eggs Parmesan, which is elegant, could serve as a light supper, but is so easy to prepare that an apron is optional, The other dishes below can all serve as a brunch or supper, but more importantly, they can all be prepared ahead and table ready with minimal effort, time and mess.

.Eggs Parmesan: Serves 4—Custard cups are needed for this
4 slices Deli ham—optional
8 large eggs
8 Tbs. heavy cream, half-and-half, or evaporated milk
4 Tbs. Grated Parmesan cheese
Line each custard cup with a slice of ham. Break 2 eggs into each cup. Cover with 2 Tbs. milk or cream. Top each with 1 Tbs. cheese. Place cups on a cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 350 deg. oven until set about 12-15 min. Serve hot with rolls or toast.

Spinach Squares, Poached Eggs and Pickled Salmon: Serves 4
12-14 oz. package of frozen chopped spinach
5 eggs
1 envelope chicken or beef bouillon granules
Ground nutmeg
4 salmon fillets 4-5oz.each – thawed if frozen
3 Tbs. white vinegar
2 tsp. pickling spice

Gently poach salmon in salted water to cover plus vinegar and spices, turning once, until no longer transparent, about 8 min. total. Remove from heat, bring to room temperature and chill in broth. Can be refrigerated up to 4 days.
Drain excess liquid from spinach; mix with 1 egg and bouillon. Place in a lightly greased 8X8 inch ovenproof dish and sprinkle with nutmeg. Can be chilled for several hours. Make 4 wells in the spinach and fill each with one egg, taking care not to break the yolks. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 min. until spinach and eggs are set. Cut into squares and serve with drained cold salmon.
*Salmon recipe adapted from Rozanne Gold’s Menu Cookbook

.Sausage Casserole: Serves 10-12 * To be made the night before
2 ½ cups seasoned croutons – Use the boxed ones for salads or a stuffing mix
(1) 1 lb. roll of sausage
4 eggs
2 ¼ cups milk
10 oz. box frozen chopped spinach – thawed
10 oz. can condensed cream of mushroom soup
4 oz. can chopped mushrooms – drained
1cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
½ tsp. brown mustard
Crumble and cook sausage then drain grease. Grease a 13 x 9 inch metal baking dish; spread croutons in the bottom and top with sausage. Whisk to blend eggs and milk; stir in all the other ingredients and pour over the mix in the dish. Refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 325 deg. Bake 50 to 55 min. until set and top is golden. Serve garnished with herbs like parsley or with salsa on the side.
* A Bob Evans recipe

Antipasto: Serves 4
6-8 oz. sliced salami
2 oz. sun dried tomatoes in oil – drained
(2) 14 oz. cans artichoke hearts- drained and sliced in half
8oz. Cheddar cheese thickly sliced
(1) 6oz. can pitted ripe olives
(2) 4oz. cans button mushrooms – drained
¼ cup Italian vinaigrette dressing
12oz.= 1 bag baby spinach
Marinate the artichokes and mushrooms with half the dressing in a bowl for 1 hr. drain ,Arrange the ingredients across an oval platter in the following order from left to right cheese, olives, salami, artichokes, mushrooms, tomatoes. Place the spinach in a bowl. Toss greens with the drained dressing, and drizzle the reserved half over the items on the platter.
Be sure to have a large loaf of crusty artesian bread to serve with this.

Classic Quiche Lorraine: Serves 4
Quiche is a dish that allows a lot of room for variety, yet is quite simple to prepare. If one of these won’t be enough for your family, make two and use different ingredients. Think of it as if you were making pizzas with different toppings.-but here it’s bottoms!
(1) 9 inch deep dish pie shell-store bought is fine– baked
1 Tbs. butter
4 oz. sliced mushrooms—(1/2) 8 oz. can will do –optional
1 small onion diced
4 eggs
1 cup light cream or whole milk
½ tsp. dried mustard OR prepared Dijon mustard
1 cup shredded cheese -Swiss usually preferred
Salt and pepper.
8-10 slices bacon cooked and crumbled OR ¼ lb. sliced Deli smoked turkey- chopped
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Paprika and dried parsley
Spray skillet with cooking spray and cook bacon until crisp or frizzle smoked turkey and dice. Melt butter in skillet add mushrooms and onion and cook until they render their juice.-about 3 min. Line a 9 inch pie plate with the crust. Put mushrooms, onion and bacon in the bottom of the pie shell and cover with the cheese. Then pour over the eggs beaten until frothy with the milk, mustard and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the nutmeg, garnish with the paprika and parsley and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 min .Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for 30 min. more. Allow to stand 5 min. before cutting.

Hot Chicken Salad; Serves 4
4 chicken thighs or 2 split chicken breasts
1 cup diced celery
½ small onion diced
3 Tbs. slivered toasted almonds
1 Tbs. lemon juice
(½) 4oz.can mushrooms -drained
½ tsp. salt
2/3 cup Hellman’s mayonnaise*
¼ cup grated sharp cheese
1/3 cup toasted croutons
1 Tbs. melted butter
Paprika and dried parsley for garnish
Boil chicken, skin and bone and cut into bite sized pieces (save broth for another use). Mix in a bowl with the next 7 ingredients. Spread evenly in a flat bottomed, oven-proof dish or casserole. Toss croutons with butter and scatter over the top, sprinkle with cheese.** Bake in a 450 deg. oven for 30 min.
*Hellman’s is recommended for this because it cooked better than other mayonnaise.
** can be frozen at this point. Cover top with plastic wrap and seal dish in a plastic bag. Good for 2 weeks.

Cobb Salad: Serves 4-6
1 Head Romaine lettuce –A combination of iceberg and Romaine is better, with some watercress added for taste.
3 large eggs hard boiled and in large dice
1pt. grape tomatoes- halved – or 2 large tomatoes diced
5oz. package of crumbled Roquefort cheese
2 avocados diced
4 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
Dressing*
Cut the greens in small pieces or ribbons. Toss them with the dressing and spread them on a platter as bedding. Starting at the left, line the other ingredients in stripes across the platter in the order listed above.
*The traditional dressing mentioned for this is French, but it was a special blend, not the commercially bottled found in a market. For convenience, oil and vinegar vinaigrette, such as Balsamic, would be a good substitute, especially with the addition of a dash of Worcestershire and a bit of mustard powder.

Salad Nicoise: Serves 6
1/2 small head of Romaine coarsely chopped
(3) 6oz. cans tuna-solid white is best- drained
½ lb. green beans – whole is best but frozen cut are fine
(2) 15oz. cans small whole potatoes-drained
2 large tomatoes sliced
3 large eggs hard boiled and sliced
(1) 6oz. can pitted ripe olives
½ cup white wine
Capers for garnish – optional
Cook the green beans just to crisp-tender. Marinate with the potatoes in the wine for 1hr. at least.
Line a platter with the Romaine. Arrange the other ingredients in a clockwise pattern starting at the number 6 position in the following order: Tuna, green beans, eggs, tomatoes, potatoes. Fill the center with the olives. Garnish the tuna with the capers.

Nicoise Dressing: 6 servings*
4Tbs. minced shallots – or mild onions
2Tbs. dry mustard – 4 of Dijon can be used
5 drops of hot sauce
5Tbs red wine vinegar
3Tbs fresh lemon juice – 4tsp. of concentrated will do
2 ½ cups salad oil.
1 Tbs. dried Tarragon or to taste

Mix the ingredients well and allow to meld for several hours. Drizzle a little over the Tuna, and serve the rest on the side. Chill leftover for other salads.

*A simpler dressing can be made by combining in a jar and shaking.
¼ cup olive oil
2 Tbs. white wine vinegar
½ tsp. Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic- mashed
1 tsp. dried tarragon.

Mar 16

How To Put Some Spring Into Your Easter Menu

Ordinarily I wouldn’t write two successive posts about my books, but rarely do two food specific holidays fall back-to-back. This year, Saint Patrick’s Day and Easter are only ten days apart. So I’m going to talk about Spring Roasts for Easter and Passover now, because skipping a week, wouldn’t allow a reader time to choose a recipe, plan the menu, shop and prepare an Easter dinner.

Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox (March 21). This year the full moon is March 23. Three days earlier and Easter would be a month later, more in step with Passover, but instead it’s March 27. Even though Easter is regarded as the threshold to spring, nature isn’t always ready for it quite so soon.

Traditionally, Easter and Passover food is based on the first yield of new crops. The keywords are ‘fresh’, ‘young’ and ‘seasonally appropriate’, berries replace apples as garden lettuce and dandelions do the hardier greens of winter. Thanks to freezing and swift transportation methods, we don’t want for suitable menu fillers, but sometimes when the weather and/or landscape aren’t up to speed yet, it falls a little flat.

A good roast is always a great centerpiece, perking up any dinner, but adding a new take on your usual one, or trying something different can make a dinner stand out with any crowd. Even a slightly different twist on a roast recipe can make it appear fresh, brightening the whole meal in keeping with the season.

If you normally serve chicken, try stuffing it with fruit or rubbing it with a fresh herb butter. For small groups Apricot Glazed Cornish Hens are a great option, and for the adventurous, duckling is very seasonal and the recipe with cherries a simple one. For many, lamb is traditional, but try it with a yogurt marinade for a new presentation. Even small changes can rejuvenate a menu.

Many spring associated side ingredients, as mentioned, are always available, asparagus, leeks, spinach, radishes; others, new peas and baby carrots (not the dwarf ones) for example, are harder to find. Still there are enough to insure a variety of options for a menu. Salad greens too, are easily found, but stick to the lighter ones choosing Bibb, or Gem lettuce and baby spinach, even in bags, over cabbage, kale or iceberg.

Desserts ought to appear seasonally appropriate as well. Fresh berries are in markets all year. Angel Nests are an easy, but colorful, decorative choice. Even berries just scattered over a bakery cake with whipped cream make a simple and suitable dessert for a spring dinner.

Though not always easy to find, rhubarb is a spring classic and makes a wonderful kutchen, with layers of fluffy meringue. Coconut is a popular ingredient in spring holiday goodies. Sweetened, it can be used to ice a cake, flavor custard for a tart filling, or make meringue cookies, but unsweetened and toasted it can garnish salads, sides and even be mixed into fruit stuffing for a roast.

I’m printing the Table of Contents from Spring Roasts for Easter and Passover below to help you solve any holiday menu problems and give you some suggestions to perk up the dinner. Lighter and brighter dishes better relay the fresh, expectant spirit of the season, but so does tweeking recipes a bit, as well as trying new ones. It gives you, in preparing them and your guests in savoring the results, a wake-up to the fact that a new season is here, even if nature hasn’t provided the proper backdrop as yet. The book can be found on this site’s Bookshelf as well as on Kindle, Etsy and Smashwords and @iBookstore

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION
POULTRY
CHICKEN
Chicken with Herb Butter
Chicken with Fruit Stuffing
Chicken with Lemon and Garlic
Chicken with Mustard and Onions

GAME HENS
Game Hens with Wild Rice and White Grapes
Apricot Glazed Game Hens –
Game Hens with Whisky Sauce

DUCK
Duck with Apple-Apricot Stuffing-
Duck with Cherries
Duck a l’Orange
Duck Oriental

SQUABS
Squabs with Black Olives
Squabs with Tarragon and Port-
Doves Royale a l’Antoine’s

MEAT

LAMB
Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary –
Leg of Lamb with Mint Sauce *
Lamb in Yogurt Marinade
Stuffed Lamb with Mint and Apricots
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VEAL
Braised Leg of Veal
Rump Roast with Mushroom Sauce
Veal Tonnato
Veal with Current Glaze and Cumberland Sauce

SPECIALIZED CUTS OF MEAT
Stuffed Breast of Veal
Crown Roast of Lamb
Racks of Lamb
Number 1
Number 2
Rack of Veal –

SIDES
Asparagus – Preparing, Cooking Methods and Garnishes
Peas – – New, Recipes
Sweet Pea Pods and Snow Peas
Green Beans – – Preparation and Ways of Presenting
Carrots – – Description
Recipes
Leeks – Preparing and recipes
Potatoes, Preparation Roasting and recipes
Zucchini & Yellow Squash Preparation and Recipes – – Page 20
Shallots – Description and Recipe
Spinach – Description and Recipes

SALADS
General Spring Choices
Recipes for Baby Spinach and Bibb Lettuce

DESSERTS

Coconut –
Cake uses
Variety of Macaroons
Meringues – Plain and Uses
Meringue Based Desserts
Angel Nests – Torte – Tower
Rhubarb Kutchen
Meringue Gateau –
Berries
Easy Berry Angel Cake
Berry Napoleons
Tartlets
Yogurt Berry Cups

White Chocolate Brownie Torte

*Mint Sauce Recipe

Mar 9

Want To Relax And Enjoy Saint Patrick’s Day?

Saint Patrick’s Day always reminds me of collage and green beer. It’s a casual holiday, open to all, with no obligations, simply offering a fun break for R & R. Whether you opt in for a drink, a dinner or the day, there’s a niche for you. To help discover the right food niche to fit a busy schedule, or current tastes, I’ve written Some Saint Patrick’s Day Recipes. It covers the traditional dishes and alternatives plus snacks, sides, salads, leftover ideas and desserts that still convey the spirit of the holiday, while fitting in with today’s lifestyle.

Unfortunately, the traditional meal, corned beef and cabbage, considered a staple of the ‘working man’s diet’ and most diner menus, seems to have gone the way of the Christmas Goose. Corned beef, even its preferred cut, beef brisket, both formerly common sights in supermarkets, aren’t found on a regular basis. Brisket is now used for ground beef. I’ve been told it’s considered ‘ethnic’ and to try an independent butcher-also a vanishing breed. Fortunately, for its die-hard fans corned brisket does appear briefly each March as a seasonal specialty item.

Unfortunately, between the current price of beef, and the fact that it’s a ‘prepared’ product, having been corned, the lowly brisket’s price has rivaled the prime cuts in the past few years. This doesn’t bother me because I have an alternative solution. I always preferred ‘corned beef round’ which is much leaner. Since any cut of beef can be corned, round roasts, both bottom and top even boneless chuck and arm or shoulder ones, are acceptable and far more reasonable.

An article by Julia Child got me into corning. She mentioned in passing, she had corned a beef that week, to make sandwiches for weekend guests. Corned that week? I always imagined corning was a long, messy process but, actually, it’s a cinch, requiring only a rub, and meat refrigerated in a plastic bag for 3-5 days, eliminating the need for skimming or re-boiling as well. I’ve been doing my own ever since and not just beef, other meats too, especially ham, which tastes surprisingly like beef. The best thing is that you can cut a lobe off a ham, or a large piece from a canned one, to corn and bake the rest per usual. Step-by-step instructions are in my book.

Another modern drawback to the traditional Saint Patrick’s Day dinner is that, though easy to prepare, it’s time consuming to cook. Slow cookers are a questionable solution because the meat needs a head-start and the vegetables are added in increments, causing scheduling problems. As a solution, I offer a recipe that can be made in less than 30 min. as well as one for those who don’t like corned beef.

As I said at the start of this post, there are many other recipes in the book for complimenting, using and using up corned beef. The dessert recipes are not so traditional, just to add a few new notes, but they’re all green, in keeping with the day’s color scheme. There’s even one of sherbet for the ‘lite’ minded and, of course, Waterford Chrystal’s special recipe for Irish Coffee.

So if your Saint Patrick’s Day meal plan is for a quiet dinner or you’re inviting guests, this book, as you can see from the Table of Contents, can solve any holiday menu problems with recipes like Asparagus Wraps, Cucumber Bisque and Key Lime Pie, for years to come. Some dishes may become family favorites to be enjoyed more often. Check out Some Saint Patrick’s Day Recipes, on this site’s Bookshelf, Kindle, and Smashwords.
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction –
Traditional Brisket Cut
“Flat” and “Point”
“Corning” Defined
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Optional Corned Cuts
Use of a Slow Cooker
Cost
Home Corning
Ham
Canned Corned Beef
Canapes
First Courses
Entrees
Leftovers
Salads
Breads
Desserts
Finale
Corning Directions
Beef
Ham
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day everyone!

Mar 3

Wake Up Your Taste Buds- Add Fennel To Your Menu

Fennel is really coming into its own, and nobody is happier than I. Browned in butter and braised in broth, it was a childhood favorite with roasts, but I’d never had it raw. My love affair started at a dinner party shortly after I moved to Italy with a tossed salad. When I asked about the crisp ingredient with the sparkling taste, my hostess, an American, married to an Italian, knew exactly which one I meant, remembering her own delight.

Twenty years ago, or even less, fennel was not popular in the U.S., except in some ethnic recipes, and then only cooked. On the other hand, Europe, especially Southern Europe has been enjoying it in all forms for centuries. A perennial indigenous to the Mediterranean it was probably carried North by the Romans because it’s mentioned in their recipes and in early Anglo-Saxon texts.

The most popular variety of fennel is Florentine Finnocchi. It’s a shrub with fibrous stems, edible only when finely chopped and cooked for long periods with other ingredients as in stuffings, feathery, delicate, frond-like leaves, used as a soup flavoring and tasty garnish and a white bulb eaten as a vegetable. The seeds are also used as a flavoring agent especially in sausage. There is some confusion between fennel and anise or aniseed. Often mislabeled even in the produce sections, they are not the same plant. Fennel is of the carrot family. Anise, also a perennial, but native to the Eastern Mediterranean and South West Asia, is smaller, related to parsley and only the seeds are used for flavoring.

Both fennel and anise have culinary and medical applications, and their flavor is similar, often compared to licorice. Licorice, however, is an entirely unrelated plant, native to Southwest Europe, India and parts of Asia. Its black roots give its namesake products, mainly candies their color and flavor. Aniseed too is used in confections but fennel is not.

The growing interest in healthy eating gave fennel a step up on the pop-food ladder. Nutritionally low in calories and fat, high in fiber, rich in vitamins A, C, iron and calcium, it’s an excellent option. The interest in fresh raw foods prompted by diets like the Paleo gave it a real boost. The Millennials’ focus on making salads the main component of a meal raised it to the top. Now, popular food magazines feature it in at least one recipe in each issue. Oddly, though fennel is now found globally and is considered an invasive species in the U.S., most of what we buy is imported, primarrly from Mexico or Canada.

I’m giving several recipes below, but I confess, aside from the bulbs braised, and the ground seeds used in meat rubs, I prefer the crispness and bright flavor of raw fennel. It plays off other ingredients well, especially acidic or slightly bitter ones like fruit or some greens, which is why it’s most often featured in salads or the seeds scattered over dishes for added flavor. If you haven’t tried fennel yet, please do. You’re in for a real treat!

Fennel au Gratin: Serves 4
2 fennel bulbs- sliced
1 small onion- diced
2 plum tomatoes – chopped
1 garlic clove – minced + ½ clove minced in reserve
2 Tbs. olive oil
½ cup fresh bread crumbs
¼ cup grated Parmesan
1 tsp. fresh lemon zest
Saute onion, fennel and garlic in oil until onion is soft. Add tomatoes and place mixture in a baking dish. Top with bread crumbs, cheese, reserved garlic and bake at 375 deg. for 20 min. Serve hot.

Spaghetti e Finocchio: A Sicilian dish – Serves 4
¾ lb. thinly sliced fennel bulb
3Tbs. oil
1small onion chopped
¾ cup water- cooled from cooking liquid
½ Tbs. pine nuts
1 Tbs. raisins
(1) 10 oz. can Jack mackerel –skinned and boned or (3) 3.5.oz.cans sardines – drained (skinless and boneless preferred)
Salt and pepper
1 cup toasted bread crumbs
¾ lb. spaghetti
Cook fennel in water to cover until crisp tender, about 5-8 min. Cut in ½ inch pieces. Reserve ¾ cup of cooking water- allow it to cool. Saute onion in oil until golden, about 3 min. Add fish and cook 10 min. stirring often to avoid burning. Add remaining ingredients, except pasta and bread crumbs and simmer for about 10 min. allowing fish to break up.
Cook spaghetti, drain and put in a deep dish. Add half the fennel mix and sprinkle with half the bread crumbs. Toss and plate. Top plates with the remaining mix and bread crumbs. Serve at once very hot.

Braised Fennel: Serves 4

2 heads fennel – stalks removed and quartered
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1 Tbs. oil
Enough broth to partially cover
Salt and pepper
Saute the fennel in the butter and oil until golden on one side and slightly translucent about 5 min. Pour over broth, cover pan and simmer until tender about 15- 20 min. Season and serve hot.

Fennel Seed Meat Rub: Per 1.2 pound
1 Tbs. ground fennel seeds
¼ tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
Mix together and rub on surface of chicken, pork, turkey pieces or a firm white fish before cooking.

Fennel, Tomato and Chicory Salad: Serves 4
1 fennel bulb thinly sliced
1 small head chicory washed and cut in 2 inch pieces- or curly endive
2 large plum tomatoes quartered
6 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. wine vinegar
1 clove garlic
Salt and pepper
2 Tbs. toasted almonds
Rub a large salad bowl with the garlic. Toss vegetables in the bowl, add salt and pepper to taste. Blend oil and vinegar and toss with ingredients in bowl. Chill and serve garnished with almonds.

Fennel and Orange Salad with Walnuts: Serves 4
1 fennel bulb – thinly sliced
2 navel oranges peled and sectioned
½ cup toasted walnut pieces
1 tsp. fennel seed
Pinch nutmeg
½ cup olive oil
1/3 cup orange juice
1 Tbs. lemon juice
Pinch cayenne
Salt and pepper to taste
Greens to bed – optional
Toss fruit, fennel, walnuts and nutmeg. Whisk the remaining ingredients and toss with the fruit and fennel. Optionally, bed on greens.

Fennel also mixes well with radishes, cucumber, cabbage, celery, pears, apples, grapes and most nuts. Citrus fruits, pieces, zest or juice spark its flavor as does a bit of vinegar in the dressing. Because of fennel’s unique flavor, some may think it’s hard to be creative in using it, but the opposite is true. Aside from braised, fennel doesn’t like to be alone and readily combines with other foods. Actually, it’s an excellent place to learn to be creative, and salads are a good platform, especially the newer ones combining many ingredients, including grains and seeds.

What’s that old expression? “Try it you’ll like it.”