TRULY FRESH SPRING SALADS
My post on Feb. 22, 2024 discussed spring-like salads which often contain imported spring produce. Frequently, the calculated dates of our spring holidays are at odds with Mother Nature’s schedule. We want to welcome the new season in our feasts, but when the holidays come early, it’s a problem. So we improvise, using produce available all year. This makes us even more eager to enjoy the new crops when they’re ready, usually several weeks later.
Spring vegetables differ from those of other seasons in that we don’t have to wait for them to ripen but enjoy them young, tender and raw; fleeting qualities which don’t hold up well with time or transport. That’s what makes them so special. We don’t have to cook them as accompaniments to the entrée, but can eat them as snacks or in salads, savoring the fresh, delicate flavor.
It’s this unique, naturally crisp-tender texture and flavor which distinguishes the spring-like salads from the ones made with real spring produce. The ingredients may even be the same, but the first will have mature items, harvested up to weeks before and transported, while the latter will have young produce, hours out of the earth. These salads are special, worthy of a whole meal, while the crops are new.
RECIPES
Green Peas, Lettuce and Scallions (Green Onions) Serves 6
Salt and pepper and lemon pepper
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 lemon pepper
Melt the oil in a sauce pan over low heat; gently toss the lettuce and scallions to coat well.
Pea and Tomato Salad with Basil: Serves 6-8
1 lb. fresh or frozen green peas
1pt. cherry or grape tomatoes-halved
3 Tbs. olive oil
½ + cup finely chopped fresh basil or 1-1 ½ Tbs. dried-o taste
Salt to taste
Garlic powder to taste-optional
Cook peas until crisp tender. Combine all ingredients in a salad bowl and toss gently. Chill at least 1 hr. for flavors to meld.
NOTE: Cut green beans can substitute for the peas
Spring Spinach Salad: Serves 6-8—depending on size of bag OR
7-12 oz. . fresh, spring spinach
4-6 red radishes= 1 per serving
¼ cup toasted, chopped walnuts
4-5 fresh strawberries per serving – halved if large
½ cup crumbled feta cheese—optional for garnish
Vinaigrette dressing of choice—Raspberry suggested
Wash greens snap off hard stems, wash and hull berries, wash and thinly slice radishes, discarding greens. Chill all ingredients, in water if necessary. Drain and divide the spinach among plates, scatter radish slices, then berries, nuts and cheese over. Drizzle with dressing.
Nana’s Hot Boiled Dressing
This dressing is an old, favorite family recipe. It’s wonderful cold in place of mayonnaise for 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 in bags all year is acceptable. Just make sure all 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 of the spinach version.
Recipe: Makes about 2 cups
3 Tbs. sugar
½ tsp. dry mustard
1/8 tsp. paprika
1 Tbs. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. butter
½ cup cider vinegar
½ cup water
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.
NOTE: Chill leftover and use as mayonnaise or a salad dressing.
Dandelion Salad: Serves 4-6
1 bunch dandelions (about 1 lb.
1/2 -3/4 cup Nana’s dressing (above)
Trim heavy stems and rinse dandelions well. They can hold a lot of soil. Dry leaves, place in a salad bowl and toss with dressing The dressing should be warm, either freshly made or re-warmed I the microwave. It quickly wilts the greens, so serve at once.
NOTE: Dandelions are available in many markets, but only in spring. They can also be harvested from your yard but only if there have been no weed control treatments applied for 1 year.
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 and allow 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 and serve hot.
For Marinating: 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 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 Beans with Shallots: Serves 4 – From- https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/french-string-beans-with-shallots.html
2 Tbs. olive oil or unsalted butter
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
1/2 cup water
3/4 pound (12 ounces) French string beans (haricots verts), trimmed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Pinch sugar
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 8 min. Do not brown. Add the beans, salt, pepper and water; bring to a boil. Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 8 min. Remove the lid and increase the heat to high. Cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid is evaporated, the beans are tender, and the shallots are jammy, about 6 min. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar. Serve warm.
Bell Pepper-Radish Salad: Serves4-6
3-4 large Bell peppers-different colors- in julienne
1 small bunch of radishes-trimmed and bulbs sliced thin
2-3 sliced plum tomatoes
1 rib celery-in small dice
Balsamic vinaigrette
Combine all ingredients and chill for 30 min. Lightly drizzle with dressing before serving.
Sour Cucumber with Dill: Serves 4
3 small cucumbers thinly sliced-mandolin recommended
3 small red onions thinly sliced- mandolin recommended
3 Tbs. chopped fresh dill + a few sprigs to garnish
5-6 Tbs. cider vinegar diluted with 2-3 Tbs. water
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large bowl combine the cucumbers and onions with salt and leave for 10min.until they ‘weep. ’Rinse well and drain. Add diluted vinegar, the dill and toss well. Marinate in the refrigerator 2-3 hours and serve cold, drained garnished with dill sprigs.
Cucumbers in Sour Cream: Serves 2
2 medium cucumbers-thinly sliced-mandolin recommended
Cider vinegar to taste
Sugar to taste
1 cup sour cream
Salt
Paprika
Place the cucumbers on a plate and liberally sprinkle with salt. Allow to sit about 15 min, until they ‘weep’. Rinse and drain well. Mix the sour cream with vinegar and sugar to taste-mildly sweet-sour. Refrigerate both separately. Just before serving, place half the cucumbers in a flat-bottomed bowl, then ½ the cream. Dust with paprika and repeat with the rest of the cucumbers and cream, ending with the paprika. Be sure to serve well chilled. This salad can also be served in individual saucers.
Bibb (or Boston) Lettuce with French Roquefort Dressing: Serves 4
head of Bibb lettuce-torn not cut in bite sized pieces
French Roquefort Dressing
¼ cup crumbled Roquefort, Blue, Gorgonzola or Stilton cheese
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice—1 Tbs. in reserved depending on taste preference.
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Mash, whip, shake and/or blend the ingredients, until the cheese is dissolved in the liquid. Store chilled and shake well before using. This is best over a softer lettuce such as Bibb, or red or green leaf.
Strawberry, Walnut Salad: Serves 8-From https://www.walderwellness.com/strawberry-walnut-salad-with-goat-cheese/ula)
4 cups spring mix (mesclun mix) (or spinach/arugula
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced into quarters (stems removed)
1 cup raw walnuts (or pecans/almonds)
1 medium-large avocado, cut into chunks-optional
1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled (or feta/blue cheese)
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped (or fresh mint)
Salt + pepper, to taste
Balsamic Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup olive oil
Toss the greens with the olive oil in a salad bowl. Then layer, either in the bowl or on plates, the greens, avocado, if using, strawberries and nuts. Drizzle with vinaigrette, scatter cheese over top and serve.
Indonesian Spring Salad: Serves 4 as a luncheon, 8 as a side
10 oz. small, slender whole green beans or cut green beans-cooked to crisp tender
10 large field spinach leaves or 10oz. pkg. of baby spinach-sliced thinly
2 ½ oz. snow pea sprouts-strings removed
1 small red pepper-capsicum-or similar amount of hot pepper-juillianed
1 medium red onion-thinly sliced
3 ½ oz. bean sprouts
Combine all ingredients in a salad bowl.
Spice Dressing
2 Tbs. canola oil
1 clove garlic-crushed
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 small red chili-copped OR jalapinos
2 Tbs. desicated coconut*
1 Tbs. brown (rice) vinegar OR Balsamic
1/3 cup water
*Desicated (flaked) coconut is available in markets, but I make it by drying regular shredded coconut, on a baking sheet, in a 145 deg. oven for 1 hr. and then crushing it.
Asian Peanut Dressing
3 Tbs. rice vinegar
1 tsp. EACH soy sauce and chopped ginger or 1/2 tsp. powdered ginger
½ tsp. chopped garlic or ¼ tsp. garlic powder
Pinch EACH ground cumin and coriander
¼ small onion chopped
1 Tbs. EACH creamy peanut butter and oil
¼ tsp. hot pepper sauce –optional
Place all ingredients in a jar and shake until well combined
