Spring Vegetables

[David Ross]

After what seems to have been a terribly long, cold winter in the Eastern part of the Pacific Northwest, (where we had snow last week), it finally appears as though Spring is on the way. We haven't seen our beloved local asparagus yet, but I'm hoping we'll see it in the market in about two weeks. In the meantime, there are plenty of other tender, delicious, Spring vegetables cropping up throughout the country.

I recently converted one of my television shows from CD to YouTube. It's a segment we did when I was cooking on local local television . The dish was a Spring Vegetable Ragout that included fresh, local asparagus from the Walla Walla area and wild mushrooms. I didn't use morels in this dish, but I prefer them if they are in the market. We source wild morels from the forest about 20 miles out of downtown Spokane.

Ragout of Spring Vegetables-

Video Here.

What are your favorite Spring vegetables and how do you like to prepare them?

[SobaAddict70]

in no particular order

asparagus -- usually roasted briefly (olive oil, sea salt @ 325 F for 15-20 minutes), then combined with a poached egg and shaved parmesan. that's my "go-to" dish. another idea is blanched and sautéed asparagus in unsalted butter, then combined with crispy bacon ends, shallots, croutons and hard-boiled chicken or duck eggs. this is dressed with a white wine viniagrette. there's the usual risotto and spring minestrone also.

sweet peas -- shelled peas gently simmered in lightly salted water, drained then shocked; then tossed in unsalted butter and finished with herbs. again, the usual risotto and spring minestrone. but with peas, as far as I'm concerned, simple is best.

RAMPS!!! -- with pasta -- olive oil, ramps, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes. sometimes, as a "pesto". squid poached in olive oil, with ramps and aromatic spices. one thing I do like to do is sauté them in unsalted butter with maybe some chopped shallots. remove from heat and in the same pan, add thinly sliced potatoes and a pinch of salt. cook potatoes until golden brown on both sides, stirring frequently. when potatoes are done, add ramps back to the skillet. cook until ramps are warmed thoroughly. then pour lightly beaten egg on top of the potato and ramps mixture ... cook until eggs are set. cut into wedges, then serve immediately. there are several ramp recipes on the blog.

greens of various kinds. lamb's quarter's (wild spinach) comes to mind. broccoli rabe. dandelion greens. those usually make their appearance in late spring though.

[merstar]

Roasted asparagus, tossed with crispy sliced shallots and orange zest.

Salad with shredded carrots and fresh herbs, with a dressing of fresh orange juice, Dijon mustard, fresh ginger, balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.

Carrot, Orange, and Radish salad with scallions instead of onion:

http://www.recipesource.com/ethnic/africa/morocco/carrot-orange-radish-salad1.html

Edited April 9, 2011 by merstar (log)

[janeer]

Rhubarb. Yes, it's a vegetable: In addition to eating it stewed as in the Little Rhody article or in sauces, it of course makes great first-of spring pies. I also like pea shoots--if they count; they are really greens.

[Paul Bacino]

Fava beans..ricotta salata..nice light vinegrette...served with linguini

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[David Ross]

Fava beans..ricotta salata..nice light vinegrette...served with linguini

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How could I forget fava beans. Delicious. (And I'm going to try that dish you described).

[Beebs]

New potatoes, either roasted in butter & herbs, or lightly boiled with parsley shallot vinaigrette.

Steamed asparagus dipped in Japanese kewpie mayo or aioli.

[weinoo]

RAMPS!!! -- with pasta -- olive oil, ramps, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes. sometimes, as a "pesto". squid poached in olive oil, with ramps and aromatic spices.

How could I forget fava beans. Delicious. (And I'm going to try that dish you described).

Yeah, ramps. With fava beans. Pasta. Click.

[djyee100]

Asparagus has been showing up at the markets here. That's when I think of one of my favorite pizzas, topped with grilled asparagus, fava beans, prosciutto, and mozzarella cheese.

When fresh peas show up at the market, I like to make navarin printanier (lamb stew with spring vegetables). I cook a version of Julia's classic recipe. Here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112294915

Another fave is Berber Couscous from Paula Wolfert's Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco. Awhile back I made this variation with fresh peas, sugarsnap peas, fava beans, small turnips, tomato, golden raisins, and Anaheim chiles.

Edited April 11, 2011 by djyee100 (log)

[onrushpam]

We are well into spring down here in the deep South... in fact, we're getting close to tomato season!

Recent lovely stuff from the farmers market have included English peas (I asked the seller where they came from and he huffily said "I picked them myself yesterday!"), teensy yellow squash, quarter-sized new red potatoes, crisp green bush beans, and the biggest treat of all are the baby Vidalia onions with their bright green tops still intact.

We threw a couple of those new Vidalias on the grill tonight, along with a pork tenderloin. Combined with the green beans and new potatoes, we had a feast!

[Paul Bacino]

Dave..

Here is the dish:

[Wholemeal Crank]

Had some lovely local asparagus this evening--just steamed, and it needed nothing else. Perfect, sweet, plump, tender, probably the best asparagus experience I have ever had. My favorite way to prepare my favorite spring vegetable.

[OliverB]

baby garlic! To me the best thing in spring. Just eaten fresh sprinkled over steak, cooked on the bbg, sauteed in butter, steamed and turned into a salad, oh, I could eat this stuff all day!

Young purple, white, orange carrots, either as salad, as a quick pickle, or sauteed with butter and some kind of syrup.

Fava beans have not yet shown up here (NorCal) but once they do I'll be all over them. I even love peeling them :-)

Asparagus I either steam quickly or more often roast in the pan. Serve with olive oil, balsamico and some shaved parmesan or just good salt and pepper, maybe a spritz of lemon or lime. Or orange. I also cook it on the big green egg on days when I heat it up to 600+ for steak. Creates nice grill marks. I always keep it crunchy.

baby beets in all colors! Oh, I love beets. Roasted, steamed, raw, they're so flexible and gorgeous to look at!

[Kouign Aman]

asparagus, steamed and served w miso sauce

rhubarb

new potatoes, butter, parsley

stuffed squash blossoms (never cooked them, love to pick them, planning to cook them, and then get interupted. ah life! )

[David Ross]

Mother Nature has not been kind to the Spring Vegetables in Eastern, Washington. I spoke to the Produce Manager at the market yesterday and asked him where the fresh morels were. He said that due to the long, wet, Winter weather, the forests are too damp to produce Morels at this time. He's able to get limited quantities of fresh Morels from Oregon, but he said he'd have to price them at about $100 retail and he knows that wouldn't fly with his customers. We hope that the forests will dry out enough in the next two weeks to produce some local fresh Morels. He said if he can get a decent local crop they will sell for about $30 per pound.

Such is the same fate of our local Asparagus crop. Cold temperatures and damp fields haven't yet produced much Asparagus in the Tri-Cities or Walla Walla areas--a departure from last year when we had fresh Asparagus for Easter supper and Father's Day in June.

[OliverB]

baby fava beans, you cook and eat the whole thing, pod and all. Never knew you can eat it all, but I find it super delicious. Family did not care for it too much though, the furry stuff turns saucy and there is a bit of a bitter taste to the from the still thin but still there outer membrane I think. But if you can find them, saute and give them a try! I found them awesome and will get some more tomorrow I hope.

[kitchensqueen]

Our warm-weather farmer's markets are due to start up at the end of May and I will be watching for morels like a hawk. They're my favorite springtime edible by far. I always like to do coq au vin once or twice at the height of the season, with fresh herbs and baby onions too... can't wait!

[David Ross]

Tonight I did a Braised Chicken with Spring Vegetables and Apple Cider Butter Sauce.

Believe it or not, the local Walmart Supermarket is now selling local, free-range, organic chickens. And this chicken was incredibly flavorful and tender. Sauteed first in olive oil and butter to crisp and brown the skin, then deglazed with chardonnary and chicken stock, covered and roasted in a 300 oven for 2 hours.

The vegetables were a mix of fresh English peas, asparagus, morels (dried-last season), and carrots. (I forgot to add the radishes that I had prepped).

The sauce was lemon slices, green onions and apple cider vinegar boiled down, then a dash of the chicken braising liquid added, strained and a stick of butter swirled into the pan, strained again.

[dcarch]

Wonderful spring veggies. Some are even free.

dcarch

Daylily stems are tender and mild

Hosta shoots are better than endive,

Ramps are getting to be glamorous.

Fiddlehead fern season is only a few days.

[robirdstx]

Wonderful spring veggies. Some are even free...

Hosta shoots are better than endive,

I didn't know hostas were edible! I'll have to give mine a try. How do you prepare them?

[dcarch]

Wonderful spring veggies. Some are even free...

Hosta shoots are better than endive,

I didn't know hostas were edible! I'll have to give mine a try. How do you prepare them?

Stir fry is great. I use the young shoots for salads. Hosta flowers are also edible. So are daylily flowers.

dcarch