Delicate seasonal ingredients

Now that we're coming into a bounty of spring produce, I'm wondering what the best methods are for treating delicate ingredients that are only available for extremely short seasons so that you get the most flavor? By delicate ingredients, I mean things like fresh, young celery leaves, green garlic, etc.

Thanks in advance!

Jr0717
  • Posted by: Jr0717
  • April 5, 2017
  • 2456 views
  • 4 Comments

4 Comments

Katherine April 6, 2017
I typically use them fresh in a salad (as the star of the salad), or in fresh pastas with a very light pan sauce. For example, I'll very quickly sauté some shallots in butter, deglaze with vermouth, and add fresh pasta, peas, and asparagus, cooking just until the pasta has gotten coated with the sauce and the veggies are green. Top with some tarragon and you're golden!
 
PieceOfLayerCake April 6, 2017
Its difficult to give blanket advice for all of the wonderful produce that's going to be available to us soon, but in general I just try to keep most of it as simple and untouched as possible.

The herby greens like ramps, fennel, sorrel, etc. make a wonderful substitute or accompaniment to basil in pesto.

The fruits like rhubarb, strawberries, apricots can be paired with a simple, homemade pie crust to make spring fruit galettes.

Sean Brock, a southern/Appalachian chef has a fantastic recipe for farro succotash that uses farro and any fresh, seasonal veggie that you can think of. He has a rather specific outline, but everything is cooked so lightly that you can adapt it to any wealth of produce you have. If you don't care for farro, that can be switched out too for pretty much any grain.

Of course, just chopping up a plethora of veggies and fruits, tossing them together and lightly, lightly dressing them is always an option. People forget how satisfying a salad can be when its just a bunch of seasonal flavors that you love. No rules.
 
Jr0717 April 6, 2017
Wow- thank you! Thats a wonderful start for me. I'm so excited to start messing around with all of the wonderful things coming into season!
 
PieceOfLayerCake April 6, 2017
Here's a link for that succotash, btw. I meant to post it in my original message: http://foodthinkers.com/farro-verde-succotash/
 
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