Spring has Sprung

It's that brief but glorious time of year here in Northern California when we are still enjoying the last of winter citrus and have fresh spring veggies like asparagus at the farmer's market. This recipe combines both with farro, a delicious whole grain that has become one of my favorites.

Farro and Asparagus Salad with Orange Vinaigrette
4-6 servings for light meal
Ingredients:
1 cup farro
2 teaspoons salt, plus more for seasoning
2 1/2 cups water
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice, from about 1/4 orange
2 tablespoons minced shallot
3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4-6 cups baby arugula, washed and dried
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

Directions:
In a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, add the farro, 2 teaspoons salt, and water. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the farro is tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Check a few times while it is cooking, you want it to be al dente. Remove from the heat, drain any excess water, and set aside to cool. While the grains are simmering steam the asparagus and make the dressing. Steam asparagus for about 2-5 minutes to cook, depending on size and freshness. As soon as it turns bright green, remove and cover in cool water to chill. Whisk together the orange zest and juice, shallots, white balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and set aside. Just before serving, in a large bowl, toss the farro with about half of the dressing. Add asparagus, arugula and toasted almonds. Toss again, adding more dressing as needed.

This would be great with a little sprinkle of feta cheese on top, but since MO doesn’t like feta this version was vegan.

Asparagus and Peas: Take Two

Since I had a few leftover asparagus spears and a handful of peas from the garden, I tossed them with some homemade gnocchi Matt and I made a few weeks ago, along with some green garlic pesto I made (recipe below).

The pesto was very yummy, but VERY garlicky - I might try blanching the garlic greens next time). This recipe is approximately what I did.

Green Garlic Pesto
4-6 stalks of green garlic

1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tbs. warm water
1/4 cup graetd shredded parmesan cheese

s & p

Finely chop green garlic (green parts only), rinand rinse and pat dry. In a blender or food processor, pulse pine nuts to chop. Add green garlic and process, until bright green and smooth. With blending, drizzle in olive oil and warm water until desired consistency is reached. Pulse in reserved pine nuts and cheese. Taste and season with salt amd pepper.

Asparagus and Peas: Take One

Asparagus and peas are two of the best offerings Springtime has. We had some peas (and baby spinach) in the garden and I picked up some gorgeous asparagus at the Farmers Market and combined them with farro, my new favorite grain. Simple, delcious, and so springy...

Farro Salad with Green Spring Vegetables

1 cup farro (my new ingredient of the week)
1 cup asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 cup fresh peas (frozen would work, too)
large handful fresh baby spinach
1 bunch scallions, chopped
juice of one lemon
zest of half of the lemon
2 Tablespoons olive oil
s & p

Prepare farro following package instructions. 2 minutes before cooking time ends, add asparagus, peas and baby spinach. Drain all and rinse with cold water. Add remaining ingredients, stir and season with salt and pepper. Chill in refrigerator and serve at room tempature or cold. Great accompaniment to any springtime meal!

Glazed Brussels Sprouts and Carrots

I found this recipe in a Gourmet magazine last year and I make it often during the fall and winter (including Thanksgiving at LoPo and KK's this past year - see photo). I can get brussels sprouts, carrots and shallots all winter at our farmers market and this is an easy and delicious way to get them eaten up! The recipe is good as is, but I usually use a little more cider vinegar (about 2 Tablespoons). You can find the recipe here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Carrots-and-Brussels-Sprouts-241514

My review of Chard Gratin recipe from Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food

This was my first recipe review for the CHOW's Cookbook of the Month.

This was a fabulous way to use up a bunch of greens I had bought at the Farmers Market last week. Recipe was simle and easy to follow, I have just a couple of suggestions: 1) next time I would add a little more milk - the finished result was tasty but could've been a little moister. 2) If you use chard the cooking time would probably be appropriate, but since I used mixed greens (including some tougher types like collards), I pre-cooked the greens a little longer. All in all a very tasty healthier and heartier version of "creamed spinach".

Here's the original recipe:

CHARD GRATIN
from Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food

SERVINGS: 4

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 bunches chard, washed and stemmed, saving half of the stems
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
Butter
1 onion, diced
Salt
2 teaspoons flour
1/2 cup milk
Freshly grated nutmeg

PREPARATION:
1. After washing and stemming the chard, save half the chard stems and slice them thinly. Cook the stems for about 2 minutes in 2 quarts boiling salted water. Add the chard leaves and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and cool. Gently squeeze out the excess liquid from the stems and leaves and coarsely chop them.
2. Toss the breadcrumbs with 2 teaspoons melted butter. Toast them on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven, stirring now and then, until lightly brown, about 10 minutes.
3. Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the diced onion and cook over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chard and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook for 3 minutes. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons flour over the onion-chard mix. Stir well and add 1/2 cup milk and a little freshly grated nutmeg. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more milk if the mixture gets too thick. The chard should be moist but not floating in liquid. Taste and add salt if needed.
4. Butter a small baking dish. Spread the chard mixture evenly in the dish and dot with 2 teaspoons butter. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the top. Bake in a 350°F oven until the gratin is golden and bubbling, 20 to 30 minutes.