A few weeks ago, as I angrily trudged home through snow and rain on my way back from the farmers market, finding that spring had clearly not sprung, I took a break from cursing mother nature to ask myself a question. What the heck do people do with all those pea shoots? At that time, the market was still a botanical wasteland filled with gray tubers and gnarly roots. As those of us looking forward to spring goodies loitered near any stand that showed the promise of selling us anything resembling green spring and summer vegetables, one small stand was bathed in shade, slightly removed from the rest, with a line of smiling customers that seemed never ending. I walked over thinking I'd hit the jackpot (perhaps there was early asparagus, or ramps?), only to see that they were selling various types of shoots. Most customers appeared to be walking away with bagfuls of pea shoots. Assuming they were hippie health nuts that would just throw them in their yogurt with some granola and and a handful of goji berries, I begrudgingly headed for home empty handed.
It wasn't until two weeks later, during another dismal visit to the farmers market that I took notice of the stand again--steady flow of traffic, and several satisfied customers walking away with bags. I asked a few people what they did with theirs, and generally the answers were predictable: sandwiches, salads and garnishes. But that very week I received an email from The Astor Center here in New York, and it suggested using pea shoots on crostini. I figured it was the best way to give them a shot, since I wouldn't have to buy too many of them in case I wasn't a fan, and I'd get to taste them raw. I did some research and learned that they are the young leaves of your everyday garden pea plant, and are harvested within the first month of growing. They're small and tender with a mild flavor and beautiful bright green color. Knowing that, I decided to see what all the fuss was about and picked a few up at the (much more exciting) farmers market this weekend.
I grabbed a crunchy baguette on my way home along with a small container of ricotta cheese and a few lemons. After toasting the bread until it was nice and crispy, I sliced it and buttered it with rich french butter. I topped that with a spoonful of ricotta, lemon zest, and the pea shoots. I finished the whole thing off with a very light drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. In the end, not only was it a great appetizer, but I can really see why people liked them so much. Although there's nothing overwhelming about their flavor, pea shoots are sweet and subtle and great for adding just a hint of freshness and crunch. I can see why they're popular in sandwiches, and next time I'll definitely use them as an alternative to lettuce for a sandwich or or a white pizza. Here's the final crostini recipe, and let me warm you, it's absolutely addictive (I ate the entire batch for dinner--that's an entire baguette's worth). Enjoy!
Pea Shoot and Ricotta Crostini
2 cups loosely packed pea shoots
1/2 stick butter (French butter would be best, but any will do)
1 1/2 cups part skim ricotta cheese
2 lemons
1 baguette
sea salt
Heat bread in the oven until crunchy and warmed through. Slice into 1-inch thick rounds and spread each slice with butter and about a heaping teaspoon of ricotta cheese. Top each with lemon zest, pea shoots, a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Drizzle with lemon juice and serve. Enjoy!
-Laura
It occurred to me recently that I've stopped cooking with many of the proteins that I used to use on an almost daily basis. Chicken breast, for example, has long been a staple in my fridge and in my freezer. I really like buying entire boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cutting them into cutlets myself. Here in Manhattan, a small tray of thinly sliced chicken breasts can cost upwards of $9.00 and barely has enough food for two people. For about $6.00, you can usually get a large tray with 2 full skinless and boneless chicken breasts that can work out to over 10 portions of chicken. Sure, this wallet friendly option means you have to slice the chicken yourself, but lets face it, compared to the already sliced option, it's like you're getting an extra 80 bucks worth of chicken with only 15 or 20 minutes of extra effort. Not to mention, if you're as big a nerd as I am, you can divide the chicken into single or double portion ziploc bags (with labels) and freeze them for future use.
I like to always have this cut of chicken on hand because it's quick cooking, healthy, and extremely versatile. One would think that I'd be a big fan of fattier cuts with skin, but no cook is a bigger champion for convenience than I am, and no cut is more convenient than this one. From salads to grilled dishes and stir-fry, chicken breast is great for big meals or last minute dinners. One of my favorite things to do is to turn thinly sliced chicken breast into a kind of chicken roll by stuffing it with all kinds of things--cheese, spices, breadcrumbs, you name it. These are great for kids too, especially if you make them bite sized like a chickeny pig in a blanket and serve them with dipping sauce. It's a great way to get your little ones to eat their veggies since the fillings are limitless. I went with ricotta cheese, sun dried tomatoes, chive and a little Parmesan cheese. It mixes up quickly and cooks up just as fast. Here's what I used to make it, but feel free to mix in your favorite ingredients (and maybe sneak in a few vegetables!):
Stuffed Chicken Breast with Couscous
4 thin sliced chicken cutlets
4 heaping tsp ricotta cheese
3 tsp finely chopped chive
2 tsp finely chopped sun-dried tomato
1 tsp red pepper flake
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp lemon zest
salt
pepper
juice of half a lemon
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1. Combine ricotta, chive, sun-dried tomato, red pepper flake, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, salt and pepper in a bowl.
2. Spoon 1/4 of the mixture onto the center of each cutlet and fold ends over to enclose the stuffing and create a roll.
3. Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken rolls to skillet, flat side down (not the side where the chicken overlaps) and cook until browned. Flip and cook on the other side until browned.
4. Add lemon juice to skillet and and cover with a lid. Cook on high heat another minute or until chicken is cooked through. Serve over couscous (recipe follows). Enjoy!
**I served this over 1 cup tricolor couscous cooked in 1 cup chicken broth, 2 tsp olive oil and 1/4 tsp each coriander, cumin and parsley.
-Laura
It's been a while since I've become obsessed with an ingredient, but the time has come yet again for me to use something a hundred different ways. There's nothing I like better than a multi-tasking ingredient that can be kept in the fridge or pantry and used in a variety of different applications. My current obsession is spinach, which does double duty not only as a multi-tasker, but earns bonus points for being incredibly good for you. There's a reason Popeye ate his spinach by the canful, although it's rumored iron content has been inflated over the years. It certainly has more iron than the average vegetable, but isn't really brimming with it. Spinach is actually super rich in vitamins like A and C, and a really great source of antioxidants. The less it's cooked the more its health benefits are preserved, so if it's cooked, steaming or quick boiling are the way to go in order to preserve as many nutrients as possible.
I always go organic when buying spinach (which is in season in spring and fall) since it's been rated as one of the most pesticide contaminated produce products out there. This weekend I decided to use some baby spinach in a pasta dish from Great Food Fast that I'd been dying to make for the past few months. It's a spinach pasta dish that manages to be a really easy and delicious one pot meal with two types of cheese and minimal effort. The dish fuses spinach with pine nuts and Parmesan, two of it's favorite partners in crime, and throws in a big spoonful of ricotta for good measure. A few glugs of good olive oil rounds out the last of the ingredients. The nutty aftertaste of the spinach plays really well with the pine nuts and the sweetness of the ricotta. The Parmesan is perfect for adding a bit of saltiness and depth to the dish, and the fruitiness of the olive oil brings it all together and really helps it glisten.
The whole dish was done in less than 10 minutes and was absolutely delicious. I did change the recipe a bit, for example, I used tagiatelle instead of penne (which I find hard to pierce with the fork), and I also used more olive oil than the recipe's 2 tablespoons (there was no other liquid called for). I also reserved a bit of the pasta water and added it to create more of a sauce and for a bit of added moisture. It was perfect because the ricotta melted into the warm liquid but still stuck nicely to the pasta once mixed in on the plate. Here's the recipe as I adapted it:
Spinach Tagliatelle with Spinach, Ricotta and Pine Nuts
1/2 pound spinach tagliatele
3 cups spinach
1/3 cup pine nuts (toasted in the oven until just browned)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 heaping Tbsp ricotta cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup reserved pasta water
1. Cook tagliatele in a large pot of salted, boiling water according to package directions. Add spinach to pot during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain and return to pot.
2. Add olive oil to pot and mix well. Add pasta water a few drops at a time until the pasta looks moist, like it's covered in a thin sauce and stir to combine.
3. Plate pasta and spinach and top with ricotta. Sprinkle with Parmesan and pine nuts. Enjoy!
-Laura
