The Space Between

Although I hate waiting for spring and summer to arrive, there is a nice overlap between early spring and late winter when I get the chance mix and match seasonal ingredients. While the farmer's market hasn't quite caught up to the calendar, a lot of my local organic markets have, and asparagus, strawberries and artichokes abound. Of course, winter citrus has not completely disappeared, as evidenced by several blood oranges that remained in my fridge as I came bounding home with a tote bag full of fresh asparagus. I've made it every which way, but nothing ever seems to top simply roasting it in the oven with olive oil and a little salt and pepper. I've thought of a dozen other preparations, but nothing ever seems as satisfying or as easy as oven roasting. I never seem to tire of it either, but I'm constantly getting asked for more interesting ways to serve it (tofu is actually what I get asked about most often).

My favorite piece of advice is to let people know that you can always embellish asparagus (or anything, for that matter) after you've roasted it. You could leave the seasoning off and allow it to chill before tossing with dressing, prepare a separate dipping sauce, or cut it up and serve it over a simple pasta dish. It's not a difficult vegetable to pair and goes with almost anything, including aioli, eggs and citrus. Since I had all those oranges wasting away in the fridge I figured why not toss my roasted asparagus with orange segments and a lovely citrus dressing? That way I could make it a warm salad that still had a great deal of bright, refreshing flavor from the oranges, and I'd be able to use the orange juice in the vinaigrette. It was an easy dish to prepare that was done in no time, and really ushered in spring.

First, I tossed the asparagus spears in extra virgin olive oil, then seasoned them with just kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. I popped them in the oven to cook for about 15 minutes (mine were nice and fat; thinner spears can be done in 10 minutes or less), just about the time it took to peel and supreme the oranges. The important thing is to keep the remainder of the oranges after you've cut out the segments. You can squeeze plenty of juice out of those little suckers, and believe me, it'll add great flavor and depth to your vinaigrette, which would work on a number of different salads, including just a plain leaf salad (no need to go juicing a whole new orange). The vinaigrette was simple with a nice bit of sweet and sour action, mixing the orange and blood orange juice with honey, Dijon mustard and a little red wine vinegar for some extra tang. It came out a lovely pink hue that paired really well with the green asparagus and brightly colored orange segments. I topped the salad off with some thin curls of parmesan cheese for a bit of delicious salty goodness and called it a day. Here are my final recipes, which can definitely be broken up and used separately.

Warm Asparagus and Citrus Salad

Asparagus:
1 bunch fresh asparagus spears, ends trimmed
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
small block parmesan cheese (optional)

Vinaigrette:
1 blood orange, peeled and segmented (leftovers reserved)
1 orange, peeled and segmented, (leftovers reserved)
3-4 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp honey
3/4 tsp Dijon mustard
zest of half a lemon
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Drizzle asparagus with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place asparagus on a foil lined baking sheet (for easy clean-up), and cook in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until bright green and tender-crisp.

2. Meanwhile, combine vinegar, honey, lemon zest and mustard in a bowl and slowly whisk in olive oil until desired consistency is reached. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Plate asparagus and drizzle liberally with a few tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Top with orange and blood orange segments and drizzle with remaining vinaigrette, to taste. Garnish with thin ribbons of parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

-Laura

It's Easy Being Green

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

Croq A Doodle Do

I had a plan. I was going to combine my leftovers and make a delicious dinner of bacalaitos. Delicious little cod fritters seemed to be in my future. But then it happened. I got home and was suddenly no longer in the mood for fritters despite having spent the day searching countless websites and cookbooks for the perfect recipe. I'm not sure why this happens from time to time, why I psych myself out of a carefully choreographed meal that I've often been craving for days. Regardless of why (although it's possible that I was missing baking powder), I got home and immediately started craving another delicious cod dish--croquetas. I've made bacon, chicken and ham ones before, but I haven't had fish croquetas since I was a kid (they're the same as croquettes, for the Francophiles reading). Fortunately for me, they're all made the same way and with the same bechamel sauce.

When I was a kid (and this may come as a shock to my mom) every time someone made bechamel sauce within 10 feet of me, I managed to sneak several spoonfuls for myself. Nothing seems to have changed with age or time, as I managed to eat about half of the bechamel before I could fork in any of the fish. I suppose I could have waited to make the bechamel until the fish was done, but I figured every cook needs a little snack now and again while cooking, right? I didn't actually have all that much time to snack since the cooking portion of the meal happens so fast. All I had to do was create a quick roux with butter, flour and milk to make the bechamel sauce, while the cod poached in milk and water. The poaching only took about 10 minutes, and the sauce came together in about the same time. I decided to add some Parmesan cheese for saltiness and a little depth of flavor, and although traditionally cheese is not a part of any croqueta recipe, I was super happy with the results.

They had a thin, super crispy crust on the outside and a creamy, gooey inside. It didn't taste the least bit fishy (probably because I used fresh cod instead of the traditional salt cod), and I physically had to restrain myself to keep from eating 15 of them for dinner. Here's my recipe:


Cod and Parmesan Croquetas

1/4 lb fresh cod, poached
3 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil (not extra virgin)
2 Tbsp flour
1 to 2 cups milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt
2 cups breadcrumbs (I like seasoned, but plain are fine too)
2 eggs, beaten
vegetable oil for frying

1. Melt butter in a skillet on medium heat until it starts to bubble. Whisk in flour and cook on medium low heat whisking occasionally until fragrant and nutty (you just want to cook out the floury flavor).

2. Slowly stream in milk until mixture resembles the texture of yogurt. Flake in the cod and add the Parmesan. Stir to combine, taste for seasoning and transfer mixture to a shallow plate. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

3. With wet fingers or two spoons, roll mixture into egg shapes, 1 tablespoon at a time. Roll each croqueta in breadcrumbs, then in egg, then coat completely in breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess.

4. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pot on medium-high heat and fry croquetas in batches until golden brown. Enjoy!

-Laura