Wild Produce
Foraging on the 'Net
Last fall a friend and colleague of mine moved from California to middle Tennessee. JoAnna is a personal chef who, like me, consults for ChefsLine.com, which is how I "met" her. Over the past three years we've exchanged dozens of chats, emails, and phone conversations but we'd never met face to face. Having her a two-hour's drive away meant we could finally get together. Nevertheless, it's taken until this past weekend to pull it off.
I decided to have a small Easter/Spring dinner party and invited JoAnna and Kelly (her husband), offering to put them up in my guest room so they wouldn't have to drive back after dinner - and thinking we'd have more chance to visit. I also invited Terri, who runs some of the cooking classes I teach, and her husband as well as my next-door neighbor. It was a collection of serious eaters.
When Easter falls later in the year I can usually put together a meal that is not only seasonal but also local - or at least regional. But this year finding asparagus, rhubarb, and strawberries that were grown in near-by states was going to be impossible. Besides, I had a powerful urge for some fiddlehead ferns.
Having recently run across a reference to MarxFoods Wild Produce Sampler I picked up the phone and gave them a call. I spoke with Justin Marx who, with his two brothers and father, own and run the New Jersey-based company. I told Justin I wanted to write a review of the sampler that, in addition to fiddleheads, includes stinging nettles, ramps, and miner's lettuce. You can read more about that in this article. Here I want to talk about what I did.
After perusing dozens of lamb recipes, I ended up going with a recipe of my own that is always excellent and is a good match for the wild veggies. I also decided to make cauliflower puree - a recipe I love but that works best in a supporting role because the meal's feature dish (aside from the lamb) was the fiddleheads.
I've cooked fiddleheads twice before and almost liked them. I did some research on the other produce I was expecting and came up with the following recipe.
When I cleaned up the next morning I found one or two leaves of lettuce left on a couple of plates, other than that the plates looked like they'd been licked clean. My Wild Vegetable Medley was a huge success.
As for the nettles, I cooked them the next night and dressed them simply with butter and a splash of cider vinegar. Delicious.
Try this recipe with...
Stuffed Lamb
Chicken Saltimbocca
Boeuf en Daube
Related article: "Outside the Food-Shed"
Last fall a friend and colleague of mine moved from California to middle Tennessee. JoAnna is a personal chef who, like me, consults for ChefsLine.com, which is how I "met" her. Over the past three years we've exchanged dozens of chats, emails, and phone conversations but we'd never met face to face. Having her a two-hour's drive away meant we could finally get together. Nevertheless, it's taken until this past weekend to pull it off.
I decided to have a small Easter/Spring dinner party and invited JoAnna and Kelly (her husband), offering to put them up in my guest room so they wouldn't have to drive back after dinner - and thinking we'd have more chance to visit. I also invited Terri, who runs some of the cooking classes I teach, and her husband as well as my next-door neighbor. It was a collection of serious eaters.
When Easter falls later in the year I can usually put together a meal that is not only seasonal but also local - or at least regional.
I almost always celebrate spring with a lamb dinner. Lamb became a popular Easter meal in Europe where there is such a thing as "spring" lamb and they're often roasted whole. In this country, although lambs are still born in the spring, they usually aren't butchered until fall. Nevertheless, I love the excuse to roast lamb even if the lambs aren't truly in season. I also make a point of making the rest of this meal as seasonal as possible.When Easter falls later in the year I can usually put together a meal that is not only seasonal but also local - or at least regional. But this year finding asparagus, rhubarb, and strawberries that were grown in near-by states was going to be impossible. Besides, I had a powerful urge for some fiddlehead ferns.
Having recently run across a reference to MarxFoods Wild Produce Sampler I picked up the phone and gave them a call. I spoke with Justin Marx who, with his two brothers and father, own and run the New Jersey-based company. I told Justin I wanted to write a review of the sampler that, in addition to fiddleheads, includes stinging nettles, ramps, and miner's lettuce. You can read more about that in this article. Here I want to talk about what I did.
After perusing dozens of lamb recipes, I ended up going with a recipe of my own that is always excellent and is a good match for the wild veggies. I also decided to make cauliflower puree - a recipe I love but that works best in a supporting role because the meal's feature dish (aside from the lamb) was the fiddleheads.
I've cooked fiddleheads twice before and almost liked them. I did some research on the other produce I was expecting and came up with the following recipe.
Wild Vegetable MedleyThere is no salt called for because both the pancetta and anchovies provide salt. The pancetta I used was my own and was cured with herbs and spices so I didn't add any additional flavorings. If you use store-bought pancetta adding a bit of chopped rosemary and thyme as well as some pepper would be a good idea. Last, MarxFoods hadn't gotten in any ramps yet and so I subbed scallions.
Serves 6.
1/2 lb fiddlehead ferns - picked over, trimmed, and cleaned
1/2 lb ramps - trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces including the lower part of the greens
1/4 lb pancetta -cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2 anchovy filets - minced
1/2 lb miner's lettuce
Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook fiddleheads for 5 minutes. Transfer ferns to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking, drain, and pat dry. At this point the fiddleheads can stored in the refrigerator overnight.
Cook the pancetta in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat until the fat begins to render - about 2 minutes. Add ramps and minced anchovy and cook, tossing occasionally, until ramps begin to brown - about 3 minutes. Add miner's lettuce, cover, and cook 1 minute longer until lettuce begins to wilt. Serve immediately.
When I cleaned up the next morning I found one or two leaves of lettuce left on a couple of plates, other than that the plates looked like they'd been licked clean. My Wild Vegetable Medley was a huge success.
As for the nettles, I cooked them the next night and dressed them simply with butter and a splash of cider vinegar. Delicious.
Try this recipe with...
Stuffed Lamb
Chicken Saltimbocca
Boeuf en Daube
Related article: "Outside the Food-Shed"
Technorati: Food | recipe | kevin d weeks | seriously good | side dish | wild produce | easter
Labels: recipe, side dish, wild produce
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