Ode to Spring

Last night was my Ode to Spring. I made a slammin' feast showcasing the wonderful spring produce that is starting to become available. The meal consisted of Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Parsley-Mint Pesto, Braised Radishes, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Strawberry Apple Crisp. None of the items were too difficult or time-consuming, and all were fresh and delicious. Hope you enjoy the menu!

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms: Yields 4-6 Servings
6 large portobello mushroom caps, cleaned
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Gently toss mushroom caps with oil, salt and pepper. Grill on a preheated grill or grill pan until tender and achieve grill marks. Slice and serve topped with Parsley-Mint Pesto (recipe follows).


Parsley-Mint Pesto: Yields About 1 and 1/2 Cups
1 large bunch parsley
1 small bunch mint
1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

In a food processor, combine parsley, mint, walnuts, garlic and Parmesan. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, until desired consistency is achieved. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


Braised Radishes: Yields 4-6 Servings
2 small bunches radishes, cleaned, leaves trimmed and set aside
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp brown sugar
salt, to taste
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup white wine
2 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp butter
pepper, to taste
nutmeg, to taste

1. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add radishes and cook for 2 minutes, or until starting to slightly brown.
2. Stir in brown sugar and salt. Add water and wine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until al dente.
3. Add greens, cover, and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until leaves are tender. Remove leaves, squeezing liquid from them back into the pan. Remove radishes as well.
4. Stir in lemon juice, butter, pepper and nutmeg. Bring mixture to a boil and cook until it has reduced and has a syrupy consistency, about 2-4 minutes.
5. Gently fold in radishes and greens, making sure to add no additional water with the greens. Readjust seasonings, if necessary, and serve immediately.


Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes: Yields 4-6 Servings
1 head garlic, top trimmed off
2 and 1/4 lbs potatoes, cleaned and cut into 1-2 inch pieces
1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream (depending on desired consistency)
2 Tbsp butter
salt to taste

1. Heat oven to 375. Wrap garlic head in foil and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until tender and golden.
2. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until fork-tender, about 8 minutes.
3. Drain potatoes and return to the pot. Add in roasted garlic. Mash with a hand masher. Stir in cream, butter and salt.


Strawberry Apple Crisp: Yields 6 Servings
Filling:
1 lb strawberries, hulled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored, quartered and sliced 1/8-1/16 inch thick
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp plus 1 and 1/2 tsp cornstarch

Crisp Topping:
5 Tbsp butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt

vanilla ice cream, for topping
3 strawberries, sliced for garnish

Preheat oven to 350. Toss together all filling ingredients and pour into 6 small ramekins or an 8x8 inch pan. Combine all crisp topping ingredients and sprinkle on top of filling. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden, crisp and bubbly. Serve warm, topped with ice cream and sliced strawberries.


Tonight's class is Pizza and Foccacia and I cannot wait! Hope to have some good recipes to report back.

Just a note:
I have known this for a while now, but yesterday morning it became obviously clear that I am a much different vegetarian from the one I used to be. Going through this culinary program has changed the way I look at food. I cook and eat differently than ever before. Anyways, the Kellogg company has been at the hotel this week. They are the parent company of Morningstar, a large maker of mock-meat products. Products I used to consume on a regular basis. However, after learning what goes into them and about the highly-processed nature of them, I easily gave them up. It is so funny now to be working with a client who is a total advocate of the products. It's hard to promote, even if temporarily, something that I no longer see the health benefits of. The point is, two common sayings became startlingly true for me: 1. You are what you eat, 2. Knowledge is power. We are blessed with the power to decide what we put into our bodies. Once I started culinary school, I chose to no longer eat process veggie-meat full of industrial man-made fillers. What will you decide?