Extras: Recipe Snippets
It’s often difficult to find inspiration in the fruit and veg aisle at this time of the year. Yet more root vegetables and Brussels sprouts, when what you are looking for is something a little lighter, crisper, something that tastes of spring.
Well, the herb garden is coming to life again and the citrus trees are laden, so that’s a good place to start; otherwise take heart from these suggestions to tide over the gap between now and abundance.
Apples appear a lot in salads at our place, as “crunch” becomes a welcome sensation after so much soft winter food. Thin wedges of apple combined with sliced celery and toasted sunflower and sesame seeds make a fine salad. Use whatever green leaves you can muster from the garden.
Roadside stalls have started selling eggs again, and when soft boiled they can be added to this little spring salad that we enjoyed recently as an accompaniment to my mother’s famous baked ham. Boil about 750g little potatoes until tender, and drain. Place in a large bowl. Boil 100g frozen peas and 150g broad beans (if you have them), drain and refresh before adding to the potatoes. Finely slice some fresh dill to sprinkle over the lot and add the soft-boiled and sliced eggs. Whisk together a dressing using four tablespoons of best olive oil and one tablespoon of white wine vinegar with the addition of two teaspoons of grainy mustard and a teaspoon of sugar. Gently mix through the salad and serve.
Sundried tomatoes are good to have on hand, especially if they are your own, preserved last summer under a generous amount of olive oil. Add these to pasta sauces or chop finely and use as a topping for crostini. This will give you a taste sensation to make your inner sun shine, while giving you a tomato treat that the store-bought ones can’t deliver at this time of the year, despite how expensive they are.
Mushrooms are available all year round and make a great addition to meat, or a substitute for meat. There is something luxurious about mushrooms; the smell of them frying will bring your spouse into the kitchen asking, “What’s for dinner?” and if you add some bacon and onions to the pan your status as Wonder Woman (or Superman) will be guaranteed.
Fiona Feasey
