Vegetarian Cassoulet

This spring has been a little more fickle than others in my recent memory. We've had some sparkling blue sky days with temps in the low 80's and we've had plenty of cold, grey, rainy days like today. Tonight I wanted to have a nice big bowl of comfort food for dinner, but my fridge is packed with spring delights - so I went the route of a hearty stew made with light springy flavors and textures.
Springtime Vegetarian Cassoulet
Yield: 6 entree servings
Prep Time: 2 hours plus 3+ hours for bean soaking if you are using dried beans.
75 minutes with canned beans
Ingredients:
1.5 c. dried chick peas, rinsed, picked over and soaked for 3 or 1 14 oz can, drained and rinsed
4 T. olive oil
1 yellow onion, on the smaller side, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped (same size as onion)
1 rib celery, chopped (same size as onion)
4 c. low sodium veggie stock, chicken stock or water
1 t. fresh thyme, minced or 1/2 t. dried
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
2 medium sized red potatoes, washed and diced to the size of a chick pea
1 large leek (white and light green parts only), rinsed, and chopped
8 large white mushrooms or 2-3 portobellos, rinsed and chopped into 2 inch chunks (they will shrink a lot in the oven)
1 c dry white wine or dry vermouth
2 c fresh asparagus, cut into one inch pieces
10 - 15 leaves of fresh basil, shredded
1/2 pt or so of grape or heirloom tomatoes, halved
S&P

Method:

1. Heat 2 T olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery, cooking until they have a little color - about 8-10 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
2. Add stock, chick peas, thyme, and bay, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until beans are tender - 60-90 minutes. (10-20 min is fine if you are using canned beans)
3. In the mean time, heat oven to 400*. Toss potato and onion in remaining olive oil, spread in a single layer in a roasting pan or skillet, season with a small amount of salt & pepper and roast in the oven until lightly browned. Maybe 40 minutes. Add mushrooms, leeks and whole garlic cloves and roast another 10-20 minutes until garlic is golden and soft. (if you are using canned beans, start with this step, then go back to step 1)
4. Remove potato mixture from the oven. Using a spatula, transfer all to a plate. Place roasting pan on stove top (make sure its stove top safe!!) and deglaze the pan with the white wine. Reduce wine and bits until only a couple of tablespoons remain.
5. Add beans mixture and potato mixture to the roasting pan and bring to a simmer. The stew should not have a whole bunch of extra liquid like a soup, this is much closer to a loose casserole than a soup. Simmer on stove top until flavors come together and all veggies are tender - about 5-15 minutes.
6. Add the asparagus and tomatoes and simmer 2-5 minutes until just tender crisp. Stir in the basil and serve in warmed shallow bowls.

A nice grating of cheese over the top is a lovely way to finish off this dish. Serve with some fantastic bread or just some crispy lavosh.

Light & Unexpected Spring Time!

Hey gang - its been a MONTH since my last post, so tonight I give you three light, easy, springy treats to try out. I hope you enjoy - and please check back soon for my "spring cassoulet" that's in development right now!

I got the plan for this dish from a seasonal cookbook, did some tweaking and loved the result. Fresh crisp asparagus, nutty wholesome whole wheat pasta, lemon, eggs, herbs....how can you go wrong? Best of all it was super easy and ready in about 20 minutes. My first pass looked a little funky but tasted heavenly, so check back later, I may revise this one a bit.

Lemony Asparagus with Creamy Pasta
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 20-30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 lb pasta, whole wheat spaghetti works great, but its really up to you
1 bunch fresh asparagus, rinsed and bottoms trimmed, cut into 1 or 2 inch pieces
1/2 lemon, juiced and peeled, peel reserved
1 clove garlic, minced
3 scallions, rinsed and sliced on the bias
2 T. butter
3/4 c. milk
2 large eggs, whisked into the milk
1 t. tarragon, dried or 1 T. fresh, rinsed and minced.
S&P
Nutmeg, ground to taste

Method:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil, salt
• Add pasta and cook until about 2 minutes from al dente, add asparagus and cook until tender crisp. Drain.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a large saute pan over medium heat
• Add scallions and lemon peel, saute until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.
• Add lemon juice and tarragon, cook until almost evaporated, remove from heat.
• Once pasta and asparagus are cooked and drained, return butter mixture to medium heat
• Add pasta, asparagus and egg mixture to the pan, season lightly with S&P
  
• Gently stir until egg is cooked and liquid is mostly evaporated. Do not allow to boil.
• Plate pasta and top with a small amount of freshly grated nutmeg.
  

This dish is light, creamy, satisfying and really rather good for you. Tasty adds would be sun-dried tomatoes, goat or parm cheese, ham or proscuitto, grilled shrimp or chicken, artichoke hearts or toasted pine nuts, dark greens or shredded radiccio for color and contrast.

Bird's Nest

As with any salad, the variations on this one are endless. Any way you make it, its a fantastic brunch or lunch and can make a super fast dinner if you double up the eggs and add a hunk of some fantastic bread. This is a favorite in our house on warm spring nights when we're in a rush. Because the yolks are runny, there's no need for a dressing at all, but a drizzle your favorite light and sweet vinaigrette would be great.

Spring Salad with Poached Egg
Yield: 4 lunch servings
Prep Time: 30-40 minutes (depending on your egg poaching ability)

Ingredients:
8 c. salad greens, spring mix, green/red leaf, boston bib, arugula, watercress etc
2 scallions, sliced on the bias
1 c. grape tomatoes, halved
1 c. steamed & shocked green veggie, asparagus tips, sugar snaps, sweet peas, edamame etc, cut in 1 inch pieces
3/4 c. crumbled goat or blue cheese
4 eggs, cracked into cups, yolks unbroken
2 T. lemon juice or vinegar for 'free form poaching' or use your preferred method
S&P

Equipment:
Medium sauce pan
Slotted spoon
Small bowl for holding cooked eggs
Dish towel

Method:

• Bring a medium sized sauce pan of water to a boil, leave enough room to swirl the water and create a "whirl pool"
• Wash greens, prep veggies, build and plate salads
• Crack 1 egg into a small bowl or coffee cup to ensure that you have an egg with a whole unbroken yolk.
• Add lemon or vinegar to the water to 'acidulate' the water. The acid in the water will prevent the egg white from spreading out too much when you pour it into the water.
• Stir the water in the pot to form a whirl pool...gently pour egg into the center of the vortex and then don't touch anything. Let the egg do its thing. Reduce the water to a light simmer and allow the egg to cook. Swish the water occasionally to make sure that its not sticking to the bottom. After 3-4 minutes, scoop the egg out with a slotted spoon and place in a clean bowl to wait for the other eggs. The egg should be a little under cooked at this point, you'll add everyone back to the pot at the end to warm through.
• Repeat with the remaining eggs.
  
• On the last egg, add the 3 preceding eggs back to the simmering water (once the last egg is almost done) for 1 minute to warm through. Gently scoop each one out, drain a little with the dish towel while the egg is still in the spoon.
• Top each salad with one lovely egg. Sprinkle with S&P, spritz with a little lemon or drizzle with dressing. Serve immediately and enjoy the simplicity of it!
  

This salad can be beefed up with some prosciutto, grilled shrimp, toasted pine nuts, buttery croutons or anything else that you like to eat with egg.

Simple Spring Veggies

This one might be a "no-brainer" for all of you, but this method just dawned on me on Easter Sunday. Divine intervention? I'm guessing no, but it is easy and delicious.

Steamed Spring Veggies with Lemon and Herbs
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
1 bunch asparagus, rinsed and bottoms trimmed
1 c. broccoli florets, rinsed
1 c. sugar snap peas, rinsed and trimmed
1/4 lemon, juiced and zested a bit
1/2 t. dried (or 1.5 t fresh, rinsed and minced) herbs that you like 1 t. olive oil S&P

Method:

• Throw all ingredients into a microwave safe dish (preferably pyrex or glass) and cover tightly
• Microwave on high for 90 seconds, re-arrange veggies to get even cooking. Nuke in 45 second increments until tender crisp. Serve immediately or chill and add to green or pasta salads.

You can also do this in a traditional stove top steamer, just throw everything but the veggies in a pot and bring to a simmer. Add steamer basket and veggies, cover tightly and steam until tender crisp.