TOP 5 SPRING INGREDIENTS

Back in the winter I talked about my top five winter ingredients and ways in which to use them. So here are my favourites for Spring, and what I am looking forward to stocking up on! Knowing 5 ingredients like this is great as sometimes just being able to focus in on a few key items helps can really help in meal planning and recipe searching!

1) Peas
I love peas! They are just to me the epitome of springtime, with their fresh taste, vibrant green colour and sweet flavour. They are a great ingredient for many different dishes; soups, pastas, side dishes. Quite versatile and extremely inexpensive, peas are a great go-to for the spring.
- Sweet pea risotto
- Crostini with mushed sweet peas and lemon ricotta
- Pea soup

2) Asparagus
I don't think there is one vegetable I truly couldn't live without other than asparagus. Such a great flavour, and to me a good looking vegetable. It always looks good on a plate and can really make a dish look pretty and rustic. Great on their own, with natural flavours of olive oil, salt and pepper or one of my favourite ways, with eggs in a frittata. They also could accompany any meat dish you serve!
- Roasted asparagus
- Asparagus frittata

3) Lemon
I am obsessed with lemons these days. Their tart flavour, versatility and bright colour just draw me in! A great springtime flavour, you will be sure to love this ingredient. It can be in salad dressings, in desserts, freshly squeezed
- Meyer Lemon tart
- Lemon ricotta for a crostini (basically this is a light and fluffy spread that can go on a crostini, delicious on its own or with crushed peas on top, this is a great springtime dish. To assemble just mix 1/2 ricotta with 2 tbsp lemon juice, some lemon zest, salt and pepper. For a deeper lemon flavour continue adding lemon juice to the mix)


4) Mint
I keep repeating how "fresh" flavour all of these ingredients are, and I guess the word fresh is just what I think of as necessary for Springtime. Mint is another one of those ingredients. After using it in my lab at school this week I rediscovered my love for mint! Beautiful as a garnish!
- Mint sauce for lamb chops
- Mojito (Cuban drink with fresh mint crushed into it)
- Two ingredient combo: pea soup with mint (also mint as a garnish for this)

5) Honeydew melon 
Honeydew for me just brings back the memories. In high school, everyday after school my mom would have a fruit platter waiting for us, and springtime meant copious amounts of honeydew, that is definitely part of the reason I adore honeydew. A great fruit, with a smooth texture and extremely sweet flavour, kids will gobble this one off their plates!
- Cold melon soup
- Melon wrapped with prosciutto
- Cut up on a fruit tray


Happy Spring!!


photo credit: google images

FRENCH LEMON CHICKEN

I find that chicken is something you can get so bored by, so I am always on the hunt for new delicious chicken dishes and I definitley found one last night! French Lemon Chicken from an old LCBO Food & Drink Magazine. The chicken was baked, so nice and moist, and the lemon and garlic really enhance the flavours. The sauce is simple but so flavourful. The whole meal is perfect for a weeknight dish. Not too much work for a weeknight, and perfect if you are just making a meal for yourself!

The recipe is for four people, however I just cut it in half for either one or two breasts (make two and then you have leftovers for lunch!) Luckily last night I had one of my besties over to enjoy this delicious meal!

French Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:
- l lemon
- 1 head garlic
- 2 cups (500 mL) chicken stock, homemade or low sodium
- 2 tbsp (25 mL) olive oil
- 4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh thyme, chopped or 1 tsp (5 mL) dried
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) white wine
- 1/4 cup (50 mL) brandy

- 1/4 cup (50 mL) whipping cream

- 2 tbsp (25 mL) chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
- Grate enough peel from lemon to make 1 tbsp (15 mL). Remove any remaining peel and white pith from lemon and cut flesh into thin slices.
- Separate garlic into cloves, cut off root ends but do not peel. Add to chicken stock in a pot and bring to boil. Simmer three minutes. Strain stock and reserve. Peel garlic cloves. If garlic cloves are large, cut in half lengthways.

- Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Season breasts with salt, pepper and thyme, and fry skin-side-down four to five minutes or until golden brown. Turn over and fry second side for one minute. Remove breasts.

- Place skin-side-up in oiled ovenproof dish that fits chicken snugly. Discard fat from skillet. Scatter lemon slices and garlic cloves around chicken. Sprinkle sugar on lemon slices.
- Meanwhile, add wine to skillet, bring to boil, reduce by half. Stir in stock, brandy and grated zest. Bring to a boil, stirring. Add cream and continue to boil until slightly thickened, about five to eight minutes. Stir in parsley.
- Bake chicken for 15 to 20 minutes or until it is tender but not dry. Remove chicken and any lemon bits to serving platter. Scatter over garlic cloves. Remove any fat and pour any juices into sauce.
- To serve, pour sauce over chicken.

Serves 4

photo credit: my own

FALAFEL

Falafel is a delicious Middle Eastern dish made from ground up chickpeas or fava beans. It is a hand made patty/ball that is usually served with pita, toped with salads, pickled vegetables, hot sauce, hummus, and then drizzled with tahini.

Falafel’s are said to have been first made in Egypt, but are now widely known as a Middle Eastern dish. The Copts of Egypt claim to have first made the dish as a replacement for meat during Lent – as they are quite hearty and a good substitute. Alexandria, being a port city made it easy for the Egyptians to export the dish and the name of it to other areas in the Middle East. Falafel’s have become so popular, McDonald’s even began to serve a “McFalafel” in certain countries!

I just adore falafel’s and they are such a great alternative to meats and fish. Perfect for a vegetarian or for someone just wanting something a bit different!

Christine Cushing's Falafel
 

Ingredients:
 
Falafel

- 1 1/4 cups dried slip fava beans (250 ml)
- 1 cup dried chickpeas (185 ml)
- 1 small white onion, quartered
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 small bunch, flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt (5 ml)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (5 ml)
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds toasted, coarsely ground (5 ml)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds toasted, coarsely ground (5 ml)
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- Dash Tobasco sauce, or to taste
- Water, to adjust moisture level if too dry of a consistency
- 4 cups vegetable oil, for frying (1 litre)

Minted Tahini Sauce
- 1/2 cup tahini paste (125 ml)
- 1/2 cup water (125 ml)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (10 ml)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint (60 ml)
- 2 to 3 tbsp. lemon juice (30 to 45 ml)
- Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Assembly
- 4 to 8 Middle Eastern pita bread, depending on size of pita and serving portion of falafel balls
- Tomatoes, sliced, for garnish

Directions:

Falafel

- Cover both fava beans and chickpeas with cold water in separate bowls. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Drain and rinse the fava beans and the chickpeas. Rinse thoroughly under cold water until water runs clear. Set aside.
- Add white onions, garlic and green onions to a food processor. Pulse until a mushy consistency. Add parsley and continue to pulse until mixture is fine in texture and green in colour. Transfer to large bowl.
- Add the chickpeas and fava beans to the food processor. (Note: you don’t have to clean the machine with the onion and parsley mixture). Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer to bowl with the onion and parsley mixture. Add baking powder, cumin and coriander. Season the mix with salt, pepper and tobasco. Stir to combine. Start adding water a little at a time until mixture becomes a dough consistency.
- Place vegetable oil into a saucepan. Heat oil to 300 degrees F. Mould the falafel mixture into 1½-inch diameter balls. Fry until golden brown, about 4 minutes for best texture. Remove the balls from the oil and drain on paper towel. Make 24 falafels. Serve with tahini sauce.

Minted Tahini Sauce
- In a bowl add the tahini paste. Slowly add the lemon juice and water – as you add the liquid – the tahini paste will cease up but as you gradually add more liquid it will become smooth. Add the parsley, mint and salt and pepper. Check seasoning, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Assembly
- Cut pita in half to make pockets and place 3 or 4 of the falafel balls into pita pocket. Top with sliced tomatoes and tahini sauce. Alternatively add the falafel balls onto the pita and top to garnishes and roll to make a sandwich. Serves 4 to 6.

photo credit: foodnetwork.ca & google images

TIFF Teanie

Mixed drinks in teacups?? These new drinks of choice inspired by Prohibition and 1920’s parties of drunken debauchery are popping up all across the city! The newest way to drink a cocktail!

The Library Bar at the Fairmont Royal York (Toronto) launched a new “teacup cocktail” last week for the opening of the Toronto International Film Festival. Named the “TIFF Teanie” this is the hottest new teacup cocktail. Featuring chilled organic jasmine tea, pear vodka, Galliano, freshly squeezed lemon juice and a dash on simple syrup served on the rocks in fine china with lemon zest and a scone. High tea move over!

TIFF TEANIE

Ingredients:
- 2 ounces chilled Fairmont organic jasmine tea
- 1 ounce pear vodka
- ½ ounce Galliano
- Dash freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Dash simple syrup

Directions:
- Garnish with fresh lemon zest and a fresh mint sprig
- Gently stir and serve on the rocks in fine china

photo credit: the globe & mail

LEMONS

Lemons are a delicious fruit that seem to be apart of everyday life now through their accompaniment with water. But lemons have so much more to offer and can be used in so many ways from appetizers to dessert. They are very versatile and the whole fruit can be used (the juice, skin, and pulp). Lemon trees produced around 2,000 lemons per year per tree. There are many different types of lemons produced, a lot more varieties than you would suspect. These include; eureka, bush lemon, lisbon, meyer, ponderosa, variegated pink, verna, villafranca, yen ben and yuzu. Lemon trees are native to Asia and are taken from small evergreen trees. Lemons are available all year round and when selecting a lemon look for one that is smooth which brightly coloured yellow skin (greenish colour means they are under ripe).

Lemons can be used so many great ways, to flavour water, with their zest in baking, their juice to prevent the oxidation of fruit, in dressings, in desserts or as flavouring for chicken.

Here are some great recipe ideas (from two of my favourite chefs Ina Garten and Jamie Oliver) for using lemons:

Ina Garten's (Barefoot Contessa) Lemon Bars:

Ingredients

For the crust:
- 1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
For the filling:
- 6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup flour
- Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
- For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.
- Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on
- For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.
- Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Jamie Oliver's Grilled Asparagus with Olive Oil, Lemon and Parmesan

Ingredients: Serves 4 

- 800g of asparagus (2 big handfuls)

- Good squeeze lemon juice

- 3x lemon juice in olive oil

- pinch of sea salt and cracked black pepper 
- shaved Parmesan

Directions: 

- You will need to wash 2 big handfuls or 800g of whichever kind of asparagus you’re using, with their woody ends snipped off.
-  Heat a large griddle pan and dry-griddle the asparagus spears on both sides until nicely marked. 

- As soon as they're ready, put them on to four plates and dress with a good squeeze lemon juce and three times as much olive oil

- Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, then take a block of Parmesan to the table and either grate or shave some over the asparagus wtih a speed peeler.

photo credit: jamieoliver.com & google images

SPRING!

I think I am getting a little ahead of myself with all my summer talk - we still have spring to finish! FoodNetwork.ca has a great page right now featuring Spring Dinner Party Recipe ideas! I would recommend checking it out - not only are the recipes great for a party, but they focus on spring flavours like peas, asparagus and lemon!

Mmmmm, I can't wait to try out the Grilled Asparagus with Parsley Pesto!

Check out all the recipes here: http://www.foodnetwork.ca/search/story.html?id=2177646