Eat these now: Shishito Peppers

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Ramps!

It is that time of year.

The ramps have arrived.

Ramps are wild leeks, and belong to the same genus as onions, garlic and chives. Their flavor is a wild and woodsy combination of the three. You can eat the entire plant, the bulb, stalk, and leaves, and can use them in recipes where you'd use garlic, onions, leeks, or scallions. They are native to North America, and thrive in damp woodlands. They are one of the first splashes of green in the woods, and an unmistakable sign that spring has finally decided to come to the party.

(here is one growing in our yard--that I had planted from a few extra I had bought at the farmer's market two seasons ago).

To make them even more of a produce rock star, they are only around for about a month, after which the flavor grows too aggressive. During that time, these slender green devils send the culinary world into a bit of a frenzy. In Appalachia there are many community-wide festivals devoted solely to ramps. In New York City, it's tough to walk into a restaurant in April and not find at least one ramp special on the menu. At Rick Bishop's Mountain Sweet Berry Farm stand in Union Square's greenmarket, there is a sign propped up by his ramps with business cards from spectacular NYC chefs (who get their ramps from Rick), and handwritten notes of how they each prepare this seasonal delicacy:

The Modern: ramp ravioli

Gramercy Tavern: grilled, pickled, salsa verde with ramp greens, sauteed with scallions, salad of leeks with grilled ramps

Butter: chopped eggs on toast with grilled ramps and ricotta

Corton: ramp wrapped quail breast and lardo ballantine

SD26: ramp risotto

Mas Farmhouse: sauteed with bacon cream

Co.: grilled with lamb shoulder

Dell'anima: Tajarin "alla carbonara"--ramps, speck, egg, and pecorino

When I visited the stand yesterday, I told Rick I was in a bit of a "ramp rut" and needed some new ideas. And did I get some! (Tip: always chat with the farmer at the stand to find out their favorite way of preparing their vegetables. Amazing resource!) Great new ramp recipes to follow...and in the meantime, get some while you can.

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Earl Grey and Lavender Granita recipe

A lovely and unexpected flavor combination, that serves as a small sweet forecast of warmer weather ahead.

I saw a new stand at the market this week I hadn't noticed previously. Lavender by the Bay is a lavender farm in East Marion, NY. They were selling a variety of dried lavender sachets and bouquets, but what caught my eye were small bags of dried lavender buds "for baking and tea."

Inspired by Sophie Dahl's iced tea recipe in this month's Food and Wine magazine, I experimented with the lavender and some excellent organic earl grey loose tea I had from specialteas.com, and came up with a delicate, floral, light dessert, that is not too sweet, and slightly musky. Definitely has me dreaming of warmer days with glass of iced tea on the porch.


	EARL GREY AND LAVENDER GRANITA by Catie Makes about one quart 4 cups water 2 TBS loose earl grey tea (more or less depending on strength of tea leaves or bags) 2 tsp dried lavender buds (again, more or less depending on what you are using) 1/4 tsp lemon juice Simple Syrup: 1/4 cup sugar (I used sugar that I had stored my old vanilla beans in--a great addition.) 1/4 cup water To make simple syrup: Combine water and sugar in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil, stirring gently, until all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside. For the granita base: Bring the 4 cups of water to a boil and remove from heat. Add tea leaves, loose or in a tea ball, or bags, and lavender buds. Allow to steep for 5-10 minutes, depending on strength desired. Strain if necessary. Add lemon juice and simple syrup, to desired sweetness. Either spin in an ice cream maker, for sorbet, or pour into freezer-safe dish and freeze for one hour. Remove from freezer and break up ice that has formed, with forks. Return to freezer, and repeat the breaking up of the ice every hour for 2-3 hours, until uniformly frozen. To serve, scrape out granita with a large spoon, and top with lemon zest.

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Polenta with Goat Cheese, Shallots, and Greens recipe

On a trip to the farmers market it doesn't serve you to bring a list or to have rigid expectations. The most effective shopping there is always done by just discovering what is the very best of this week's offerings. As mentioned before, that can sometime be rough in the less produce-friendly times of year.

This week the stars, or farmers, seemed to align. There are a few bonuses of spring starting to show up, and enough cold storage winter vegetables left to anchor a recipe.

I found sweet, plump shallots, an abundance of hearty greens, luscious queso blanc made from goats milk, and had a few bags of organic polenta from a farm in Ithaca, NY, I had stocked up on during a previous market day. They all came together beautifully in this comforting, yet bright dish. A great vegetarian meal, or elegant side dish, that could be easily expanded to a more substantial meal by adding some braised chicken thighs or aromatic local sausages to the mix on top.


	POLENTA WITH GOAT CHEESE, SHALLOTS AND GREENS By Catie Serves 4 2 Cups coarse-ground polenta (not instant), from Cayuga Pure Organics 4 Cups homemade stock, chicken, turkey or vegetable 6-8 large shallots, cut in wedges, from Muddy River Farm 4 oz goat cheese (I used a goat queso blanc), from Patches of Star Dairy Farm 2 large bunches of greens (spinach, dandelion, tatsoi, kale, chard), about 12 oz, from Two Guys from Woodbridge, roughly chopped Bring the stock to a boil. Gradually whisk in polenta, and return to a gentle boil. Cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until grains are at desired softness, polenta has thickened, and excess liquid has been absorbed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You may add a tablespoon or two of butter or olive oil to add some richness. Heat a tablespoon of cooking oil in a wide pan. Add shallots and cook over medium-low heat, slowly, until slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Increase heat and add greens, and saute just until wilted. Season with salt. Spoon polenta on plates. Top with greens and shallots. Crumble goat cheese on top.

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Baked Apple Galette

I have some Mutzu apples from a recent trip to the farmers’ market. These apples are softball-huge and bright lime green, and immediately caught my attention as I was perusing the Migliorelli Farm stand. They are such gorgeous specimens it seemed blasphemous to peel them and cut them up into chunks—or toss them with a lot of sugar and seasoning.

This recipe is sort of a cross between an apple dumpling, rugelach, galette, with probably a little hamentashen thrown in there too. I love that it really just puts this outstanding apple on a pedestal (or buttery crust), to enjoy almost bare naked. It is simple and rustic, and great by itself—but even better with a scoop of my husband’s homemade vanilla ice cream.


	BAKED APPLE GALETTES By Catie Serves 4 For the crust: 2 cups AP flour 2 TBS sugar ¼ tsp salt 4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cubed 1 large egg, mixed with 1 TBS cold water additional cold water as needed For the filling: 2 large baking apples, cut in half lengthwise and cored 2 TBS dried currents or raisins 2 TBS calvados, brandy, eau-de-vie, or hot water 2 TBS pecans, toasted and finely chopped 2 TBS sugar ¼ tsp ground cinnamon Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with a silpat, parchment paper, or lightly butter. Put currents and brandy in a small bowl to soak for at least 10 minutes. Add dry ingredients to food processor, and pulse to combine. Add butter cubes to processor, and pulse until rough and crumbly, but uniform in texture, like coarse sand. Add egg mixed with water, pulse to combine. If needed, add cold water, a few drops at a time, just until dough comes together in a ball. Remove from food processor, knead just a few times by hand to make sure the dough is combined throughout. Section into four pieces, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Mix pecans sugar, pecans, cinnamon, and drained currents gently together. Roll out one of the balls of dough to 2” wider in diameter than the apple half. Transfer dough to baking sheet. Spoon ¼ of the pecan-current mixture in the center of the dough. Place one half of an apple, cut side down, on the mixture. Gently fold the edge of the dough, overlapping itself in several places up and around the apple. Repeat for remaining 3 galettes. Bake at 425°F for 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 350°F and continue to bake until the crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes more. Rotate baking sheet once during baking.

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Pea Shoot, Celeriac, Apple and Hazelnut Salad

One of the toughest parts of eating almost exclusively locally in Upstate, NY, is the lack of bright, refreshing, crunchy, raw foods and salads in the colder months. We are overflowing in hearty carrot and squash soups, but there are definitely days I would kill for the snap of a thick slice of fresh cucumber.

This week, particularly with the few amazing days of spring-promised sunshine we've had, I was already dreaming of getting started on my gardens, and craving some food of much warmer months. I did, however, gather at the farmer's market a collection of ingredients that came together for a great salad. When tested on my husband, the review was-- "Refreshing!". Perfect.

PEA SHOOT, CELERIAC, APPLE AND HAZELNUT SALAD

by Catie

Serves 4

2 large tart green apples (I used Mutzu apples from Migliorelli Farm)

1 medium celeriac (from Muddy River Farm in Goshen, NY)

Medium handful of pea shoots, about 1 oz (from Two Guys from Woodbridge hydroponic farm, in Hamden, CT)

1/4 cup toasted and chopped hazelnuts

for the dressing:

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 TBS hazelnut oil

salt and pepper to taste.

Cut the rough exterior off the celeriac, and cut the inner white part into thin matchsticks. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Have ready a bowl of ice water. When water is boiling, put in cut celeriac and blanch until al dente, about 30 seconds, depending on the size of the pieces. Immediately scoop out with slotted spoon and shock in ice water. Drain and dry.

Cut apples in small cubes. Wash and dry pea shoots.

Put cider vinegar in large bowl. Slowly add hazelnut oil in thin stream while whisking constantly. Season with salt and pepper.

Add celeriac, apple, pea shoots, and hazelnuts to bowl. Toss with vinaigrette.

Gently mound salad on a plate. Sprinkle top with a few more nuts.

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Catie Baumer Schwalb is a chef, food writer and photographer, who splits her life between the city and the country. Not too long ago Catie was a New York City based actress and playwright for more than a decade. She has her Master of Fine Arts from the National Theater Conservatory, and her Grand Diplôme in classic culinary arts from the French Culinary Institute in New York City. ... Read More ≫

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