Spring!
This is a special Weeklyish: it's the start of spring, I review one of my favorite cookbooks of all time, and you get THREE recipes!
We start with a look at Alban Eilir, the Druidic festival that celebrates the spring equinox. Much as that traditional observance celebrates, our crocuses first opened on the equinox, marking the official start of spring with a favorite spring flower!
Next, we look at one of those quick meals you can throw together, while still celebrating the foods of the season, Asiago Bagel Pizzas with Nebuka Scallions! Seriously, this is a 10-minute dinner meal that hits both the comfort food and spring celebration buttons.
Finally, we review Darina Allen's Forgotten Skills of Cooking, one of the most influential and utilized books in my collection. Then two examples of my variations on Forgotten Skills recipes follow: Potato, Cheese, and Scallion Gratin, and Raspberry Amaretto Fool.
Soak it in this week - I doubt you'll find too many more Weeklyish'es with three recipes. That's a lot for one week!
|
|
Order Deadlines
| Delivery Option |
|
Deadline |
| Home delivery | Thursday |
|
Tuesday, 10pm* |
| Pickup @ Culver Farmers' Market | Saturday |
|
Thursday, 10pm |
| *Sourdough orders for delivery require an additional 24 hours |
|
|
|
|
Alban Eilir
Spring is officially here! And, the weather is actually starting to look springy. We finally had some crocuses bloom on the day of the equinox!
Spring time has always been a special. For the Druids, who had a particularly intimate relationship with the cyclic passing of time that mirrors my own, it was marked by three separate festivals! Imbolc marks the first stirrings of spring, what Hoosiers might call "Fool's Spring." Alban Eilir marks the equinox, and the first really "serious" stirrings of proper spring ("Spring of Deception"). Finally, Beltane marks full-on spring, just as it begins to turn to summer ("The Pollening").
The symbology of Alban Eilir is still reflected in our traditions today. The traditional symbolic plant is the shamrock, which is still featured today, associated with St. Patrick's Day. While today, the shamrock is usually seen as symbolic of the Holy Trinity, to the Druids, it was symbolic of the trinity of the Triple Goddess (Maiden, Mother, Crone, at base level not too dissimilar from Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Regardless of your faith, there are persistent truths to the spirit!).
It is also a time when Druid's contemplated "The Druid's Egg." This was an inner symbol, conceptually tied with the idea of life force being shared in every part of the world, nurtured through winter, and flourishing in spring. The Druid's egg, protected by a hare, was an important symbol of Alban Eilir, and undoubtedly gave rise to the tradition of the Easter Bunny. In case you wondered how such an obviously secular tradition became entwined in the most holy celebration of Christianity, it was because it was a sacred tradition predating the birth (and resurrection, of course!) of Christ.
For us, this time of spring also stirs the mystery of life. Crocuses and Daffodil's begin to appear, as do turtles and the early frog calls (chorus frogs are one of the few species that can actually have their body freeze during the winter, and survive. Thus, their calls are often one of the first important signs of spring), many of our migratory bird friends return, and the early pollinating insects begin hungrily foraging. The greenhouse fills up with seedlings, and the rush of spring bed preparation and transplanting work sets in. The growing season starts to really accelerate now!
|
|
|
Asiago Bagel Pizzas with Scallions
These are hectic days on the farm, as the marathon winter growing season transitions into the sprint of the traditional main season. Days are packed with lots of urgent work, often filling every moment of daylight available when it isn't raining and the ground is not frozen.
So, we get hungry. But have little time to cook, and sometimes feel less than inspired by the thought of making some elaborate dinner. But we still want to eat seasonally and locally. Such was the case Thursday night. We needed something filling, comforting, delicious, and done in under 10 minutes. Thankfully, we had some bagels left from the day's home deliveries (make sure to place your order!), and a healthy supply of Nebuka Scallions that overwintered. And we still have a few jars of tomato products in the pantry. What to do?
Asiago Bagel Pizzas!
No measuring here. It barely counts as a recipe, as you can substitute every single item. Just make 'em how you think works.
Asiago Cheese Bagels (Hole in the Woods Farm)
Pizza Sauce or Spaghetti Sauce
Shredded or sliced cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, Monterey jack, pepper jack, Gouda, muenster, a blend... Just something that melts well. Or not - replace the sauce with pesto, the cheese with feta... yum)
Nebuka Scallions, white and green parts, chopped (or other toppings of your choice)
Dried Basil
Turn the broiler on high. Slice the bagels in half. Put the bagels, cut-side up, on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Use a tablespoon to spread a thin layer of sauce on each half. Spread with lots of cheese. Sprinkle with scallion slices and dried basil.
Slide under the broiler for about 3 minutes, or until the cheese is melty and golden brown. Channel your inner Jacques Tourneur to inspire a quick photo, and enjoy!
|
|
|
Forgotten Skills of Cooking
Darina Allen has been called "the Julia Child of Ireland." If that is true, then, Forgotten Skills of Cooking is her Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and then some!
Forgotten Skills is divided topically by family of food, with chapters for foraged foods, fish, game, beef, dairy, eggs and poultry, pig, lamb, vegetables herbs and salad, preserving, desserts, cakes and cookies (which, for Darina are different from desserts. I approve!), bread, and more. Each chapter addresses its topic from the broad to the detailed, discussing what the family of food is like, how it progresses through the seasons, different variations, etc. Each chapter is focused on celebrating that type of food in its fullness, using all of the resources available from the food source, as well as other ingredients available in the same season (at least in Ireland...). Recipes are authoritative, concise, and complete, yet also written clearly, conversationally, and in a way that encourages experimentation and improvisation.
And Forgotten Skills really does celebrate ingredients and season! It's the only cookbook I have that has recipes that call for pheasant, bacon, and scallions, or discusses in detail the difference between lamb, mutton, and hogget, and goes into depth about the culinary differences between curly kale and black kale.
As you can see from my photograph, it is a truly beloved (or abused...) book, filled with food stains, bookmarks, notes, and personal variations on recipes, etc., a bit tattered around the edges (though the binding is holding up quite well). When I find an ingredient I am really excited about but unfamiliar with, the "big green book" is frequently my first stop. Or, if I have a lot of something special, and I want ideas for using it in a myriad of different ways, Forgotten Skills usually has me covered. Something delicious but really expensive, so I don't have much experience and don't want to mess it up? Yup, Darnia has me covered.
But, it is also very much about skills. Informative and entertaining sections on making various kinds of stock, when and where to forage various wild greens and herbs, how to prepare rose hips, how to use leftovers of larger meals to create followup options, how to modify a technique to apply it to a different food or time of year are the heart of the book.
Forgotten Skills is perfectly suited to finding inspiration before shopping. It is equally appropriate for figuring out what to do with that exciting ingredient you bought, grew, or foraged without a plan. As a bonus, it is adept at helping prepare a feast for a crowd, or a light lunch for yourself. In short, it is a (cook)Book Everyone Should Own!
Alas, Forgotten Skills is currently out of print. There are several editions, with slightly different subtitles, cover designs, and lauded numbers of included recipes. Used copies are sometimes priced absurdly - Amazon's listing at present is over $800!, while two days ago it was $22. But, it's worth looking around. Abe Books currently has a copy in Very Good condition for $19, and I've seen it at Half Price Books, library book sales, and thrift shops. If you have the opportunity, snap this one up!
|
|
|
Potato, Cheese, and Scallion Gratin
Potatoes. Cheese. Green onions. It must be comfort food time!
This version of a gratin is a little less rich than the more familiar gratin dauphinois, in that it uses stock rather than cream. I find it more flavorful, if less rich.
Adapted from The Forgotten Skills of Cooking by Darina Allen
Serves 8 as a side dish. Or, 4 potato lovers on a binge.
3 lbs Yukon Gold* Potatoes
1 bunch Nebuka Scallions
3 Tbsp Butter
2 1/4 C grated Cheese (just about anything you have laying around. I used a mix of cheddar, mozzarella, and Monterey Jack.)
Salt
Pepper
1 1/2 C Chicken (or vegetable) Stock
Preheat the oven to 450 F. Fill a large stock pot with water and bring it to a boil.
Meanwhile, slice the potatoes very thinly. A mandolin is extremely helpful here. When all of the potatoes are sliced, dunk them in the boiling water for 3-4 minutes. While the potatoes are blanching, chop both the green and white parts of the scallions into slices. Drain the potatoes, and rinse them with cold water.
Rub a thick coating of butter on a casserole dish (I used a 10" round one, largely because I had intended to use a 12" oval one but dropped it out of the cabinet and it broke.).
Bring the stock to a boil in a separate sauce pan.
Meanwhile, sprinkle some of the scallions over the bottom of the dish, then add a layer of potatoes, a layer of cheese, then season with salt and pepper. Repeat this layering process: scallions, potatoes, cheese, seasoning, until you are out of potatoes or the dish is full.
Arrange the last layer of potatoes with an overlapping pattern that looks nice,. Pour the boiling stock over and around the top layer. Add a sprinkle of cheese, salt and pepper, then top with small chunks of the remaining butter.
Bake until the potatoes are tender and the top is golden brown and caramelized, about an hour and 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
*You can substitute a similar "all-purpose" potato. But, don't go with a starchy potato, which will fall apart, or a really waxy potato, which will become rubbery. You want it to be tender and yielding, yet still have a pleasant chew.
|
|
|
Raspberry Amaretto Fool
We're getting to the bottom of the food we stored for winter, but we did still have one bag of raspberries in the freezer. And, we're dreaming of summer. What is both dreamy and summery? Raspberry Fool!
There are a couple of different variations on a fool, mostly dependent upon the type of fruit used. But they are all fairly simple: essentially some sort of fruit, usually stewed or pureed, swirled into whipped cream. There are several variations of fools in The Forgotten Skills of Cooking, but this variation is a little more in my own style.
Makes about 6 servings
12 oz frozen Raspberries
1/2 C Sugar
1 1/2 C Heavy Cream, cold
2 Tbsp Amaretto (Chambord and Frangelico are also good choices)
Sprinkle the raspberries with the sugar and allow to macerate/thaw for about an hour. Freezing brings out some bitter flavors in raspberries, so the sugar helps extract some of the juice, as well as recover their original sweetness.
Combine the cream and Amaretto in a medium bowl. Whip the cream to soft peaks.
Set aside a few raspberries for garnish. Use a potato masher to mash the rest, leaving a few chunks. Gently fold the raspberries into the whipped cream, so a "swirly" appearance results.
Spoon into individual glass cups so you can enjoy the appearance. Top with a couple of the reserved raspberries. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to a day or so.
|
|
Order Deadlines
| Delivery Option |
|
Deadline |
| Home delivery | Thursday |
|
Tuesday, 10pm* |
| Pickup @ Culver Farmers' Market | Saturday |
|
Thursday, 10pm |
| *Sourdough orders for delivery require an additional 24 hours |
|
|
|
|
|
|
