A Good Old Fashioned Sunday Meal

Is it still possible to carry on with traditional cooking during these times. Yes. You can put a relatively traditional Sunday dinner on the table. It does take planning and smart shopping yet worth it. Nothing is as calming as a proper meal together.

It may be hard to get some main course meats, thanks to meat  processing plants being rife with Coronavirus breakouts .Many poultry plants have closed throughout the US and production is down twenty-five percent throughout all plants that even process beef and pork. Now the best bet is to do what our grandparents and great-grandparents did  - buy locally sourced meat at local farms. If you're wondering where to go , visit the website Eatwild.com and click on your state. The site will give you the names and directions of farms near you where you can get the main course for your Sunday meal. If the farms are too far away, there is always the vegan alternative. Gardein has excellent turkey cutlets that taste like the real thing. The plus comes with a sage infused gravy that's heated and poured over the cutlets later.Beyond Meat has a kind of chopped meat called Beyond Beef that could be fashioned into a Beef Wellington. Add a mushroom gravy to it for extra flavor. Another vegan idea is a plain risotto that can be flavored with anything from chopped veggies, saffron or just butter and Parmesan.

As for sides, these are a little easier to find and cook. Asparagus is a Spring staple right now and it is the perfect accompaniment. You can grill it for a smoky, sweet flavor or just boil it for a few minutes for a fresh green taste. Then there's the sauce . You could do just a simple melted butter with sliced hard boiled eggs and Parmesan cheese on top of the stalks.  A lusher sauce is Hollandaise. This easy to make one is simply a combination of egg yolks or yolk substitute. melted butter, lemon juice and Dijon mustard. It elevates the asparagus to a sophisticated level. If you're into foraging then think about a dish of wild ramps. This is an onion , grown in the wild and has the tangy taste of shallots and garlic combined. They are best grilled with only olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Ramps can be added to risotto for a different kind of side dish.A light dish is a salad made of grilled peppers. Different colored bell peppers can be grilled and dressed with a garlicky balsamic dressing. Another lovely Sunday side dish is tomatoes Provencale, sliced tomatoes topped with breadcrumbs and sauteed in a garlic infused butter and oil sauce.

These times call for tradition and comfort. A Sunday dinner is just that. Create a sit down meal that's a bit more elevated than the average one.

Spring Cleaning Your Diet

Now that Easter and Passover are over , it's time to Spring clean your diet. There are no more heavy calorie laden meals, desserts and treats. It's the season for lighter fare,not to mention lighter cooking and baking.

One of the best aspects of Spring is foraging. There is a wealth of healthy greens right outside your back door. Think about adding some of  your local woodland's best in a salad.One of the most traditional and most widely used is the dandelion. The slightly prickly leaves can be eaten on their own or with other greens. Dress with a tangy lemon -honey vinaigrette and serve with grilled chicken or scallops. Another woodland green to consider is the tongue tingling garlic mustard which can be made into a pesto or cooked with pasta similar to broccoli rabe.Mushrooms can also come from the parks and forests.Many home chefs are leery about foraging them and with good reason -half are poisonous.Buy a book on foraging (your best bet is Amazon) and read it cover to cover. Think about making your bounty in a light mushroom sauce spiked with garlic and onions. The mushrooms can also be pickled and served as a side to grilled chicken, steak or fish. Those dandelion greens can also be pickled and would be a light and interesting side.

With the weather growing warmer, it's time to get out the grill. This is chance to have delicious meats and veggies simply cooked. Don't stop at the proteins. Try a light meal of grilled asparagus with peppers and eggplants. Ramps from foraging can also be grilled . Spritz them with olive oil and cook on a grill pan until ready. A fun way to welcome in the warm weather is kabobs. Think cherry and grape tomatoes with scallops and shrimp. Or try marinated mushrooms skewers for something light and different. Climbing temps usually mean the taste for grilled burgers. These too can be lightened up. Portobello caps are a great sub in for beef patties.Marinate the caps in canola oil - which is lighter than even virgin olive oil - along with  chopped onions, balsamic vinegar and garlic.Instead of plopping it on a heavy bun, think an open faced sandwich on Italian and French bread. Gardein also has veggie burgers that taste like the real thing. Instead of the usual burgers and potato salad - just have the patties plain with grilled veggies .As for desserts, we're heading into blueberry and strawberry season. Finish the meal with a bowl of mixed berries, sweetened with dark honey and topped with Reddi-Whip's coconut or almond milk whipped creams.

It's Spring. Lighten up your diet. Go for fresh picked greens and kabobs. Get rid of the greasy burgers and try the ethereal portobellos or soy burgers. Invest in the fruits and veggies of the season. You'll feel better- and lighter. 

Blueberries New Jersey's Gems

New Jersey is known  for many culinary achievements, It have the most diners, the best pork roll and an amazing amount of diverse foods. It  also is the hub of blueberry industry. These deep blue gems proliferate not far from the Jersey shore where they're grown in abundance.

Rachel Wharton, food writer and editor for The New York Daily News covered the scene in Wednesday's New York Times Food section.  She visited several family owned farms in the Pinelands area. This is south Jersey where the land is  composed of  sugar sand , a finely grained soil, perfect for growing fruits and vegetables The area , also known as  Pine Barrens, covers seven counties is home to pitch pines, and white cedars. Yet the blueberries reign supreme here as they have for over a century. They've put the Garden State on the map. New Jersey is the fifth largest blueberry producer in the US, right behind Georgia and Washington State. Many of the farms have been family owned for decades. They grow the most popular varieties of Elizabeths, named for Elizabeth Coleman White, a cranberry farmer's daughter who worked with the government to establish the nation's blueberry's industry in 1916.Until then the berries  were foraged like morels and ramps. Her life was devoted to taming the Northern highbush berries,making American agricultural history  as well. She brought blueberries to America's table even having them advertised in the New York City subway system and putting them on the breakfast menu at the former and famed NY department store B. Altman's

These indigenous berries have many different varieties. Botanically speaking there are three different types according to Mark Ehlenfeldt, a blueberry breeding specialist with The United States Department of  Agriculture in Chatsworh, near the Pine Barrens. Many farms grow the highbush, which is grown for commercial use, the lowbush, a wild variety found mostly in Maine and the rabbit eye found in the American South. The last have an earthy flavor and used in cakes.. Most blueberry plants both here in Jersey and around the world. are the direct descendants of Elizabeth Coleman White's studies.Her namesake berry has an almost cult following and is perfect for filling pies There are also the Bluecrops, favored by Richard Stevens, scion of  Stevens Blueberries.. These have a flavor that swings from sweet to tart - perfect for pancakes.. Berry affectioados can visit and even pick blueberries at the various farms listed in the article. It is about a two hour trip south of Manhattan if you take the Garden State Parkway south.. Some farms have  extras such as Fred Plus III which also has guided Japanese style nature walks.and Emery 's Berry Farm which also sells pies and preserves.Haines berry farm also sells honey and blueberry jam along with blueberry honey, perfect for sweetening teas.\
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This is blueberry season here in New Jersey. Take advantage and pick these beautiful gems with their sweet earthy flavor. It's a fun day out, full of rewards/

Dandelion Season

Dandelions are everywhere right now. Many gardeners consider them pests but home chefs consider them a gift. This garden denizen is extremely versatile in the kitchen.

David Tanis is a big fan of the bright yellow bloom and wrote about it in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Dandelions are one of those Spring greens that get pushed to the side, thanks to the more glamorous stars of the season. Chefs go crazy for asparagus and ramps while foodies gobble up nettles green, garlic and rhubarbs. Dandelions? Not so much.At one time they were popular , adding zing to salads and fermenting as wine. They should appeal to the health conscious.In previous eras dandelions were the go to cure all. There were tinctures and soups, full of them because they were thought to be not only blood cleansers but good for the liver and kidneys. They were turned into tonics for rejuvenation. The greens are good for you.having one of the highest iron contents of any new greens. They're also loaded with such vital minerals as  calcium,copper manganese,and magnesium. Dandelion  greens are also high in Vitamins A and C, which are helpful in absorbing that iron along with Vitamin K used in clotting.Surprisingly they higher in calories than regular spring greens but they are still good for you.

Many home chefs ask what sort of dandelion greens should they get?The greens are sold in farmers markets and they've probably been specifically grown on some kind of farm. Many foragers usually go into the woods or backyards.Just remember that the leaves are highly absorbent and can also pick up whatever poisons and pesticides that were sprayed around them. As for the leaves make sure they're the tender ones that grow before the flower blooms. The leaves have a slight pleasant bitterness to them, especially with the wild ones. Since the French are big on the leaves, Mr Tanis offers them in a vinaigrette.The recipe is modeled after a classic Parisian salad.with lardons,or pork fat cubes, beets and eggs. He spikes it with fresh ginger and lime juice to temper the dandelion's strong flavor.This is an labor intensive salad that includes cooking the beets and lardons and  served with goat cheese smeared on toasted baguettes. The greens can be cooked into a simple frittata with Parmesan cheese and onions. They can also be cooked up like spinach with olive oil and garlic for a side. Use them instead of broccoli rabe with pasta for a new spin on cavatelli and broccoli.

It is dandelion season. Head to the woods or the farmers market and pick them up for a salad or omelet. They are chock full of nutrition and flavor.

Ramps The New Truffle

What exist sin the forest and goes for twelve dollars a pound? What plant is so over harvested that it's considered illegal to pick them in Canada? The humble ramp. This leek cousin is getting a whole lot of fuss because it;s used in locovore dining and it represents a push into foraging. This was the subject of a very interesting article in yesterday's New York Times Dining section. The author,Indrani Sen, even sat down with botanists ad discussed the shortage problem.


Yet why is the ramp considered the new truffle? Probably because it can be used in place of leeks or even onions. Ramps have a sharp, almost garlicky taste. They go well with any pasta dishes because they don't overpower the sauce, just adding just a slight hint of garlic and onion. Ramps can also be sauteed in butter and served with new potatoes alongside a Spring lamb or even roasted chicken. There's even a ramp soup, similar to onion and they can even be added to biscuit recipes to liven them up.

There is one problem however. The ramp is now being over harvested and with that comes the usual shortage. Since they grow in the wild, they're up for grabs so anyone can just walk by and pull them out of the ground. The problem is that everyone had the same idea and there are now shortages in the area . Botanists strongly recommend that harvesters replenish the picked over sections with seeds or avoid taking younger ramps. Ramps can take six to eighteen months to germinate and five to seven years to produce seeds.Over picking them could mean possible extinction in some areas, especially outside of New York City. Manhattan chefs go mad for them, including them in a number of recipes.

Ramps are becoming the new truffle. They're much loved and much wanted by American chefs especially New York ones. However use them sparingly if you like them. There's a shortage going on and one that would mean leading to their extinction.