Fresh Spring Sides

Everything green comes up in the Spring and that includes delicious and nutritious sides.Some have been classics for generations, some are new thanks to the foraging movement.They can be made in a variety of ways,from salads to appetizers, from soups to sides.They bring the brightness of the season to the table. One of the most common and absolutely most delicious is asparagus.They are low in calories but high in vitamins and minerals.Look for stalks that are bright green,un blemished and stiff.One of the best ways to make them is Piedmontese style.Boil until soft,drain and place on a serving dish.Pour on about quarter of a cup of melted butter or margarine ,then cover with sliced ard boiled eggs and Parmesan cheese.You can also grill them hoverer seems to change their delicate flavor.Artichokes are also big on the Spring side scene.Theses can be served with individual ramekins filled with dressing.Dip the leaves in these.Stuffed artichokes are another nice side.Stuff with breadcrumbs mixed with olive oil and Parmesan cheese.Fried artichokes are a Passover treat inRome.These are easy to make and delicious with any meal.They are cut to the heart and double fried for ultimate crispness. Spring means foraging and the forests are full of edible goodies .However if you're feeling a bit wary about picking your own , then try to find them at your local market.Nettles are in season and can be used in a number of dishes.Be warned though about them though.They have sharp thorny stickers that can do damage to fingers and palms.Wear gloves when picking and handling.Once cooked then can be made into soup or even a pesto.Most Y used by Italians and Greeks they find their way into ravioli, sauces and spanokopita.You can male a lively nettlecsalad with the steamed greens and walnuts. Morels are another woodland treat that's a Spring favorite.This is a spongy looking mushroom with an earthier taste than regular mushroos.Morels can be breaded and then fired or cut up in a pasta sauce.As with their button cousins, they're also an excellent ingredient in a mushroom salad with red and green peppers, or just cooked with butter.Another idea is to create a wine sauce and overcchicken and rice. Spring is here and with come a variety of fresh vegetables.You can try the usual or the unusual.Both kinds add freshness and flavor toany warm weather meal!

Your Spring Holiday Meats

With the start of Passover and Easter just a few days away, now is the time to decide what to serve.For an Easter dinner it's ham or lamb while Passover choices are brisket, turkey or chicken.If you pick a top quality main dish ,it will be a memorable holiday for sure.Choose the best for the meal's centerpiece . Many people have a hard time picking a Passover meat.Brisket is traditional however many are opting for chicken or turkey.Brisket is from the chest of the cow and is usually the toughest piece of beef.However it is one of the most flavorful too.You should always buy the best grade .Go for the packer cut kinds because they have the points missing .You can buy the other kind and perhaps the best place to get it is an old fashioned butcher,He can cut off the fatty parts and offer advice too.Turkey isn't as in demand right now as it is during the fall and winter.You can still buy it and it will probably be cheaper. It is labor intensive however. An easier version is just getting the breast.If you want another kind of poultry ,then think baked Cornish hens. This kind is also acceptable .Cook as you would the chicken.You can pay more at a butcher or market but you can also get them at any kosher supermarket. Easter brings about a choice, ham or lamb.Ham can be either city or countryMost Easter ones are city hams, that are one brine cured ,smoked and fully cooked.Country hams are fresh,and cured directly by being rubbed with salt or sugar.Your best bet is getting a cut with the highest grade.It has a delicate pork flavor and has a lean texture resembling a chop.It should also have a small amount of water too.Lamb is also another traditional meat served for both Easter and Passover.You can try the New Zealand/Australian breed or the American.There is a marked texture and taste difference.The New Zealand, or Aussie kinds are low in fat making them slightly more difficult to cook.The are a bit tougher and gamy.American raised lambs are much more tender and tend to have a sweeter flavor.They are more expensive however .The next choice is boned or boneless.A boned leg of lamb is heavier to lift out of the oven.A lack of it though means that it's harder to cook and it's harder to cook to the right temperature. Spring holiday meats should be the highlight of the celebration.Choose what is right for you ,your traditions and your level of skill.The result will be a tasty and memorable main meal cooked well and deliciously.

The Ever Versatile Bulgar

Bulgar may sound exotic but it's more homey than foreign.You can do anything with it,from creating a nutritious breakfast to an exciting side.It's also a great way to expand your dish repertoire with all the different recipes. Bulgar has been around for millennia It was a staple of the Great Ottoman Empire and still used in MIddle Eastern as well as in Lebanese and Syrian cuisine.It's basically the groats primarily from Durham wheat .The supermarket sells it already parboiled and dried.The U.S.D.A. Recognizes it as a whole grain and it can be labeled as such.it is rich in potassium and high in protein, making it a more nutritious side than rice.The best and easiest way to cook it is to steam it in a covered pot for twenty minutes and then fluff with a fork.You can microwave bulgar.Just use three tablespoons of water to three quarters of a cup of bulgar.This makes fro a quick breakfast if you add maple syrup and butter afterwards.Sub in herbs, minced garlic and Parmesan for the syrup if you want a quick meal. The grain can be made a variety of ways.The most traditional is tabbouleh, which is a salad of it mixed with cucumbers and tomatoes.Onions,parsley and mint are also thrown in for bounce as is lemon juice for more flavor.This is a perfect barbecue side, more refreshing than mayo laden macaroni and potato salads.Another idea is making it into a kind of dal, cooked with lentils .Carmelized onions along with such spices such as coriander and cumin along with cinnamon are added.Serve hot with toasted pita bread.It can also serve as a bed for chicken ,beef or lamb kabobs.Mix it with some olive oil and a variety of Middle Eastern spices to compliment the meat.Bulgar can also be used like barley to thicken soups and stews, along with stretching them too to last a few days.O Bulgar may be from the Middle East and have an exotic. Cachet, yet it is a homey grain, full of goodness.Start the day with it or have it liven up your evening meal.Any way you serve it is good.

Grain Range

One of the best ways to cook healthy is to cook with grains.There are a wealth to choose from and each can be made in a variety of ways.Grains aren't just used in baking.They can make excellent sides and even be the base of some Salads.Once you know what they are and can offer , you can create good for you and good tasting meals. One of the most widely used and ever popular grains is barley.Most know it from soups,It' can not only add flavor but also thicken them so they can resemble pot ages. Barley is good on it's own and can be used instead of arborio rice for making risotto.Remember to buy the pearl kind.It takes less time and water to cook. You can use hulled barley but it will take about an hour to cook and will require more water.Another much eaten grain is buckwheat.It's technically not a grain but a gluten free fruit seed related to the rhubarb.It has a deep nutty flavor and goes well with mushrooms or caramelized carrots and onions.Of course everyone knows it as a chief ingredient in pancakes but you could also use it in a bacon and egg scramble.For a more interesting spin use it as a filler for stuffed cabbage instead of rice. Some grains are only being introduced to the American palate.There is freekah, a Middle Eastern grain popular in Egyptian cuisine.It's cousin to wheat and is best toasted.The reason being is that a crop burned thousands of years ago after a village was attacked and what was left was roasted chaff.The villagers loved the smokey roasted flavor.It can be served as a side with butter amid herbs or as a salad ,namely with fruit such as apples and pears.Teff is another ancient grain from Africa.The grains are very tiny, sort of like poppy seeds, and have both a bitter and sweet taste.It is gluten free and very high in Vitamin C and calcium.The flavor is both bitter and sweet like chocolate.It is versatile,being an excellent breakfast with maple syrup or for lunch and dinner ,stirred into stew. Amaranth is another grain with an exotic, yet pretty name.It is high in protein and lysine.Use it in pancake batter or as a salad.It can even sub in for farina during chilly mornings. Grains are a wonderful to expand your menu as well as bringing more nutrients int the family diet.Try any one to start the day or end a busy day. Any one is a great addition to meal time.

New Passover Treats

Passover means cooking dishes that have been handed down for generations.As good as these are, it's always nice to add some new ideas.It keeps the meal from becoming boring and predictable.It also lets home chefs experiment with new ingredients and techniques.All in all in makes for an exciting and memorable holiday Seder. Both Melissa Clark and Joan Nathan experimented with new ideas and time honored ingredients in The New York Times Dining section.Ms.Clark tries the dessert aspect of Passover in her A Good Appetite column.She makes macaroons, long a holy day staple ,but she bakes them a la francaise so they resemble the kind Laduree makes. she stuffs them with a simple caramel of just sugar and water.Dark chocolate is then drizzled over them to cut the overly sweet taste.Another classic ,a flour less cake becomes a hazelnut citrus torte.The hazelnuts are finely ground and mixed with quinoa, the South American grain for a batter.Both lemon and orange juice are added for flavor then it is baked in a spring form pan for half an hour or so.To finish off the meal.Ms Clark makes the classic matzoh candy.It's really a toffee that was originally made with chametz, or leavened crackers such as Saltines for the rest of the year.Butter and Ginger is poured over the matzoh, then baked.Chocolate is then added to the baked sheets as is candied Ginger. Joan Nathan also contributes a Passover recipe, fried artichokes. This is a traditional dish of the Roman Jews and popular because April is artichoke season throughout Italy.Ms.Nathan makes the trip to Rome to visit with home cook, Paola Modigliani Fano for the recipe and to enjoy these heavenly treats.Use American globe artichokes and cut the leaves off.What will be left will be the hearts along with the tenderest parts of the choke.They are fried until crisp for fifteen minutes.The rounds should be bronze in color.Leave them be, after spreading out the leaves leaves with a grapefruit spoon or melon baller.A second frying occurs a few hours later and this is what gets them potato chip crisp.They could also be frozen for another time, although they're so delicious people would want them right away. Serve with a sprinkle of lemon juice.These would even be a good hors d"oeuvre for any Spring gathering. Passover is a time for tradition and good food.Yet it's nice to introduce new culinary traditions to the holiday table.Whether ,sweet or savory these dishes are sure to become instant family favorites and classics.

The Best Homemade Pizza

Nothing beats a homemade pizza.You can decide what's going into both the crust and the topping.Best of all you can make it as healthy or as decadent as you want.All you need is a simple crust recipe and you're good to go. Sam Sifton, former editor of the New York Times Dining section goes back to his old section( he now handles the national news section of the newspaper)and finds the best homemade pizza recipe.Not surprisingly it's one of the easiest dishes to make yet no one troubles to make it.People tend to order out or buy the frozen kind,Yet why would you with a snap to make recipe.Before you even start,Mr Sifton recommends, is buy a pizza stone.This is a sheet on which the pie is cooked.It costs at most forty dollars for a stainless steel one. You can also get a cheaper one simply by getting 6 inch by 6 inch unglazed quarry tiles at your local building supply store.Just buy six which will work perfectly for a large sized pizza.Another handy device is a pizza peel .This helps in transferring the pie to the oven however you can use your everyday cutting board or baking sheet. Once you have these then it's time to make the dough .It should be pliant and chewy.The flour should be the Italian made graded 00. You should also add water and olive oil, the last for body.It should be lightly kneaded and gently stretched.Don't manhandle it.The sauce should also be made the same way.The best recipe for it is from the famed Brooklyn pizzeria , Roberta's. Drain cannned tomatoes and blend with olive oil and a dash of salt.Finish with basil and big chunks of mozzarella for a Margherita style.There is also a recipe for the Green and White, a cheese pizza with just arugula on top.Also try experimenting ,with such interesting and unusual toppings suc. As tuna, caviar, if you wantvto impress guests, shredded pork, and a variety of differentvtomatoes, from grapecto plum to beefsteak.Baking time for all is just 6 minutes. APizza for lunch or dinner is a treat.Homemade with a tasty crust, even more so.Try this one with whatever topping you want and enjoy it.

Icing On Your Cake

Thanks to Easter,home bakers the world over will be decorating cakes and cookies with Easter egg colors,.The question is do most know the difference between the two? What about glaze?How does that figure into holiday cake and cookie decorating.Another question is there a healthy frosting to counter balance all those Peeps and chocolate eggs. Surprisingly there is a difference between frosting and icing ,although we tend to use the two words interchangeably.Frosting is made with butter, lard or margarine along with confectioners's sugar and milk.It's beaten until fluffy with either a spoon or beater.It can work as filling too,depending upon the cake flavor( simple chocolate or vanilla cakes can stand up to a frosting filling)?It can be piped or spread on the cake's surface with a knife or spatula.Fondant icing which is popular in the UK is more like a shiny covering ( think the icing on Hostess cupcakes).Corn syrup is the reason for that shininess and usually a quarter of a cup is added.)If you're making an egg shaped caked then ice with the fondant .It"ll take the shape better and give the appearance of an egg shell.You can decoratevwith buttercream frosting afterwards.If you're baking a lamb or chick cake ,then use the buttercream frosting piped on in small florets.This gives both a soft'fuzzy"look. For those worried about too much sugar, you can make a sugar free icing using liquid stevia ,cream cheese and heavy whipping cream mixed together.It's a bit runnier than the regular kind but still delicious and decorative. Icing is frosting but without the buttercream.It works best on cookies.Icing is nothing more than confectioner's sugar mixed with light corn syrup and milk.You can add flavoring such as lemon or almond extract to give it flavor.You can also use this on cupcakes if you're not into big fluffy puffs.If you're planning on making Easter egg and daisy cookies ,then split the icing into individual bowls and tint with food coloring or natural dyes.Glaze is a type of simple icing. It taste best on sweet breads and sweet rolls.It is usually made with a cup and a half of sugar with only two to three tablespoons of milk added. You can trade one of those teaspoons for lemon juice to cut the sweet.Glaze can not only be drizzled over rolls but also over coffee cakes ,crullers and doughnuts.An orange or lemon glaze would amp up the holiday fanciness on a simple yeast based butter cake. Easter baking time is here and with it a host of baked goods to decorate.Decide what you're going to make and pick the best topping for it.It'll guarantee prettily decorated and delicious cakes, cookies and breads with just the right amount of sweetness to top it off.