Kitchen Spring Cleaning

Every home chef has to do it - Spring cleaning of the kitchen. It;s time to greet a new season with sparkling appliances and cleaned out pantries and fridges. Once done' you'll feel better about cooking and baking in it.

How often do you need to clean the fridge? Every three or four months should do it.This isa  great time to clean out old foods and those mystery plates wrapped in foil. Also get rid of those bottles of ketchup and mustard that have crusted over or dried inside the bottle. Luckily frozen food can keep longer than fresh food and leftovers.It actually can last indefinitely but the taste and texture degrades over time. You can keep that bag of frozen carrots for well over a year but they won't be as bright or fresh tasting as a new bag.What about last year's ice cream and popsicles?Unopened  ice cream can only last two to four months.Once opened it's only good for one to two months.Forget homemade ice cream. Thanks to no stabilizers it can go bad very quickly Popsicles are tougher.They can survive relatively intact for six to eight months. They don;tspoil or become harmful, however they can become icy or lose flavor.Colors can change too.If you do want to preserve them .store then at the very back of the freezer away from warm air bl;astes when the freezer door is open.

How do you clean a fridge and freezer.First of all unplug it and start with the outside first. Use a rag and warm soapy water.  Dawn dish detergent is perfect for this.It can get rid of food stains,fingerprints and splotches. You can also use a one -one mix of white vinegar and water too/If you have a stainless steel exterior, then rub in the direction of the grain and buff dry. Add a tiny amount of olive oil to a dry washcloth and rub dry for sine. The interior is a more elaborate process. First remove all the shelves and clean everything with warm soapy water.Then wipe down the interior with a mix of baking soda and water for white vinegar.Also wipe down food containers so there are no sticky bottoms leaving marks. As far as your stove;s exterior, a baking soda paste mixed with water should do it. GO over twice, one with the paste then with a clean wet rag.This paste can also be used on the oven';s interior to get rid of great build up. Scrub with a non scratch pad and then a clean soft cloth.

THis is only a small part of Spring kitchen cleaning.Yet a clean fridge and oven are vital to sanitary baking and cooking., Do a good clean tof=day for that sparkling look.

The Poor Man's Risi E Bisi

Spring brings on the burger to make lighter, greener fare. One dish is the Venetian classic rising e bisi. It a rich rice dish full of carrots and peas , with the rice cooked in a rich broth.It's not a fancy dish,especially when you made the poor man;s version,

I was craving this but didn;t want to  deal with fussy arborio rice. I used long grained whiter rice for this .It's easy easy cook.

Minute rice works best with this and to give it that rich taste I cooked the rice in a mix of veggie broth and water. It was two and a half cups of broth to a half of cup of water.

I like Pacific brand soups and broth.Their veggie broth is thick and flavorful,

This is absolutely perfect for cooking rice and even pasta.It gives a lovely deep taste to ordinary white rice,e;eating it .

Whille the rice was cooking It was time to cook the carrots and peas Usually the recipe calls for just peas and they're added as the last step to the cooking rice. I wanted to make sure that the veggies were cooked so I microwaved them for six minutes.

The entire pot was stirred in.For extra flavor I added these.

Since I made six cups of rice I stirred  into a botu three heaping tablespoons of the plant butter and a good teo tablespoons of garlic powder(you can add fresh  minced garlic and shallots too for a more authentic taste)>

The butter and garlic powder were thoroughly stirred in until the plant butter melted.

The poor man;s risi e bisi should look like this.

How was it?

Heaven!!!!!I loved this poor man's version.The garlic and butter accentuated the rice and veggies.This was a perfect marriage of flavors. Even better it's so good reheated the day after for lunch or dinner.

Try this version of risi e visit for a quick Sunday supper.It's the perfect harbinger of Spring cooking/. It's brings a freshness and mellowness to the dinner table.

A Handful Of Peas

 One of the best Spring vegetables is actually not asparagus but the humble pea. This slittle green gem is not only good for you but also versatile,It can be put in a variety of hot and cold dishes and give a lovely sweet taste to any dish,

Right now it's Spring pea season. These are tender and sweet , just good in a sauce with pearl onions and melted butter.Peas are actually the seeds of the cultured pea plant .There's usually three to four in a long case called a pod. These perfect orbs have a lot of health benefits. They are perfect for diabetics because they have the low glycemic index of around twenty-two.They do not cause fast blood sugar spikes along with being high in fiber and protein, Peas are rich in magnesium, iron and potassium which again are good for managing diabetes.They're also chock full of carbohydrates which means they'll keep you sated and full after eating them.As tasty as creamed and processed peas are, try to avoid them because they contain high levels of sugar and salt.You can eat frozen peas . They picked and frozen at peak ripeness which means they're chock full of vitamins and nutrients. Keep in mind to check the packaging.Some companies may add sodium or salt for flavor.

Peas are great in everything.A pea salad is a nice side to a Spring lamb or Cornish hen dinner. Try using them in a salad full of crunchy radish sauces and mint.Creamy feta is also added to give the salad a silky feel and just olive oil as a dressing. Just a plain pea salad with some sprigs of mint is also good. Use a simple vinegar or lemon juice and olive oil dressing and a slight sprinkle of sea salt and freshly ground pepper. A heartier meal using peas in the main course is the Venetian risi e bisi.It's a wonderful departure from typical risotto dishes,Diced prosciutto gives the dish a saltiness that pairs well with the peas sweet flavor.If you can't get prosciutto any leftover Easter ham will do.Garlic and shoots also give it a flavorful taste as its; cooked in either chicken or vegetable broth.Serve with a generous dusting of Parmesan cheese another Spring-y main dish is pasta primavera with peas and asparagus. Spring onions and butter are added to the half cup of asparagus and two kinds of peas,  a quarter pound of snap ones and three quarter cups of fresh English peas, They are part of the sauce ,  which also consists of creme fraiche ,Parmiggiano, Reggiano and fresh herbs are added later to the hot pasta(usually tagiatelli Peas can also be used in hummus too.It's just adding these gems to chickpeas and tahini blended together.

Use peas this SPring for a bright burst of sweet greenness. Try them in a zesty minty salad. Have them as part of a risotto to pasta dish.They are perfect ,cold to hot.

Spring Excitement

 Spring is the time for trying new dishes and rediscovering old ones.Itsa time when fresh veggies are used and lighter fare is a must. Where's the question - what are you excited for cooking and baking this Spring?

For me it's the Venetian classic risi e bisi  - rice and peas with a spin.I'm not going to use the required laborious rice but simple plain white. It should taste just as good and I'm also adding carrots for color too. (there will be a how to on this as soon as I make this)

What's got you excited for this new season? A veggie based pasta sauce? Lemon cake? Maybe lamb chops with herbs?

Let us know what going to elevate your Spring baking and cooking this season.

The Meat Controversy

Meat or no meat? That'sa question that's wracking America today. Should Americans follow secretary of Health RFK Jr 'd diet f filets and fermentation? Or should they embrace vegetarianism? What's the best way of life?

New contributor and regular New York Times reporter Lisa Miller wrote this fascinating piece in yesterdays New York Times Wednesday Food section.Carnivore versus herbivore isn't something new. Meat was always touted as the cure all for whatever ailed a person.During the Civil War physicians prescribed minced beef for strength. For those who couldn't;t afford meat which was expensive at the time there were elixirs  derived for meat they also didn't spoil which was common for beef and chicken before the days of refrigeration,Meat juice was promoted as atomic for sustaining and strengthening " the vital forces". One tonic , Valentines Meat Juice  promised that they cured and prevented pneumonia and flu. Not surprisingly vegetarianism was also on the rise at this time. Brothers William and John Harvey Kellogg promoted a meat free diet that released people from diseases, clogged arteries and even animal propensities in young eople. They and John Harvey 's wife Ella came up with that classic staple, Corn flakes. These were a better alternative to meat heavy breakfasts loaded with sausages and bacon.They even came up with what could be called a prototype for IMpossible meat.

The controversy is still alive and well today. RFK Jr is flouting his meat and fermented food diet where he eats steak, sauerkraut and yogurt.  Vice President JD Vance is on this diet. It seems greens are on the taboo list which can be a bad idea.According to MAHA  -Make America Healthy Again followers meat living is presented as a revolutionary rebuttal of established nutrition based science of plant forward eating, The much beloved Mediterranean diet is now suspect. Kennedy himself has dismissed the established nutrition science as dogma,claiming eating a fully meat based diet has made him lose twenty pounds. Even pro meat enthusiasts treat plants as if  they're poisonous. Influencer Anthony Chaffee, who  received a medical degree  in obstetrics and surgery from the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin claims that eating a slad has the same long term health risks as smoking cigarettes. There is a problem with all this  so called "scientific Facts" (if they can be called that), An all meat diet can;t cure all diseases.It can;t add decades onto a person;s life. Home chefs should take these claims with a huge grain of salt. They're scientistic based on some fact and not scientific  based on one hundred per cent facts.

What is the right diet? One that should be a balance of good low carb no sugar and salt foods.This is the healthiest way of eating possible. Its' not all meat .It 's a little bit of it.

Lightness All Around

Two aspects f Spring cooking are tightness and freshness.Gone are heavy winter stews and roasts. Gone are the root veggies that make up most of a cold weather diet. Now it's time to celebrate with lighter ingredients and a warmer weather outlook on cooking and baking.

Regular contributor David Tanis gave three seasonably perfect recipes for this kind of meal in today[s New York Times Wednesday Food section, The main course is salmon which he liberally douses with freshly ground pepper and nutty brown butter.He also does this for the side of parsley potatoes. Brown butter is an easy make .Just take a knob of butter and toss it in a hot pan.Let it sizzle for a minute and and a squeeze of lemon juice.The potatoes are just as easy to fix and go well with the fish.  They're first boiled and then simmered in a pot of well salted water They're then taken out left to slightly cool and peeled.  They;re returned to the pott be warmed. Parsley is then sprinkled on them right before serving.Of course the star of any Spring table is asparagus.Mr Tanis chooses to put it into a salad with feta cheese The tough ends are snipped off and the stalked are boiled in well salted water . After make the dressing a lemon vinaigrette with the addition of two teaspoons of Dijon mustard.Arugula,dill and feta are then added to the dressed asparagus spears.

Any Spring meal should have a fruity dessert Mr. Tanis gives a fresh strawberry tart This is a classic French tart that has a buttery pastry shell filled with a light custard. Strawberries top this off. The filling is an almond frangipane, which has a quarter cup of whole almonds that have been ground together with flour and sugar to form a rough powder two large beaten eggs are added a long with half a cup of butter (use a good one  like Kerry Gold for this and the pastry shell).Almond extract is also used to bring out the almond flavor. The pastry shell is another butter rich creation.One half cup of thinly sliced cold butter is added to a cup of flour and two tablespoons of sugar. The dough is made, pressed into a pastry pan and left to chill for two hours. The filling is then poured into it and everything is baked in a preheated 375 degree oven for thirty to forty minutes. The shell should be nicely browned by then.Let cool and then add whole or halved strawberries. Mr.Tanis dusts his tart with confectioner's sugar but it could be left plain too. Warmed apricot or raspberry jam can also be gently brushed over the berries with a pastry brush.

A Spring meal has the lightness and flavors of the season.These thee recipes certainly have that. Try them for a nice welcoming to warmer weather,

A Lighter Bowl

 Spring doesn't;t mean giving up the foods you liked in winter,Ir dies mean however, lighter versions. One such is soup, Those hearty stew like potages can be replaced by lighter ,fresher versions.It;s just changing up the ingredients to reflect the warm weather.

Can you still make a creamy soup during Spring? Absolutely yes! Think about using the veggie of the season -asparagus. It adds a sweet earthy flavor to the other ingredients and is a perfect lunch or a lovely first course to chicken or Cornish hen. The base is a low sodium chicken broth but for a fresher ,greener flavor try vegetable stock. You will need a lot of asparagus  - about two poubnds- cut into one inch pieces. There is heavy cream but you can make it vegan by adding any nut or oat milk. Garlic and butter round out the flavor. An easy one to make only needs an already cooked rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store and Spring vegetables. This can include peas and carrots and if you can find them Spring squash sliced into coins or slices.Add Herbes de Provence to amp up the herbal green flavor>This can easily be made just by blending thyme, marjoram, oregano and tarragon. You could add a few leaves of dried lavender for a more floral notes. The base should be a chicken broth and a squirt f Leon juice can be added for more brightness.

MInestrone is a hearty winter bowl. It's a perfect dish with its' array of tomatoes, pasta and bean along with veggies. Sub in asparagus, artichoke and green peas for a fresher , straight from the garden taste. There are still onions and potatoes to  give it heftiness. Other Spring greens arte also added. These are dandelion greens (which you can forage from your front and back yards. - just wash them thoroughly before using) chard, kale spinach and arugula cut into thin ribbons. A quarter cup of pesto is also added and the base can be chicken or vegetable broth. Pecorino or Parmesan cheese is grated over each bowl for more flavor.Vegetable soup is always a year round treat. Imagine a lighter version perfect for a rainy April day. Again asparagus is the star of this soup. There are also carrots, leeks and Swiss chard along with snap or snow peas. Garlic is added for more flavor  along with yellow onion and Italian seasoning. Vegetable broth is the base and risoot or orzO can be added for more heft.A sprig of fresh dill can be added for more greenness and bright flavor.

Soup can be made all year round.Try any of these Spring soups for a taste of lightness and greenness.They're worth every spoonful.