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Fast, Fresh, Raw Foods for Spring, from The Mix
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Fast Fresh and Raw
Spring is in the air, and the first shoots have made their way from the newly warmed soil. The urgency and vigor with which the earliest edibles sprout up is a testament to their liveliness. Filling a niche in the growing season, these fast maturing crops are the first taste of what will be a satisfying season of harvests. Spring is always a time of rebirth, and our inner cycles compel us toward lighter, more energetic foods.
After the winter’s hearty, heavy dishes, it is time to cleanse and lighten up. Radishes, baby spinach and lettuces, sorrel, asparagus and rhubarb are the very first local produce we will see. Follow in the footsteps of humans from time immemorial and scoop up the spring goodness for a fresh, raw meal.
While there are advocates of all-raw eating, you need not commit to giving up all cooked foods to enjoy the benefits of a great raw meal. Spring is a perfect time to eat more uncooked foods, if just to aid your digestion and help your systems recover from winter sluggishness. Raw food enthusiasts believe that the enzymes in fresh foods are essential to optimum digestion. Without adequate enzymes, digestion is slowed and can be incomplete. Raw foodists generally eliminate meat and animal products from their diets. One reason for this is the acidic pH of animal products, which is associated with many health problems. Living foods are more alkaline, and raw foods help to balance the body’s pH. If you eat animal foods, including dairy and eggs, consuming lots of fresh, raw foods as well will help balance them. Who knows, maybe adding a raw meal will make you feel so much better, you might want to add more.
If you garden, you may find yourself with a giant crop of radishes. I know I always did, when I was eager to get planting. Radishes are the energizer bunny of the root crops, bursting from their tiny seeds before anything else has even sprouted. After you have sliced them into your same old salads and snacked on them with a little salt, it is crucial to find some other ways to use them up. Radish salsa is actually a classic, and their spicy flavor can be used in dishes that have horseradish in them.
The members of the radish family, including the giant daikon of Japan and Asia, the French Breakfast, the German Beer radish, the black radish of northern Europe and the little round ones we eat here have varying degrees of spiciness and zing. By their names, you can deduce that the beer radish is a great bar food, providing a cheap palate cleanser between sips of ale, and the breakfast must perch happily among pots of creamy cheeses and crusty breads. The edible podded, or rat-tail radish grows spicy pods, kind of like curly green beans made of radish. Often influenced by growing and storage conditions, radish heat is easily muted by cooking. It is surprising how mild a slice of daikon becomes after simmering in soup, or a red radish after roasting in the oven.
Perennial spring vegetables have an advantage, their root systems waiting patiently underground for the first signs of light and warmth. Rhubarb and Sorrel, which are actually close relatives, have a quadrant of my garden and often start forcing their curled leaves up under thick crusts of snow and ice. They seem to benefit from the insulation, and when uncovered the confined plants unfurl with a righteous fervor toward the sun. They share a tart flavor profile, and the lemony taste of sorrel leaves is a perfect accent to the season’s asparagus or new potatoes. Both are tart because of the presence of oxalic acid, which can inhibit iron and calcium absorption, so don’t eat them at every meal. The other perennial that never fails, and would happily take over the entire yard, is the chives. Cut them while they are tender and use them instead of scallions, as they are best raw or just added to warm foods at the end.
The other quick crop that will arrive as soon as it warms up is the baby leafy greens. Cool weather is better for them than hot, so we can look forward to delicate, tiny lettuces and spinach. Even longer season greens like kale or chard have their moment of tenderness, when they can make a salad just a little heartier without needing to be cooked. Thanks to Earthbound Farms and others, mache greens are now readily available year round, but look for the first local ones at the Coop or farmers market. Their diminutive leaf clusters have a nutty, sweet taste, with very little bitterness.
These first spring greens and veggies are exactly what we need to be eating now. Try these recipes to make the most of your fresh raw harvest.
Strawberry Radish Salsa
Fruit salsas always seem like a surprise, with a sweet fruit taking the role we usually assign to tomatoes. Add spicy radishes and you have a bright, crunchy dip. Best eaten right away, before the berries soften.
1/4 cup lime juice fresh
2 cups fresh strawberries hulled and chopped
12 small radishes
2 large jalapeno chopped
1/4 cup cilantro
1/4 cup chives chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
sugar or other sweetener if needed
1 package tortilla chips
1. Chop the berries. Place in a bowl and add the lime juice. Thinly slice the radishes and dice them finely, add to the bowl. Chop cilantro and chives and combine all, salt to taste. Add a pinch of sugar or othe sweetener if you berries are very sour. Serve with chips, or with raw crackers. Makes about 2 cups.
Rustic Radish, Chevre and Spinach Sandwich
A sandwich is a fast way to get the flavors of a French picnic on the table, without hiking in Provence (sigh.) Use a really rustic bread, with good crust and chewy bits of grain.
4 medium Icicle or red radishes
4 slices whole wheat bread
4 ounces chevre cheese softened
2 cups baby spinach washed and chopped
coarse salt
cracked black pepper
1. Thinly slice the radishes and reserve. On each slice of bread, spread 1/4 of the cheese. Arrange radish slices on top of cheese, sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper, and layer spinach on top of that. Place remaining bread, cheese side down, on top of the sandwich. Enjoy for breakfast, or with beer.
Spring Mache, Sorrel and Radish Salad with Vinaigrette
In this salad, sorrel is brightly lemony, and could be downright sour without the sweetness and richness of the dressing. Peppery radishes and delicate chervil and chives will wake up any hibernating taste buds.
Serves 4
4 cups mache
2 cups tender young sorrel washed and dried
6 large radishes sliced
8 small baby carrots, from the bunch
1/4 cup chives
1/2 cup chervil washed and dried
edible flowers optional
1 clove garlic crushed
2 teaspoons sugar or other sweetener
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1. Wash and dry all the greens and slice the radishes, peel carrots and slice in long quarters and chop chives and chervil. Pile mache first on a platter, then top with the rest of the veggies and herbs. In a jar or small bowl, whisk crushed garlic, sweetener, salt and lemon juice, then add oil and whisk or shake to blend.
2. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss to coat. Serve right away.
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June 13,6-9PM at Cooks of Crocus Hill,877 Grand Ave,St Paul MN(651)228-1333
Vegetarian Sushi
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Sushi doesn’t have to involve fish,
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July 10,6-9PM at Cooks of Crocus Hill, 877 Grand Ave, St Paul, MN 55105
(651)228-1333
Summer-Fresh and Gluten Free
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Beat the heat and lose the gluten
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July 11,6-7PM at Cooks of Crocus Hill, 3925 W 50th Street, Edina MN 55424
(952)285-1903
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Join veteran juicer and chef Robin
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July 24,6-9PM at Cooks of Crocus Hill, 3925 W 50th Street, Edina MN 55424
(952)285-1903
Dim Sum Delight
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Hands-on is the best way to learn
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