Springing forward while stuck in March

It's spring but there's still chill in the air and limits on what's available at farmers' markets. So here are a few transition recipes...more spring lamb...still spilling the beans...still greening up the table. And as always these are simple, tasty, glamorous and nutritious dishes--everything you want in a meal.

Lamb shanks with cardamom, saffron and orange

not my photo

An Algerian lamb I didn't include in the last post because there were so many offerings. The recipe asks for a lot of ingredients but many are spices and everything is simple and commonplace except the final outcome: mighty tasty--exotic too, colorful and nourishing. This could be party food or a special weekend family dinner.
serves 4

4 lamb shanks
1 tsp plus 1 tbsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper to your taste
1/4 c olive oil
1 lb yellow onions, peeled and diced
5 peeled garlic cloves (bigger ones better)
2" fresh ginger root, peeled and grated (1 tbsp)
1 tsp ground cardamom
pinch of saffron
1tsp red pepper chili flakes
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp caraway seeds
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 sm cinnamon stick
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 c blanched slivered almonds
1/2 c golden raisins (aka white raisins)
2 c (or 2 10 oz cans) diced tomatoes (Marzano or plum are best)
1 orange, zest and juice
1 lb carrots, peeled and diced
1 lg fennel bulb, peeled and diced
1 c white wine
3 c vegetable broth

Preheat oven to 350º. Season lamb with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven or deep skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over med heat. Add lamb and brown on all sides, which means turning occasionally, about 4 min per side. Don't have heat too high because the olive oil will smoke and burn. Remove lamb from the pot.

Add 2 tbsp olive oil to the hot pot. Add onions and garlic. Sauté until onions are soft, 3-5 min. Add ginger, cardamom, saffron, chili flakes, cloves, caraway, fennel seed, cinnamon stick, ground cumin, ground coriander, salt, almonds and raisins. Stir to blend and sauté 5 min over med/low heat. Add tomatoes, wine, broth, orange zest and juice. Stir to blend. Put the lamb back in this pot, put the pot in the oven and cook until lamb is falling off the bone, about 2 hours. Add carrots and fennel. Cover the pot and return to the oven to bake 15 min.

Serve one shank per plate with the vegetables and sauce over each one. Drizzle with best quality olive oil and serve.

White Bean and Roasted Garlic soup

More nutritious simplicity not quite as hearty as a fullblown winter soup. Garlic is a lung cleaner so this is perfect for changing seasons and roasting garlic makes it very mellow, so no breath worries. This is a very economical meal too.
serves 6

1 lb Great Northern or Navy beans (white beans)
2 heads garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
4 oz pancetta, chopped
1 lg yellow onion, diced
4 c (1 qt) veg broth
4 c (1 qt) water
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp dried sage
2 tsp dried rosemary leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper to your taste
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley leaves
a bunch of fresh sage leaves for garnish

Soak beans overnight in a large pot of water.
Preheat oven to 400º. Remove the paper outer skin from the garlic. Cut 1/4" off the top. Put the heads in a small baking dish and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil. Roast at 400º until very tender, 30-35 min. When cool enough to handle, squeeze the cloves into a small dish and mash into a paste.

In a large heavy pot, cook the pancetta over medium heat until crispy and brown. With a slotted spatula or spoon, remove it to drain on paper towels. Get the drippings in the pot hot over med/high heat. Add the onion, half the dried sage, rosemary,  oregano, a grind of fresh black pepper and a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to med and sauté 5 min until soft and translucent. Add the garlic paste, stirring to blend. Add broth, water, bay leaf, remaining sage and drained beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and simmer about 45 min until beans are very soft.   Remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the chipotle chili powder and chopped parsley. Purée the soup to be smooth. Return it to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Warm it on simmer.

In a small skillet, heat the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil over med heat. Add the fresh sage leaves with the pancetta and cook just until the sage leaves get crispy--30-60 seconds. With tongs transfer them to paper towels to drain. Scoop out the pancetta with a slotted spatula.

Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the fried sage leaves and pancetta.

Cod and Kale Stew

before cod is steamed on top

This is a traditional Iberian recipe, simplicity rich in color and nutrients. Makes fish look and taste good! The taste here is about freshness; very little spice although if you like a bit of bite you can add a pinch of ground chili to the cod as it steams.
serves 4

3 tbsp olive oil
1 lg yellow onion, diced
2 med carrots, peeled and chopped
2 med celery stalks, chopped
3 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
2 bunches kale (4 c), stemmed and torn into pieces
4 med red boiling potatoes, cut into 1/2" chunks (scrub, don't peel)
1 28 oz can/box diced tomatoes
2 c water
1 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to your taste
1 tsp ground smoked paprika
4 cod fillets (1 lb all together)
1/2 lemon, juice only

Heat olive oil in a medium lidded pot overn medium heat. Add onion, carrots and celery. Cook until soft, about 10 min. Add garlic and cook 5 min more. Stir in kale, potatoes, tomatoes, smoked paprika and 1 1/2 c water. bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover the pot and simmer 20 minutes to soften all vegetables.  Add the last 1/2 c of water if the pot looks dry.  Season with salt and pepper.

Place the cod fillets atop the stewed vegetables. Cover the pot and team them over low heat until just cooked through--7-10 min depending on your stove strength and the thickness of the fillets. With a wide spatula, transfer the cooked fillets to shallow soup bowls, one each, and spoon the vegetables over them to serve.

served with steamed cod

         

 Black Bean Pancakes
These are soft, fiber-filled, stick-to-the ribs pancakes you can eat any time of day. You can serve them with baked ham, or guacamole and salsa, or sour cream and maple syrup.
serves 4

2 1/2 c canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 heaping c (1 c + 2 tbsp) corn meal
3/4 c low fat plain yogurt
2 extra large eggs
salt to your taste
3 scallions with some of the green stem, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 fresh serrano pepper, seeded and minced
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2-3 tbsp corn or peanut oil or bacon fat for frying them.

In a large bowl or mixer bowl, combine corn meal, yogurt, eggs, salt, chili powder and cumin. Beat to blend. Fold in black beans, scallions, serrano pepper and cilantro leaves.  That's your batter!

Grease a griddle or large nonstick frying pan with 1 1/2 tsp oil or bacon fat. Heat to very hot. In large soup spoonfuls, drop the batter into the hot oil and press down to form it into a circle or oval pancake. Fry until bubbles appear in the top, about 2 minutes. Carefully flip with a spatula and continue to fry until the bottom is browning, 90 seconds-2 min. Remove from heat, drain on paper towels and keep warm in a 250º oven while you finish.

Arrange on a serving platter with your chosen accompaniment in the middle: guacamole or salsa, sour cream, or ham or even Canadian style bacon.

Coconut Curry Braised Kale

Lightening up the winter staple with tropical flavor that make us think: summer!
 serves 4

3 tbsp olive oil
1 med onion, minced
5 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated (about 1-1 1/2")
1 tsp curry powder
2 lbs kale, washed, dried, ribs removed
1 c veg broth
1 can (14 oz) coconut milk
1 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste
1/2 c roasted cashews, chopped

In a large heavy bottomed pot with a lid, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium. Add onion and sauté, stirring, until soft, 3-5 min. Add garlic, ginger and curry powder. Sauté 1 min to heat and blend. Add half the kale, stirring until it wilts. Add remaining kale, broth, coconut milk and salt. Cover pot, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally until kale is tender. This can take 25-35 min depending on pot and stove.

Remove lid. Raise heat to med/high and cook, stirring every few minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. The kale might begin to sizzle, that's okay. Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice with the remaining tbsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle on the nuts and serve.

Roasted Yams with Coconut Curry Dip

Here's something to serve with that coconut kale for a very colorful and nourishing vegetarian meal. Just add rice.
serves 6

1 lb yams, peeled and cut on the diagonal into 1/2" oval slices
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground cumin
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste
1 c sour cream
1/4 c coconut milk
pinch ground allspice
pinch ground cinnamon
1 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 400º. To make clean up easy line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Spread the sliced yams out in a single layer. Sprinkle with the olive oil, cardamom, cumin, salt and pepper. Be sure every yam has some of everything on top of it. Bake until the yams are tender to a fork, about 25 m in.

Meanwhile in a mixing bowl, combine our cream, coconut milk, spices and chives. Season to your taste with salt and pepper.

Arrange the warm yam slices around a bowl of the dip to serve.