Bursts of verdant vegetables add bounce to season’s meals
For Mark LoRusso, executive chef of Botero at Encore, spring is all about the vegetables.
"There's so many different vegetables" on the market as winter finally relinquishes its grip, LoRusso said. "I really try to incorporate most of them in different dishes, and try not to repeat them. It's easy to say, 'Let's put asparagus in this. ... Let's put asparagus in that.' "
And vegetables, it seems, are a good start. While summer, with its abundance of fruits, is a great time for desserts, LoRusso said, the verdant vegetables of spring shine in appetizers that are a great way to kick off a meal.
K.C. Fazel, executive chef of Tender Steakhouse at Luxor, said he's seeing wild arugula, Lollo Rossa lettuce, red oak lettuce, tango lettuce, frisee and baby fennel in the farmers' markets.
"And I just started noticing the huckleberries coming through," Fazel added.
Many of those things, he said, are ending up in appetizers and salads at Tender.
"A lot of it is working off the traditional appetizer or salad/appetizer combinations," he said. "Smaller portion, but I try to keep it fresh and interesting."
Some examples: baby spinach and arugula with feta cheese, toasted almonds and a huckleberry-pomegranate vinaigrette. And baby lettuces, Persian cucumber, baby fennel and radishes, finished with a black-currant balsamic vinaigrette.
"You need a couple of appetizers that you know people are looking for," LoRusso said. "You want a balance. You want to definitely be on the lighter side, a nice portion that needs to complement the entree course."
LoRusso does that with an appetizer menu of cold salads, cold fish, and hot dishes including pastas and fish. One dish combines sauteed dayboat scallops with small tortellini stuffed with fava-bean puree and served with a ragout of baby artichokes, English peas and asparagus, and some carrot for color.
English peas also are starring in starters at Spago at the Forum Shops at Caesars, said executive chef Eric Klein, including English pea soup. This isn't your heavy winter split-pea soup; instead, they shock fresh peas and cook them with onions and butter, and make a stock with the pea pods.
"We puree the whole thing and cool it down as fast as possible, so it stays nice and green," Klein said, then serve it cold or hot.
"Cappuccino-style, served cold with lemon zest on top, it's a fantastic thing," he said. "It's a wonderful time of year. You have wild onions, ramps, stinging nettles."
When formulating an appetizer or small-plates menu, Philip Norsetter, executive chef at T-bones Chophouse at Red Rock Resort, said he tries to consider "big, bold flavors" and small bites.
"Let the product and the flavor overcome the size of what you're getting," he said.
Norsetter recently formulated several small plates for T-bones' T-Time menu, which is served from 5 to 7 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays.
"I want something that's light, flavorful, that incorporates the spring ingredients or whatever season it may be," he said.
Among his new favorites are lobster rolls, with the lobster dressed with a mayonnaise-based sauce heavy on tarragon and lemon, two decidedly springlike flavors. And tequila shrimp ceviche, "which is kind of my take on a Tequila Sunrise" and amounts to "clean, light fare."
"We're finally seeing some good stuff at the markets," Fazel said. "And bringing a lot of that stuff in."
WILD ARUGULA AND
BABY SPINACH SALAD
Vinaigrette:
2 cipollini onions or shallots, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon plus 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (divided use)
1 cup pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons black currant balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
6 tablespoons grapeseed or vegetable oil
½ cup fresh huckleberries
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Salad:
½ cup slivered almonds
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon chili powder
3 ounces wild arugula or baby arugula, rinsed
3 ounces baby spinach, rinsed
½ cup fresh huckleberries
4 ounces feta cheese (Redwood Hills, if possible), crumbled
Arils (seeds) of 1 pomegranate
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
For the vinaigrette, saute the onions in 1 teaspoon oil until golden brown. Add pomegranate juice and simmer until reduced to 2 tablespoons.
In a blender, combine the pomegranate reduction with both vinegars. With the blender running on medium speed, drizzle remaining olive oil and grapeseed or vegetable oil into the vinegar mixture. After the oils have been added, add the huckleberries and blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
To toast almonds, preheat oven to 300 degrees. Toss almonds with olive oil and chili powder and bake for 10 minutes, until lightly toasted.
To assemble the salad, lightly toss the arugula, spinach, toasted almonds and huckleberries in a medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle lightly with salt and grind fresh pepper over the salad; add about ¼ cup vinaigrette to the salad and toss lightly to evenly coat the salad greens.
Place on four to six plates. Top with crumbled feta cheese and pomegranate seeds. Grind fresh black pepper over salad.
Serves 4 to 6.
-- Recipe from K.C. Fazel, Tender Steakhouse at Luxor
PEA FRITTERS
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon paprika
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cottage cheese
2 cups fresh shelled peas, or 1 10-ounce package frozen peas, thawed (see note)
¼ cup heavy cream
8 cups canola oil
Salt, to taste
Sift together flour, baking powder, nutmeg and paprika into a medium mixing bowl. Pour eggs into flour mixture and whisk to combine thoroughly. Fold in cottage cheese and peas. In another medium mixing bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form, and fold into mixture.
In a large skillet, heat canola oil until a deep-fry thermometer registers 360 degrees. Drop dough 1 heaping tablespoon at a time into hot oil and fry about 3 minutes, turning as needed, until golden all over and cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a large paper-towel-lined plate; sprinkle with salt while still hot and let cool slightly before serving.
Note: If using fresh peas, blanch them in boiling water for one to two minutes, then drain well and pat dry before adding to the batter. Thawed frozen peas can be added without additional cooking.
Makes about 3 dozen.
-- Recipe from Martha Stewart Omnimedia
HEARTY PEA AND SPINACH SOUP
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons coarse salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3½ cups homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock
2 pounds fresh English peas, shelled (about 2 cups)
1 pound spinach, tough stems discarded (about 12 cups packed leaves)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Heavy cream, for decorating
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring, 3 to 5 minutes. Add stock and bring to a boil.
Add peas and return to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until peas are tender and bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in spinach. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach has wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool slightly.
Working in batches, puree pea mixture in a blender, filling no more than halfway and adding up to 2 tablespoons water to each batch to achieve desired consistency. Stir in lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Ladle soup into bowls.
Fill a pastry or resealable plastic bag with cream. Snip off tip or corner of bag. Draw parallel horizontal lines across each serving of soup, spacing lines as desired.
Starting at bottom, drag the tip of a wooden skewer upward through the rows of cream. Starting at top and spacing as desired, drag skewer downward through rows of cream. Repeat, reversing direction every other line. Serve immediately.
Serves 8.
-- Recipe from Martha Stewart Omnimedia
Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@review journal.com or 702-383-0474.
