By FAYE LEVYArugula Salad 521(photo credit: MCT)
Eric Ripert, French-born chef of the celebrated New York restaurant Le Bernardin, has a special approach to designing meals. “Highlighting one really perfect ingredient is a good way to plan a menu,” he wrote in his cookbook, Avec Eric. “At Le Bernardin, as well as at my home, the focus of any recipe is to make one beautiful ingredient the star of the plate and let the other ingredients enhance that star... For me, walking through the garden... and seeing all of the life that grows in and around it – even the wild plants on the side of the road – will be inspiration that I will use in some way.”His beautiful arugula salad with oranges, baby turnips and toasted pine nuts, which begins our menu below, was inspired by ingredients he enjoyed on a trip to Tuscany.When planning everyday suppers, people have different priorities. During this pre-Pessah time of year, kashrut observers have ingredients to use up – those that are hametz or forbidden on Pessah. In today’s menu the pasta main course and the granola-topped dessert help reach these goals.Flexibility is a key in menu planning. Before I get to the market, I don’t know which ingredients will be good, especially in early spring. The weather is fickle and so is the selection of produce.There are still tasty oranges and there are also strawberries, which for many people are a symbol of spring.You might find the first new vegetables, but certain greens, like the cabbages I bought last week, could be tough. Still, it’s easy to make a nutritious, produce-centered supper that is quick cooking as well. When I discover my greens are less tender than I had hoped for, instead of serving them cold, I cook them lightly and make a warm salad.Pasta with olive oil and a no-cook tomato sauce is an easy-to-make main course that complements just about any vegetable. Often the vegetable can be cooked in the same pot with the pasta. If you have fresh peas, green fava beans or snow peas, you can add them for a special touch. Broccoli or cauliflower florets, zucchini slices or mixed frozen vegetables are other good options.During this season, diced canned tomatoes are a better choice than pale fresh ones lacking in taste. Later in the year, when good tomatoes arrive in the market, use them in the sauce. To boost the entree’s protein, you can mix canned chickpeas with the pasta or garnish it with crumbled feta, goat cheese or hard-boiled eggs.For dessert serve seasonal fruit with a simple honey vanilla sauce, made creamy with yogurt, sour cream or creme fraiche. If you prefer a parve or vegan sauce, you can prepare a lemon cashew sauce like the one recommended by Robin Robertson, author of Party Vegan.She grinds raw cashews in a blender and blends in maple syrup, lemon juice and grated zest, vanilla, silken tofu and soy milk. As a final touch, sprinkle the fruit in its creamy sauce with granola.Early Spring Salad and Pasta Menu• Arugula salad with baby turnips, pine nuts and orange• Fusilli with feta and fava beans• Fresh fruit with honey-vanilla sauce and granolaFaye Levy is the author of Healthy Cooking for the Jewish Home.ARUGULA SALAD WITH BABY TURNIPS, PINE NUTS AND ORANGE This recipe is from Eric Ripert’s book. Ripert writes: “Arugula literally grows wild on the side of the road in Italy, and I love how peppery and slightly bitter the green is. Baby turnips, sliced thinly, add a bit of earthy sweetness, and toasted pine nuts with orange segments combine to make a sophisticated salad.”You can substitute sliced baby radishes or peeled quartered thinly sliced kohlrabi for the turnips, and slivered almonds for the pine nuts. Instead of arugula, you can use other robust greens or romaine lettuce.Makes 4 servings1 small shallot or green onion, minced 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 6 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1 small bunch baby turnips (about 225 gr. to 350 gr.) 225 gr. baby arugula, washed and trimmed 1⁄4 cup toasted pine nuts, divided (see Note) 2 orangesWhisk the shallots and wine vinegar together in a bowl and season with some salt and pepper. Drizzle in the olive oil, while whisking, until fully incorporated. We don’t want to blend the oil into the vinaigrette, just whisk until combined.Peel the baby turnips and trim the root ends. Using a sharp knife or mandoline, slice the turnips very thinly. Combine the turnips, arugula and half of the pine nuts in another bowl.Remove the skin and pith from the oranges, and cut between the membranes to remove the segments. Add the segments to the arugula mixture. Squeeze the juice from the remaining orange pulp into the vinaigrette and stir to combine.Gently toss the salad with just enough vinaigrette to coat, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide the salad among 4 bowls, garnish the salads with the remaining pine nuts and serve immediately.Note: To toast pine nuts, put nuts in a dry skillet and toast over medium-low heat, tossing them often, for 2 to 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate.FUSILLI WITH FETA AND FAVA BEANS IN QUICK TOMATO SAUCE If you like, use a different cheese or substitute quartered hard boiled eggs.Makes 4 to 6 servings.450 gr. spiral pasta such as fusilli or rotelle 3 cups frozen fava beans or green peas, or cooked fresh ones an 800-gr. can tomatoes, drained and diced 1 to 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, to taste 1⁄2 tsp. dried oregano 2 green onions, chopped, or 2 garlic cloves, minced 30 gr. to 55 gr. feta cheese, crumbled salt and freshly ground pepper 2 Tbsp. chopped parsley (optional)Cook pasta uncovered in a large pot of boiling salted water over high heat according to package directions, stirring from time to time and adding frozen fava beans 4 or 5 minutes before pasta is done; frozen peas can be added during the last 2 minutes. Return to a boil after adding the beans or peas and cook until pasta is tender but firm to the bite.Drain pasta and vegetables in a strainer, return to pan and quickly add tomatoes, olive oil, oregano and green onions or garlic, tossing well so the tomatoes are warmed from the heat of the pasta. Season lightly with salt, taking into account that feta cheese is salty, and freshly ground pepper. Serve topped with parsley and feta cheese.FRESH FRUIT WITH HONEY-VANILLA SAUCE AND GRANOLA For this do-it-yourself dessert, make the creamy sauce with yogurt, sour cream, creme fraiche or a mixture of any of them, according to your preference. Instead of granola, you can set out crumbled crisp cookies such as mandelbrot or chocolate chip for sprinkling.For a party presentation, author Robin Robertson suggests threading the fruit on skewers or toothpicks. Makes 4 servings.1 cup plain yogurt, as rich as you like 2 Tbsp. honey 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 2 to 4 pears, cut in slices or 2 to 4 bananas, cut in chunks 1 cup fresh or drained canned pineapple chunks 4 cups strawberries, whole, quartered or sliced 3⁄4 cup granolaMix yogurt, honey and vanilla in a bowl. Arrange pears, pineapple and strawberries on a platter or mix gently in a bowl. Put granola in a small bowl.Each person can top his or her portion with sauce, and then sprinkle it with granola to taste.
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