Spring is full of surprises. So much happens and catches us unawares. The trees start to bud, the early garden flowers begin to poke their pretty heads out of the cold ground, birds seem to sing more, fruit trees lay down carpets of fragrant flowers, and there’s a charge of excitement in the air. Winter, for most of us, is gone, and our everyday cooking should say "spring" in color, flavor, and texture.
Our first springtime meal combines the luscious strawberries of the season with one of our favorite condiment and staple in our kitchen -- balsamic vinegar -- to make a fabulous warm salsa for grilled chicken. Another time, use the salsa on grilled swordfish or halibut. If you haven’t cooked with balsamic vinegar, you’re in for a taste treat. Although you can buy very inexpensive brands at grocery stores and wholesale food outlets, we splurge when we buy balsamic vinegar and insist on it having aged at least 12 years. Since the vinegar is stronger, we need less, thus we’re actually saving money. Shop at a gourmet shop for your balsamic vinegar or buy it off the Web. With the chicken we’re serving delicious sweet potatoes without an gram of fat, a sauté of spring harvested sugar snap peas, shiitake mushrooms, and the first tarragon from our herb garden. Biscotti is the tasty dessert for dunking in our after-dinner coffee.
(for the recipes, click on The Recipes or click on the individual recipe above)
Our second meal is based on one of our favorite imports from Italy -- risotto. You’ll need to purchase a special rice for the risotto -- we favor Arborio or Carnaroli brands. Risotto is a wonderful dish to serve as a main course and ours is chock full of fresh spring garden vegetables. With the risotto, we’re serving a special salad with a fresh mint dressing and for dessert, a scrumptious tiramisu that won’t send you blood sugars off the chart. The meal does take up 2 1/2 of your fat exchanges, 1 1/2 of those on the salad. If you want to cut back, you could use a purchased fat-free dressing on the salad as you surely won’t want to miss out on the tiramisu.
(for the recipes, click on The Recipes or click on the individual recipe above)
Our third meal looks like spring with its colorful appetizer-salad, served on bruschetta, and the pretty soft pink color of poached salmon. We’ve also poached a generous slice of the first of the season’s sweet onions to accompany the salmon. Dessert is a tapioca pudding topped with spiced apricots, one of our favorite springtime fruits.
(for the recipes, click on The Recipes or click on the individual recipe above)
Pork is plentiful and offered on special at most every supermarket from time to time. We’ve marinated the leanest (and most tender) part of pork, the tenderloin, in Asian spices for our final meal. With this we’re serving a lovely couscous with zucchini, golden raisins, and a wonderful blend of spices and herbs. Dessert looks fancy, but it’s very easy to make -- phyllo cups filled with fresh strawberries and cream. This is a family meal special enough for guests.
(for the recipes, click on The Recipes or click on the individual recipe above)
