WILD SPRING: FORAGING SPRING'S FIRST ARRIVALS

When you work in a kitchen and the season changes from winter to spring, there is nothing more exciting than seeing all of the spring (green!) produce coming in. The beginning of spring is all about edibles foraged in the wild, and these are not your every day vegetables that you see year-round in the grocery store. For me, they are the most delicious part of the season. I've only seen a few of these at the market this week, but keep an eye out! They will all pop up soon and have pretty short seasons (less than 2 months).

RAMPS

Ramps, also known as wild leeks, are probably my favorite of the spring foraged greens. They have a big leafy top and a skinny bottom with a little bulb and a bold garlicky-onion flavor. The leaves are great sautéed in olive oil with salt and pepper or marinated in olive oil and thrown on the grill. The bottoms are delicious pickled with a simple pickling liquid. I recently came across a recipe to use both the stem and greens in a compound butter; what a genius idea to savor the flavor for months to come!

FIDDLEHEAD FERNS

Fiddlehead ferns are another early spring, short season veg. These cute little pinwheels are the beginning of a fern plant. They are delicious when cooked, but unlike other veggies, you can’t eat them raw. Treat them as you would asparagus when it comes to eating them on their own (blanching, sautéing, steaming). They are also great in pasta and rice dishes and are even perfect as a curry.

GARLIC SCAPES

Garlic scapes are the top of the garlic plant that is above ground. They are harvested from the plant in order to focus all of its energy on the bulb below the surface to produce flavorful garlic. Scapes have a very mild, garlicky flavor to them and are delicious raw or cooked. You can substitute them in dishes for scallions or even pickle them like ramps - there are endless ways to cook them.

STINGING NETTLE

Have you ever touched a plant and had a crazy, stinging pain in your hand as if you had been stung by about 20 fire ants? I have, while on vacation in England, and it was not fun. And now this plant, the stinging nettle, has been popping up in menus everywhere making me have flashbacks! Luckily, the stinging goes away once the plant is cooked, and nettles are delicious (and healthy) when cooked! Nettles make a great substitute for spinach, are delicious in omelettes and work really well in a pesto!

SPRING ONIONS

Spring onions are very young onions that are picked before they mature. They look like scallions but have a more rounded bottom to them. These onions have a much milder flavor and are delicious eaten both raw or cooked. They are great tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper and thrown straight on the grill or sauté and add them to any recipe that calls for onions ( think soups, tarts, breads!)

MORELS

The only non-green edibles on this list are morels, gorgeous mushrooms with a deep earthy and umami flavor. You want to find ones that are on the firmer side, and deep-cleaning these is a must! Their crevices hide more dirt than you can imagine, so soaking them in cold, salted water helps draw everything out. After that, they don't need much though they shouldn't be consumed raw - a little butter-poaching is always delicious or even a quick sauté with some ramps or spring onions. Butter and cream seem to bring out what's best in this mushroom; this pan butter-fry method is amazing, and I love them in a pasta.

Enjoy!

Parsnip Cakes with Spring Garlic & Chile

Walking through the Union Square Greenmarket the other day (as the weather shifted from the low 40’s to the low 60’s), it felt to me that the season is being a bit ambivalent, unsure of whether it’s winter or spring. Piled high were the hearty root vegetables of the winter – rutabagas, salsify and parsnips – next to the burgeoning spring crop with lovely spring garlic and rhubarb making an appearance. I nabbed some of the spring garlic and for breakfast this Sunday created these little cakes, as an ode to this in-between season.

Parsnip is an incredibly flavorful and versatile vegetable. The flavor is somewhere between a potato and a carrot, and it’s signature sweetness works beautifully with butter, spices, and heat. Spring garlic, on the other hand, is like a two-for-one sale – garlic and green onion flavor in one! If you can’t find any, using a bit of garlic with leek or green onion works really well here too.

This recipe couldn’t be simpler or more forgiving – cook the parsnips til tender, add other ingredients, fry until golden. You could easily use potatoes instead of parsnips here if you have them on hand. I love these for breakfast with some scrambled eggs and a touch of sriracha to dip. But these could also be a great dinner side to accompany roast chicken or a nice piece of fish. A crisp bite with that sweet, creamy parsnip flavor, garlic, onion and the heat from the chilies…Enjoy!

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6

2 lbs parsnips, peeled and cut into a medium dice

1-2 red and/or green chilies, finely chopped (red jalapeno, jalapeno, Thai)

2 spring garlic shoots, finely chopped (approximately 1/3 cup)

½ cup all-purpose flour

¾ tsp kosher salt

½ tsp sugar

handful of fresh herbs (chives, cilantro, parsley), roughly chopped

unsalted butter for frying

kosher salt to taste

Procedure

Put diced parsnips in a pot and cover with cold water. Place over medium-high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Lower to a strong simmer and simmer until fork tender (approximately 10-15 minutes depending on the size of your dice). Drain in a colander and let air dry for a few minutes.

In a large bowl, mash parsnips with a potato masher or use a ricer to break them up. Add the chilies, spring garlic, flour, salt, sugar and herbs and mix until a uniform texture (don’t overmix though or they’ll get a tad gummy).

Heat a sauté or cast iron pan over medium heat and add butter. For the parsnip cakes, I like to use an ice cream scoop so I can be sure I get even amounts. I love to use my hands here, making a flat patty out of the parsnip mixture and then just sliding them into the pan. They don’t have to be perfectly shaped.

Fry for 3 to 4 minutes per side just to develop that nice golden crust, and work in batches if necessary to finish off the mixture. Let drain on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with a bit of salt while it’s hot for extra flavor.

Serve immediately. I like mine with a bit of sriracha on the side to dip.

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Parsnip Cakes with Spring Garlic & Chile