Recipes to Celebrate Spring

Asparagus, radishes and rhubarb  for days. Recipes by chefs Scott Downey, Tony Le, Brad Smoliak, Kaelin Whittaker and Karen Anderson.

by Mary Bailey

Chef Tony Le (Birdog) makes soup.

Days get longer, green shoots start appearing in the sea of last year’s leaves and yellowed grass. It happens quickly—the rhubarb is tiny nubs then full stalks three weeks later. Chives spring up almost instantly, radishes follow. A collection of recipes from good cooks using asparagus, fresh peas, radishes and rhubarb, and one to remind us that garden tomatoes won’t be here ‘til August.

Chef Tony Le’s Fire-roasted Tomato Soup with Gin & Tonic Crème Fraîche

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Fire-Roasted Tomato Soup with Gin & Tonic Crème Fraîche

Century Group exec chef Tony Le updates the classic gin and tomato soup with a new technique and a special gin. He chose the Royalmount Gin (made by 1769 Distillery, a family business in Montreal) for its fresh flavours of cucumber, citrus and rose petals.

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Morel Mushroom Cheese Spread

Karen Anderson’s new book Eat Alberta First is filled with delicious seasonal recipes and stories about Alberta food people. This morel mushroom recipe is from Eric and Michelle Whitehead, the folks behind Untamed Feast in St. Albert. If anyone knows how to showcase the springtime gold that is this divine mushroom, it’s them. Morels may be scarce this year due to our dry weather. If you are unable to forage any, remember Untamed Feast does have dried mushrooms available. Recipe by Karen Anderson from Eat Alberta First, copyright © 2023 by Karen Anderson. Reprinted with permission of TouchWood Editions.

1 c	(approximately 20 grams) dried morel or mixed wild mushrooms
½ c	hot tap water
2 T	butter or olive oil
½ c	diced onion
2 cloves	garlic, minced
8 ounce	(250 gram) package cream cheese, goat cheese, or spreadable vegan substitute
¼ t	salt
	pinch pepper
	edible flowers and fresh herbs, for garnish (optional)

Put the mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with the hot water. Let sit until soft, about 30 minutes, then squeeze them gently over the bowl to remove the water. Reserve the water. Finely chop the mushrooms and set them aside. Heat the butter (or oil) in a frying pan over medium heat, add the onion, and cook until golden, about 5 to 10 minutes, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the chopped, rehydrated mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until dry. Stir in the reserved mushroom liquid, reduce the heat to medium-low, and slowly cook down, stirring occasionally, until dry again.

Remove from the stove once all the liquid is absorbed and let the mixture cool. Soften the cream cheese with a wooden spoon, add the mushroom mixture, salt and pepper, and blend well. Use a spatula to transfer it to a plastic wrap–lined bowl, press it evenly, cover with more wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours. Invert the cheese spread onto a serving platter and sprinkle with fresh herbs and edible flowers, if desired.

Serves 8-12.

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Spring Panzanella Salad

“I make this at home for family and friends and it’s always a hit. Super simple, fresh and just screams spring”–chef Scott Downey, The Butternut Tree.

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Green Goddess Dressing

Tastes like spring itself. This tangy dressing can be used on a salad, in a sandwich, as a dip or a marinade for chicken, pork or tofu.

1 c	parsley leaves
1 c	packed watercress or spinach leaves, stemmed
2 T	tarragon leaves, rinsed
3 T	minced chives
1 clove	garlic, roughly chopped
2	anchovy fillets, preferably salt-packed
3 T	fresh lemon juice
1 T + 1 t	Champagne vinegar or sherry vinegar
½ c	canola oil or grapeseed oil
½ c	yogurt or buttermilk
½ c	mayonnaise, homemade if you can (recipe follows)
	kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Combine the parsley, watercress or spinach, tarragon, chives, garlic, anchovies, lemon juice, vinegar and oil in a blender or food processor bowl. Pulse, then blend until smooth, about two minutes. Add the mayo and yogurt or buttermilk and blend again until smooth. Season to taste.
Makes about 1½ cups.

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Mayonnaise

Making mayonnaise by hand (as we learned in Home Ec so long ago) used to be a bit of a chore. In a food processor? Easy peasy.

2 large	egg yolks
1 t	Dijon mustard
4 t	fresh lemon juice
1 c	olive or canola oil
	kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Place the egg yolks in a food processor along with the mustard and lemon juice. Pulse until well combined. With the motor running, add the oil in a slow, steady stream (mixture should become thick and emulsified). Season to taste Refrigerate, covered for up to 1 week.

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Grilled Ramps

It’s ramp season. They are wild leeks, look like a rustic spring onion and taste garlicy, a little too garlicy, raw. But give them some heat and they mellow into the most delicious taste of spring. Rarely can you find ramps in the grocery store, but often farmers have them at the markets. Or, maybe someone you know has a (secret) ramp patch. They don’t need a lot of time and are best done on a grill for a few minutes or on the stovetop. You don’t need to use a grill pan but if you have one, pull it out. Serve with other vegetables, roast potatoes or in an omelette.

1 bunch	(about 20) ramps
1 T	extra-virgin olive oil
	kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Trim and discard the root hairs or trim the bottoms. Place in a single layer in the pan or on the grill (good to use a grill basket). Watch closely, turn often and pull of when they look a bit charred and wilted, about 5 minutes.
Serves 2-4.

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Pan-roasted Spring Radishes

“Seeing the rosy pink of a spring radish tucked behind its soft green tops makes growing your own garden or going to the market so worth the effort. The simple spring radish can be used for more than salads. These roasted radishes can be served on slow roasted cod or any fish, roast chicken, on top of a spinach salad, or if the recipe is doubled or tripled they can be a side dish on their own.” –chef Brad Smoliak.

12	fresh spring radishes cleaned and quartered (try to get them the same size), save radish tops
1 T	canola oil
2 T	sherry vinegar
2 T	cold butter
2 t	honey
	salt and pepper

Heat canola oil in a large saucepan on medium. Add quartered radishes and sauté until they have some nice golden colour, add sherry vinegar and let the steam vapourize. Turn the heat down add radish tops (tear if they are too big), honey, butter and seasoning. Swirl pan until butter is melted and tops are wilted.

Serves 2-4.

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Asparagus and Burrata Salad

This salad and piquant dressing is generous and delicious, great for a special lunch or brunch.

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Jacques Pépin’s Fresh Peas

This deliciously decadent yet simple way to cook fresh peas is adapted from a recipe in Essential Pépin, by Jacques Pépin. Be sure to add the yolks very gradually over low heat. Have with a simple chop, chicken or fish.

3 c	small fresh green peas
3 T	unsalted butter
2 T	fresh parsley, finely-chopped
2 t	sugar
½ t	freshly ground black pepper
½ t	kosher salt
2 large	egg yolks, well beaten
3 T	heavy cream

In a medium pot, stir together the peas, butter, parsley, sugar, black pepper, salt and ½ cup of cool water. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium low and boil gently until the peas are just tender to the bite, about 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the yolks and cream. Once the peas are tender, gradually stir the yolk-cream mixture into the peas and continue cooking over low heat, stirring continuously, until the liquid thickens to a light and creamy sauce, 30-60 seconds (do not allow the sauce to boil or the yolks will curdle). Remove from the heat and serve warm.

Serves 4-6 as a side dish.

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Roasted Chicken with Spring Onion Pesto and Shaved Asparagus

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Roasted Chicken with Spring Onion Pesto and Shaved Asparagus

A simple roast chicken served with shaved asparagus and a zingy pesto, by chef Tony Le.

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Chef Kaelin Whittaker’s Rhubarb Muffins.

Rhubarb Muffins

“These are best made with fresh rhubarb, you can substitute blueberries for the rhubarb. If you don’t have whole grain flour you can make them with just all purpose for an equally delicious result. We like using the Red Fife at Awn as it creates a really lovely nutty flavour in the muffin” –Kaelin Whittaker, Awn Kitchen.

1¼ c	all-purpose flour
1¼ c	whole grain flour such as Red Fife
¾ c	sugar
½ t	salt
1½ t	baking powder
1½ t	baking soda
2 c	rhubarb, finely chopped
1 c	buttermilk
½ c	neutral oil
1 large	egg, whisked
	brown sugar for topping

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together, toss in the chopped rhubarb. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, oil and egg. Fold into the dry ingredients using a spatula, in as few folds as possible. Fill muffin cups, sprinkle with brown sugar (about 1/2 tsp per muffin). Bake in preheated oven for 20–22 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.

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Rhubarb Crumble