Time to ease off the root veg. Instead, enjoy asparagus, radishes, ramps and strawberries with recipes that celebrate the fresh spring flavours of the season
by Mary Bailey
Grilled Strawberry Rhubarb Sangria
A delightful drink for brunch—tastes like spring. Since we won’t see local field strawberries until the summer, we are huge fans of Sunterra’s Acme greenhouse-grown Duchess strawberries right now. Grilling some of the fruit lends extra depth of flavour to the sangria. A few tips: use vanilla paste or even vanilla extract if you don’t have a vanilla bean (so expensive now!). Find lemon verbena and rhubarb at the farmers’ markets if you don’t have in your garden. The syrup is best made the day before you plan to use. Adapted from a recipe in Food & Wine.
| ½ c | light brown sugar |
| ½ c | dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc |
| 1 container | Sunterra Duchess strawberries, hulled |
| 1¼ c | coarsely-chopped rhubarb (about 2 large stalks), plus six 4-inch grilled stalks for garnish (optional) |
| 1 2-inch piece | vanilla bean, split lengthwise (use vanilla extract or if don’t have a vanilla bean) |
| 1 sprig | lemon verbena or lemon thyme, or mint, plus more for garnish |
| 6 | wooden skewers, soaked in water |
| 1 bottle | (750 ml) cava or any other dry sparkling wine, chilled |
In a small pot, combine the sugar and white wine with ½ cup of water and bring to a simmer, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Dice 4 of the strawberries and add them to the syrup along with the chopped rhubarb and the vanilla bean. Simmer until the rhubarb is tender, about 20 minutes. (The rhubarb should have transferred most of its colour to the syrup.) Transfer the syrup to a heatproof bowl and add a sprig of lemon verbena. Let cool, then refrigerate until cooled completely, about 45 minutes. Strain the syrup through a fine sieve set over a bowl, pressing on the solids. Discard the solids in the compost.
Light a grill. Thread the remaining strawberries on the skewers and grill over moderately high heat until lightly charred, about 5 minutes. Let cool completely, then cut the strawberries in half lengthwise.
In a pitcher, combine the rhubarb syrup with half of the grilled strawberries and the sparkling wine. Serve the sangria over ice, garnished with the remaining grilled strawberries, lemon verbena sprigs and grilled rhubarb stalks, if using.
Serves 6.
Ramp Goddess Dressing
A riff on the delicious green goddess dressing, Edmonton Kitchen Party Gold Medal-winning chef Davina Moraiko’s recipe highlights spring ramps. “This dressing is good for greens, vegetables and fish. I enjoy it as a dip for potato chips too,” says Davina.
| 2 bunch | medium-sized ramps (aprox. 8-10) |
| 1 bunch | flat leaf parsley |
| ½ lg | lemon (zest and juice) |
| 1 c | drained yogurt or sour cream |
| 1 T | grainy mustard |
| 1 T | honey |
| 1 T | iced cider vinegar |
| 2 T | first-pressed canola oil |
| salt and pepper to taste |
Finely chop the ramps (greens and bulbs) and parsley, or blitz in a food processor. Place in a bowl and mix in the remaining ingredients until smooth. If you enjoy a thinner consistency, add cold water to thin out the dressing. Makes about 3 cups.
Roasted Radish Hummus
“Radishes are super delicious and underutilized; they aren’t just for salad toppings. Roast the radishes up and let them shine. Their earthy pepper flavor becomes less pungent and more well-rounded with sweet notes. I promise you will be pleasantly surprised.” –Bri Campbell, former Three Viking’s chef, now at the Cattail Crossing Golf and Winter Club.
| 1 lb | fresh radish |
| 1 T | olive oil |
| 1 t | salt and pepper |
| 1 can | (540 mL) chickpeas |
| 1 can | (398 mL) butter beans |
| 2 cloves | garlic |
| 125 ml | olive oil |
| 1 | lemon (juice and zest) |
| 2 | ice cubes |
| 1 T | salt |
Pre-heat oven to 400ºF.
Combine fresh radishes with first amount of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Place on parchment-lined baking tray and into the heated oven. Let roast for 60 minutes.
Once radishes are done, take them out of the oven and transfer to a bowl and place in the fridge to cool.
While the radishes are cooling, scale out the rest of the ingredients.
Rinse and wash the chickpeas and butter beans well. Place in a food processor bowl with the remaining 125 ml olive oil, garlic lemon juice and the roasted radishes. Blend until everything comes together but still a little chunky. This is when you can go ahead and add in the 2 ice cubes. Adding ice cubes will keep the temperature from getting too warm and helps in creating that extra creamy texture. Season with salt, taste and make sure it’s to your liking.
Serve with grilled sourdough, or fresh pita chips. Garnish with fresh radish, nuts, fruits, mint and olive oil.
Serves 4 to 6.
Chive and Fromage Blanc Tartine with Fresh Radish
“This recipe is as easy as it gets and allows great ingredients to shine,” –Lindsay James, Darling Wine Bar. Find Fleur Jaune cheeses at Meuwly’s.
| ¾ c | Fleur Jaune Fromage Blanc (could also use goat cheese) |
| 1 T | chives, chopped |
| ¼ t | salt |
| 2 pieces | sourdough bread (I love Brio) |
| thinly shaved radish | |
| Maldon salt | |
| additional garnishes such as pickled red onion, fresh picked dill, more chives |
In a small bowl combine the fromage blanc, chives and salt. Toast the sourdough to your liking. Generously cover the toasted sourdough in the cheese mixture. Garnish with thinly-sliced radish and Maldon salt and additional garnishes if you wish.
Makes 2 tartines.
Frittata with Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Herbs
“All winter long I look forward to Edgar Farms Asparagus (grown near Innisfail). Its appearance heralds the start of the growing season, and I use it prolifically at home and in my classes at Get Cooking too. It’s as perfect in pastas, risottos and omelettes as it is in this easy oven-baked fritatta. Frittatas can be adapted to the season by changing up the filling based on what’s available locally. Perfect for brunch, lunch or supper,” –Kathryn Joel, Get Cooking.
| 12 | eggs |
| 200 ml | whipping cream |
| salt and pepper, to taste | |
| 3 | shallots, thinly sliced |
| extra virgin olive oil | |
| 1 bunch | thin asparagus stalks |
| 2 lg handfuls | fresh herbs of choice (we love tarragon and chives in this recipe or use basil, parsley or lemon balm) |
| 100 g | goat’s cheese, crumbled |
| ¼ c | grated Parmesan, or Gruyère or cheddar |
Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Grease a gratin dish (approximately 13” x 9”) with butter and set aside.
Snap the woody ends off the asparagus, if necessary. (If you are using fresh local asparagus such as Edgar’s there is no need.) Slice into 1-cm pieces, on the diagonal. Reserve the tips.
Heat a wide frying pan over medium high heat; add a generous glug of olive oil.
Add the shallots, season with salt and cook for a minute or two until softened. Add the sliced asparagus stalks (not the tips) and cook briefly, seasoning to taste. Remove from the heat. When cool, toss with the cheese and arrange in the prepared gratin dish.
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix the herbs into the eggs and pour the mixture over the asparagus and cheese. Finish with the grated cheese, then the asparagus tips.
Bake for 15-20 minutes in the pre-heated oven, until set but still moist.
Rest for a few minutes at room temperature, then serve.
Serves 6.
Auntie Lil’s Rhubarb Pie
“This is a pie best made with fresh rhubarb. We use short crust pastry, but it would be good with a basic pie pastry as well. You could make one large tart or 12 individual ones. A dollop of whipped cream is always nice,” –Kaelin Whittaker, Awn Kitchen.
| 2 T | butter, melted |
| 1 c | brown sugar |
| 1 | egg |
| 1 T | cream |
| 2 T | flour |
| 2 c | rhubarb, chopped into 1cm cubes |
Whisk the butter, brown sugar, egg, cream and flour together. Place the 2 cups of rhubarb into the base of a baked pie shell, and cover with the sugar mixture. Bake in a preheated oven (425ºF) for 10 minutes, turn the oven down to 350ºF and bake for a further 20–25 minutes.
Makes 1 pie.
Alberta Springtime Morning Glory Muffins (vegan)
“I love this recipe. It is very easy, loaded with healthy plant-based ingredients and is a great way to enjoy rhubarb, gooseberries and strawberries for breakfast. It also uses many ingredients that are true to Alberta in the spring and early summer months. Enjoy on their own or with a spread of jam for extra sweetness,” –chef Holly Holt, She Cooks.
| 2 c | chopped rhubarb |
| 1 c | chopped strawberries (the Sunterra strawberries are lovely and available year-round) |
| 1 c | gooseberries |
| 4 T | ground flax seed + 4 T water |
| 1½ c | all-purpose flour (or GF substitute) |
| 1 c | quick oats |
| 1½ t | baking soda |
| 1½ t | baking powder |
| 3 t | cinnamon |
| ¾ t | salt |
| ½ c | mixed seeds, sunflower and pumpkin |
| 1 c | grated carrot |
| 1 c | grated zucchini |
| 3 t | vanilla |
| ½ c | maple syrup |
| ½ c | oil (canola or sunflower) |
| 1 c | oat milk |
Add the rhubarb, gooseberries, and strawberries into a sauce pot. Cook on low heat on the stove top until a chunky jam-like consistency (this can take about 2 hours). If you want to speed up the process, add a few tablespoons of sugar and cook on medium heat but mix often to ensure it doesn’t burn. This can be done ahead of time and kept in the fridge.
Preheat oven to 425°F and grease a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking oil spray or line with cupcake liners and lightly spray them with oil.
In a small bowl mix the ground flax and water and let sit for at least 3 minutes (this creates a flax “egg” and will bind your batter).
In a large bowl, add and mix flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add grated carrots, zucchini and seeds to the dry mixture and combine.In a separate bowl mix the oil, oat milk, vanilla, flax mixture and the cooked fruit mixture. Mix until combined but do not overmix.
Evenly divide batter between muffin cups. Bake for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 350ºF. Continue to bake for 20-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Serve slightly warm or room temperature.
Makes 12 muffins.