Artists get creative with favorite springtime recipes
During the cold of winter, we tend to crave heavier foods — hearty soups and stews, casseroles and carbs. But when spring comes, we often shed our hibernation eating habits and turn to lighter, fresher fare.
Figuring that artists might be as creative in their food choices as they are in their work, we asked six artists to tell us about one of their favorite spring dishes.
The six are among a group featured in “Our Teaching Artists,” an exhibition showing through April 27 at the Greensburg Art Center.
We paired their responses with a simple recipe for their foods of choice.
Go-to salad
Shirleah Kelly of Greensburg says her broccoli salad is a favorite at get-togethers, including receptions at the art center.
“Any time I bring it,” she says, “people want my recipe,” which includes chopped fresh broccoli and red onion, to which bacon, cashews and raisins can be added, topped with “a nice cheddar cheese and a nice dressing of vinegar, sugar and mayo.”
Kelly says she likes to eat “whole, natural, farm-to-table foods,” and notes that broccoli is high in calcium.
Fresh Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
2 heads fresh broccoli
1 red onion
1⁄2 pound bacon
3⁄4 cup raisins
3⁄4 cup sliced almonds
1 cup mayonnaise
1⁄2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Directions
Place bacon in a deep skillet and cook over medium- high heat until evenly brown. Cool and crumble.
Cut the broccoli into bite-size pieces and cut the onion into thin bite-size slices. Combine with the bacon, raisins, your favorite nuts and mix well.
To prepare the dressing, mix the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar together until smooth. Stir into the salad, let chill and serve.
Source: allrecipes.com
Fresh greens
Nancy Dalverny of Monroeville has Hungarian heritage, while her husband Gene has a French background. She says people of both cultures enjoy the tender shoots of the cheerful yellow flower that many landowners consider a pesky weed.
They like to pick and eat the young leaves from their chemical-free lawn when they are about 2 inches long, before the dandelions bloom.
Dalverny makes a simple salad of the greens with fresh garlic, vinegar and oil. Dandelion greens, she notes, are a good source of iron.
Dandelion Salad
Ingredients
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic scapes or wild (spring) garlic
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1⁄2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1⁄4 teaspoon granulated sugar
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 cups (4 ounces) dandelion greens, large leaves torn in half
Directions
Combine garlic scapes, lemon juice, salt and sugar in a bowl. Whisk until well combined. Drizzle in oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking until emulsified.
Place dandelion greens in a salad bowl. Drizzle dressing over greens and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
Source: marthastewart.com
Japanese-style soup
Suzanne Panchura of Delmont says she “stole the idea” for her soup from a hot and sour soup served in the Nine Dragons Restaurant at Walt Disney World’s Epcot in Florida.
“I don’t know what’s in that soup, but it makes me very happy, ” she says. “I’d fly down and eat it every week if I could.”
To a clear broth, she adds fresh broccoli, Chinese vegetables and cheese tortellini.
“It’s hearty but light,” she says.
Japanese Clear Onion and Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
2 tablespoons oil
2 medium onions, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 large carrots, diced
6 cloves garlic, rough chop
8 cups chicken or vegetable stock or just water
2 teaspoons salt
4 ounces button mushrooms, sliced paper thin
3 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Sriracha sauce for serving
Directions
Place the oil in a large pot. Saute the onion until browned. Add the stock or water, celery, carrots, garlic and salt. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Strain the broth and discard the solids.
Place the broth back on the stove and add the mushrooms and green onions. Add the soy sauce taste and adjust for salt.
Serve with a squirt of Sriracha.
Source: justapinch.com
‘Light and bright’
Suzie Sparks of Dunlevy, Washington County, leans to the Italian side of her Czech-Italian heritage for her favorite pasta primavera.
“It’s traditional for spring. The flavors are light and bright,” she says. “‘Primavera’ means ‘spring’ in Italian.”
To a sauce of olive oil, wine, herbs and garlic, Sparks likes to add pancetta and the first fresh peas and tender asparagus shoots of spring. She serves it over the traditional orecchiette pasta.
Easy Pasta Primavera
Ingredients
1 pound pasta
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 large shallots, about 1 cup, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 red, orange or yellow bell peppers, coarsely chopped
1 large green zucchini and 1 large yellow squash, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into half moons
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup dry white wine
2⁄3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 scallions sliced
1⁄4 cup basil, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, minced
Kosher salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil to finish
Grated Parmesan and minced herbs to garnish
Directions
Cook pasta according to package instructions, reserve 2 cups of pasta water. While pasta cooks, cook vegetables.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and cook for two minutes, stirring frequently. Add the peppers, zucchini and squash. Season with salt and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Stir in the tomatoes and cook for 8- 10 minutes. Add the white wine, 1 cup of reserved pasta water and Parmesan cheese.
Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cooked pasta, scallions and herbs. Add additional pasta water to thin if necessary.
To serve, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan and fresh herbs.
Source: whatshouldimakefor.com
Cinnamon and raisins
Her mother always served rice pudding in the springtime, says Cathy Rosensteel of Hempfield, and she continues the family tradition.
The recipe gets a little zing from a touch of cinnamon and raisins soaked in brandy.
Rosensteel likes hers paired with something lemony, like tea or lemonade.
Rice Pudding
Ingredients
2 cups cooked rice
2 cups milk
3 tablespoons butter
1⁄3-1⁄2 cup sugar (sweeten to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon or nutmeg
Directions
In a medium saucepan, add all ingredients and stir. Bring to a low boil over medium heat and stir to prevent burning, about 15-20 minutes until thickened.
Serve hot or cold with a sprinkling of cinnamon or nutmeg.
Source: realhousemoms.com
Fresh veggies
Nothing says spring like homemade salsa made with fresh veggies, says Pamela Cooper of Greensburg.
Her recipe includes fresh tomatoes, red onion, green pepper, jalapenos and — love it or hate it — plenty of cilantro, which Cooper loves.
The best way to serve it, she says, is with “chips and a good glass of wine, sitting out on the porch.”
Easy DIY Salsa
Ingredients
4 large plum tomatoes (about 1 pound), diced (to yield 2 cups)
1⁄4 cup chopped white onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons minced jalapeno (remove seeds for less heat)
1 1⁄2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
3⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
1 small garlic clove, minced
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. If you prefer a smoother texture — more like jarred — pulse half the salsa in a food processor, then combine it with the remaining chunky half. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Source: realsimple.com
Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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