Roasted Asparagus With Fresh Favas And Morels Recipes

ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH FRESH FAVAS AND MORELS

Steps:

• Bring 1/2 cup water to boil in small saucepan. Add mushrooms. Remove from heat. Place shallot in small bowl. Add vinegar. Let mixture stand 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Cook favas in large saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Rinse under cold water. Drain. Remove and discard outer skin of each fava bean; transfer favas to medium bowl.
• Place asparagus on large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast asparagus until tender when pierced with skewer, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, drain mushrooms and slice thinly. Sauté pancetta in saucepan over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil and sliced mushrooms; sauté 2 minutes. Add shallot mixture; simmer 2 minutes. Add favas and toss to heat through. Stir in thyme. Season fava-mushroom mixture to taste with salt and pepper.
• Place asparagus on platter. Top with fava-mushroom mixture and serve.

ROASTED YOUNG RABBIT WITH GNOCCHI AND FRICASSE OF SPRING VEGETABLES, SPINACH PUREE, AND MOREL FOAM

Steps:

• Salt and pepper the rabbit loin. In a large saute pan, heat oil and butter over high heat. Sear the loin on all sides and then cook to medium doneness for about 2 more minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
• Over medium heat using a large saute pan, add olive oil and butter. Caramelize the gnocchi on both sides for about 1 minute. Add sauteed morel mushrooms, onions, fava beans,
• fresh peas, fiddlehead ferns, and wild leeks. Add garlic and shallots and continue to cook for another minute. Add chicken stock a little at a time and reduce 1 more minute. Add parsley, heavy cream, Parmesan, truffle oil and salt and pepper, to taste. Heat up the Morel Foam and Spinach Puree.
• Over medium heat in a medium saucepan saute garlic, shallots, morels, leeks and onions in butter until very soft about 3 minutes. Add chicken stock. Bring to a boil under high heat. When it comes to a boil add heavy cream. Remove from heat and puree in a blender. Salt and pepper, to taste. Keep warm.
• Over medium heat in a medium saucepan add butter and saute onions and leeks for about 2 minutes. Add chicken stock, bring to a boil and then place into a blender with spinach. Puree until smooth and transfer to a bowl. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Place the bowl on an ice bath to stop cooking process. This keeps the color bright green. Keep in the refrigerator until needed.

ROASTED YOUNG RABBIT WITH GNOCCHI AND FRICASSE OF SPRING VEGETABLES,SPINACH PUREE, AND MOREL FOAM

Steps:

• Salt and pepper the rabbit loin. In a large saute pan, heat oil and butter over high heat. Sear the loin on all sides and then cook to medium doneness for about 2 more minutes. Set aside and keep warm. Over medium heat using a large saute pan, add olive oil and butter. Caramelize the gnocchi on both sides for about 1 minute. Add sauteed morel mushrooms, onions, fava beans, fresh peas, fiddlehead ferns, and wild leeks. Add garlic and shallots and continue to cook for another minute. Add chicken stock a little at a time and reduce 1 more minute. Add parsley, heavy cream, Parmesan, truffle oil and salt and pepper, to taste. Heat up the Morel Foam and Spinach Puree.
• Over medium heat in a medium saucepan saute garlic, shallots, morels, leeks and onions in butter until very soft about 3 minutes. Add chicken stock. Bring to a boil under high heat. When it comes to a boil add heavy cream. Remove from heat and puree in a blender. Salt and pepper, to taste. Keep warm.
• Over medium heat in a medium saucepan add butter and saute onions and leeks for about 2 minutes. Add chicken stock, bring to a boil and then place into a blender with spinach. Puree until smooth and transfer to a bowl. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Place the bowl on an ice bath to stop cooking process. This keeps the color bright green. Keep in the refrigerator until needed. To serve: In the center of a large plate add warmed spinach and a mixture of the Spring Vegetables with gnocchi. Add sliced, bite-sized pieces of the rabbit loin on top of the Morel Foam, and place around the bowl. Add sliced black truffles and pea sprouts to garnish. Serve immediately.

ASPARAGUS AND FAVA BEANS WITH TOASTED ALMONDS

Steps:

• Blanch fava beans in a pot of salted boiling water just until tender, about 1 minute. Transfer to an ice-water bath. Blanch asparagus in pot until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes; transfer to ice-water bath. Drain vegetables. Remove outer skin from fava beans (you should have 1 cup). Pat asparagus dry.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Swirl in oil, then add garlic and fava beans and season with salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is softened, 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer beans to a plate with a slotted spoon. Let skillet cool slightly, then whisk lemon juice into oil in skillet; season with salt and pepper. (Add more oil if dressing is too tart.) Add asparagus; toss to coat with dressing.
• Combine almonds and lemon zest in a small bowl. Transfer asparagus to a platter, top with fava beans, and drizzle remaining dressing in skillet over top. Sprinkle with almond-zest mixture and serve.

ASPARAGUS WITH HORSERADISH VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook until just tender. Plunge into a bowl of ice water. Drain.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the horseradish, shallot, Champagne vinegar and a little salt and pepper. Whisk in the oil. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Divide asparagus among 4 dishes and dress with horseradish vinaigrette. Sprinkle the herbs and chopped egg over asparagus.

FETTUCCINE WITH MUSHROOMS AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• 1. Bring 6 quarts water to a boil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat, then add 2 tablespoons salt.
• 2. While waiting for the water to boil, heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and pepper flakes and sauté quickly to keep the ingredients from scorching. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until the mushrooms darken slightly in color and are softened but still holding their shape, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and asparagus and cook, stirring gently, for 2 minutes. Stir in the cream, immediately reduce the heat to keep it from scorching, and cook for several minutes.
• 3. Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a sauté pan over low heat, shaking the pan, just until they are warm and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• 4. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, 7 to 9 minutes from the time the water returns to a boil (10 minutes if you are using pappardelle).
• 5. Add the basil, butter, pine nuts, and cheese to the pan with the mushrooms and toss well.
• 6. Reserve a cup or so of the pasta's cooking liquid, then drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the mushrooms, asparagus, and sauce. If the sauce seems too dry, stir in a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water. Toss, taste, and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and more pepper flakes if necessary.
• 7. Present the pasta in a bowl and serve family style from the center of the table, or divide among individual plates.
• Your Nightly Specials
• Mushrooms: Instead of using the cremini, use 1 cup dried porcini mushrooms.
• Dried Mushrooms: Dried mushrooms like porcini, morel, and chanterelle offer a quick way to add flavor to cooking and are especially useful in the off season or winter months. Always rinse dried mushrooms under cold running water to remove any lingering dirt and sand, then reconstitute them in hot water for 20 minutes, drain, and strain the liquid. Save the liquid for soups and sauces. Keeping a small packet of dried mushrooms, which costs just a few dollars, in your pantry will five earthy flavor on demand.
• Use a spice grinder to grind dried porcini to a powder. This seasoning powder will very economically make a full pot of risotto taste like a much more costly version, something many restaurants do to make flavors pop. Add 1 tablespoon to the finished mushrooms for a powerful and full flavor at an economical price.
• Porcini Mushrooms: Fresh porcini are among the most delicious of mushrooms. When they are available each fall, by all means use them, although they are expensive and need to be cooked as quickly as possible because they are highly perishable.
• Add 1/2 cup of blanched and shocked fresh or frozen peas, spincach, and/or broccoli buds.
• Toss some shredded, leftover roasted turkey or duck meat into the pan along with the cooked pasta.

ASPARAGUS WITH GOAT CHEESE DRESSING

Steps:

• Arrange the asparagus on a platter.
• Beat the vinegar and mustard together, then beat in the olive oil. Sprinkle the goat cheese over the asparagus, drizzle with the dressing, then season with pepper.
• Sprinkle with chervil and serve.

BASIC ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Snap the ends off the asparagus where they break naturally. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the skin from the lower two-thirds of the stalk.
• Bring an inch of salted water to a boil in a skillet. Put the asparagus in a single layer in the skillet, cover and cook just until the asparagus turn bright green, about three minutes. Alternatively, the asparagus can be steamed in a steamer.
• Drain the asparagus, chill them under cold running water, drain, then dry on paper towels.

GARLIC-BREAD-AND-ASPARAGUS SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot 2/3 full of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook until tender, 6 to 10 minutes. Drain and plunge the asparagus into a large bowl of cold water to stop cooking. Drain and set aside.
• In a large saute pan set over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the morels and continue to cook for 2 to 4 minutes until the mushrooms are tender (cook for 2 minutes if using dried). Add the wine and stock and simmer for 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove half of the mushrooms and set aside.
• Pour the remaining mushrooms and liquid into a blender and add the tarragon, parsley, tamari and vinegar. Process until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids; you should have about 2 cups liquid. Whisk in the ginseng and remaining oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set vinaigrette aside.
• Toast the bread slices until lightly browned and rub them with the garlic cloves. Place each slice in a shallow soup bowl and top with a few asparagus spears. Slice the remaining spears into half-inch pieces and toss with the reserved morels and 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette. Divide among the bowls. Pour the remaining vinaigrette around the toast and crumble one slice of goat cheese over each. Microwave each bowl on high for 30 seconds or until the cheese just melts. Garnish with chopped parsley and tarragon and serve immediately.