The season brings a whole new outlook on cooking — light, fresh and fast. Here are a few favorite picks from spring’s coolest new cookbooks:
Farinata With Fontina and Rosemary
From “Donatella Cooks,” by Donatella Arpaia (Rodale). Serves 4 as an appetizer.
Ingredients
2/3 cup chickpea flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Needles from a small fresh sprig of rosemary
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-2 ounces fontina cheese and/or prosciutto, cut into slivers
Directions
Combine the flour with 3/4 cup water in a bowl and whisk with a metal whisk until it is smooth. Whisk in sea salt and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Let sit at room temperature for at least 4 hours.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Swirl the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in an 11-inch cast-iron or ovenproof nonstick skillet. Place in the hot oven for 10 minutes. Pour all of the batter into the hot pan and swirl so that the batter reaches up the sides of the pan by 1/4 inch. Scatter the rosemary on the surface and bake about 15 minutes, until the lacy edges begin to darken and the underside is golden. Immediately sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt and plenty of pepper. Slide the pancake onto a cutting board. Top with the fontina and/or prosciutto, cut into eighths and serve hot.
Risi e Bisi
From “Canal House Cooking Volume 3,” by Christopher Hersheimer and Melissa Hamilton. The authors write, “Though it resembles risotto, it shouldn’t be as thick as that — rather it should be loose enough that you need a spoon to get every last bit from the bowl.” Serves 6.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cups shucked peas
Salt
6 cups hot chicken or vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups carnaroli, arborio or other Italian short-grain rice
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Pepper
Directions
Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter together in a heavy medium pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft and golden, 5-10 minutes. Add the peas and season with salt. Cook for a minute or two, then add 1 cup of the stock.
Cover the pot, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer the peas until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the rice and 4 cups of the remaining hot stock. Cover the pot and adjust the heat to maintain a gentle boil. Cook the rice, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 20 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and moisten the rice and peas with the remaining 1 cup of stock. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Season with salt, if it needs it, and with pepper. Serve sprinkled with the remaining cheese.
Steamed Halibut With Greek Salad Salsa
From “Anna Getty’s Easy Green Organic,” by Anna Getty (Chronicle Books). Serves 6. This recipe is easily cut in half.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups seeded and finely chopped plum tomatoes (about 3 tomatoes)
2 tablespoons capers, drained and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
3/4 cup cubed feta cheese ( 1/4-inch cubes)
12 Greek olives, pitted and finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
6 halibut fillets, about 8 ounces each
1 cup white wine
10 whole peppercorns
6 whole fresh basil leaves, plus 4 leaves thinly sliced for garnish
Directions
Make the salsa. In a medium bowl, mix together tomatoes, capers, onion, feta, olives, thyme, olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Spray a collapsible steaming rack with cooking spray and place 2-3 halibut fillets on the rack, skin-side down. Sprinkle the fillets with salt and pepper.
In a medium pot, bring the wine, peppercorns, whole basil leaves and 1 cup of water to a boil. Lay the rack with the fillets in the pot, cover, and steam the fish for 9 to 10 minutes. Gently transfer the steamed halibut fillets to a plate and cover with a domed lid to keep warm. Repeat to cook the remaining fillets.
Serve the steamed halibut on individual plates with Greek salsa on top. Garnish with ribbons of basil.
Tofu With Mustard Greens
From “Melissa’s Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce,” by Cathy Thomas (Wiley). Serves 4.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons canola oil or vegetable oil, divided use
1 medium yellow onion, cut in half from top to bottom and thinly sliced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped stemmed mustard greens
1 1/2 pounds extra-firm tofu patted dry with paper towels, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
3 tablespoons dry sherry
1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth
2 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 green onions, cut into 1/4-inch thick diagonal slices, including dark green stalks
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons oil on high heat in wok or large, deep nonstick skillet. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and starting to brown. Stir in garlic and ginger; cook 20 seconds (do not brown). Add mustard greens a handful at a time, stirring to combine. Stir until greens are heated through and wilted. Off heat, remove with slotted spoon to bowl.
Return wok to heat and add remaining 1 tablespoon oil; tilt pan to swirl oil to coat sides. When oil is hot, add tofu. Cook, tossing occasionally until tofu browns. Add sherry and broth; cook, stirring frequently until approximately half of liquid evaporates. Add mustard green mixture; toss and cook until greens heated through. Add soy sauce and green onions; toss. If desired, serve over cooked rice. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve.
Mangoes With Minced Strawberries
Good mangoes start to hit the market in May, like strawberries. From “Seasonal Fruit Desserts,” by Deborah Madison (Broadway). Serves 2.
Ingredients
A small handful of ripe, fragrant strawberries.
1 teaspoon organic sugar
Juice of 1 key lime
2 yellow kidney-shaped Ataulfo or other small yellow mangoes
Directions
Rinse the berries, then set them on a clean towel to wick up the moisture, then remove the leaves. Dice them into small pieces. Put them in a bowl and toss with the sugar and lime juice. As they stand, they’ll release their juices to make a little sauce.
Peel the mangoes. Then, using a sharp knife, slice them into neat pieces. They won’t be at all uniform because of the big seed that runs down the center of the fruit. Divide between 2 plates, then spoon the strawberries and their juice over and around the mango.
Sweet Pea Soup
From “Sustainably Delicious,” by Michel Nischan (Rodale). Makes about 2 quarts, serves 4-6.
Ingredients
1/2 pound Yukon Gold potatoes
6 cups vegetable stock
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 cup diced onion
4 cups shelled sweet peas (from about 4 pounds in the pod) or frozen organic peas
2-3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint or Thai basil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3-4 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
Directions
Put a rimmed baking sheet in the freezer to chill.
Cover the potatoes with a generous amount of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer briskly for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender but not mushy. Drain the potatoes. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes. You should have about 1 cup of cubed potatoes.
Meanwhile, heat the oil and onion in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the onions caramelize lightly. Add the fresh peas and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until just cooked through. If using frozen peas, heat them just until the soup is hot. Immediately transfer the onion and peas to the chilled baking sheet. Place them in the freezer for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the peas are cold.
In a 3-quart or larger saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add the cold onion and peas and the cubed potatoes to the hot stock. Bring the soup to a simmer over medium-high heat. When the soup simmers and is heated through, transfer the soup to a blender and process until very smooth. You will have to do this in batches. Alternatively, use an immersion blender to puree the soup directly in the pan.
Return the soup to the pot and add the mint or basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the butter. Serve immediately, or strain through a fine-mesh sieve for a more refined soup and garnish with additional mint or basil leaves.
