Asparagus and Morels - Taste Heaven

Another night, another asparagus dinner. As luck would have it we were working in another area that had been burnt last year and sure enough there were more Morels to be found. One of my favorite food combinations of all time is asparagus and morels fried in butter with a little garlic and salt. What makes this dish so enjoyable is knowing just how seasonal it is. You may only have a 2-3 week window in which to eat these two great foods together. Well I didn't waste any time and within minutes of getting home from work I was in the kitchen whipping up this tasty dinner.
serves 2
20 minutes

• 2 salmon fillets
• as many morels as you want, cut in half or quarters
  
• as much asparagus as you want, cut into 3 inch long pieces
  
• left over quinoa and black beans
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 clove of garlic, finely minced

1. Reheat your quinoa (see last post for recipe).
2. In a pan at medium heat melt butter and add the asparagus. Cook for 4 minutes.
3. Add morels and garlic and cook for a further 4 minutes.
4. At the same time, in another pan at medium high heat, melt a little butter and place your 2 salmon fillets. With a cover on the pan cook each side for 4 minutes for perfection, or longer if you want it cooked through.
5. Place all the cooked food on a plate and serve with a little salt and pepper.
6. A little grated Romano or Parmesan also goes quite nice with this meal.
   

It's Asparagus time

A favorite food of mine is asparagus and as I was shopping a few days ago I noticed that the local crop had arrived. As we may only get it for the next 3 weeks or so I plan on eating as much asparagus as I can. Quite often I'll just fry in up in a pan with a little garlic and butter, and nothing else; more of a snack than a meal. The rest of the time I'll actually have it with a meal and try and pair it with something that goes well with it. So tonight it was Asparagus with Halibut with a Black Bean/Quinoa side serving.
Serves 2
30 minutes

1. First cook the Quinoa. Put 1 cup in with 1 and 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. For this recipe I used the water that I had cooked the black beans in. Once it begins to boil, turn to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
2. Have 1 cup of cooked black beans ready. Used canned beans if you wish.
3. In a pan at medium heat melt some butter and add as much asparagus as you want. Cook for 5 minutes. Add a clove of minced garlic for the last 2 minutes.
4. In a separate pan at medium high, melt some butter and place two, 1 inch thick Halibut steaks. Cook for 3 minutes a side for perfection or longer if you want it fully cooked through.
5. In a small pan fry in oil 2 Tbsp's of minced ginger for 4 minutes.

When everything is done put it all on a plate and top the quinoa with the black beans and the beans with the ginger. Add a little salt to the asparagus and you are eating a fine meal.

Morel Mushrooms and Quinoa

I'm a Tree planter by trade and one of the many benefits of working outdoors are the annual Morel mushrooms that pop up in the spring. It's always hit and miss with these mushrooms since they usually come up in areas that have experienced a fire. Lucky for us, last year there was a very big fire in one of the areas that we plant trees. We went to one of those areas today and sure enough there were Morels popping out of the ground everywhere. We usually never plant in the same place twice so I made sure that I picked as many as I could while still making some money planting trees.
If you have never tasted a Morel there really are one of the nicest mushrooms out there. Fried up with butter and garlic they are one of the tastiest food you will ever eat. The other nice thing about Morels is that they dry extremely well and taste just as good, if not better, when used like this. You can then use them in soup, stews, pastas, risottos, etc. Tonight I had some left over quinoa so that was I used as a side dish.
serves 2
20 minutes

• As many Morels as you can get
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 cups of cooked quinoa
• 1 onion, sliced thin
  
• 2 cups of cut spinach
  

1. Fry the onion in a little olive oil and salt until slightly brown.
2. Add the spinach and quinoa and cook a further 3 minutes over medium heat.
3. In a separate pan at medium high melt the butter with the garlic and cook for 3 minutes.
4. Add the Morels and cook over medium high heat for 4-5 minutes.
5. Add the food from the 2 pans and serve with a little salt and cayenne.
   

Prawn Pizza

Pizza is another family favorite and no two are ever the same. To me this is the best part about cooking for yourself, you never eat the same thing twice. What could be better than that? I like many types of crust but this one is a favorite as it comes out light, airy, slightly crunchy and very tasty. Perfect for the kids.
serves 3-4
dough - 3 hours
the pizza - 20 minutes

The Dough

• 1 1/2 unbleached white flour
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 Tbsp of cornmeal
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp suger
• 2 tsp fast rising yeast
• a handful of chopped up sun-dried tomatoes
• 3/4 cup of warm water

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Add the water and mix with your fingers and then hands until a ball of dough has formed.
3. Knead for 7-9 minutes, using white flour to keep your hands from sticking to the dough.
4. After a few minutes of kneading add the sun-dried tomatoes and continue kneading.
5. When finished kneading, coat the dough with oil and put in a large bowl. Cover with some plastic and place in a warm spot for a good 2 hours.
6. Punch the dough down, knead for a minute or so, put into a plastic bag and place inside the fridge for at least 1 hour. You can also leave the dough overnight and make the pizza the next day.

The Pizza

1. In a large pizza pan spread out enough cornmeal to lightly cover the surface.
2. Place your rolled out pizza dough on top of the cornmeal covered pan.
3. Spread 1/2 cup of tomato sauce on the pizza dough.
4. Spread 2 cups of finely chopped spinach over the pizza dough.
5. Spread out as many cooked prawns (quickly fried in a little butter) as you like.
6. Grate enough cheese (this one uses Fortinella) to lightly cover the ingredients.
7. Top with 8 torn up pieces of anchovies.
8. Drizzle lightly all over with olive oil.
9. Place in a preheated 450 Fahrenheit oven and cook for 15 minutes.
10. Remove , cool slightly, and serve.
    

A Simple Salad

Here is a simple spring/summer salad that is often lunch or supper all in itself. All of the green are from my window sill and the garden.
serves 1-2
10 minutes

The Salad

• A handful of lettuce, kale, spinach, chard, lovage and chives. Tear the leaves into smaller pieces and put into a bowl.
• Add half a red pepper, diced.
• Add 1 carrot, grated.
• Add a handful of chickpeas.
• Add a small handful of wakame seaweed.
• Add a small handful of pumpkin seeds.

The Dressing. Mix everything together and toss with the salad.

• 3 Tbsp of olive oil
• Juice from one lime/lemon
• 2 tsp of light Miso paste
• 2 tsp of real French mustard
• a few dashes of Soy sauce
• 3 anchovies, chopped into small pieces