Category Archives: spring

Ashkenazi charoset
dessert, fall, jewish cuisine, recipes, spring

Healthy Spring (or fall) Dessert: Ashkenazic Charoset

Ashkenazi charoset

            At first, it might seem strange to have apples in a dish for a spring holiday. Passover, the most important holiday on the Hebrew calendar, celebrates the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt. It always occurs in the spring (in the Northern Hemisphere), while apples are a symbol of fall. On further reflection, the use of apples actually does make sense.

            Charoset is a blend of chopped fruit and nuts, representing the mortar enslaved Israelites used in Egypt, and is an essential element on the Passover Seder plate. Historically, most Ashkenazi Jews lived in Central and especially Eastern Europe. Not many fruits are in season there in March or April, but apples could be stored in a cold cellar over the winter. The only other option might be rhubarb, at least when there is plenty of sugar to counter the acid. Holiday food traditions seem to change more slowly than what people eat every day, so even with modern shipping and preservation, apples remain the base fruit.

            There are many recipes out there, typically including walnuts, sugar, spices, and an acidic liquid to keep the apples from oxidizing and turning brown. Most common is sweet, kosher red wine. Not all kosher wines are sweet, but Manischewitz, the most common brand (for all sorts of kosher products, in fact), is. With at least 51% concord grapes and a bit of extra sweetener, it tastes exactly like the classic non-fermented grape juice, with the alcohol flavor only coming in at the end. Naturally, grape juice would be the perfect non-alcoholic substitute.

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            If you’re wondering why wine isn’t all kosher (as I was), it’s because ancient pagan people often used it in their rituals. To ensure their wine hadn’t previously been used in these rituals, the production from picking to transportation to serving had to be done by kosher-observant Jews. Unless, if I understand things correctly, it gets heated, which renders it unsuitable for pagan rituals. Once that’s done, anyone can handle it.

            Ashkenazi charoset is delicious, regardless of faith or season. It’s sweet, tart, two different kinds of crunchy, juicy, and especially tasty during the fall, when apples are freshest. Walnuts make the mix more substantial, and spices like cinnamon and ginger make it taste like crustless apple pie.

Ingredients:

  • 4 medium sweet-tart apples (I used 2 cortlands and 2 zestars)
  • ½ cup walnut pieces
  • A few drops of lemon juice, if desired
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) sweet kosher red wine or red concord grape juice
  • Sugar to taste

Directions:

  1. Core the apples, slice, and mince as finely as you can with a knife. (One of those devices that cores an apple and cuts it into 8 or 10 slices works perfectly for the first part, and I don’t bother peeling. If using a food processor for the second part, be careful not to overprocess.) Place in a large bowl. Toss with a few drops of lemon juice if desired.
  2. Mince the walnuts and stir in, distributing evenly. Add the spices and wine and stir again.
  3. Taste for sweetness. Depending on the apples, you may or may not need sugar. If the mix needs it, add sugar a tablespoon at a time, tasting as you go.
  4. Let rest in the refrigerator for 24 hours for the best flavor.

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Risotto verde
food history, italian cuisine, recipes, rice, spring, vegetarian

Risotto Verde: The Taste of Spring

Risotto verde

            Among the numerous varieties of risotto, there are a few classics, as detailed in 1000 Foods to Eat Before You Die on pages 233 – 234. Risotto bianco is the basic kind, made simply with rice, butter, a little onion or shallot, white wine, broth, parmesan cheese, and maybe some pancetta or bacon. Milanese is colored a bright golden yellow with saffron. Nero is colored black with squid ink. Piedmontese is enhanced with white truffles. Other varieties might include seafood, mushrooms, or vegetables.

            As you can probably guess, risotto verde is meant to be green. Frequently a spring specialty, it gets its color from parsley and either sweet green peas or asparagus. It’s very fresh-tasting and, when made with frozen peas, surprisingly quick and easy to prepare. To keep everything bright and fresh, I didn’t use any pancetta for my own recipe.

            Technically, you’re not “supposed” to reheat risotto, because it thickens upon standing and can become “gluey.” I’ve never had this problem, or maybe the texture upon reheating just doesn’t bother me. Just add a few drops of water before putting it in the microwave. It will still be a great accompaniment to your chicken sandwich for lunch, and it’s way healthier than chips.

Ingredients:

  • 4 tablespoons (or ¼ cup) butter, or 2 tablespoons each butter and olive oil
  • 1 shallot or ¼ onion, minced
  • 1 ½ cups arborio or other short-grain rice
  • 4 tablespoons (or ¼ cup) dry white wine (something light like pinot grigio), or replace with extra broth
  • 4 – 5 cups chicken or vegetable broth (broth made from poaching chicken works great here)
  • 1 10-ounce bag frozen peas
  • Half bunch parsley, large stems removed, minced
  • 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

  1. Combine the broth and peas in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn off heat, but leave on the stove.
  2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When bubbling, add shallot or onion and sauté for about 2 minutes, until softened.
  3. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until coated and translucent, about 2 minutes.
  4. Stir in the wine and cook, stirring constantly, until evaporated, another 2 or 3 minutes.
  5. Add the broth and peas, a ladleful at a time, stirring constantly, waiting for each to absorb before adding the next. Stir in the parsley about halfway through, saving a little to sprinkle on top at serving time.
  6. After adding 4 cups of broth, the risotto should be slightly liquid. If it seems too thick, add a little more broth.
  7. Remove from the heat, stir in the parmesan, sprinkle with remaining parsley, and serve immediately.

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Canada geese with goslings
food history, spring

Foods Not Eaten: Animal Welfare Concerns

Canada goose and goslings

Foie Gras, Truite au Bleu (blue trout)

Source: 1000 Foods to Eat Before You Die (pgs. 89 – 90, 141 – 142)

            Look how cute those goslings are. Adorable right? These are wild geese, but some domestic species are raised on farms. People still do eat goose and it’s something of a specialty item, but the real money in raising geese is for their livers. Specifically, the fatty livers that result from forcibly overfeeding the birds, which is called foie gras. Geese naturally store extra fat in their livers right before migration, but I’m not comfortable with the force-feeding done commercially. Besides, foie gras is expensive, hard to find, and, again, is liver. Do you recall what the liver does? (It cleans toxins from the blood, which is why most people don’t need cleansing tea/juice/supplements. Your liver has you covered.)

Pair of Canada geese and goslings
Semi-wild, anyway. They’re definitely not domesticated, but can be found hanging out on golf courses, in corn fields after the harvest, on the football field just through the trees, etc.

            Trout aren’t as cute as fluffy goslings, but the process of preparing truite au bleu is even more horrifying. To get the distinctive blue color and make the whole fish curl into circles, the fish need to be quick-cleaned immediately before cooking, then placed in the boiling water while technically still alive. The curling up comes from automatic nerve impulses, and the blue color from a reaction between still-living skin cells and the boiling acidic water. No matter how much it improves the fish’s flavor, it isn’t worth it. Super-fresh fish is a remarkable ingredient in itself. There’s no reason not to dispatch it quickly and humanely. It will still be good. For a blue color, try food coloring.

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