Scrumptious Street

Crispy Fresh Morels and Peas

It's that wonderful time of year again;  Morel mushroom season in North America.  Having grown up in a beautiful mountainous place where we foraged our own after rainy May days, morels are an "official start of Spring" for me.  I adore their hearty, meaty, rich flavor and their magnificent toothsome texture. 

I haven't hunted morels myself in years but after finding these perfect specimens at a local Farmer's Market I'm itching to get my rainboots and basket out and check out my Northern California forests.  It's easy to find them with a good guide after the first couple of days of sun following a little bit of rain.  They like to grow in forested or wooded areas and are as prized in some parts of North America as truffles are in Europe.  If anyone in the Bay Area knows where I can hunt them please let me know.  In the meantime, I'm hitting that market every week through May to stock up on more.

Morels are wonderfully adaptable to most cooking methods and tastes.  There always seems to be a joke floating around that morels "taste like chicken" but I couldn't disagree more.  They are a unique and distinct flavor that cannot be described, purely experienced.  All my years in New York, I depended on dried morels except on a few wonderful occasions when I found fresh ones.  However, these are so much larger, heartier, tastier and prettier than anything I found in New York ever.  I was so excited at the market I started shrieking and giggling, it's a good thing I was amidst other avid cooks and eaters who understood my joy!

My recipe is an adaptation of the classic way my Mom prepared them: fried with corn meal.  I took her basic recipe and added a few key ingredients and made a superb marinade to help tenderize them before frying.  Wow.  They rocked! Here are my "Crispy Spring Morels and Peas".

Here's my recipe.  It's just a small amount, for two people since the price of these mushrooms is astronomical.  They are a splurge but my memories and love of them are so profound that I couldn't resist them.  But, just tasty little side dishes, I only bought a little.

Ingredients
Serves 2 as small appetizer or side

8 oz. fresh Morels, bottoms trimmed off, halved and cavity wiped clean with moist towel
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. yellow corn meal
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c. vegetable or peanut oil
1 medium Spring onion, minced
1/3 c. shelled fresh green peas

Method:

1. Prepare and clean mushrooms.  It's important to cut off the tough end of the stem and also to slice them open in half lengthwise.  You must do this to look for worms (always possible) and to clean out the inside gently with a damp towel.

2. Combine the Worcestershire sauce and buttermilk in a bowl by whisking together.  Add the cleaned morels to this sauce to act as a marinade and help tenderize the mushrooms.  Refrigerate 1-3 hours.

3. When mushrooms have marinated, put the cornmeal on a large, wide plate.  Add the salt and pepper to the cornmeal and mix with your fingers to spread through.  One at a time, dredge the mushrooms in the seasoned cornmeal.  Shake off any excess cornmeal and place on another plate in a single layer.

4.  In a large non-stick skillet, heat the oil on high and when shimmering and very hot, gently add the mushrooms.  Fry until they are very tender but crispy and brown on the outside from the cornmeal, about 6-8 minutes.  Toss in the spring onion and peas and fry another 2-3 minutes until the peas are just tender.  Remove from heat, and drain on a plate lined with paper towel if there's extra oil.  Add another pinch of kosher salt and enjoy immediately!

Packaged Asparagus and Red Snapper

I spend so much time waiting for Spring asparagus every year that I love doing many things with it for the peak weeks.  Sometimes, it's simply steamed and wrapped with Prosciutto or Jamón Ibérico (thank you, Gam, it's stunning!!) and covered with a two-minute poached egg.  Other times, they become the very important supporting ingredient in a wonderful main course like this "Red Snapper and Asparagus en Papillote" that I created recently.

I don't know which is more succulent; the fish or the asparagus.  But, they were both delicious.

If you haven't tried cooking fish in parchment paper before, it is honestly very simple and one of the tastiest, juiciest results for your fish.  You use at least some kind of acid, some kind of oil, some aromatics and some seasoning to get great flavor into the fish.  I also put various kinds of tender and flavorful vegetables with the fish.  Then you toss liquids, aromatics and veggies together and put the vegetables down first and the fish on top.  Drizzle with more liquids, season and a couple thin pats of butter.  Wrap it up like a package and then bake it.  The technique is steaming the food inside the paper and it comes out perfectly cooked, moist and full of whatever lovely flavors are inside the package.  If you like doing fish at home, this is a must-try technique!

Here's my recipe:

Ingredients
Serves 2

2 Red Snapper fillets or any white or pink delicate fish fillet
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. Chinese Five-Spice powder
1 bunch tender spring asparagus, washed and trimmed
1/2 ripe tomato cut into paper-thin slices
1 lemon; 1/2 juiced and 1/2 cut into paper-thin slices
2 chives, minced
4 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 fennel fronds
2 tarragon stems
1/2 T. tarragon leaves, minced
1 T. butter, thinly sliced
2 T. dry white wine

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 325˚F. Season the fish with salt, pepper and Chinese 5-Spice powder on all sides. 

2. In a bowl, toss together the asparagus, tomato, chives, 2 T. olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper and juice from half a lemon.

3. Tear off two large pieces of parchment paper and fold in half, creasing well.  Make sure one fillet will fit completely inside the paper when folded.  Brush the paper with 1 T. olive oil per paper.  Spoon the asparagus and tomatoes onto the middle of one side of the paper. Next, place the fennel fronds and tarragon stems on top of the vegetables.   Lay one fish fillet on top of each pile of vegetables, lengthwise so that the fish is parallel to the crease in your paper.  Sprinkle minced tarragon on top of the fish, place the lemon and butter slices on top of that and sprinkle both fillets with the white wine, 1 T. per fillet.

4. Fold the top half of the paper over your pile of vegetables and fish and begin rolling and crimping the paper so that it will hold together and make a nice half-moon or heart-shaped package.  I've got a photo of that from a previous post.

5. Place the packages on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on your oven and thickness of fillets.  Remove the packages from the oven and slit them with a knife to let the steam escape.  Serve immediately from the package or remove and plate. One note: remove the fennel and tarragon stems before eating.  They're only there for flavor and are too tough to eat.

Have fun and enjoy the flavors of Spring at their most tender and moist!

Watermelon-Rhubarb Granita

It's been wonderfully warm in the Bay Area the past two weeks and getting a feel for summer in April is an exciting new event for me.  I've found myself craving the foods of summer and even though I can get pretty much anything year-round in California, it's best to still try to eat "in season".  Rhubarb is one of the first crops of Spring in much of North America and it's out in full force these days.  I tire, however, of the typical rhubarb dishes.  There is nothing wrong with them and I love that classic pie myself, but this week I was inspired to experiment beyond strawberries and rhubarb.  My fabulously light and refreshing result is simple and so awesome it's a new favorite.  Meet my "Watermelon-Rhubarb Granita".

I fell in love with granita while traveling in Sicily, and the variations are limited only by your preferences and ideas! It's a perfect treat after an afternoon outdoors, when you come inside feeling the sun has been seeping into your winter skin and you're thirsty and parched but somehow water or juice won't quench the craving.  This is perfect and the flavors together are simply incredible!  With the naturally sweet and delicate watermelon and the tartness of the rhubarb the granita becomes subtly flavored and softly cool.  This recipe is best made using a proper juicer, but if you don't have one you could still do it with a blender.  With a blender, you'd probably just want to make sure that you blend the rhubarb and watermelon in alternating portions since the rhubarb is fibrous and you'll want the juice of the watermelon to help make sure your blender doesn't get stuck with rhubarb strands. 

Not only were the pairings of watermelon and rhubarb a perfect combination but I really loved my addition of Pernod.  This sweet but anise-tasting liquor really hit a great harmonizing note in the dessert.  Next time I'll use real fennel juice as well, and skip the liquor to compare results.   I didn't use much sugar to sweeten the granita but let the watermelon do that job.  I tasted during each step and adjusted the entire time.  I suggest you do the same because your result will depend greatly on the ripeness of the fruit.  The watermelon I had, in particular, was far from peak ripeness (it's best in July and August) so I know this will only be better with a sweeter watermelon.  But then, I also would use more rhubarb to keep the sweet-tart scales evenly balanced. As mine turned out, one didn't dominate the other.

Nevertheless, this is awesome and I wanted to make it available now so that as you have the first days of Summer you can give it a try!

Ingredients
Serves 6

* seedless watermelon is really a misnomer.  It does have seeds but they're small, soft and undeveloped.  Easily ground or discarded.

2.5 lbs. small fresh seedless watermelon* (1 very small or 1/2 average sized), peeled and cut into chunks
3 large stalks rhubarb, peeled and cut into chunks
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. Pernod or anise liquor
Maldon Sea Salt to garnish

Method:
1.  Using a vegetable juicer if possible, or a blender, juice the rhubarb and watermelon.  Skim off any bitter light-green froth and discard.   Taste as you go along, adding more of either to suit your preference. My ratio was nearly 1:1 and it was perfect for me. It should yield about 4 cups of mixed juice, not much more.

2. In a small saucepan on low heat dissolve the sugar in the water to make a simple syrup.  Stir in the Pernod, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

3. Pour the syrup into the juice and stir thoroughly.  Pour it all into a freezer-safe 9"x13" pan so that the juice is just a thin layer.  Put dish into the freezer.

4. Every 20-30 minutes, reach into the freezer with a regular kitchen fork and scrape or "rake" the granita, creating granules of ice.  Let the granita freeze for about 3-4 hours or until slushy but still quite firm, raking at the given intervals. 

5. Serve in pretty glasses and garnish with a few flakes of Maldon sea salt.  Trust me, this is INCREDIBLE and the final result isn't the same without it.  Watermelon and minerally sea salt work extremely well together.  Another acceptable substitute is Hawaiian Pink Sea Salt. 

Enjoy your refreshing summer dessert! It's also extremely healthy, so eat until that thirst is quenched.

Grilled (for real) Swordfish on Rosemary Skewers

For the first time in my adult life, a real gas grill is sitting outside on my first-ever backyard deck.  Since it was +85˚F in the Bay Area this weekend, Mr. Scrumptious and I decided to commit to making the ultimate Summer cooking purchase.  Up to this point I've been using my terrific grill pan with no complaints.  While the "real grill" is large and somewhat intimidating to my urban conditioning, I must say I'm thrilled about the variety and quality of tastes we can now produce.  Mr. Scrumptious is the Master Grill Chef, and I'm the Sous-Chef, Saucier and Line Cook.  I don't mind a bit.  This weekend we did these delectable "Grilled Swordfish on Rosemary Skewers" and they blew my mind and thrilled my tastebuds!

My marinade was really delicious and the combination of these specific vegetables with the rosemary, citrus and fish was a true winner.  If you haven't used kumquats before hear this: they are pure gold.  Their flavor is so sweet, bright and fresh and when grilled they nearly turn to marmalade inside their skins.  You eat the whole fruit, skins and all, and they're a perfect match for swordfish.  Also, make sure to use white pepper; it's better than black for fish.  If you like grilling, explosions of flavor, and the hefty satisfaction of smoky swordfish, try this out!

Ingredients
Serves 2

For the marinade:
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, minced
1/2 tsp. fresh lemon thyme, minced
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 fresh serrano chile, seeded and minced
1/2 tsp. fresh lime zest
1 lime, juiced
1 tsp. tangelo (or tangerine) zest
1 tangelo (or tangerine), juiced
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
3 T. dry white wine
1/4 c. plus 2 T. extra virgin olive oil

For the skewers:
4 long and thick rosemary branches, leaves removed 3/4 way up
2 8 oz. swordfish steaks, skinned and cut into 1/2" chunks
12 kumquats (3 per skewer)
12 tomatillos (3 per skewer) husked
12 cremini mushrooms ( 3 per skewer), cleaned and stem sliced short
1/2 red onion, cut into chunks

Method:

1. Make the marinade by combining all its ingredients into a bowl and whisking together.  Cut the swordfish into chunks and place into a air-tight plastic bag.  Pour in the marinade, zip the bag closed and turn and shake several seconds to coat all the fish.  Place the bag into the refrigerator and let marinate 4-6 hours.

2. Take the rosemary skewers and wash thoroughly.  Strip the leaves off the bottom 3/4 of the branch, leaving just a tuft at the top.  Save the rosemary leaves.  Place the rosemary branches in a deep, large pan and cover with water.  Let the branches sit for several hours in the water so they don't burst into flames on the grill.

3. Clean and prepare the kumquats, tomatillos, mushrooms and onions.  Keep everything whole except the onions.  About an hour before you're ready to grill, add the fruit and vegetables to the bag with the swordfish.  Shake the bag to mix together and get the marinade running over everything.  Let stand at room temperature at least 30-45 minutes.

4.  Get the grill preheating to between 475˚ and 500˚F.  While that's working, thread the fish, fruit and vegetables onto the skewers.  I found it easiest to cut the bottom of the branch into a sharp point so I didn't tear my food getting it onto the skewer. Place the skewers on a baking sheet and drizzle the marinade over everything.

5. Grill the skewers about 2-3 minutes per side, depending on your grill.  Baste each side evenly with the marinade.  Turn the skewers 3 times for a total of 6-9 minutes cooking time.  Make sure the swordfish is opaque and slightly firm but not hard and that the veggies and fruit are delightfully tender and charred.

6. Remove the skewers from the grill and slide off the branch onto a plate using a large fork. 

Enjoy with a cold beer and some banana-mustard potato salad.  Dessert was simple but spectacular: sliced fresh strawberries drizzled with Meyer Memon juice, balsamic vinegar, a dusting of sugar and black pepper (yes, that's right, black pepper! It's amazing with balsamic vinegar if you haven't tried the combination) and Meyer Lemon zest.  This was our wonderful and quite possibly, perfect, first weekend of summer meal!

As for the grill, it's awesome. With porcelain grates, a side sauce flame, temperatures up to 700˚F and settings for sear, grill, barbecque and ability to add wood chips for smokiness, it's going to make my summer cooking and recipes that much more fun!

Red Wine Linguine with Broccolini and Chorizo

Cooking with alcohol has been a theme in the past at Scrumptious Street and it's a tried and true technique in my kitchen that I use very frequently.  But, every once in a while I come up with something so good and unique I must share it with all of you.  This one is a riff on a fairly known concept in Italian cooking, Risotto al Barolo, or cooking risotto in Barolo Italian red wine.  I asked myself "why stop at rice?" and tried it out with pasta.  The result was so scrumptious and wonderful, here is my "Red Wine Linguine with Broccolini, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Chorizo." 

Yes, it's not classically Italian nor even purely Italian.  I borrowed an Italian-style idea and then just paired up the flavors that I knew my taste buds would love; broccolini for an earthy and somewhat bitter flavor, sun-dried tomatoes for a hearty and sweeter undertone and chorizo for a nice smoky and spicy kick. While it may seem a bizarre Mediterranean fusion dish, the point is that it just turned out damned good! Try it and you'll taste what I mean.

The wine for this dish really needs to be a big, bold, fruity and spicy wine. While the Barolo is the classic Italian vino to use here, I had a wonderful California Zinfandel on hand and it was awesome! It particularly engages well with the chorizo via their mutual spiciness.  Make sure you use a hearty wine you think is delicious, because its flavor will overtake the pasta and become the taste of the noodle.  That's what you want!

Here's how I pulled it together in my recipe:

Ingredients
Serves 2 as entreé, 4 as appetizer course

1/2 lb. linguine
1 1/2 c. zinfandel or other bold red wine
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 lb. chorizo or other spicy and smoky sausage, removed from casings and finely crumbled
1 bunch tender broccolini
4 sun-dried tomatoes cured in olive oil, sliced
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. red chili flakes
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
4-5 leaves fresh basil, minced
parmigiano reggiano cheese to taste

Method:

1. Bring a large stockpot  of water to boil and throw in a small handful of sea salt.  Add the linguine and boil the pasta for 6 minutes.

2. In a very large skillet or flat-bottom pan bring the red wine to steaming over medium-low heat.

3. In a third pan, heat the extra virgin olive oil and then sauté the chorizo.  When just starting to cook, add the broccolini, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic and sauté until the broccolini is tender and the chorizo is cooked to pink perfection, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with the salt, pepper and red chili flakes

4. At this point the pasta should have cooked 6 minutes, about half-done.  Drain it with a colander or the insert to a pasta stockpot.  Bring the wine in the large skillet to a high simmer and add the half-cooked linguine.  Keep it at a strong simmer, just below boiling and cook until the wine is nearly absorbed.  When the pasta is almost perfectly al dente, gently add the sauteéd veggies and sausage to the pasta and toss thoroughly.  Cook until the wine is all gone and the pasta is perfectly cooked. This should not be more than 5 or 6 minutes from the time you added the pasta to the wine.

5. Remove from heat and plate, garnishing with the fresh basil and parmigiano reggiano cheese.

You easily make this dish vegetarian by using one of the many fabulous spicy vegetarian chorizo substitutes. 

Hope you like it as much as I did!