Spring Greens and Fiddlehead Salad with Creamy Feta Dressing

These curlicue-shaped fiddlehead greens are a specialty of the forest. They are actually fern fronds. Fiddleheads have such a short season since they're picked before the ferns have a chance to unfurl their fronds. They're definitely a specialty that you'll only see sold in farmers' markets and served in restaurants as a special dish of the evening. Rather expensive, fiddleheads are still worth buying, because a little does go a long way. Just a handful can add interest to salads or side dishes.

Fiddleheads are just plain fun to look at. Their flavor is like that of asparagus or green beans, very fresh and crisp if cooked just right. It is recommended that fiddleheads be cooked for about 10 to 15 minutes to kill any toxins, but I've never had a problem with them cooked for a shorter amount of time. Before cooking, I like to trim any brown area from the stem and soak the fiddleheads in a few changes of water. Then just boil or steam them until tender. Shock in ice water to preserve the bright green color. The fronds can then be used in salads or sauteed with onions or garlic for simple side dish.

For this salad, I serve the fiddleheads mixed with tender spring greens. For a unique dressing, I toss the greens in a creamy feta dressing. Rather than topping the salad with feta crumbles, here the cheese is incorporated into the dressing. It's just the right blend of creamy, salty, and tangy. A touch of honey rounds out the flavors with sweetness. It's a Mediterranean spin on salad, perfect as a refreshing appetizer to whet the appetite.

Spring Greens and Fiddlehead Salad with Creamy Feta Dressing

1 small shallot, minced
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
1/4 cup crumbled feta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon honey
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces mixed baby greens
4 ounces fiddleheads, boiled and chilled
1/4 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts

In a large bowl, combine shallot, vinegar, feta, olive oil, mayonnaise, and honey. Mash the feta into the mixture and whisk until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. Add greens and fiddleheads and toss to coat. Divide among 4 plates and top each with walnuts. Yield: 4 servings as an appetizer or side dish.

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Lamb Burgers with Feta and Pickled Red Onions

It's time to pull out the grill! The official start of grilling season is this Memorial weekend. The weather is finally warm, making it the perfect occasion for a large celebratory gathering. And what would a backyard barbecue be without the ubiquitous burger? After all burgers are part of the American tradition. They're easy to make, relatively inexpensive, and easily please a crowd of family and friends.

Everyone knows beef burgers, but what about lamb burgers? OK, they're not the most traditional for Memorial Day, but they're really good. And who said we can't try something new? I can't forget the famous lamb burger at The Breslin, April Bloomfield's British-style pub. The burger I had there was perfectly cooked and juicy, thick and full of flavor. This burger is my attempt at recreating it at home.

This recipe has a bit of a Mediterranean feel, almost Greek. The lamb burgers are topped with salty feta and tangy pickled red onions. The feta complements the burgers very well, adding a tangy, salty flavor. The onions cut right through the rich flavor of the lamb. I like to serve all my burgers on toasted brioche buns, which absorbs the meat's juices. This is the way to enjoy a burger, pure and simple.

Lamb Burgers with Feta and Pickled Red Onions

1-1/2 pounds ground lamb shoulder
olive oil, for brushing
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 brioche buns
sliced feta cheese, for serving
pickled red onions (recipe follows), for serving

Divide the ground meat into 4 balls and form into patties, pressing a dimple into each. Place on a tray lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Heat a grill or griddle at medium-high to high heat. Brush the grates with oil.

Liberally season the patties with salt and pepper. Brush with oil. Place on the grill and sear about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let the burgers rest for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile toast the bun on the grill.

For serving, place each burger in a bun and top with feta cheese and pickled red onions. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.



Pickled Red Onions

1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1-1/2 cups cider vinegar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Put the onions in a large heat-proof bowl.

In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, salt, and spices. Bring to a boil, dissolving sugar.

Pour liquid over onions. Cover bowl with a small plate that can fit onto the surface of the onions. Let stand until cool. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Transfer to a jar for storage. Pickled onions keep in the refrigerator for about 3 months.

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Spicy Pickled Ramps

Every spring there's always one seasonal vegetable that I wish I could preserve or get all year long. Most spring vegetables, like asparagus, are available throughout the year in the supermarket. But there's one vegetable that's so special it only comes around once per year. That's ramps. Since the season of ramps is short-lived and nearly over, I've taken every opportunity to create some great dishes. Now that I've bought my last bunches, I'm ready to pickle.

Pickled ramps are simply wonderful. If you've never had them before, now is the time to try. Flavor the brine however you want. I've tried many spice combinations, but this time I'm using spicy Korean flavors. The ramps take on the taste of kimchi with the Korean red pepper powder, kochukaru. These spicy ramps add zip to any dish. You can even mix some pickled ramps into stir-fried rice or garnish salads or ramen or udon soups. They're even great for munching.



It's easy to pickle. Simply pour the hot brine over the ramps, packed tightly in a jar. Immediately tighten on the lid and the heat will seal the top so you can keep the jar in the pantry until ready to use. Otherwise, keep the pickles in the fridge if you don't intend to store them for long. You can leave the greens intact or remove them depending how you like it. I removed the greens that didn't fit into the jar and made ramp pesto. Use every bit of the ramp. It's too good to let any part of it go to waste.

Spicy Pickled Ramps

Recipe adapted from Momufuku by David Chang and Peeter Meehan.

2 bunches ramps (about 30 ramps)
3/4 cups rice vinegar
1-1/2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup Kosher salt
2 teaspoons shichimi togarashi (Japanese 7-spice)
2 teaspoons kochukaru (Korean red pepper powder) or hot paprika
1 tablespoon white peppercorns

In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and spices. Bring to a boil, dissolving sugar.

Pour liquid over ramps in a sterilized canning jar. Leave a 1/4-inch space between the liquid and the top of the lid; tighten on a self-sealing lid.

With an air-tight seal, the pickled pickled ramps can be stored in the pantry for up to a year. Otherwise, refrigerate.

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Rocket and Shaved Sunchoke Salad with Preserved Lemon and Sardine

With spring comes an abundance of salad greens, since they're one of the first vegetables to sprout. Salads are my favorite dishes to make because it's easy to be creative with them and they're quick to put together. A trip to the farmers' market at this time of year is a fantastic way to see all the greens available. From the well known varieties to ones with names you might not have heard of before—tatsoi, mâche, mizuna—I love them all. But if I were to choose a favorite, it would have to be arugula.

Also called rocket, arugula is one of the hardiest greens and is easy to grow. In fact this salad is made with rocket grown in my garden. Pick the leaves while they're young and tender so they won't be so pungent and peppery. They are wonderful tossed into a mixed greens salad but I enjoy them simply dressed with oil and vinegar. But for this recipe I take it a few steps further and add some unique ingredients.

With inspiration from a salad I enjoyed at Chez Panisse, I add sunchokes and sardines. The salad I had in the restaurant had cardoons, anchovy, and sunchokes prepared two ways: crispy fried and roasted. Sunchokes are great whichever way you cook them, but they're even more interesting raw. That way you really taste the sweet nutty flavor. Plus it adds crunch to the salad. In my own twist I add preserved lemon to counterbalance the fishiness of the sardines. This salad would be an elegant first course at a dinner celebrating spring.

Rocket and Shaved Sunchoke Salad with Preserved Lemon and Sardine

2 large sunchokes
2 teaspoons preserved lemon juice
5 ounces rocket arugula
2 wedges preserved lemon, rinsed, pulp discarded, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 canned sardines

Scrub sunchokes with a brush under running water. Using a knife, scrape skin from sunchokes. Slice thinly on a mandoline. Add to large bowl and toss with lemon juice to prevent browning. Add rocket and lemon slices to bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Divide sardines among 4 plates. Top each with salad. Serve. Yield: 4 appetizer servings.

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Pressed Skirt Steak Sandwich with Grilled Ramps, Manchego, and Romesco

It's that time of year again: Ramps are in season. Over the years I've come to love ramps, though at first I wasn't sure I liked them and just went along with the hype. But I soon realized ramps are too unique a vegetable to ignore. Ramps grow in the wild and are available only in the months of April and May. They end up in farmers' markets by way of a forager. It's truly a short-lived springtime delicacy that needs to be enjoyed now.

Ramps can be prepared in many different ways: sauteed, roasted, and even pickled. I've recently come to realize just how good they are grilled. The technique tames their onion-y bite and brings out a natural sweetness, plus the smoky char adds flavor too. Here I serve up the grilled ramps in a pressed sandwich that includes grilled skirt steak, manchego cheese, and the Spanish romesco sauce for the ultimate steak sandwich with a Spanish touch.

In creating this dish, I was inspired by one of my favorite sandwiches at 'wichcraft. The romesco sauce (which includes bread, almonds, tomatoes, and red peppers) adds bold flavor. I like mine thicker than usual—more like a pesto—so that it's easily spreadable. This recipe makes a big batch, which can be frozen in portions for later use. Romesco, a traditional sauce from Catalonia, is enjoyed as a condiment with seafood and sometimes meats. It's also great as a sauce over pasta. So don't let those leftovers go to waste. These sandwiches make a super flavorful meal while ramps are in season.

Pressed Skirt Steak Sandwich with Grilled Ramps, Manchego, and Romesco

Note: Skirt steak should be cooked just until medium-rare, otherwise it becomes tough and inedible. Slice it thinly and diagonally against the grain. If you prefer, flank steak also works.

1 bunch ramps, roots trimmed, bulbs and stems separated
olive oil
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 pound skirt steak
1/2 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
4 thick slices country bread
romesco sauce, recipes follows
5 ounces manchego cheese, thinly sliced

Heat a grill pan at medium-high to high heat.

Slice ramp bulbs in half lengthwise. Drizzle ramps with just enough oil to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Grill stems and bulbs separately; stems for 1 minute until wilted and bulbs until soft and slightly blackened with grill lines, about 5 minutes. Remove ramps to a plate. Thinly slice stems.

Trim any fat or membrane from steak. Rub with oil and sprinkle with paprika and season liberally with salt and pepper. Grill 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Rest for 5 minutes. Slice steak diagonally against the grain.

Spread one side of each slice of bread with a spoonful of romesco. Top with slices of cheese. Arrange steak and ramps over top. Press halves together. Lightly brush outside of sandwich with oil. Add sandwiches and grill one side until marked with lines. Carefully flip over, and weight sandwiches with a panini presser or bricks wrapped in foil. Grill until cheese has melted. Remove sandwiches to a board and cut into halves. Serve immediately. Yield: 2 hearty sandwiches.

Romesco Sauce

Note: Leftover romesco sauce can be frozen in an airtight container for up to one month.

olive oil
2 thick slices country bread, cubed
1/3 cup slivered almonds
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 15-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
1 8-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Warm a thin layer of olive oil in a skillet. Add bread cubes and toast until golden. Add almonds and garlic, toast until almonds are golden and garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Pour the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor. Add tomatoes and peppers and blend until pureed. Add extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar, pulse until emulsified. Add sweet and hot paprika, and season with salt and pepper. Pulse to combine. Yield: 2 cups.

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Salsify with Sherry Vinaigrette

Have you ever heard of salsify? It's also known as tragopogon, goatsbeard, or oyster plant. Up until now I've only seen this root vegetable on restaurant menus. It's a vegetable that chefs love to experiment with. You can't find salsify in the supermarket, but you can find it in farmers' markets as I did at the Union square Greenmarket. Salsify stands out among the crowd of root vegetables that it's hard not to take an interest in cooking with them.

The most simple way to enjoy salsify is as a side dish and my favorite is tossing it in a little vinaigrette. It has a subtle flavor that some liken to oysters or artichokes. I think it tastes most like artichoke hearts. But if you think salsify tastes like oysters, then you will love this recipe, because the vinaigrette is almost like a mignonette sauce, and when the salsify is chilled, it tastes even more like oysters.



Salsify resembles parsley root but with broad grass-like leaves, almost like a weed. It has purple flowers when it blooms. One thing to pay attention to is that salsify browns immediately when sliced or peeled. One way to get around this is to cook the root without peeling and then just peel after. Or keep the peeled roots in acidulated water until ready to cook. The roots also release a sticky milky sap or sometimes a blood-red sap. Don't be alarmed if it's red, the vegetable isn't possessed.

Salsify with Sherry Vinaigrette

for the salsify:
1-1/2 pounds salsify
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
fine sea salt

for the sherry vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon sherry vinaigrette
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small shallot, minced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Bring a pan with 2 inches of water, lemon juice, bay leaf, and peppercorns to a boil.

Meanwhile, quickly prepare the salsify by cutting off the leaves and peeling. Immediately add to the pan. Lower to a simmer, cover, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

Make the vinaigrette by whisking together the vinegar, oil, shallot, and parsley until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.

Once cooked, remove the salsify to a cutting board and let cool slightly. Cut into segments and toss with vinaigrette. Serve either warm or chilled. Yield: 4 servings as a side dish or appetizer.

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Pasta with Radishes and Radish Greens

Peppery radishes are a wonderful springtime treat. They are not just for eating raw, radishes can be cooked and their greens are also edible. I always like to pick up a big bunch of radishes at the farmers' market, where you'll typically find them sold with big bushy leaves. In supermarkets, the greens are typically wilted or more often the radishes are sold in bags without their leaves. Just last week I made a trip to Union Square's Greenmarket and picked up a bagful of spring groceries, among them radishes.

Not only did I pick up groceries, but I also picked up some great cooking tips from the farmer who sold the radishes to me. She recommended sauteing, stir-frying, and even adding the greens to miso soup. I had the idea of making a raw pesto, but since the greens were quite peppery to begin with, I decided on sauteing them for a simple pasta dish. I combine crisp pancetta with the radishes, the greens, and a bit of garlic. It's a simple pasta dish for a quick dinner any night of the week. Who knew you can cook radishes and their greens? But for me it's all about the philosophy of using what you have, waste not want not.



Radishes are a part of the cabbage family. They are available in spring and winter varieties and come in different colors, such as red, white, purple, and even my favorite watermelon colored, which are pale green on the outside and bright pink on the inside. When buying radishes, look for roots that are small and round. Larger roots tend to be tough. Once you get them home, place the radishes in water to keep the roots and the greens fresh.

Pasta with Radishes and Radish Greens

1-1/2 pounds baby radishes with greens
4 ounces pancetta or bacon, chopped
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
8 ounces campanelle pasta
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Cut radish greens from radishes. Wash greens well in many changes of water and spin dry. Scrub radishes and trim roots. Cut into quarters or halves, depending on size.

Bring a large pot of liberally salted water to a boil. Add radishes and blanch for 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. Add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente.

Meanwhile, warm a large saute pan over medium heat. Add pancetta and fry until nearly crisp. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add blanched radishes and radish greens. Saute until greens have wilted. Add a 1/4 cup pasta water, cover and steam until radishes are tender, about 5 minutes. Add cooked pasta and combine. Continue to cook until any remaining liquid evaporates. Yield: 2 servings.

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Galette or Buckwheat Crêpe with Ham and Egg

One of the most popular Parisian street foods are crêpes. You can buy them filled with just about any sweet filling, including fruit preserves and chocolate. But savory crêpes, also popular in France though much less known outside of the country, actually have a different name; they are called galettes. Thinner and larger than crêpes, they are made with buckwheat flour, a soft flour with an earthy flavor. The region of Brittany is very famous for its galettes, which can be filled with any number of savory fillings.

Eggs, thinly sliced meats, fish, cheese, and vegetable all make delicious fillings. My favorite, by far, is the combination of ham and eggs. Savory crêpes can be enjoyed for lunch or dinner, but they are especially nice for an elegant breakfast. With Mother's day this weekend, a breakfast of galettes would be a wonderful way to celebrate mom with some French flair. If you know how to make pancakes and fry eggs, making these breakfast bundles is not difficult at all.

All you need is a bit of swirling action in the wrist to get nice round crêpes. Besides that, the batter can be made easily in the blender. Resting the batter for a bit ensures it has a chance to fully incorporate, but if you don't have time to make the crêpes on the morning of mom's day, make it the night before and refrigerate. Bring the batter back to room temperature before frying the crêpes. One tip to keep in mind is that the batter should be the consistency of heavy cream. If it's a little too thick, stir in some additional milk until it looks right.

To assemble a breakfast galette, simply fry an egg in a large pan and heat two slices of ham. Place a crêpe on a plate, line with the ham slices, top with a fried egg, and fold up the edges. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with chopped chives or grated cheese. Mom will be quite impressed with this French-style breakfast. The recipe is easy enough for anyone to master and kids can even help with the assembly.

Buckwheat Crêpes

1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
3 large eggs

In a blender, combine all the ingredients. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the jar. Let the batter rest for at least 1 hour. Whisk before using.

Heat a 10-inch frying pan over medium heat. Brush the pan with clarified butter or canola oil. Add 1/4 cup batter and swirl to coat. After about 1 minute, use a spatula to check if the bottom of the crêpe is lightly browned. Flip the crêpe and cook for about 1/2 minute. Turn the crêpe out onto a plate. Whisk the batter and continue to cook crêpes until the batter is used up. Yield: about 12 crêpes.

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Tres Leches Cake

Cinco de Mayo is not necessarily celebrated as a national holiday in Mexico, but here in the United States it's a celebration of Mexican culture and a day where no excuse is needed to fill up on Mexican favorites. Guacamole, tacos, and margaritas are all popular when May 5 rolls around, but what about dessert? One of the most popular Mexican desserts is tres leches cake, a sponge cake made of three types of milk, hence the name. Sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream make up this incredibly sweet cake.

All over Latin America and even the Caribbean, people enjoy tres leches cake for holidays or just simple family get-togethers, so why not serve it on Cinco de Mayo this year? Some recipes for the cake use butter, which creates a more dense cake, but this recipe leaves it out to create a softer texture. Also, the egg yolks and whites are beaten separately, which creates more volume. The resulting texture is truly sponge-like, easily absorbing about 1 quart of creamy liquid. After chilling, the cake is ready for the final flourish of whipped cream.

When making this cake, it's a good idea to use parchment paper on the bottom of the pan to ensure easy removal. After cooling, place the cake bottom-side down on a tray or platter that can also be used for serving and slicing. Once the cake undergoes soaking, it will be harder to move, so the fewer transfers the better. Enjoy a slice of tres leches cake at your Cinco de Mayo celebration. Even those guests who have never had it before will absolutely love it.

Tres Leches Cake

1 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
6 large eggs, separated
1 cup granulated sugar
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
12-ounce can evaporated milk
3 cups heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking pan and line bottom with parchment and butter again. Sift together dry ingredients: cake flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until stiff. Transfer whites to a bowl. Clean the mixer bowl and whisk attachment. Beat the egg yolks until frothy. Add 3/4 cup sugar gradually and continue to whisk until mixture is pale and ribbony. By hand, fold in the dry ingredients in three additions. Fold in the egg whites in three additions. Pour batter into pan, smoothing top. Bake until cake springs back when touched and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Let cake cool completely. Turn cake out onto a tea towel, remove parchment, and flip onto a tray. Poke cake all over with a skewer.

In a large measuring cup, whisk together condensed milk, evaporated milk, and 1 cup cream. Slowly pour the mixture over the cake, letting it absorb the liquid. Use a pastry brush to moisten the edges. Chill cake for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk 2 cups cream with remaining 1/4 cup sugar until very stiff. Spread cake with whipped cream and serve. Yield: 12 servings.

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