Cooking

Springtime taste

Sonya Verlaque

Asparagus Pesto

Be sure to you use raw unsalted pistachios, or you can use pine nuts or cashews. This pesto is great hot and cold pasta or also can be used in soups, or on sandwiches. The pesto can also be stored in the fridge in a mason jar or airtight container for up to 3 days.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb asparagus
• ½ cup pistachio nuts - (see note 1)
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest - (from 1 lemon)
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
• 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove - small, optional
• salt & pepper
• 12 oz pasta of choice - farfalle, penne, spaghetti, rigatoni, linguine

Cooking Instructions : Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Chop the asparagus into small bits, making sure to remove and discard the fibrous ends if needed. Wash them, and blanch them in the boiling water for about 5 minutes until slightly tender. Drain the asparagus and rinse them under cold water to stop them from cooking. Set the asparagus tips aside as we will use them for decoration.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instruction. Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Add the pistachios (or nut of your choice) to your blender or food processor and blitz. Then add the cooked asparagus, garlic, lemon juice, parsley leaves, olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and mix it with the asparagus pesto. Toss well until combined. Add some of the cooking water to the pasta to make the pasta silky and saucy. Plate the pasta, add the asparagus tips you kept on the side, sprinkle with lemon zest, and serve while hot.

Strawberry cream tart

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet frozen puff pasty, thawed
• 1 egg, beaten
• raw coarse sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
• 6 ounces creme fraiche, mascarpone, or cream cheese
• ½ cup plain greek yogurt
• 1 tbs Meyer lemon juice + 1-2 tsp zest, to your taste
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ½ tbs honey, plus more for serving
• 12 oz sliced strawberries

Preparation: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry out into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Place the pastry on a parchment lined baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, score a 1 inch border around the edge. Brush the pastry with egg, sprinkle the sugar around the edges. Transfer to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. It's OK if the edges get dark.

Let cool, before assembling. Meanwhile, make the whipped yogurt. Using an electric mixer, whip the creme fraiche (or cream cheese), yogurt, and lemon juice together until smooth and soft peaks form. Add the vanilla, honey, and lemon zest. Whip to combined. Spread the whipped cream over the tart. Arrange the strawberry slices over the cream. Serve with additional honey, if desired.

Grapefruit Scones

Ingredients:

For the scones:

• 1¾ cup all purpose flour
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 2½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• zest from one grapefruit
• 5 tbs cold butter cut into small cubes
• ½ cup fresh grapefruit juice
• ¼ cup plain yogurt
• 1 egg
• 1tbs milk

For the glaze:

• 1 to 2 tbs fresh grapefruit juice
• ½ cup powdered sugar

Cooking instructions Preheat the oven 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and zest in a food processor and pulse a few times. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is in pea size crumbles (about 8 quick pulses). Dump the contents into a large bowl and add juice and yogurt. Mix with a spatula until just combined. Absolutely no over mixing here otherwise you will have tough scones. Dump dough onto the prepared baking sheet.

Form into an disc, about 1" in thick (it will be anywhere from 6" to 8" in diameter). If dough is really sticky flour your hands a little for better handling. Cut into 8 wedges and separate evenly on the baking sheet. Whisk egg and milk vigorously together. Brush the top of each scone with egg mixture. Place in oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until bottoms begin to brown and tops are just starting to turn golden.

Allow to cool on sheet. While the scones are baking make glaze but combining the powdered sugar and juice...1 tbsp at a time. If glaze seems too thick add more juice. Too thin add more sugar. When scones are completely cooled drizzle glaze over the top one.

Calcolate Chip Zucchini Bread

This easy recipe makes 2 loaves of moist chocolate chip zucchini bread. Includes step-by-step photos and tips to help you make perfect chocolate chip zucchini bread.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups grated fresh zucchini about 3-4 medium zucchini
• 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 cup butter melted
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 ½ cups mini semisweet chocolate chips

Cooking instructions: Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease two 8x4-inch loaf pans. I like to use nonstick spray with flour. Set aside. Place the grated zucchini in colander in the sink while you continue. Don't wring or squeeze the zucchini. Whisk together sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, and butter in a large bowl. Add flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Whisk in until just combined. Batter will be very thick at this point. Stir in grated zucchini until just incorporated. Add chocolate chips, and stir in until just combined. Divide batter between prepared loaf pans.

Bake for 40-60 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edges, and remove zucchini bread out onto wire cooling racks to finish cooling.