New green recipe ideas are springing up in time for Earth Day, April 22. Fava beans, ramps, sorrels, peas, leeks and asparagus are some of the ingredients popping up on plates everywhere.
In celebration of Earth Day, Michael Paulsen will relinquish his car for 24 hours. And he’ll also be up to his elbows in bulbous, leafy green ramps. Paulsen, executive chef and owner of Abigail’s American Bistro in Highland Park, has a new recipe for ramp gnudi.
Gnudi are gnocchi-like dumplings. Instead of potatoes, ricotta cheese is the stuff of these little bundles. Paulsen blends the cheese with sautéed ramps for a pretty green color and a fresh taste of spring. He boils the gnudi, just like a pasta, and serves it with a truffle Parmesan broth, plenty of fresh English peas and Parmesan crisps.
“The ramp gnudi has hints of acid with subtle garlic flavor from the ramps and a nice salty note from the Parmesan,” Paulsen said.
Sorrel is a key ingredient in Jean-Marc Loustaunau’s new grilled asparagus appetizer at Cafe Pyrenees in Libertyville. “It’s where garden and sea merge,” Loustaunau said. The asparagus is dressed with a vermouth beurre-blanc sorrell sauce, creamy brie cheese and a smoked salmon flower.
“The recipe was developed with the idea to bring fresh garden vegetables and herbs together with a creamy cheese and a twist of the sea shaped into a flowering bud,” Loustaunau said.
Fava beans bring a touch of spring to Mark Newman’s new salmon recipe for spring at Ballaro in Highwood. Newman, who is chef, owner and partner, introduced the new recipe in time for Earth Day. It brings together salmon, artichoke hearts, barigoule, fava beans, barigoule puree, lemon vinaigrette and pickled mustard seed oil.
Leeks star in one of the most popular quiches at Delightful Pastries, which has a store in Chicago’s Jefferson Park neighborhood. “I lived in France and fell in love with the savory quiches,” said Pastry Chef Dobra Bielinski. When she returned to the United States she wanted to make something similar. She tried with onion and sun-dried tomatoes but they didn’t quite remind her of the quiches she had in France. “So I did a little bit of research and found the leek quiche recipe,” she said. “After tinkering with the recipe to my satisfaction I came to the final version of this quiche that features gruyere and leeks. The recipe has a wonderful flaky crust that is filled with a savory custard mixed with smothered leeks and gruyere. It is a creamy quiche with little nuggets of gruyere and leeks that come together so they just melt in your mouth.”
Eric Hammond, executive chef at Convito Café & Market in Wilmette, will debut a new menu on May 1. Fava beans will be prominent. “Preparing fava beans is one of our favorite springtime rituals,” Hammond said. They are a key ingredient in his bruschetta with fava beans and ricotta, which is a new menu item for spring.
Other spring items are on the new menu as well, including leek and pea risotto, spaghetti with basil pesto, zucchini and goat cheese and asparagus milanese. These and other menu items will be offered as specials on Earth Day.
“Living in Chicago with the extended winter I’m looking forward to anything green,” said Brian Huston, chef and owner of Boltwood in Evanston. “Ramps are usually the first to pop up, followed by onions, spinach and asparagus.”
Huston is making a special spring pasta primavera. “Peas, asparagus and leeks make it taste like spring,” Huston said. “It’s bumped up with farro pasta and finished with bright lemon zest and salty Pecorino. It’s fresh, light and a little salty.”
Huston will mark Earth Day by unveiling his new spring lunch menu.
Fava beans never looked as good as they do in the pretty, vibrant-colored mash and on the plate alongside a slender chunk of Skuna Bay salmon, pretty pink roasted heirloom radishes and a light drizzle of coconut coriander sauce at Topaz Café in Burr Ridge. The fava beans are coarsely mashed and the color is bright from the fresh herb oil and a little splash of lemon juice.
“The radishes lose some of their peppery bite after you roast them, which transforms them into something almost fruity and floral,” Executive Chef Julian Ross said. “The micro radishes on top reintroduce the fresh radish flavor.”
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Gide Merriman, the executive chef at Bistro Bordeaux, is also working with salmon, but a Scottish salmon with a leek bechamel, garlic mashed potato stuffed leeks, sauted rappini, a roasted leek quenelle, fried leek tops and salmon roe.
“This dish really showcases all the rich and in-depth flavor of leeks,” Merriman said. “The leek bechamel is creamy and subtle, while the roasted leeks have a more smoky flavor. The fried leeks have a nice crunch that creates a great texture.”
Merriman also is doing a West Coast Dover sole with English pea puree, sauteed spinach with beach mushrooms, garlic confit and lemon, pea shoots, orchid and mushroom duxcelle beurre blanc.
“This dish just screams springtime to me,” he said. “The bright green English pea puree and spring beach mushrooms are perfectly in season.”
Executive Chef Michael Paulsen, Abigail’s American Bistro
Ramp Gnudi
18 ramps (finely diced bulbs and julienne the leaves)
1 pound fresh ricotta cheese
1 egg
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Lemon juice (to taste)
Saute ramp bulbs, then ramp leaves. Mix ricotta, egg, flour, Parmesan, salt, pepper and lemon. Add ramps when cool. Form gnudi into small balls with flour. Let rest, and then boil for three minutes. Heat a favorite sauce. Add sauce and peas to the gnudi and serve. Garnish with Parmesan crisps.