A delicious spring salad. Photo courtesy
LearnToCook.com.

What makes this a spring salad? Seasonal ingredients, including asparagus and green peas. The recipe, from LearnToCook.com, serves 4. The warm tomato vinaigrette can be used with any green salad, any time of the year.
RECIPE: FRESH PEA & ASPARAGUS SPRING SALAD

Ingredients

Preparation

1. PEEL thick stemmed asparagus about halfway up stalk. Otherwise, remove white/light portion at end of stalk.

2. SHELL the peas. Leave raw or blanch, if desired.

3. BOIL salted water in a large pot. When boiling, add the asparagus. Cook until just tender, about 5-7 minutes. Drain and immediately put asparagus into ice water bowl. Leave for a couple minutes and drain again. Lay on a dishtowel and dry. Cut the asparagus in half or in thirds. OPTIONAL PREPARATION: We steamed the asparagus in the microwave.

4. COMBINE the lettuces, chives and parsley in a large bowl. Pour up to half the vinaigrette over the greens. taking care not to drench them in dressing (less is more).

5. ADD the peas and asparagus. Toss with the salad. If needed, add a little more dressing; season with salt and pepper. Serve.
 
WARM TOMATO VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients

1. HEAT the olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat and add shallots. Turn the heat to low and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Do not brown.

2. ADD ½ cup tomatoes and simmer 3 to 5 minutes. Add vinegar, garlic, wine, salt and pepper. Simmer another 15 to 20 minutes until reduced to a thick sauce.

3. SEASON to taste and stir in remaining tomatoes and capers.

4. SERVE warm on top of the salad.

We know from the novel that Gatsby was a bootlegger. In the summer of 1922, when novel is set, Prohibition was two and a half years old. (Read this delightful article on Jay Gatsby by Kevin Roose, who explores how Gatsby made his money and whether author F. Scott Fitzgerald may have attributed more wealth to him than he could actually have had.)

Aside from the Gin Rickey, the novel doesn’t mention what else people were drinking at those weekend-long extravaganzas. But given the popular cocktails of the Prohibition Era, Tthe Martini and the French 75 most certainly would have been on the menu.

So get your cocktail shaker ready and mix up your own Jazz Age cocktail menu for Mother’s Day. This is Part 1; Part 2 presents two more 1920s cocktails, the South Side and the White Lady.

Below:

GIN RICKEY RECIPE

Why did the Gin Rickey alone get mentioned in “The Great Gatsby?” It is said to have been the preferred pour of F. Scott Fitzgerald. It’s a wonderful warm weather drink.

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. Build in a highball glass with ice. Stir and top with soda water.

2. Garnish with a lime wedge.
 

 
Preparation

1. Shake ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker.

2. Strain into a rocks glass and top with champagne. Garnish with a lemon peel curl.

The French 75, a sparkler. Photo courtesy Tanqueray Gin.

[1] The Greek cousin of nachos (photos #1 and #2 © Chobani Greek Yogurt).

[2] A delight for feta fans.

[3] Ground cumin and whole cumin seeds (photo © Jiva Organics).

Today’s tip looks at adapting popular recipes to other cultures.

As an example, we’re giving Tex-Mex nachos a Greek makeover—a fresh spin on a party classic that uses feta and naan or pita crisps instead of Cheddar or Jack cheese and tortilla chips.

It also adds some heartiness with ground lamb, as some Tex-Mex nachos add ground beef.

This recipe, from Chobani Greek Yogurt, makes 6 servings. Enjoy it with beer, wine or iced mint tea.
 
 
RECIPE: GREEK NACHOS

Ingredients

For The Yogurt Salsa

 
For The Nachos

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F.

2. BROWN the ground lamb in olive oil over medium heat until fully cooked; then drain the oil.

3. RUB the naan bread with a small amount of olive oil, sprinkle with salt, cut into triangle wedges with pizza cutter, and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 5-10 minutes to the desired crispness.

5. COMBINE the yogurt, cucumber, onion, feta cheese, salt, and cumin in a food processor; process to the desired smoothness. Add more onion, cucumber, and/or feta cheese as desired.

6. ASSEMBLE the nachos by placing the triangle wedges of naan on a plate. Then top with the fresh spinach, then the ground lamb, yogurt salsa, olives, tomatoes and more feta cheese. Garnish with a sprinkle of Italian herb seasoning, as desired.

Find more Chobani recipes at Chobani.com.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF NACHOS
 
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*Italian Seasoning Recipe: If you don’t have an Italian seasoning blend, you can combine 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried marjoram, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary and 1/2 teaspoon dried sage. Keep in a tightly-closed jar. If you don’t have marjoram, use 2 teaspoons of oregano instead.