Our family typically had turkey for Thanksgiving, prime rib for Christmas, ham and lamb for Easter, lamb for Mother’s Day and a return to prime rib for Father’s Day.

Back in the day, food was seasonal. Lamb was available in the spring. Fall is the natural mating time for sheep, which results in lambing in early spring. From an evolutionary standpoint, in spring there is plentiful grass for the mother, which maximizes her milk production to feed her offspring.

With modern animal husbandry, grass can be replaced with feed, and sheep can be artificially inseminated. Adios nature, hello year-round lamb.

This luscious lamb dinner from Good Eggs in San Francisco is festive without requiring an overly involved preparation process. The artichokes, stewed with herbs and lemon, are a delectable side. But don’t consider them as your “green vegetable’: Add some spring peas, too.

And don’t wait for a holiday to make it. We enjoy it for weekend dinners.
 
 
RECIPE: LEG OF LAMB WITH STEWED MINT ARTICHOKES & YOGURT SAUCE

Ingredients

 
Plus

Preparation

1. PAT the meat dry an hour ahead of time, and season it generously with salt and pepper. You can do this the day before and remove it from the fridge about an hour before cooking. Leave any twine or netting around the meat in place.

2. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F. Place a cast-iron† pan large enough to hold the lamb on the stove top, over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add a light coat of olive oil, place the leg in the pan and brown it on all four sides until the skin is deeply golden and crisped (about 4 minutes per side).

3. TUCK three large sprigs of rosemary around the lamb, and roast it for half an hour until the internal temperature reaches at least 145° (for medium-rare). While lamb is cooking…

4. PREPARE the artichokes: Wash under cold running water, remove the toughest outer leaves and, if necessary peel the stems. Then slice across the base of the leaves, remove the choke, and quarter the large artichoke hearts/stems or halve the baby artichokes.

5. PLACE the artichoke hearts in a pot and cover with water. Add a bit of olive oil, two tablespoons of salt, two sprigs of thyme, three bay leaves, three sprigs of mint and a splash of white wine vinegar.

6. BRING to a boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes, until the artichoke quarters are fork-tender. While the artichokes cook…

[1] A perfect roast lamb dinner (photo © Good Eggs).

[2] A beautiful roast leg of lamb from Allen Brothers (photo © Allen Brothers).

[3] Marash chili flakes (photo © Silver Lake Station, which sells the chile flakes).

[4] Make extra artichokes to enjoy the next day. These are served at X Bar at the Hyatt Regency | Los Angeles (photo © Hyatt Regency).

8. REMOVE the artichokes from the liquid with a slotted spoon. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and set them aside to cool. When cool, taste and season them with salt and a bit more olive oil to taste. Finish with some freshly chopped mint. When lamb is done…

9. REMOVE the pan from oven and let the lamb rest at least 15 minutes. Remove any twine or netting around the lamb and slice against the grain. Garnish with whole herbs as desired. Serve with the artichokes, yogurt sauce and sweet spring peas.
 
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*Marash chile flakes are red pepper flakes from Turkey. They have a complex flavor—fruit and smoke—with moderate heat. Marash is both smokier and a bit hotter than Aleppo pepper, but you can use them interchangeably. The flakes can be blended with lemon juice and salt for a meat rub, or added to olive oil to make a vinaigrette, pasta or rice sauce. Blend the flakes with olive oil for a bread dipper, add to soups and stews, chili or any meat dish.

†Cast iron enables better browning or searing, but if you don’t have it, use your heaviest roasting pan.

We can’t believe that in 15 years of publishing THE NIBBLE, we’ve never published an article on salsify. Ironically, it is known as a “forgotten vegetable.”

WHAT IS SALSIFY?

Salsify, pronounced SAL-suh-fee OR SAL-suh-fie, is a root vegetable in the Asteraceae or dandelion family. Dandelions, daisies and lettuce are in the family, but belong to different genuses (they’re not root vegetables).

Other root vegetables belong to other families entirely:

Beetroot (Amaranthaceae); burdock/gobo (Asteraceae); carrot and celeriac/celery root (Apiaceae); (Apiaceae); daikon/white Japanese radish, black radish, horseradish, radish, rutabaga, turnip and wasabi (Brassicaceae); lotus root, parsley root and parsnip (Nelumbonaceae).
 
Not A Looker, But Delicious

These roots lack the grace of carrot or parsnip. White salsify is “hairy” and black salsify looks like a twig.

White Salsify. White salsify could be mistaken for a thin parsnip, but its flavor has been compared to an artichoke heart or Jerusalem artichoke (sunchoke). Because of its minerality, it has also earned the names oyster plant or vegetable oyster. Because of its purple flowers, some call it purple salsify.

Black Salsify. Its cousin, black salsify, has yellow flowers and the flavor of mild asparagus. It was first cultivated in Spain, and is also called Spanish salsify and false salsify.
 
The Value Of Root Vegetables

Root vegetables have long been important in the kitchen. After harvesting, they last a good while in the pantry without spoiling, and last even longer in the fridge. In older times, the root cellar kept a family fed through the winter.

Different roots have different flavor profiles. Radishes are pungent, carrots are sweet, beets are sweet and earthy. Parsnips, turnips, rutabagas and salsify have more subtle flavors.

Root vegetables are also rich in nutrients, low in fat and calories, inexpensive, and in modern times, usually available year-round.
 
HOW TO BUY & STORE SALSIFY

The roots have a rough outer skin, which requires scrubbing and, for many people, peeling. (It is fine to eat the skin.)

Buy firm roots, preferably with the green tops still on. You can refrigerate them in an airtight container, but use them within a week; the roots alone will last for two weeks.

To store, wrap the roots in plastic and refrigerate. Check periodically to see if the root is drying out. If it is, it’s time to cook them!

Before cooking, scrub the root under cold running water, peel with a vegetable peeler and immediately place into acidulated water, water with a bit of lemon juice or vinegar to prevent discoloration.

After you peel the root, you can cut it into matchsticks or thicker short lengths, or slice them into coins. Simmer for half an hour until soft, drain, and sauté in a bit of butter.

Top: black (right) and white salsify roots at The Chef’s Garden. Center: A bowl of salsify and celeriac soup. Here’s the recipe from InSimonesKitchen.com. Bottom: The leaves are usually removed before the root goes to market; but like beet, turnip and other root greens, they are tasty (photo courtesy Will Bonsall | MOFA.org.).

There are two types of salsify: white salsify and black salsify. The latter is more highly regarded for its nutrition. Now pay attention, because while they’re both members of Asteraceae, the daisy family, they’re actually different species!

Both roots are low in sodium and offer a good amount of protein. They contains modest amounts of vitamin C, some B vitamins, and complex carbohydrates.r in the black variety can boost hair health.

Both varieties are native to western Eurasia and were originally cultivated for both its root and greens and are grown in the same way.

photo and recipe courtesy Good Eggs | San Francisco Center: White salsify root courtesy Good Eggs. Bottom: Salsify “pasta” in smoked oyster cream with black pepper and microgreen garnish, from The Chef’s Garden.

HOW TO SERVE SALSIFY

Salsify may not be the best looking root, but it delivers beautiful flavor. It pairs well with butter, cream, garlic and parsley. We’ve included some recipes below.

If you find young roots with the leaves attached, the leaves are also quite tasty and can be added to salads, sautés or stir-fries. By the time the roots are mature, however, all but the most inner leaves have grown tough.

Black salsify and white salsify are interchangeable in recipes. You can use them for:

 
RECIPE: PORK CHOPS WITH SALSIFY

You can find many salsify recipes, from bruschetta to salsa. This recipe, from Good Eggs in San Francisco (photo left/bottom), takes 10 minutes prep time, 35 minutes total time.
 
Ingredients For 2 Servings

 
____________
*When you see an imprecise measurement like “handful” or “bit,” the amount is usually not very important. If you love the ingredient, use more of it; if you’re not, use less. We can’t get enough basil, for example.

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Remove pork chops from their packaging, pat dry and season with salt and pepper. Let the meat come to room temperature.

2. FILL a pot halfway with water. Add a tablespoon of salt and the juice of one lemon; then add the salsify pieces. Cover and bring to a boil; then turn down to a simmer and let cook until very tender, about 25 minutes. While the salsify simmers…

3. THINLY SLICE the spring onion and place it in a small bowl. Cover it with a few splashes of red wine vinegar and set aside. Once the salsify is tender…

4. SCOOP it out of the water into a large bowl. Mash it with a fork, adding a tablespoon or two of butter, a few pinches of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Mash to your preferred texture.

5. HEAT a cast iron pan over high heat with a bit of olive oil. When the olive oil is hot, add the pork chops and cook until golden brown on one side, about 3-4 minutes. Flip and sear for another 3-4 minutes before moving the entire pan into the preheated oven. Let it cook for about 5 minutes, until the internal temperature measured at the center of the chop reads 140°-145° (for medium rare). Remove from the pan and let rest for 10 minutes.

6. FOLD the herbs into the snap peas with a tablespoon of olive oil and half of the vinegar mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste, and more vinegar to taste. After the chops have rested…

7. SLICE into ½ inch slices and divide between two plates. Serves alongside a few dollops of the salsify and cover the salsify and pork chops with a few generous spoonfuls of herbed snap peas.
 
MORE SALSIFY RECIPES

As poaching and habitat loss continue, increasing number of elephants are orphaned.

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is a charitable organization based in Kenya. It is renowned worldwide for its orphan elephant rescue and rehabilitation program. To date, the Trust has successfully rescued, raised and reintegrated 190 orphaned elephants into the wild.

L.A. Burdick, one of our favorite chocolatiers, has created limited-edition chocolate elephants to honor the work of the Trust. The elephants are handmade and all natural, with toasted almond ears and tusks.

 
The elephants arrive in a keepsake wooden box, hand-stamped with a golden elephant wax seal. A card is included explaining the work of the Trust; 10% of sales will be donated to the Trust.

Top: Bottle feeding an orphaned elephant; photo courtesy David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Bottom: Boxed chocolate elephant(s) from L.A. Burdock

Get your chocolate elephants at Burdick Chocolate.

 
ADOPT AN ORPHANED ELEPHANT

For a minimum of $50 a year, you can foster an orphaned elephant (or rhino or giraffe). Pick your orphan here.

[2] Three colors of asparagus (photo © Australian Asparagus Growers).

Asparagus is our favorite harbinger of spring, along with big artichokes, fava beans, green garlic, morels, nettles, ramps and spring peas (a.k.a. English or garden peas).

Once upon a time—in your mother’s, grandmother’s or great-gran’s generation, depending on your age—people who preferred fresh produce had to get their fill during the growing season. Some growing seasons were quite brief.

Imported produce had yet to emerge in the off season, to meet the demands of people who wanted asparagus—or peaches or any other fruit or vegetable—year-round. When asparagus or peaches were out of season, you could buy them canned or frozen.

Now asparagus is available year-round, imported from the Southern Hemisphere during the Northern Hemisphere’s off season. That means carbon miles, plus waning freshness as the they travel a long distance.

In the U.S., spring is the best season for fresh, affordable asparagus. April through late June is prime asparagus season, so get your fill while you can.

In the olden days, spring asparagus were served as a side or a first course: buttered spears with a wedge of lemon and/or lemon mayonnaise. They were pickled and served with cocktails, turned into soup and, for people of Italian heritage, added to pasta and risotto.

While most of the asparagus grown are green (some with green tips, some with purple tips), you can find purple and white in specialty produce stores and farmers markets.

Here are the differences among green, purple and white asparagus varieties. We’ve even seen pale pink asparagus, possibly a mutation of the purple.

Asparagus blends well with most dishes.

The asparagus plant, Asparagus officinalis, is a member of the lily family, Asparagaceae, which also includes agave, and flowering plants such as lily of the valley and star of Bethlehem. There are more than 300 species of asparagus, most of which are grown as ornamental plants.

Asparagus originated in the eastern Mediterranean region, but today is grown worldwide. It was first cultivated more than 2,000 years ago. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans prized asparagus for its unique flavor, texture and alleged medicinal qualities.

The vegetable gained popularity in France and England in the 16th Century; King Louis XIV of France enjoyed this delicacy so much that he had special greenhouses built to supply it year-round. Early colonists brought it to America.

Asparagus is a perennial plant raised in furrowed fields. It takes about three years before the plants produce asparagus. The delicate plant needs a temperate climate and requires much hand labor in all phases of cultivation. The spears are cut by hand—backbreaking work—when they reach about 9 inches in length.
 
Nutrition

Asparagus is nutritious: a good source of calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6 and zinc; and a very good source of copper, dietary fiber, folate, iron, manganese, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, protein, riboflavin, selenium, thiamin, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E (alpha tocopherol) and vitamin K, plus the antioxidant flavonoid rutin.

It has no fat or cholesterol and is very low in sodium. Asparagus is very low in calories (27 per cup) and contains no fat or cholesterol.

There are three varieties of asparagus—green, purple and white.

[3] Asparagus and scrambled eggs for breakfast (photo © California Avocado Commission).

[4] A first course or light lunch of asparagus, prosciutto, burrata and crostini at Barbuto Restaurant in New York City (photo © Barbuto).

[1] The first contest winner, “Bewitching,” with arugula, bacon, blackberries, spinach and two cheeses. The recipe is below (photos #1, #2and #4 © The Grilled Cheese Academy | Wisconsin Cheese).

[2] Second place goes to Grilled Cheese Benedict, with Canadian bacon, poached egg, spinach and Gouda on an English Muffin; both from The Grilled Cheese Academy.

[3] Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese from QVC’s Chef David Venable (photo © QVC).

[4] The Lisa Marie, Elvis’ favored fried PB & banana sandwich with bacon, cheese and hot fudge, from The Grilled Cheese Academy.

April is National Grilled Cheese Month, with National Grilled Cheese Day celebrated on April 12th. The featured recipe below, grilled cheese with blackberries, was the first-prize winner in a Grilled Cheese Academy competition.

If you don’t want this particular recipe, use the occasion to try some luscious new grilled cheese recipes. We have a lot of them on TheNibble.com, plus links to more of them below.

But first:

> Tips for making the perfect grilled cheese sandwich.

> The year’s 27+ sandwich holidays.

> The year’s 30 cheese holidays.

> The history of the grilled cheese sandwich.

> The history of the sandwich.

> The different types of sandwiches: a photo glossary.
 
 
THE GRILLED CHEESE ACADEMY & RECIPE CONTEST

The Grilled Cheese Academy.com, a website from EatWisconsinCheese.com, is a treasure trove for lovers of grilled cheese.

Since 2012, they’ve sponsored an annual Grilled Cheese Recipe Showdown. All the winners and runners up are posted on the website, along with a myriad of fetching grilled cheese sandwiches developed by the Academy.

You can enter the contest (by May 15th) and download e-books of each year’s winners. In case you need some encouragement, the top prize is $15,000.
 
The First Prize Winner

This beauty (photo #1), called Bewitching, took the top prize in the first Showdown. It was created by Ally Phillips of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.

Ally’s bewitching concoction layers fresh blackberries, peppery greens, crispy fried bacon and molten Wisconsin Gouda and Provolone.
 
 
RECIPE: BEWITCHING BLACKBERRY GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

Ingredients For 2 Sandwiches

 
Preparation

1. MIX the arugula and spinach in small bowl; set aside. Trim the crust from 3 sides of the bread slices, leaving the curved top crust attached. Butter the bread slices on one sides.

2. COAT the skillet (preferably cast iron) heavily with cooking spray and then heat it. Place 2 slices of bread, buttered-side down, in the skillet; there should be a slight sizzle. Place 5-6 blackberries in the center of each bread slice.

3. TOP the berries with a slice of Provolone. Add another handful of berries and top with Gouda for the second layer. Place 3 strips of bacon on each sandwich and place a bread slice on top, buttered-side up.

4. MELD and compact the sandwich, using a spatula to press firmly. Grill 2-3 minutes until the bottom is browned; flip and grill another 2 minutes or until the cheese is melting.

5. REMOVE the sandwiches to plates. Carefully pull back the top slices and spread the arugula and spinach mixture on top of the bacon. Replace the top, pressing down, and then flip the sandwich so the greens are on the bottom.

 
We even have a trompe-l’oeil grilled cheese: Grilled Pound Cake & Frosting that looks like grilled cheese.

And you must take a look at Denny’s Fried Cheese Melt, made with American cheese and a layer of fried mozzarella sticks.
 

[5] A personal favorite: truffle cheese with radicchio salad. Here’s the recipe (photo © Veldhuyzen Cheese).
 
 

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