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May 2023 Challenge: SPRING

3K views 32 replies 7 participants last post by  french fries 
#1 ·
May 2023 Challenge: SPRING

In the Northern hemisphere, we’re finally entering spring. In Europe, that means asparagus, peas, lamb, poussin, and so forth. But here at ChefTalk, we’ve got an international membership: what’s seasonal where you are might be a very different list, and indeed, some people are going into autumn.

NEVERTHELESS…

The theme for this month’s Challenge is Spring. Make one or more dishes or meals inspired by springtime. AND explain, however briefly, why your creation fits the theme. (For example, “a popular springtime delicacy here on Mars is giant space-frog legs, so here’s a dish of flash-fried legs with moon sauce.”)



The rules, such as they are:

  • You may post multiple entries.
  • All entries must be cooked during the month of the challenge.
  • If you use a documented recipe, please cite your source.
  • Entries should include the name of your dish and a picture of the final product. Sharing personal recipes and pictures of the process are not mandatory but extremely helpful.
  • The winner is chosen by the person who posted the challenge and is announced after the last day of submissions. The decision is final and falls entirely at the discretion of the challenger.
  • Submitting an entry makes you eligible to win. If you do not wish to be considered for the win you may still participate in the challenge, but make your wishes known.
  • The winner’s bounty includes praise, virtual high-fives, and the responsibility of posting the next month’s challenge. That entails choosing a theme, posting a Challenge thread that includes the guidelines, checking in on the submissions regularly during the month, and promptly choosing a winner at the end of the challenge.
 
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#7 ·
So
Spring time equates germination of different seeds. In this case mung beans
Food Food storage containers Ingredient Mason jar Food storage


That jar contained just 30 gr of beans and took about 3 days.
So we got germination. Now what?
Well, what can be more spring than spring rolls?
Just a little problem. No wrappers.
After a bit of googling a found a recipe and I definitely am not a wrapper makier prodigy!
This is what I ended up with
Food Ingredient Dish Cuisine Plastic wrap


And you know what?
They are so thin they are difficult to fry!

One was a bit thick and was my test case
Food Ingredient Dishware Baked goods Tableware


The thin sheet one collapsed :(

So next one: I used 2 wrappers :)
Food Ingredient Staple food Cuisine Fast food


Filling was bean sprouts and bacon. I dipped the rolls in left over (boiled) Fillipino adobe chicken marinade.
The left over adobe chicken was supposed to be an ingredient but I guzzled it before it had a chance!

I keep trying this month for the good-looking spring roll.
And I posted already, so everyone can see that entries for this challenge don't need to be perfect.

Frankly, I've been thinking of making spring rolls for a while, and this challenge put me over the edge ;)
Thanks @chrislehrer
 
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#9 ·
Here in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Spring arrived just a couple weeks ago. Week and a half ago there were still snow mounds.
Spring here is great for foraging.
Ramps (wild leeks) Chanterelles, Fiddleheads all flourish under the warm Spring weather.
So here are the players:
Food Tableware Ingredient Table Dishware


Plant Ingredient Staple food Leaf vegetable Natural foods
Wood Plant Ingredient Flowering plant Natural foods
Food Ingredient Natural material Cuisine Staple food




Food Tableware Ingredient Plate Recipe



Salisbury steak with caramelized onion and forest goodies sauteed with some fresh corn.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Torta de chard con queso
Chard and cheese sandwich

Swiss chard is one of the gifts from our Spring garden.
Plant Leaf vegetable Groundcover Flowering plant Agriculture


Together with a Spring cleaning of the refrigerator and a bit of hunger, there seemed sufficient ingredients for some tacos made with chard, leftover fresh cheese, and leftover corn tortillas. But the tortillas were moldy... so next best seemed to be a torta with leftover hamburger rolls. Why not?

The Swiss chard was sauteed in olive oil with onion and garlic, and seasoned with Chimayo chile pepper, cumin, and salt. Then assembled on a toasted roll with queso fresco, guacamole, and Mexicana salsa roja.
Food Ingredient Recipe Fines herbes Salad


Very yummy, and quite possible nutritious too!
Food Tableware Ingredient Bun Recipe
 
#13 ·
Nothing screams spring (literally) as Pasta Primavera. This dish was loosely based on multiple Pasta Primavera recipes.

The vegetables for this dish
for two included:
1/2 red onion (sliced)
1/3 cup of peas
1/2 cup snap peas (julienned)
1 small yellow zucchini (diced)
1/2 red pepper (julienned)
12 cup of mushrooms
topped by diced tomatoes
The sauce was 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream with some pasta water

The snap peas and red peppers were parboiled for about 4 minutes. Then all vegetables were seasoned and then sautéed for about 5 minutes. The cooked pasta was stirred in. The butter and cream were then added with a little pasta water. Then add some diced tomatoes and grated reggiano cheese.
Food Ingredient Recipe Staple food Pasta

Food Tableware Ingredient Dishware Recipe
 
#16 · (Edited)
For me, spring is a great time, with great ingredients coming into play. Spring onions, leeks, asparagus from the garden, lamb from the pasture. So I decided to make a fairly simple dish, rack of lamb with leeks gratin.

The Players

Food Plant Ingredient Staple food Vegetable


Trouble in leek land. These are the best looking leeks I could find at the two stores I checked, and they are not that great. Look a little old and dry, not much white part. But it is what I have.

Food Ingredient Recipe Cuisine Fast food


And a rack of lamb from Winco. New Zealand product, this one weighed 1.00 pounds. It was one of two in the package. I thought about tying the two racks together to make a crown roast, but didn't feel that energetic. Maybe for Christmas dinner or something, but not for a weekday meal.

The Process


First off, a rub for the lamb.

cess

Fluid Ingredient Recipe Tobacco Dish


Some garlic getting smushed with some coarse kosher salt. I added some black pepper, fresh tarragon from the garden, olive oil. Rubbed it on the lamb.

Food Ingredient Recipe Cuisine Dish


Let that site while I went to work on the leeks. Cut them to fit the little dish. Halved each leek lengthwise. Rinsed and washed them until they looked clean to me. Wrapped the halves with pancetta, put them in the baking dish.

Food Bayonne ham Tableware Ingredient Prosciutto


Added some chicken stock and a healthy splash of white wine. Covered with foil and baked for about 45 minutes. Pulled them out of the oven, let them rest, while I roasted the rack of lamb. Took out the lamb, let it rest. Poured some cream on the leeks, and a heaping pile of freshly grated parmesan reg.

Food Ingredient Recipe Cuisine Dish


Food Ingredient Frying pan Recipe Animal product


The Product

Food Tableware Dishware Recipe Animal product


It was good. Not great. First comment is I should learn to use some photo app to get rid of the holes from the temp probe. Second comment is the leeks were not that great, I should have tried to find some nice ones with much longer white parts.

But overall it was a nice Spring like dinner, loved the lamb and the leeks were not that bad, I just know they could have been better. Maybe I should have gone with some of Edna Lewis' skillet scallions instead.

I should do at least one more dish before the end of the month, possibly two. We shall see.

mjb.
 
#21 ·
Thought I’d do a second entry, a spring food would definitely include Spring Onion so I present Spring Onion and Potato Soup. Loosely based on a couple of recipes. This recipe was for two servines.

1 large russet potato washed.
1/4 cup carrot
1/4 cup celery
1cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
3 green onions
3 slices of bacon.

Dice the potato. Boil the potato in water or chicken broth. I used water and chicken bouillon for a little extra flavor.

Remove 1 cup of potatoes from liquid and set aside when almost done.

Add the carrot and celery and 2/3 of the thinly sliced green onions (both white and green) to potatoes and cook another 5 minutes.

Cook and crisp the three slices of bacon.

Drain all but 1/4 cup of liquid and place liquid, potatoes, carrot, celery, and green onion and put into a bender with the milk and cream blend until smooth.

Put blended liquid back on burner to bring to temperature and add the reserved potato to bring to temperature and finish cooking.


Remove from heat, place in bowl and garnish with the reserved green onion, the crispy bacon, and some sour cream.
 
#22 ·
I had some time on my hands today, so I thought I’d be an overachiever.
so for my last spring entry, I did spring roll and Okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki is a Japanese food that reminds me of spring because of the cabbage use in the recipe. for the Spring Roll recipe I shredded about a 1/4 of a head of cabbage. Threw it in a skillet with 3TBS of mirin, 1/3 cup of chopped carrots and 1/3 cup of celery and cooked over medium heat for about 5-6 minutes and then wrapped up in spring roll wrapper

then deep fried until brown in 325 degree oil.

the Okonomiyaki recipe was based on one from the GuardianOkonomiyaki recipe





I added bacon to the griddle first and then added the batter over the top. Cooked for a few minutes then turned it over.


once cooked, I brusEd the Okonomiyaki sauce and drizzled with Kewpie
 
#24 ·
Last entry for me, as I am no longer a spring chicken.
But with a spring in my step, I give you my grilled chicken salad :)



Lettuce, fresh from the garden. Left over grilled chicken breast marinated in fish sauce, balsamic & white vinegar and chili garlic paste (it was marinated before grilling as well, but this was after), lightly pickled red onions and cucumber and all topped with fresh mint.
 
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