Tag Archive for 'walnuts'

Bacon, ramps ‘n nuts

While I’m all about making simple things regardless of the time of year, this is especially true as summer approaches. Part of this is a practical thing (don’t want to have the stove on all day), but it’s mostly because I like to enjoy summer’s bounty almost naked, with just a few accents to make things pop.

Summer is a time for satiny leafy greens, curvaceous summer squashes and sweet succulent berries with all laid to bare. Can they be adorned with a few accessories? Sure! Just as long as you don’t cover up the best bits. Is this starting to sound like a steamy romance novel? Well good! because I’m passionate about the foods of summer.

As it gets warm outside, I’ll be visiting farms, gathering summer’s beauties and exposing them, centerfold style. The following highlights two gorgeous greens with little bits of fleshy pink bacon and bronzed walnuts setting the whole thing off.

2 slices of thick-cut bacon cut into batons
3 medium swiss chard leaves roughly chopped
10 ramps roughly chopped
small handful of crumbled walnuts

Cook the bacon in a saute pan over medium heat until a good amount of fat has rendered out and the edges start turning brown (but not crisp). Turn up the heat and add the swiss chard, tossing until wilted and the white stems turn translucent.

Add the ramps and walnuts and cook for a few more seconds until the ramps wilt and turn a vibrant green. Grind some black pepper on top and serve.

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Sunchokes with a warm butter lemon dressing

Sunchokes with a warm butter lemon dressing

I got some sunchokes at the Greenmarket on Saturday and while I love their crisp texture, I’m always a bit stumped as to what to do with them. Sunchokes (a.k.a. Jerusalem artichokes) are the root tubers that grow on a certain species of sunflower. They look a bit like knobby ginger but have a slightly sweet nutty flavor and crisp texture of jicama or water-chestnuts.

If they’re young and fresh, you can either cook them or eat them raw. If they’re older, they tend to get a little starchy so they’re best cooked. I lucked out and found some beautiful young’uns with smooth delicate skin on Saturday, so I decided to go with a raw preparation.

The dressing adds a nice richness that compliments the nuttiness of the sunchokes and walnuts while the mint pulls it back a bit keeping it relatively light and refreshing.

salad
4 small sunchokes peeled and sliced
1-2 Tbs candied walnuts crumbled
4-6 mint leaves sliced into thin ribbons

dressing
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/4 Tsp kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper

garnish
Pecorino Romano shaved with a vegetable peeler

To make the dressing, melt the butter with lemon juice in the microwave until the butter is just melted. Whisk to combine and add the salt and pepper.

Toss the sunchokes, walnuts and mint with the dressing and top with Pecorino Romano. Serve immediately.

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