Fun With Spring Greens, Part One
One of the things I love about late Spring is the proliferation of tasty green things growing, especially things we might typically over look: scallions, chives and chive flowers, flowering watercress, arugula, mizuna, green garlic, tiny little leeks, microgreens - the list goes on.
With all of this green bounty, there's no need to weight food down with a lot of fattening sauces. Of course, we all know fattening sauces are delicious, but a simple salad of peppery cress, chives and scallions with a few local hothouse tomatoes and a drizzle of olive oil, and you have something fresh tasting, light, and good for you. So, this week while you're at the markets, take a second look at those tasty greens. Taste each one individually; you might be surprised to find that watercress can be horseradish hot, you can smell peppery arugula from across the room, and you won't believe how delicious beautiful chive flowers can be.
Salmon with Spring Green Salad - for 2
2 4-6 ounce pieces of good-quality salmon, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt & pepper, and grilled according to taste; I like to squeeze a lemon over after grilling
1 small bunch flowering watercress, large stems picked off
4 scallions, white and green parts, cut into thin discs
small bunch chives, cut into thin discs
2 chive flowers, flowers picked off from stem
1 handful microgreens (available at Whole Foods - the ones I bought, produced locally at Green Edge Gardens, even came with a few edible flowers)
Chopped grape tomatoes (optional)
Good Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Sea Salt
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
place the greens in a small bowl with the tomatoes and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil, squeeze lemon juice over, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Place on top of your salmon filet and enjoy!
Local Sources for this Dish: Chive Flowers from Toad Hill Organics (North Market), I can't remember where the scallions came from, but somewhere at the Worthington Farmer's Market, Grape Tomatoes from Wishwell Farms (greenhouse grown; Wishwell sells at Worthington, North Market, and Clintonville), microgreens came from Whole Foods and are produced in Amesville, OH at Green Edge Gardens.
