Spring Vegetable Fricassée With Saffron Cream Food

SPRING VEGETABLE FRICASSéE WITH SAFFRON CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter 1-quart baking dish. Cook carrots in large pot of boiling salted water 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer carrots to bowl of ice water to cool. Using slotted spoon, transfer carrots to medium bowl. If using fresh peas, cook in same pan of boiling water 2 minutes; drain and transfer to bowl of ice water to cool. Using slotted spoon, transfer peas to small bowl.
• Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sauté 1 minute. Add shallots; sauté 1 minute. Add leek and sauté until vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes longer (do not brown). Stir in saffron. Add carrots, mushrooms, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Add wine and simmer until almost dry, about 3 minutes. Add broth and simmer 4 minutes. Add cream and bring to simmer. Stir in peas, asparagus, and spinach. Transfer to prepared baking dish and bake until edges are bubbling and top begins to brown, about 30 minutes.

CREAM OF THE CROP VEGETABLE FRICASSEE WITH FRIED TOAST POINTS

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, mushrooms, celery and garlic and saute until tender. Add the flour and form a roux, stirring to incorporate the butter and flour.
• Slowly add the vegetable stock and stir until smooth. Continue to cook until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. If the sauce looks too thick you can add more stock or water to thin it down.
• Add all the blanched vegetables to the sauce along with the fresh herbs. Cook for 5 minutes, gently stirring, over medium heat. Add the mascarpone and heavy cream and allow to reduce for another 5 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper. While the sauce is simmering, add the canola oil to a large skillet, over medium heat, until smoking. Slice the bread into triangles and shallow-fry on both sides until golden brown. Remove from the oil, drain on paper towels and set aside. To serve, place a ladle of vegetable stew into each large soup bowl and garnish with fried toast points.
• Cook's Note: Blanching vegetable is a great way to speed up the cooking process of any dish and is very simple to do. Simply cook vegetables in boiling salted water until vegetables are still firm but cooked, then remove from boiling water and place into a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside until ready to use.

STOVE-TOP VEGETABLE FRICASSEE WITH TARRAGON CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat broiler.
• Heat oil in large high-sided, oven-proof skillet over medium heat Add sliced onion, bell peppers, asparagus, and carrots and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until crisp-tender. Stir in tarragon and vermouth cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add spinach (or dandelion greens) and milk and sour cream and simmer 2 minutes. Add more milk, if needed, to make sure the vegetables are submerged. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top. Place pan under broiler and broil until golden brown. Serve mixture over rice.
• Chef's Note: You can clean and cut all vegetables and reserve in refrigerator, to be used when cooking fricassee.

CHICKEN FRICASSEE WITH LEMON, SAFFRON, AND GREEN OLIVES

Steps:

• Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and brown on all sides, turning with tongs, for about 10 minutes. Add the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic, and sauté until the vegetables are limp but not browned.
• Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, olives, coriander seeds, and saffron, and return to a boil.
• Cover the pan with parchment paper and then with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 45 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.
• Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and keep warm. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the lemon juice, and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen the browned vegetables. Add the cream and preserved-lemon slices and boil until the liquid is reduced by half or until slightly thickened.
• Strain, if desired (though the bits taste great), and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the chicken and scatter the cilantro over the top. Serve immediately.

CREAMY PASTA WITH SPRING VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Cut asparagus into 1 1/2 inch pieces discarding the tough ends.
• Cut mushrooms in half or quarters.
• Cut bell pepper into 1 inch squares or strips.
• Combine vegetables in a bowl. Add olive oil and toss lightly.
• Add garlic, salt and pepper. Gently mix well.
• Pour into bar pan (cookie sheet with edges) and bake for 10-12 minutes until crisp tender.
• Snip basil with kitchen scissors.
• Prepare pasta according to pakage instructions.
• In a small saucepan, simmer whipping cream for 6-8 minutes, on medium low heat to slightly thicken. Stir constantly so it doesn't burn to the bottom of the pan.
• Drain pasta and transfer to large bowl. Add veggies, heated cream and basil. Toss lightly.
• Mix 1/4 c of parmesan cheese into the pasta.
• Spoon onto serving plates or dishes. Sprinkle with remaining paremesan and some additonal black pepper.