May greens – leaves, pods, sprouts – will help our body recuperate after winter and allow us to feel the long-awaited renewal of nature more deeply.
In the Russian culinary tradition, a variety of greens and leafy vegetables have never been considered worthy food: until the beginning of the XNUMXth century, white cabbage remained almost the only cultivated leafy vegetable in Russia. Such an attitude towards frivolous and lightweight spring vegetables in our country is quite understandable: both the climate and the way of life in Russia were more likely to be rough, but satisfying and dense – such as cereals, pastries, boiled root crops, dairy products, and, if possible, – game, fish and meat. However, in other culinary traditions, the situation is completely different: in Central Asia and the Balkans, in Italy and the Caucasus, young greens abounding in vitamins – leaves, pods and sprouts – are rightfully considered the pearl of the spring table.
One of the main dishes of the Central Asian spring holiday Navruz (New Year) is the so-called kuk-samsa, green samsa: like ordinary samsa pies, it is made from puff pastry, but instead of minced meat, a mixture of various herbs mashed with a raw egg and fried in butter or lamb tail fat. In Uzbekistan, the filling for green samsa is prepared from spinach, sorrel and green onions, and in Tajikistan, a little more mint and shepherd’s purse will certainly be added to this mixture.
HERBS SHOULD ONLY JUDGE SLIGHTLY WITHOUT LOSSING ITS FRESH COLOR
They do the same with young greens in Greece: here they are chopped, mixed with feta cheese and olive oil, after which they are used as a filling for the famous pita – a layer cake in which the thinnest layers of unleavened dough alternate with juicy green mass. In addition, in the Balkans and Italy, various herbs are served as a light and healthy side dish for meat or fish: for this, greens are stewed in a deep saucepan with a little olive oil, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and lemon juice. First of all, field plants are used: horse sorrel, young nettle, quinoa and dandelion leaves (in Greece, all these “weeds” are considered a delicacy and are sold at the price of good meat), but spinach, garden sorrel or leaf sorrel are no less suitable for this purpose. beet. The key is not to overdo it with the heat treatment: the herbs should become soft and let the juice out a little, but not lose their beautiful green color.
Spring greenery is the main element of one of the most popular dishes of Georgian cuisine – pkhali. Most often, pkhali is prepared from the pods of tender young beans: cut into pieces 2–3 cm long, they are boiled until soft, then poured with cold water and allowed to cool completely. Meanwhile, the sauce is being prepared: three or four cloves of garlic, a large bunch of cilantro, a glass of walnuts and two or three tablespoons of spicy adjika should be chopped in a blender or passed through a meat grinder, then add a tablespoon of wine vinegar, a teaspoon of suneli hop spices and a little water in which the beans were boiled (as a result, a sparse homogeneous mixture should be obtained). A handful of pomegranate seeds are added to the beans, pour over the sauce and mix gently. This magnificent dish can be prepared not only from beans, but also from finely chopped spinach or chard. And in Azerbaijan, young beans or chopped spinach are indispensable ingredients of the so-called kyukyu – green omelet: vegetables are mixed with beaten eggs, a little milk or cream is added, and then baked in the oven in a form thickly greased with butter.
However, young asparagus is rightfully considered the true queen of spring greenery. These tender shoots of the plant, known in our country as asparagus, just sprouted from the ground, are not only one of the most expensive and aristocratic vegetables, but also, of course, one of the most useful: in terms of the amount of folic acid and vitamins it contains. A and B asparagus is second to none. However, it is primarily valued for its delicate, rich taste. Cream soup is prepared from asparagus, it is added to risotto and pasta, but most often it is simply blanched in boiling water. Traditionally, asparagus is recommended to be cooked in special narrow and tall saucepans, in which water is poured only up to half. A bunch of asparagus, tied in the middle, is inserted vertically into such a saucepan, as a result of which the denser lower part of the stalk is boiled, while the tender tops are steamed. However, an excellent result can be achieved by simply lowering the asparagus shoots in boiling water for a few minutes. After putting them on a warm plate and pouring sauce or melted butter with a pinch of red pepper, you will surely understand the reason for the delight that gourmets all over the world have been lavishing on asparagus for hundreds of years.
ASPARAGUS WITH HOLLAND SAUCEFor 4 persons. Cooking time: 15 min.
- 400 g young asparagus
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 hours. L. lemon juice
- 120 g butter
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- salt.
Melt butter. Heat the yolks in a water bath until slightly thickened (they should not curl), stirring with a whisk, pour lemon juice into them. Whisking constantly, add melted butter, salt and pepper. Cover with lid and set aside. Blanch the asparagus in boiling water for 5-7 minutes (it should retain its beautiful light green color). Put on warmed plates and serve to the table, after pouring the sauce.