Spring time and the cooking is easy

The end of March has brought us a lot of special holidays involving food. There’s been the first day of spring, the upcoming Easter and Passover and, most important to the Portland food lover—the Portland State Farmer’s Market.

This weekly event allows us to walk up and down the transformed south park blocks early on Saturday mornings, shoulder-to-shoulder with tote-carrying shoppers, admire radiant bouquets and, of course, buy fresh produce. The emeralds of spinach and shocking fuchsias and yellows of spring flowers are enough to make us see the light into summer.

April, May and perhaps June will serve up some pretty dreadful rainy days, but that doesn’t mean your dinner has to be too.

Here are two recipes which take advantage of what the farmer’s market, or even just your very well-stocked grocery store, has to offer.

Shells and spring veggies
This recipe was inspired by a recent visit to Michael Chiarello’s restaurant, Bottega, in Napa, Calif. His recipe included a creamy Fonduta sauce that held together the orichette pasta. Chiarello’s vibrant spring colors are still present in this version, but it has been crafted to serve the recession-friendly cook. The Fonduta sauce is replaced with more economical goat cheese crumbles, and a time-saving prepared pesto adds more depth of flavor. Feel free to add any of your favorite spring vegetables—sugar snap peas would work well here also.

Ingredients
1 leek, cleaned and sliced into half moons
6 medium sized carrots (green tops removed) cut into slices
4 tablespoons of garlic and chive pesto (purchased from Pesto Outside The Box, a vendor at the PSU Farmer’s Market)
1 cup of whole wheat or regular shell pasta
4 tablespoons of olive oil
Zest from one Meyer lemon
2 tablespoons of goat cheese crumbles
Sprinkle of salt
Dash of fresh ground pepper

Method
Bring a medium saucepan filled with water and a sprinkle of sea salt to a boil.
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet to medium-high heat, add olive oil.
When olive oil is hot, add carrot slices. Sprinkle with salt, grind pepper and let the carrots cook in oil for a few minutes.

Add pasta to water and cook according to package directions.
Next, add leeks to skillet, stir with spatula and add spices as needed. Sauté for 8–10 minutes at medium heat.

When pasta is ready and carrots are crisp tender, mix the pasta into the skillet.
Add pesto, goat cheese crumbles and zest.
Serve with lemon slices, serves 1–2 people.

Artichoke with lemon dill crema
This is a classic preparation of a vegetable that’s as fun to eat as it is tasty. If serving with pasta, make sure to start the artichoke earlier than the pasta. They often take a long time to become tender.

Ingredients:
1 artichoke, trimmed of dirty leaves and stem removed
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
Crema:
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons of dill
Juice from one Meyer lemon
1 teaspoon of honey

Method
Place a few inches of water in a medium saucepan. Place garlic, bay leaf, and vinegar in water and let it come to a boil.

Place steamer basket above water, and place artichoke in, stem up.
Place lid on pan and let simmer for 20–40 minutes.
When leaves can be removed easily with a fork, the artichoke is ready. Serve with lemon dill crema.

Crema:
Mix yogurt, honey, lemon juice and dill in a small bowl. Serve with artichoke for dipping.
Serves 1–2 people.