Shaved Asparagus and Rhubarb with Farro and Sherry Vinaigrette

Dusting ourselves off like the root cellar vegetables we've become, New Yorkers visit our spring farm stands and green markets with hopeful bated breath. New arrivals emerge one at a time, announcing their presence like runway models showcasing a spring collection at New York fashion week. [I’ve never once been to NY fashion week but I imagine it to be like this. And, I most certainly would attend a fashion week parading spring produce.]

The most magical moment of all in this spring awakening is the overlap of rhubarb and asparagus. As if testing the very functionality itself of the Italian adage what grows together goes together, these two spring stars beg to be combined in dishes, sometimes with greens, herbs or spring onions, sometimes not.

Below is a recipe that allows both of these to shine, with the rhubarb and asparagus prepared raw, so you can truly appreciate them. They are sliced super thin (without a mandoline, a vegetable peeler does the trick), seasoned with salt and tossed in a light sherry vinaigrette to tenderize them. Complete the salad with farro and goat cheese, and you have spring produce week's most sought after lust-have.

Shaved Rhubarb and Asparagus with Farro and lemon sherry Vinaigrette

serves: 4

What You Need:

• ½ cup farro, soaked for at least 1 hour or up to 6 hours

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed blood orange juice

• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed of woody ends

• 2 large stalks rhubarb, sliced very thin

• Creme fraiche or goat cheese, optional

What You Do:

1. Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add a palmful of salt. Drain the farro and rinse. Add the farro and cook until tender and just starting to split open, about 30-40 minutes.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the honey and dijon mustard. While whisking constantly, drizzle in the olive oil and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the lemon juice, orange juice and sherry vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Lay an asparagus spear down flat on your cutting board and with a vegetable peeler, peel the asparagus into long thin ribbons. Repeat with the remaining asparagus. 

4. Season the asparagus and rhubarb with salt and toss with the vinaigrette. Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes. 

5. Drain the cooked farro and arrange in a bowl or on a platter. Pour the excess vinaigrette from the vegetables over the cooked farro and then top with the ribbons of asparagus and thinly sliced rhubarb. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche or goat cheese if desired.

Dyeing Eggs with Natural Colors

I first started exploring natural food dyes when trying to decorate my son’s birthday cake without using artificial colors from a little squeeze bottle. I knew there had to be ways to get vibrant colors out of actual foods. After discovering how to make pink, blue, green and yellow frosting, I moved on to coloring pasta, which is by far the most forgiving medium for natural food coloring. One can easily adjust moisture levels in pasta dough, which absorbs colors from solids, pastes, liquids and powders. Eggs, which are dyed in a quick bath of a colorful liquid, posed a new set of challenges.

Since we dunk eggs into liquid dyes, the pigments from colorful foods need to be transferred as much as possible to the water they are cooked in before straining off solids like shredded beets or dried flowers. And ground spice powders, like turmeric and paprika would ideally dissolve into the liquid. Not the case. Many formulas for natural dyes will tell you to use powdered turmeric for yellow. I love spices and figured I’d try others too like paprika, sumac, & chili powder. Why not?

Left: Speckled orange egg created with ground turmeric, ground paprika and oil based dye. Right: Blue polka dot egg created with butterfly pea flower dye and stickers.

It’s challenging to get clear vibrant color from these ground spices. First, ground spices are fat soluble, which means they work better with oil to break down and disperse their colors. But dunking an egg in oil sounded unorthodox and messy. So I followed the advice and simply simmered ground spices in boiling water for 20 minutes & then strained. The color was there, but it required a multi-hour, if not an overnight soak to dye eggs, and it left a little grit on the eggs, no matter how fine the strainer. So I revisited spices 101 and decided to bloom them first (or sauté them in a little bit of oil) before adding some water to make the liquid dye. The colors were certainly more vibrant and adhered in under 20 minutes, but the oil left a splotched rather than smooth finish on the egg - check out the orange speckled egg made from a combination of paprika and turmeric. Up next, I will attempt a dye made 100% from the ground spices bloomed in oil.

Fresh turmeric root. Grated.

So, how do you get the best clear liquid yellow dye? If you have it available, fresh grated turmeric root works best. I simmered it in water just like the other fresh vegetables, and then strained off the solids. While the turmeric root itself appears orange, the liquid it creates makes a beautiful soft and natural yellow. If fresh turmeric root is not available, shredded golden beets work as well.

Top left: blue butterfly pea flower dye; Top right: yellow turmeric root dye; Bottom: Green dye made from combining

I had such success adding greens of all shades and varieties — sautéed, steamed, juiced and blanched spinach, kale, parsley & chard — to pasta dough & frosting that I didn’t expect it to be so challenging to dye eggs green. And, green eggs & ham, right? Wrong. For egg dying, not only do the green colors become terribly diluted in liquid, but the key ingredient required for getting dye to adhere to eggs destroys the green pigments. We add vinegar to egg dyes to create an acidic mixture that reacts with the calcium in the egg shell, allowing colors to be absorbed. While this acid creates vivid blues and bright pinks, any acid (lemon juice, wine, tomato sauce) deteriorates green rapidly and transforms it to an unappetizing olive or brown. The answer? Create vibrant greens by combining yellow and blue dye immediately before dunking eggs.

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How to Produce a Rainbow of Natural Dyes

To make most types of natural liquid dye:

1. Boil or steep vegetables (1 cup), spices (1 tablespoon), or dried flowers or teas (1/2 cup) in water (1 1/2 - 2 cups) for 10-20 minutes.

2. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Discard, compost or reuse the solids.

3. Add vinegar and stir. Use ~1 tablespoon vinegar to 1 cup liquid dye. Use less for acidic mixtures like berries cooked in lemon juice.

Steep: to soak (food, tea, etc.) in hot water so as to extract its flavor or color or to soften or reconstitute it

Boil: to cook (food) in boiling water over a heat source

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Recommended formulas

For a quick reference list of formulas for these and a full rainbow of dyes, click here.

PINK

½ cup dried hibiscus flowers + 2 cups boiling water. Steep. Strain.

RED

1 cup shredded red beets + 2 cups water + 1 tablespoon smoked paprika. Boil. Strain.

SPECKLED ORANGE

1 tablespoon smoked paprika + 2 teaspoons of turmeric powder sautéed in 1 tablespoon canola oil + 1½ cups water. Boil. Strain.

PALE YELLOW

1 tablespoon grated fresh turmeric root + 1 ½ cup water. Boil. Strain.

MINTY GREEN

½ cup of turmeric yellow dye + 1-3 tablespoons butterfly pea blue dye added one teaspoon at a time. Shake well.

BLUE

½ cup dried butterfly pea flowers + 2 cups boiling water. Steep. Strain.

PURPLE

1 cup blueberries + juice from ½ lemon + 1 tablespoon sugar. Cook until berries have popped. Purée. Strain. Whisk in 1 cup water. (Use only 1-2 teaspoons vinegar per cup of dye.)

BROWN

Black coffee brewed per your usual method.

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General Tips and Hacks for Dying Eggs

ADD VINEGAR

Stir 1 tablespoon of vinegar into 1 cup of dye. The acid in vinegar reacts with the calcium in the eggshell to ensure dye adheres.

COMBINE DYES FOR NEW COLORS

Set aside ½ cup of lighter colored dye and gradually add darker colored dye one teaspoon at a time to get the shade you desire. Test various combinations such as yellow+blue, red+yellow, and blue+red.

MAKE STRIPES WITH RUBBER BANDS

Wrap rubber bands around eggs before dunking them in dye to make stripes or crisscross patterns. Remove rubber bands after dye is completely dry.

DECORATE WITH STICKERS

Use stickers of all shapes and sizes to make patterns or designs like polka dots and flowers. Press firmly onto egg shell before dunking and remove once egg is dry.

IMPRINT WITH REAL FLOWERS AND LEAVES

A technique I learned from the Swiss calls for using tightly wrapped panty hose (!) to hold flowers and leaves in place while soaking or boiling eggs in dye. Allow to dry, then carefully remove nylon and flowers.

USE WHISKS

Hold eggs in whisks for easy and safe dunking into and retrieval from dye.

REST TO DRY ON BOTTLE CAPS

Bottle caps of all different sizes work perfectly as stands for still-drip drying eggs. Rest them here until dry. Be sure to clean out bottle caps before drying eggs of different colors unless you want stripes.

BLEND COLORS

Soak eggs in more than one dye to create new colors. Or create multi-toned eggs by dunking one side at a time into separate colors.

DYE BROWN EGGS TOO

Use naturally brown eggs as well as white eggs to create richer, earthier deep shades of all colors.

TRY VARIOUS SOAK TIMES

Experiment with soaking eggs for various lengths of time. Longer soak = higher saturation of color. In this photo, the top egg was soaked in turmeric dye for 10 minutes, and the bottom egg was soaked overnight.

SHINE WITH OIL

For a glossy finish, rub a little bit of oil (I use canola) on the egg once it is dry. Just use your fingertip.

PEEL AND EAT

Since you dyed your eggs with natural food coloring, they’re edible. Just peel and eat. But be sure to keep eggs refrigerated - don’t eat any eggs that have been sitting at room temperature for more than 1 hour. If you’re soaking them longer than than, put the dye and egg in the refrigerator.

SAVE EGG CARTONS

Once you boil the eggs, keep the egg cartons for safely drying, storing and transporting the colored eggs. We cut them so that each person can take a half dozen home.

Scallion Surplus Solutions

Why am I writing about scallions? It's not merely to highlight my alliteration abilities. I was recently reflecting on the fact that many of my spring recipes include a sauce that purees scallions beyond recognition. Each spring, I find myself with a surplus of scallions. Not one to gobble raw onions of any variety, these beautiful green alliums pile up in my fridge. Before they can wilt however, I whip them into a marinade or sauce. Some marinades get put to use immediately and others are stored in my freezer, with or without protein for a quick fall or winter meal.

Here are seven solutions for your scallion surplus followed by my recipe for Spring Jerk Marinade to be used in Jerk Lamb Shepherd's Pie (featured below) or to marinate some chicken wings or tofu steaks. All other recipes will be featured on the blog eventually or write and I'll send you the no-frills version pronto.

1. Korean Beef Marinade

2. Shrimp Scampi

3. Scallion Pancakes

4. Scallion Tart or Pizza

5. Salsa

6. Cheese and Scallion Biscuits

7. When all else fails, add them to a crudité platter for dipping or drizzle with olive oil and grill.

Now on to the piece de resistance. I can't get enough of this jerk marinade and once you try it, you'll be making it in big batches again and again as well. This spring jerk marinade came about because two of the earliest plants available to me in the northeast are thyme (which often survives the winter and regrows on its own) and scallions. Add some ginger, garlic, spices, and of course habañero chili peppers into the food processor and you are good to go.

My jerk marinade has countless uses -- the expected chicken wings, marinating grilled vegetables and tofu, but my most unexpected and new favorite discovery has become Jerk Shepherd’s Pie. This creation was born out of a freezer clean out where I discovered some sautéed mixed greens, about a cup of jerk marinade and a 1lb package of ground beef. The resulting creation screams British pub food meets Caribbean beach BBQ. I since replaced the beef with ground lamb and have interchanged sweet potatoes for the red potatoes & yukon golds. If you use sweet potatoes or yams, I recommend baking those whole to soften them before mashing as boiling or steaming will add too much moisture.

Spring Jerk Marinade

Yield: ~ 4 ½ cups marinade

What you need:

• 2 shallots or small spring onions, about ½ cup large dice

• 20 garlic cloves

• 1 bunch scallions, top ⅓ of green removed, roughly chopped

• 4 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled & roughly chopped, about ¼ cup

• ½ cup brown sugar

• ½ cup canola oil

• 6 tablespoons tamari soy sauce or shoyu

• ½ cup lime juice, approximately 4 limes

• 2 bunches (1 ½ ounces) fresh thyme, leaves and tender stems only, approximately ½ cup

• 4-8 habanero peppers

• 5 tablespoons ground allspice

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

• ¼ cup water

What you do:

1. Put all ingredients, except the water, into the bowl of a food processor or blender. Process on high until completely pureed.

2. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, until it is the consistency of a runny sauce.

3. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Be judicious with the chili peppers. The heat level will intensify over time.

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Jerk Lamb Shepherd’s Pie

Yield: Serves 6

What you need:

• 3 red or yukon gold potatoes, about 1 ½ cups cut into ½ inch cubes

• Kosher salt

• 2 tablespoons butter (optional)

• 3 medium carrots, small dice

• 1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil

• 1 bunch cooking greens, chopped (such as mizuna, chard, kale, mustard greens)

• 1 lb ground lamb (or beef)

• 1 - 1 ½ cups jerk marinade (above)

What you do:

1. Place the cubed potatoes in a large stock pot and cover with cool water. Add a generous handful of kosher salt. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium and cook until potatoes are fork tender. Drain. Using a ricer or potato masher, mash the potatoes, adding butter if desired.

2. In a medium pot fitted with a steamer basket, add water to just above the basket. Bring to a boil. Add the carrots and a few pinches of kosher salt. Steam until the carrots are tender but still firm, about 5 minutes.

3. In a large skillet, heat oil on medium high heat. Add the chopped greens and a pinch of salt and sauté until they are soft. Remove greens from pan and set aside.

4. Using the same skillet, heat another tablespoon of oil. Add the ground lamb, breaking it up with a spoon until you have ½ inch crumbles. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and sauté until cooked through.

5. Add the jerk marinade to the lamb. Cook about 5-7 minutes until the marinade is absorbed into the lamb and the lamb breaks down further into smaller crumbles.

6. Preheat the broiler. In an oven- proof casserole dish, layer the lamb, followed by carrots and greens and top with the mashed potatoes.

7. Heat under the broiler on high for about 12 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and crisp.

To Freeze: Wrap casseroles tightly with plastic wrap. Label with contents and reheating instructions.

To Reheat: Thaw overnight or for at least 12 hours in refrigerator. Preheat broiler. Remove plastic wrap and broil under high for 12-15 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and crisp and the center is warmed.