Spring is that time of year where my tastebuds come alive craving the greenness of young spinach, the crunch of asparagus, the creaminess of eggs and, of course, (this always makes the cut) the sweetness of chocolate. This season, we see the baby calves with their mothers in the fields, the baby goats adorable as can be, frolicking in the pasture, robins making their nests, squirrels busily foraging for food and, my favourite, the chives and other plants coming up in the garden. There is nothing that tastes more like spring than biting into your first chive stem of the year.
This is the time of year we start spring-cleaning, giving us the perfect opportunity to clean up our diet, too. Fruit and vegetables start to taste better although they are not so much in season here, but the areas where the food is coming from has more seasonal growing happening, allowing the food to taste better. You can start making some small changes like trying the local organic milk, flour and cheese. Eat more vegetables every day, drink your water and enjoy a lovely cup of tea. All of this makes you feel refreshed, much like the season.
With Easter around the corner, entertaining is involved for many of us. I have included a recipe here that can be used for breakfast, lunch or dinner. For breakfast, serve it with a fresh baked loaf of bread from the Invermere Bakery with your favourite Kicking Horse Coffee blen. For lunch I suggest bagel chips with fresh cut veggies, dip and a glass of homemade ice tea. For dinner, go for a mixed green salad with your favourite vinaigrette and a crisp white wine to sip on. Keep it easy to prepare with lots of fresh flavours.
Spring Frittata*
A frittata can be made with countless combinations of ingredients. With this master recipe as a guide, you can create frittatas using whatever vegetables are the freshest at your market. Delicious springtime combinations include sliced leeks, asparagus and zucchini; caramelized onions, sliced roasted red bell peppers and mushrooms; or sliced artichokes, peas and chopped green garlic. Experiment and enjoy the flavour combinations! *This recipe is from the Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.
Ingredients:
6 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 tbsp minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
2/3 cup of feta or Parmesan cheese… or a bit of both!
2 cups cooked vegetables of your choice (I like asparagus, spinach)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
Directions:
• In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, salt, pepper and parsley. Stir in the cheese and cooked vegetables.
• In the deep half of a frittata pan over medium heat, melt 1 tbsp of the butter. Add the egg mixture and cook, loosening the edges occasionally with a rubber spatula to allow the uncooked eggs to run underneath (5 to 6 minutes). After 3 minutes of cooking, in the shallow half of the frittata pan over medium heat, melt the remaining 1 tbsp butter. Place the shallow pan upside down on top of the deep pan and flip the frittata into the shallow pan. Cook, covered, for 3 minutes, then remove the deep pan and continue cooking until the eggs are set, about 5 minutes more.
• Loosen the edges of the frittata with the spatula and gently slide onto a plate. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 4.
Lara McCormack is one of the owners of From Scratch – A Mountain Kitchen in Fairmont where she is baking up a storm of fresh baked babkas, creating all things chocolate and ordering extra eggs for this upcoming Easter weekend.
