The Italian Spring Recipes
This week’s lineup combines a bevy of fresh spring produce—from verdant greens to vibrant red radishes—with the soulful flavors of Italy, also including smoky, nitrate-free bacon, fresh bucatini pasta, and silky duck eggs that are all begging to star in pasta carbonara for supper (see the enclosed recipe suggestions for that one!). Also including fun Italian-style pantry provisions such as pillowy focaccia bread, farmstead Caciotta cheese and soft amaretti cookies with chocolate, as well as spring daffodils, this box will transport you abroad, all without leaving your very own kitchen. Mangia!
Here are a few recipe ideas for the week:
Duck Egg Carbonara Pasta with Bacon
Creamy and indulgent, simple and satisfying, this classic-style carbonara dish gets an added boost from this week’s silky duck eggs.
Roasted Radishes with Brown Butter & Lemon
The sweet, nutty brown butter here lends a beautiful finishing touch.
Italian Parsley-Caper Vinaigrette
This adaptation of the pungent vinaigrette from Joshua McFadden’s Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables is magical drizzled over roasted vegetables or spring greens!
Sweet Onion Confit
This buttery-sweet topping is wonderful in sandwiches or even atop crackers.
Arugula Pesto
Stash this bright, zippy pesto in your freezer to add to the likes of pastas, soups or even roasted vegetables.
Brown Butter Kale
This Tom Douglas recipe combines quality ingredients to bring out the inherently nutty flavor of this protein-rich green.
Ingredients:
2½ pounds Lacinato kale (1 large bunch)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Lemon wedges
Method:
1. Stem and wash the kale, shaking off excess water. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the kale until tender, about 5-10 minutes. Drain the kale in a large colander, then let cold water run over until cool enough to handle. With your hands, squeeze most of the water out. Roughly chop the kale.
2. Melt butter in a very large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Allow the butter to bubble and turn golden brown (it will have a toasted fragrance). Watch carefully, this only takes a few minutes.
3. Add the kale to the pan and stir until mixed with butter and warmed through. Season to taste with salt and pepper, remove from heat. Pile on a platter and garnish with lemon wedges to squeeze over.
Chili Night Recipes
Ward off the cold, wet weather this week with all the elements for a cozy chili night: Start off with our housemade chili—fragrant with garlic, onions and roasted peppers—then add spicy, all-natural Chorizo sausage as you please and serve alongside melty Gruyère cheese bread. Complemented with a French red wine, this satisfying supper is rounded out by beautiful produce including Brussels sprouts, Savoy cabbage and sweet fennel.
Here are a few recipe ideas for the week:
Carrot-Cabbage Slaw with Cilantro
This light, fresh side dish is wonderful served alongside this week’s chili.
Braised Savoy Cabbage with Chorizo
This versatile winter dish adapted from a Alice Waters recipe is delightful tossed with spicy Chorizo or diced bacon.
Braised Fennel & Carrots
Kissed with honey and orange zest, this side sings with bright flavor.
Brown Butter Kale
Simple and irresistible, this Tom Douglas recipe combines quality ingredients to bring out the inherently nutty flavor of this protein-rich green.
Roasted Savoy Cabbage
Tender, golden brown cabbage is finished with fresh lemon juice and cracked pepper in this easy recipe.
Fresh Fennel, Radicchio & Apple Salad
Tart, crunchy and crisp, this salad celebrates the classic combination of fennel and radicchio.
