Five classic springtime food combinations
These classic food partnerships have been missing from our menus for months. As they come back into season, it's time to refresh your taste buds.
Sometimes it seems like certain foods were made to be together. It’s as if they should just grow together as one entity. Or some clever food producer should combine them into one product.
However, for combinations that include some meat, fruits and vegetables, once the season is over you have to wait another year to try them again.
Yet the wait is over for us to enjoy these classic combinations again.
Peas and mint
Obvious right? Mint and peas are two of the freshest flavours of the new season. But not all of us always have a sprig of fresh mint to hand when we’re throwing some peas in the pan for a quick weekday dinner. We should make more of an effort, though, as mint lifts peas to another dimension.
So as soon as you get your hands on some fresh spring peas, boil for 6-7 minutes and stir some finely chopped leaves into the pot just before serving. Deliciously light alongside some new spring lamb.
Or, stir in mint, a knob of butter and seasoning and then crush and spread on toasted bread that’s been rubbed with a little bit of garlic for easy, tasty bruschetta.
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Peas and lettuce: Romaine comes into season in spring. Fry up some roughly cut chunks with fresh peas and some finely chopped spring onions. Add a knob of butter and some seasoning and cook for 3-5 minutes until tender.
Asparagus and hollandaise
One of the most luxurious vegetable dishes, steamed, grilled and roasted asparagus is delectable slathered in this buttery sauce. Many of us don’t enjoy it, out of fear of making our own hollandaise.
It’s easier than you think though, just follow the golden rules – don’t overheat and have a shallow sink of cold water on hand in case you do, to plunge your bowl into and cool it down.
Once you’ve got the knack, add a twist to the hollandaise by throwing in some grated orange zest for a bit of zing, grated parmesan for a salty kick or tarragon and a dash of tarragon vinegar for a clean sharpness.
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Grilled asparagus with a poached egg and parmesan shavings. It’s so simple, and you still get the creaminess of the egg against the clean flavour of the asparagus. Just remember to blanch the asparagus before grilling. Learn how to cook the perfect egg
Veal and tuna
I’ve never been wholly sure of surf and turf, but veal and tuna is an Italian staple and used in tonnes of recipes. In the classic dish vitello tonnato, cold roasted veal is sliced thinly and served pink, with a tuna and caper sauce.
The fishy vinegary flavour of the sauce brings out the subtle meaty flavour of the veal. Personally though, I prefer cold, wafer-thin roasted veal slices on top of crostini slathered in tuna and capers bound with mayo. Something you might find in the bacari of Venice, it’s a one-bite wonder.
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Veal escalope with crème fraiche – stolen straight from a French grandmother’s kitchen. Season and fry the escalope in a little oil and some butter and make sure to get colour on the meat. Once it’s just cooked through, add a big dollop of good quality crème fraiche, heat through, season and serve with baby veg and new potatoes for a light spring supper.
Purple sprouting broccoli and soy sauce
Chef Bill Granger raves about purple sprouting broccoli. With its very irony, almost bitter taste, it’s one of his favourite discoveries since coming to the UK and it’s in its prime now. Its best accompaniment, he says, is soy sauce.
Cook in a hot frying pan with a tiny bit of oil and a few tablespoons of water. Cover for 3-4 minutes while the broccoli cooks through, then add soy and a few cloves of garlic sliced finely. The broccoli will be slightly charred and have a smokey flavour, which is perfectly complimented by the salty but light soy.
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Purple sprouting broccoli with lemon and chilli – still simple. Blanch the broccoli and when cooked, throw into a frying pan with some oil and season. Add a pinch of dried chilli flakes, two cloves of chopped garlic and the juice of one lemon. Fresh, light, delicious.
Rhubarb and ginger
Forced rhubarb has been gracing our plates since January, but the field-grown variety is blooming now and often has more taste. The sweet spicy heat of ginger compliments the acidic tang of rhubarb, so whether you roast rhubarb with stem ginger, bake it with ground ginger or poach and serve with ginger ice cream on the side, it’s a winner.
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Pannacotta with rhubarb compote – no spice here. The cool creaminess of the panacotta is livened up by the tart rhubarb, which in turn is softened by the smooth vanilla. Perfect food harmony.
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