April 2017 - Annie Falk

After a recent visit to the Durham Farmers’ Market, I arrived home with armloads of asparagus, pea shoots, and hakurei turnips. Looking for ways to make use of my bounty, I came across an old recipe for asparagus-pea pesto and another for a Spring pea-shoot salad. I decided to combine both recipes to honor these deliciously fresh vegetables.

We seldom think of eating asparagus raw, but when shaved into long, thin ribbons, this spring vegetable makes a beautiful crisp and flavorful salad. Pea shoots are wispy and delicate, fragrant and flavorful—the perfect match for peppery arugula. Tossed together, these ingredients make a terrific salad but, when the vegetables are this good, I want to layer the flavors. Dressing the greens with pesto seemed like the perfect way to bring this dish another level of flavor.

Hakurei, a Japanese variety of turnip, do not need to be cooked. Thanks to their crisp and delicious flavor when left raw, these are often referred to as “salad turnips.” They have an even-textured density and pair well with a variety of foods. Sliced thinly on the mandolin they are the perfect addition to this spring starter. If you can’t find hakurei turnips at your local farmers’ market, substitute one of the many beautiful varieties of radish available now.

Yield: Note: Makes about 2 cups

Sweet potatoes and kale are two vegetables that continue to embody the movement of healthful eating and I never tire of either of them. I’m especially crazy for kale and recently served my favorite Tropical Kale Salad for a celebratory ladies lunch. Here in Florida the mangos are just beginning to pop up at green markets and I absolutely couldn’t resist! For a moment it seemed the cooler weather was behind us.

Then an unexpected storm delivered a cold front to Palm Beach and inspired me to make a big batch of this delicious soup, with a little coaxing from my daughter Kayla, who found herself suddenly snow-bound in New York. Sweet potato is a vegetable that has protein, which is fairly unusual, but it also has complex carbohydrates that don’t spike insulin. Combined with kale, a nutritional powerhouse, it serves up a soup that is satisfying and full of antioxidants. Kayla loves it! She’s a devout yogi and this is her go-to post-yoga dinner, especially on cooler evenings.

It was her younger sister Gigi who introduced us to the fantastic Farmer’s Market in Durham, North Carolina. One of the best green markets I’ve ever been to, it’s full of local, producer-only vendors who are located within 70 miles of the market. It was here I discovered the most fantastic, truly sweet, sweet potatoes. Unfortunately, they are hard to come by this time of year. (I later learned that 47 percent of the nation’s sweet potatoes are grown in North Carolina and farmers are glad everyone else seems to be catching on to a classic Southern culinary tradition. It’s a crop that helps replace the money formerly made from tobacco and cotton.)

Luckily, I found some sweet potatoes and toted a big bag full back to chilly Palm Beach. I made the soup there then toted a container to New York for Kayla. The things we do for love—and love of Sweet Potato–Kale Soup!

Yield: Makes 5 ¼ quarts

Month: April 2017

Pea Shoot & Asparagus Ribbon Salad with Asparagus-Pea Pesto

Sweet Potato-Kale Soup