Spring has Sprung

For me, Spring hasn't officially begun until Easter Sunday.  It's as if overnight, flowers everywhere are suddenly in full bloom and there's a crisp sweetness in the air.  Children laughing, dressed in their Sunday best stuffing their faces with jelly beans and chocolate searching for hidden eggs.  But lets not kid ourselves here, what do we love most about Easter....the Sunday dinner of course.  This got me thinking about some of my favorite Spring time eats.  How about a Caprese salad to start, simple, fresh.  Now I prefer sliced Roma tomatoes over beefsteak, they're a little bit sweeter in my opinion, and it balances well with balsamic I finish it with.  Top it with a nice thick slice of fresh mozzarella, pinch of sea salt and cracked pepper, chiffonade a little basil and drizzle with good olive and and a drop of balsamic. Easy & delicious.  

Next lets sear up a little sushi grade Ahi tuna, slice it rare and lay it on a bed of fresh mixed greens.  You really want the Ahi to be the star of the show so keep the seasoning simple.  A little olive oil, salt, pepper and sesame seeds and you're good to go.  Gently coat the greens with a little freshly squeezed lemon juice, and whisk together some soy sauce, honey and grated ginger and garnish with finely minced scallions. Devine. 

The last of my favorite Spring dishes is rosemary and garlic lamb lollipop chops.  Season with a little olive oil, salt. pepper and finely minced rosemary and garlic.  Toss them on a hot grill for just a few minutes on each side until you get a nice golden brown crust, garnish with some finely chopped mint leaves a few lemon wedges and serve on a bed of rice pilaf. Magic. 

Braised Thumper...err Rabbit

Does it taste like chicken you wonder....uhh yeah it does but better!

Sorry Thumper!!

Alright I'll be honest....I felt bad for like 3 seconds!! But damn braised rabbit is niiiiiiice!!

The aftermath...

Enjoying the fruits of my labor. 18oz herb crusted boneless rib eye w/ a bone marrow infused bordelaise sauce and pommes frites.

Got beef?

Fabricating a 1/8 beef primal is surprisingly therapeutic!

hungry to feed, thirsty to love

It was the smells coming from the kitchen that I remember most about how my love affair with food started when I was a kid.  The smell of bacon wafting through the vents into my bedroom, the faint hint of maple syrup.  This was my alarm clock.  I'd hop out of bed and run downstairs excited to see what incredible feast my mom had prepared.  Could it be blueberry pancakes topped with fresh fruit or maybe fluffy french toast fingers smothered in maple syrup and dusted with powdered sugar?? But as delicious as those both were, for me there was one dish that trumped them all, Mofungo.  A classic Puerto Rican dish, made by frying green plantains in bacon fat until soft, mashed by hand in a "Pilon", seasoned with salt and topped with crispy bacon.  Rich, ethereal and classically Caribbean.

My older brother and I have a serious obsession with Mofungo, in fact one that probably requires a 12 step program.  We used to constantly fight over it in the kitchen and sadly, we still do 25 years later.  But really, it's the simplicity of this dish that makes it so genius, and well...did I mention it's cooked in bacon fat??  This is the type of simplistic, nutritional food that has been feeding people for thousands of years and is really at the core of my cooking philosophy.  Simple, fresh ingredients prepared with one thing in mind, feeding the people I care about.  Moving people through food is such a powerful concept, and frankly one that I think should be held with a certain degree of respect.  Never underestimate the beauty in sharing a meal with someone, even one as simple as mashed plantains.  Stick around a while, there's no need to rush. Open a few bottles of wine, throw on a little music and enjoy the moment with the people you love or maybe just met.  Share, eat, drink, live.