Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Spring Vegetable Ragout



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Despite a forecast of bad weather, we're heading to the coast for the holiday. Bob and I both love the sea and, strange as it might seem, we love it most when it's raging and buried in drifts of fog. This has the makings of our kind of weekend. Pounding waves and screeching gulls will be music to our ears. While we'll do some eating out, provisions for Easter dinner will come with us. The traveling larder will include gravlaxs, double-cut lamb chops and the fixing for soy glazed potatoes and this lovely vegetable ragout. Dessert will probably be a simple lemon pudding with apricot sauce. The ragout comes from Alice Waters, who does simple better than the legions who try to imitate her. I absolutely love this recipe and the bright shot of green it puts on any table. Three basic ingredients are quickly cooked in what becomes a light butter sauce. If not overcooked the ragout would be fit for Lucullus. The downside of this is the amount of chopping required to bring the dish to the table. That is the only downside. The beautiful ragout, especially if made with the very freshest of vegetables, will bring Spring to your table. Here's the recipe.

Spring Vegetable Ragout...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy Of Alice Waters

Ingredients:
3/4 pounds fresh green peas (See Cook's Note)
3/4 pound asparagus
3 spring onions (about 3/4 cup sliced)
3 tablespoons butter, divided use
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon chopped parsley or chervil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Shell fresh peas or thaw 1 cup frozen petite peas under cold running water. Set aside. Snap tough ends from asparagus. Discard. Slice stalks into diagonal slices 1/4-inch thick. Cut tips into 1-1/2-inch pieces. Set aside. Trim and thinly slice spring onions.
2) Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large heavy bottomed skillet. Add onions and cook over medium heat until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add asparagus and peas; stir to combine. Add water and cook until vegetables are just tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add reserved 1 tablespoon butter and parsley or chervil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot. Yield: 4 servings.

Cook's Note: If fresh peas are not available, substitute 1 cup best quality thawed frozen peas.

You might also enjoy these recipes:

Moroccan Carrots - One Perfect Bite
Sugar Snap Peas with Sesame - One Perfect Bite
Green Beans with Sesame Miso Sauce - One Perfect Bite

53 comments :

♥Sugar♥Plum♥Fairy♥ said...

Ur greens always are brighter than the brightest ones....
Am sure a ball is what u guys have at the coast:-))

sweetlife said...

have a great time..what a lovely shade of green!!

sweetlife

Alessandra said...

Just what I feel like: Spring, and this ragout :-)

Cherine said...

Love this green ragout!! I bet it's delicious!

Ana Powell said...

Wishing you a lovely holiday.
The weather is really bad in the UK, just need a bit of the sunshine, oh well never mind.
Lovely recipe, beautiful colour and very healthy x

MaryMoh said...

Wow...that looks very refreshing and healthy. I love it. It just cheers me up in this cold, windy, snowy day.

3 hungry tummies said...

They are indeed vegetables that remind me of spring. I love a simple risotto with

Katy ~ said...

I think it doesn't get better than this. Fabulous bright colors, a recipe with great goodness.

Hope your vacation away is a raging success.

Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...

Good to have green, this look very comfort!

Allie and Pattie said...

Oh, I love this mix- I make a creamy soup with asparagus and peas. Mary, have a wonderful holiday! I'm envious- it's been some time since we were able to go to the beach
xoxo Pattie

Deb in Hawaii said...

Perfectly green and so spring-like!

taste traveller said...

That looks absolutely lovely. Enjoy your Easter on the coast!

From the Kitchen said...

I'm sitting here with my grocery list trying to think of something different to add to the traditional Easter brunch. Thank you for such a delicious dish. The ingredients are noted.

Have a wonderful time by the sea. I, too, love the foggy mists and pounding surf.

Best,
Bonnie

Jamie said...

Your traveling larder sounds so perfect and delicious! And love this recipe for spring green vegetables. Delicious, healthy and versatile. Wonderful! And what a wonderful holiday! Enjoy!

Deana Sidney said...

I love chervil... they now have it at the market every once and a while. It is such a beautiful, delicate herb and perfect for that vegetable dish...Alice Waters is so smart.

Sarah Naveen said...

Beautiful click..nice recipe..

Kim said...

This is a lovely way to add green to your table. I love how you chopped the asparagus. Enjoy your time by the sea.

Cathy said...

Your Easter dinner sounds wonderful, Mary, and you get to enjoy it at the Oregon coast. I love those stormy days too.

Martha said...

Lovely --

Yes, Alice does simple better than anyone.

A perfect dish for the Easter table!

giorno26 ¸¸.•*¨*•. said...

A visionare la foto sembra che questo piatto debba essere veramente delizioso :-)

Foley said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Foley said...

I quickly put this in my file before I even commented! That is how good it looks and sounds.
Two of my favorite veggies..will be definitely trying this one as soon as the asparagus crop comes in.
Have a wonderful Easter weekend!!

(Too many typos in the first comment ;)

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I would have loved to go to Chez Panisse when I was in SF to see Ms. Waters menu first hand. She does do fresh, local and simple the best.

♥ Kathy said...

I love the fog too..have a safe trip!

Namitha said...

Lovely vibrant green :-) enjoy the sunshine and the beaches ,Mary :D

Claudia said...

Spring on a plate. It does my winter heart so good.

Zoomie said...

Oh, my, that does look beautiful and will be wonderful with your lamb chops! We don't have fresh peas here yet, but I have some good frozen ones and a nice big bunch of asparagus. Thanks for the tip!

Ann said...

fresh and healthy, Looks so yumm with a vibrant green!

Hayley said...

Healthy and yummy! beautiful colour..

Unknown said...

This looks very pretty. I bet this is so fresh tasting. I love the idea.
*kisses* HH

Janine said...

YUM!! Just what spring time is all about!

Maria said...

I love the bright green colors!

Miss Meat and Potatoes said...

Gorgeous! Gorgeous! Gorgeous! I don't understand people that don't like peas. I just don't...

Sushma Mallya said...

That looks so fresh and very healthy,

Valérie said...

Oh, all this greenery is making me smile!

Bob said...

I can see the attraction to a stormy sea, at least from a certain distance. Heh.

The ragout looks awesome, totally something I would like.

Melanie said...

I saw that first picture and couldn't help the "wow!" that escaped my mouth. What a stunningly green dish. I love the idea of combining these spring veggies into one ragout. Delicious! Have a wonderful holiday...

Dewi said...

Simply delicious. I like dishes like this Mary!

Valrie said...

Your recipes are so mouth watering, there are so many I need to try!

Have a wonderful weekend.

From the Kitchen said...

Thank you for your prayers Mary. Have a blessedly beautiful Easter.

Best,
Bonnie

DailyChef said...

What a great looking dish, especially for spring. Such vibrant colors too. This will make up for the pizza I devoured yesterday :)

Janice said...

That looks so fresh and delicious, very spring like.

The Blonde Duck said...

I've always wondered what a ragout was. Now I know!

Ms. Meanie said...

So many great Spring recipes! This sounds so good and healthy.

teresa said...

this is beautiful! so perfect for spring. i wnat to eat the whole bowl!

L'Chicken said...

That's it. I'm moving in.

Joanne said...

I just love how green and simple this is. The perfect meal to accentuate a spring evening.

Have fun on your trip! Sounds like it will be super relaxing.

Bryan said...

Oh you are tight this looks like a big bowl of spring! What a wonderful dish.

Valen said...

Oh this looks great! So healthy!

Carla and Michael said...

Oh my goodness. That is an understatement! How divine does that picture look. Oh, and by the way, I can just taste that ragout through the picture. I am going to have to give a closer look in the market at the greens they carry now.

Unknown said...

Enjoy your time at the beach/sea. I do so admire Alice Waters and all that she has contributed to the food industry and to our education. I would love to be a "fly" on the wall in her kitchen. This ragout sounds phenomenal. Happy Easter.

Andreas said...

That should contain enough chlorophyll to feed a small army. ;)
Very nice picture.

Jeannette said...

I looked at a chocolate ricotta cake recipe you tried ...the picture drew me in...I was near danger and then.. was so relieved to read that you didn't think it was up to snuff....I rushed to this lovely presentation of green things and I felt safe and right at home. Of course there is some lovely apricot creation i may have to g back and check out...but in the meantime...I will go water the asparagus in my garden and think about how to eat all my veggies today.

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