GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn.-- Chef Ian Gray from Trattoria Tosca dropped by our kitchen this morning to share a delicious recipe in honor of Earth Day. Trattoria Tosca is one of the featured chefs at next month's Living Green Expo.
The Living Green Expo takes place May 7 and 8 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul. For more information, visit www.livinggreenexpo.mn.
For more information about Trattoria Tosca, visit www.trattoriatosca.com.
Green Salad with Spring Vegetables and Pickled Rhubarb
Equal parts of a variety of greens (spinach, leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, arugula, etc.)
Radishes
Cucumbers
Pickled Rhubarb
Thoroughly rinse off your greens and vegetables (be as gentle as possible - a salad spinner is ideal). Cut the vegetables in bite-size pieces (julienne, thin disks, matchstick, etc.). Mix all greens and vegetables together in a bowl with desired amount of vinaigrette and boom!
Lemon Vinaigrette
One shallot
Two cloves of garlic
Juice of one lemon
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Mince the garlic and shallot and season with a pinch of salt
Add lemon juice and white wine vinegar and let it sit for
ten minutes. Slowly add the olive oil while whisking (it may
take two people). Season to taste with salt and a bit of pepper.
Pickled Rhubarb
Four stalks of rhubarb (7-8 inches long)
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup Banyuls vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbls kosher salt
Cut the rhubarb in paper thin slices, or as thin as possible, aiming for consistency in your cuts. Put the rhubarb in a bowl and set aside. Bring the remaining ingredients to a boil and pour over the rhubarb. Chill and use as needed.
Spring Pasta
1/2 cup each of three spring vegetables (ramps, peas, fava beans, morels, asparagus, fiddleheads, etc)
1 cup fresh ramp orchetti
8 cups boiling water
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp garlic minced
1 tbsp shallot minced
Heat a medium sized sauté pan. While your pan is heating, drop your pasta in boiling water, dropping it a little at a time, almost individually (as opposed to just throwing in a clump). Add the oil to the sauté pan. Add the vegetables, cook for five minutes, and add the garlic, shallots and butter. By this time, your pasta will be ready to be removed from the water and added to your vegetables. Season to taste and enjoy!
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