The Verisimilitude of Veritable Vernality
Today is a day that appears as true as could be. There is a sun. There are clouds. Things are blooming. The day is roughly half light, half dark. It must be the Vernal Equinox. It’s the stuff that poems, art, prose, and songs are made of. We think it’s a perfect day due to The Verisimilitude of Veritable Vernality. And, it’s a fiction we can lose ourselves in. Yet, some people aren’t big fans of verisimilitude, which is the appearance of being true, real or factual. Speaking of fans, I learned this word from a 3 minute pop song by none other than Teenage Fanclub. Is there anything you can’t learn from pop songs? Fret not. Today is not verisimilitude: it’s the real deal.
There may still be a chill in the air. But, Spring is here. Our menu, today, will emulate Spring, and use it’s ingredients in its own verisimilitude. Unfortunately, the real culinary harbingers of spring aren’t quite out in force yet. Things like ramps, fiddleheads, and morels need a little more time to develop. Yet, there are spring vegetables and other food items available now, especially thanks to international trade. Who knew that was such an important thing? While some ingredients grow in different parts of the country, we rely on produce and other commodities from other countries for an affordable and varied menu. So, don’t be afraid to simulate a spring day on your plate. As long as we have affordable international produce, anything is possible, even if it isn’t all local.
Table of Contents
What are the components of The Verisimilitude of Veritable Vernality?
Shakespeare gave away the game of verisimilitude in Sonnet 18: “Shall I compare thee to a Summer’s day”. The attempt to make one thing appear real by superimposing another upon it is a long held tenet of literary craft. But, a summer day isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Indeed, even the Bard twists a compliment toward the shadow of death and eternity. Summer brings scorching heat, insect pests, and with them possible disease and discomfort. Spring, on the other hand offers rebirth, temperate existence, and great possibilities. It’s neither too hot, nor cold. Today brings the perfect stasis of roughly equal periods of light and dark. And, the emergence of color from a muted grey and brown landscape is more poetic than life at its fullest.
Spring itself is a verisimilitude of life. Seemingly dead and/or dormant organisms undergo a series of metamorphoses. Take fruit trees, for example. They are gnarly twisted multi-branched sticks resembling death itself. But, as the temperature warms, grey bark turns brown and more moist. Green and red leaves begin to appear. Then the blossoms burst on the scene in a flurry of pastels. Soon, they blow off, like a child losing it’s baby teeth, only to be replaced by maturing seed bearing fruit. This cycle appears all throughout nature. And, it serves as a metaphor for life and its development and potential all around the world. It is , indeed, The Verisimilitude of Veritable Vernality.
Vernailty meets the plate
Summer brings mature, or almost mature, fruits and vegetables to the table. But, spring brings some of the most fascinating flavors and textures. The delicacy of ramps and morels; and, the crunch of fiddleheads and asparagus, among other items bring intoxicating flavors, texture, and aroma to the table. Plus, they have a short window of opportunity. Sure, you can pickle and preserve them for later in the year. But, springtime is when these things are at their best. This makes for some unique plates. So, that’s what we intend to use today to simulate The Verisimilitude of Veritable Vernality.
This abundance and return to perfect weather is the stuff of legend. It’s the basis of a multitude of religious holidays. Christians celebrate Easter, while Jewish people observe Passover, and, Hindi celebrate Holi. Then there are Ramaden, Nowruz, Purim, and more. While most think it’s a time to praise gods, it’s rooted in a very Earthly occurrence. In temperate zones, spring is when we begin sowing harvests, and the planet comes alive. The religious offerings are the verisimilitude. The greening of the planet is really happening. Praising a deity is a cross cultural reaction to the budding of life and the possibilities of the abundance of crops to come. In the modern day of transcontinental and international agriculture, this isn’t a major concern to most. But, ask a farmer, they’ll tell you, this is a great time of year. And, it shows on our plate.
So, to that end, we offer some vernally inspired recipes for your offering.
Cheers to The Verisimilitude of Veritable Vernality!
Corn Crusted Sea Bass with White Wine Spring Pea Puree and Sauteed fiddleheads
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 Lbs Sea Bass (Striped bass or chilean. Other substitutions re fine, too.)
- 1 cup corn meal
- salt and pepper to taste
- Olive oil to cook
- For peas:
- 1 cup sweet green peas (preferably fresh)
- 1/2 cup Sweet onion (Diced)
- 1/2 tsp chopped fresh ginger
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 2 Tbsp Fresh green Parsley
- garnish:
- 1 cup Fresh fiddleheads
Instructions
- Clean the fiddleheads. Soak in water, change the water a couple times to remove all dirt.
- Make Pea Puree: Heat a little olive oil in a pan. Add in onion and ginger. Cook until translucent. Then add in the wine. Reduce by half. Add in peas. Cook until soft, and most of the liquid is gone. Do not overcook. Season withlemon juice, salt, and pepper. Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. The consistency should be spreadable, not too thin. Adjust seasoning if need be.
- Mix Salt and pepper in corn meal. Cut fish into portions. Since we are doing a buffet with other items I would go with a 3 to 4 ounce portion. If this is for a main course you could do 6 or 8 ounces.
- Heat olive oil in a saute pan over high heat. Dredge the fish in the cornmeal and place in the pan, I usually start with the top side of the fish, then flip. Cook about 2 minutes per side to get a nice caramel color. Turn down the heat to medium, and, finish cooking. How long it takes to cook through depends on the thickness of the cut of fish. Generally, it should take about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Saute the fiddleheads in olive oil over medium heat. You just want to bring out the color and cook to al dente. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve the fish with pea puree either as a base or drizzled on top. garnish with fiddleheads. You can also garnish with corn if you have it.
Notes
Truffled Goat Cheese and Ramps Flan with Morel and Asparagus Salad
Ingredients
- olive oil for cooking
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- For Flan
- 1 Cup Fresh Ramps, Cleaned and trimmed, plus a few extra for garnish
- 1/2 tsp Chopped Fresh garlic
- 12 Each Large Egg yolks
- 3 cups Heavy Cream
- 1 Cup Crumbled Goat Cheese
- 2 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Thyme
- Truffle oil and truffle shavings to taste
- For Salad:
- 4 Oz baby greens, arugula or whatever is freshest
- 8 Oz Fresh Morel Mushrooms
- 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh garlic Scapes
- 1 Bunch Asparagus
- 1/2 Cup Sliced Fresh Spring Onions
- 1 Cup White Wine
- 1 Medium Lemon: Zest and Juice only
- 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Marjoram
- Grape tomatoes for garnish
- Extra fresh herbs for garnish
Instructions
- Soak the morels in cool water for about 20 minutes to remove any dirt. Remove from the water, and soak a second time. They tend to get a lot of grit inside the gills.
- Preheat oven to 375
- Heat a little olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Saute ramps and garlic, stirring as needed. Cook until translucent. Allow to cool.
- Whisk eggs until beaten smooth. Continue whisking in the cream, salt, pepper, and Thyme. Add in about a tablespoon of truffle shavings and a splash of truffle oil. Fold in the goat cheese.
- Spray individual ramekins or foil cups with pan spray. Fill each evenly with the flan mixture. Place on a sheet pan and bake in the oven about 30 minutes. You want them firm, but not too puffed up. If the center is still a bit runny, cook a little longer. 10 minutes should do.
- Heat a little olive oil in a pan. Saute the garlic scapes and spring onions until soft. Add in the mushrooms and cook until soft. Then add the wine and cook until it evaporates. You want it to create a glaze on the mushrooms and onions. Add in the asparagus, stir, and remove from heat. The residual heat will cook the asparagus. You want it al dente.
- Grill extra ramps for garnish if desired.
- Whisk the lemon juice, zest, oil, salt, pepper, and marjoram together. Toss the greens, asparagus, mushrooms etc in. Mix well.
- Invert the flans onto individual plates. Garnish with the salad, tomatoes, and grilled ramps.
Lemon Verbena Chick Pea Puree with Spring Vegetable Hash
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Dried Chic Peas Or 4 cups cooked
- 1 Cup Diced Sweet Onion
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 tsp Chopped Fresh Garlic
- 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
- 1/4 cup Chopped Fresh Lemon verbena may substitute lemon balm or lemon Thyme
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Scallion
- For Hash:
- 1 Cup Cubed Sweet Potato
- 1 Cup Cubed Golden Potatoes
- 1 Bunch Asparagus
- 1 Cup Chopped Fresh Spring Onion
- 1 Cup Cubed Fresh parsnip
- 1/2 Cup Chopped Fresh Herbs (parsley, Dill, Thyme, Oregano)
- Water for cooking
- Olive Oil For Cooking
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Balsamic reduction/syrup to drizzle
- High quality Olive oil, preferably flavored, like basil or chive for drizzling
- Micro Greens to garnish
Instructions
- Cover the beans in water in a large vessel. Allow them to soak for about 4 to 8 hours at room temperature. They should almost Triple in volume.
- Heat a little olive oil in a heavy pot over medium high heat. Saute onions and garlic until translucent. Drain and rinse the beans. Add to pot and toss until well coated with oil. Stir in the cumin. Add water to cover by double the volume of beans. Bring to a simmer and cook until tender (about 20 to 30 minutes). When tender, strain off liquid. But, reserve some of the liquid for pureeing.
- Put the beans into a food processor and puree until smooth. Scrape down the sides occasionally. Add some cooking liquid as needed to help it get smooth. Add in the lemon juice and continue blending. Add in the lemon verbena. Then, with the machine still running, drizzle in 1/2 cup olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Transfer mix to a pan to keep warm.
- Make the hash: Heat some olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Add in the potatoes and cook until they begin to caramelize and soften. Stir as needed. Then add in the Onions and parsnips and stir. Cook until slightly colored. Add a little water and cook down until the potatoes are tender, but not falling apart. Then, stir in the asparagus and season with salt and pepper. The asparagus should cook in seconds. Fold in the herbs last minute and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Spread the puree evenly on the plate and artfully present the hash. Drizzle the plate with a splash of Balsamic and flavored oil. garnish with micro greens.