Serve spring greens with a fresh twist …
The time has finally come – we’ve reached spring! The days are getting longer, and I’m not switching on my lamp first thing in the morning, so that’s something to cling to. Plus, the clocks go forward at the end of the month, which means brighter evenings. There’ll be swims at the Forty Foot (for others, not me – it’s still too cold), late afternoon walks in the mountains, and one less layer of clothing. I can feel my shoulders dropping with each sun-soaked spring day.
As the trees begin to turn green, so do our plates, which I love. If I see big bunches of leafy spinach at this time of year, I’ll always buy them because, however lazy I might be feeling, wilting down some spinach in butter or your best extra virgin olive oil to go alongside an omelette or simple fish will never not be delicious. I often sit at my desk with a steaming bowl of spring greens, spinach, or even peas, topped with a mound of parmesan, lemon juice, and olive oil for lunch. Don’t worry, there’s toast or something on the side – I’m not a diet martyr. Life’s too short to pretend a bowl of leaves is a meal.
I was looking back at photos from previous years, trying to gauge how spring-like it’s been in March – and what I was eating. It’s a confusing run of food photos. In the space of a week, I’m eating outside with salads and sunglasses, and the next day, I’m in a thick jumper eating a sausage ragu. March weather can be especially erratic. Last year, on St Patrick’s Day, we went to Greystones for the opening of Scéal Bakery and to watch the parade. The sun was shining, and everyone was either swimming, in the sauna, or strolling down the beach in a light jacket and sunglasses. The perfect day in my opinion. St Patrick’s Day 2023 looked a little different. We decided to take the plunge and head into Dublin to meet some friends – only to get caught in the rain and crowds along with all the visiting Americans. But we managed to take shelter in one of my favourite Dublin pubs, Neary’s, for the rest of the day and night. We ate a lot of crisps, a few rashly ordered oysters (when in Rome, etc), and toasties, of course. But from memory and photos, it did not feel like spring.
“We still want comfort and warmth – just with a little more freshness.”
So, what does all this mean for cooking? The flipflopping weather doesn’t just leave us confused about what to wear but also what to cook – and what’s actually in season. Technically, it’s the start of asparagus, peas, broad beans, new potatoes, and even cherries, but realistically, these won’t be at their best until April. Sorry.
For now, the best thing in season is wild garlic. If you live outside of Dublin, you’ll probably find it in your nearest woodland, but I did spot plenty in Phoenix Park last March. It grows in shady woodlands, often in huge, lush green carpets, and you’ll probably smell it before you see it – fresh, garlicky, very enticing. Wild garlic is the thing that makes every food person lose their minds come spring. Every “edgy” restaurant will have it on their menu, and every “foodie” will be making vats of pesto for the foreseeable future. Unlike regular garlic, you eat the leaves rather than the bulbs, and they can go into almost anything in moderation: folded into scrambled eggs, added to a chicken pie mix, or tossed through buttery new potatoes. If you’re foraging, pick carefully (never pull up the roots) and give it a good wash before using – no one wants an unexpected extra crunch of woodland debris in their dinner.
Then there are spring greens, spinach, rhubarb, and, of course, citrus which are all at their best.
I think the key to spring cooking is remembering that we still want comfort and warmth – just with a little more freshness than winter. A perfect example is my warm spring Caesar salad: cooked spring greens tossed in a lemony Caesar dressing while still warm, then covered in parmesan and crispy caper breadcrumbs or croutons. Find the recipe in my March newsletter THE GLOSS Table.
Like a lot of my recipes, this month’s came about by accident. I was wilting some greens and onions for lunch, walked off to grab something, and somehow ended up doing ten other things – none of which were what I originally meant to do. By the time I got back to the pan, the greens were a lot more wilted than planned but luckily, the heat was low. Instead of being ruined, they were soft, deeply flavoured, and reminded me of something I once ate in Greece. I ate the now braised greens with boiled eggs, feta, and a pile of fresh herbs, which felt perfect for the cold spring sun. Wild garlic would be a great addition, but I haven’t included it in the recipe because I know 99.9 per cent of us don’t just have it lying around. However, if you do, roughly chop the leaves and add a large handful in with the other greens.
So off you go on a spring walk to pick some wild garlic, which will likely go like this: coat on, coat off, sunglasses on, sunglasses off, only to return drenched by a sudden spring shower – so don’t forget the umbrella.
SEE MORE: Green Spring Eggs To Cook This Weekend
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