These days, we have access to all types of produce year-round, but when you choose to eat fruits and veggies that are in season, you'll get more out of them. Seasonal foods generally taste better and fresher and are a part of a sustainable lifestyle. They're easier on your pocketbook, too, as in-season foods often have lower prices. For May, try one of the seasonal vegetables highlighted here: radish, fennel, and rhubarb.
RADISH AVOCADO TOAST
Radishes are a root vegetable that can be pickled or eaten raw
and are often used for garnishes.
Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS
4 thick slices of toast
1 avocado
1 lime, juiced
Salt and pepper to taste
8 radishes
PREPARATION
Thinly slice all the fresh radishes.
Set aside.Mash the avocado with lime, salt, and pepper. Spread the mixture on your toasted bread.
Pile the sliced radishes atop the avocado toast and sprinkle with salt and cracked pepper.
Enjoy!
ONE-POT FENNEL AND SAUSAGE PASTA
Fennel is a vegetable with a taste often compared to anise.
Servings: 8
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 large onion, thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, sliced
1 bulb fennel, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
6 oz. tomato paste
14.5 oz. can chopped tomatoes
1 lb. cooked orecchiette pasta
½ c. shaved parmesan
1 c. mozzarella pearls
Fennel fronds, for garnish
PREPARATION
Set a large cookpot over medium-high heat and add the sausage. Cook until browned. Remove from the pot and set aside.
In the same pot, cook fennel, onion, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper until the onions and fennel are golden and caramelized. Add the meat back into the pot.
Add the tomato paste. Stir and cook until the paste is darkened and the scent is detectable.
Next, add the chopped tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cook until the sauce thickens slightly.
Add the cooked pasta, the grated parmesan, and the mozzarella pearls. Stir until well combined and heated through.
Garnish with fennel fronds (the green leaves of the fennel bulb).
Enjoy!
STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PIE
Rhubarb is a tart vegetable that is usually cooked with sugar and used more like a fruit.
Servings: 6
INGREDIENTS
3 c. rhubarb, chopped
3 c. strawberries, quartered
1 c. sugar
¼ c. cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
1 package pie dough
Whipped cream, for garnish
PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
In a large bowl, toss the strawberries and rhubarb with the sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Set to the side.
Line a pie tin with the pie dough. Add the strawberry-rhubarb mixture.
Top with a full sheet of pie dough, with 5-6 small slits cut in the center, or weave strips of pie dough into a lattice design.
Bake the pie for about two hours, until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown.
Cover the edge of the pie with foil if it begins to darken.
Let cool slightly before serving.
Enjoy!
Recipe provided by Tasty.
