Chefs' Tips & Tricks! Spring Proteins

by ANNA BROOKS | photography by DONG KIM

There’s so much to look forward to come spring - fresh herbs, fully stocked farmers’ markets, and a diet not so reliant on parsnips and potatoes.

Food-wise, most of us associate spring with all things green: arugula, asparagus, chives, spinach, and peas. But almost every chef will tell you that proteins are the star of every dish, no matter what time of year it is. This month, we asked four local chefs all about spring proteins, and picked up some tasty tips for Easter dinner along the way!

Spring is the season Anthony Pittoello, chef at Modern Steak on Stephen Avenue in Calgary, most looks forward to. It’s a time of resurgence for plants and animals, which he says means access to a lot more menu options for chefs, like lamb, salmon, and salsa verde steaks.

“Spring is actually a favourite time of year for me,” Pittoello says. “There are still some cold evenings, so a dish like slow-braised short ribs is still relevant, but the warmer days are also starting to show up, so a nice grilled lamb rack or ribeye are great options as well.”

For Pittoello, spring is a time to experiment in the kitchen. But when it comes to Easter dinner, he can’t help sticking to tradition and serves up a crispy ham glistening in his signature blueberry balsamic glaze.

If you’re also one for tradition, try Pittoello’s recipe for another Easter favourite, grilled rack of lamb with chimichurri!

Serves 4

1 lamb rack (leave rib cap on if you want, or try your hand at Frenching the bone!)

1 Tbs (15 mL) canola oil

To taste Salt and pepper

1 Tbs thyme, picked and chopped

Chimichurri:

½ shallot, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ parsley bunch, chopped

12 chives, sliced into rounds

3 green onions (green parts only), sliced into rounds

10 basil leaves, chopped

½ cup (120 mL) olive oil

2 Tbs (30 mL) red wine vinegar

¼ tsp chili flakes

1. Combine all chimichurri ingredients in a small bowl. Flavours will get better after it sits for a few hours.

2. Bring lamb rack out to temper before cooking, about 5 to 10 mins (this ensures a more accurate doneness so meat isn’t still cold in the middle when it goes onto the grill).

3. Coat the lamb evenly with canola. Liberally sprinkle with salt and let stand for 5 minutes.

4. Preheat grill to 450º F — the hotter the grill, the better for the meat. Cook medium rare, or your preferred doneness.

5. Sprinkle thyme on the crust while the rack is hot so it will stick. Rest the meat before cutting, around 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the size.

With this year’s polar vortex now in our rear view, those like Dylan Prins, the new chef at Red Ox Inn in Edmonton, can’t wait to work with the array of fresh ingredients that only emerge come spring. While herbs and vegetables always seem to be at the forefront, Prins says proteins are equally important pieces of spring menus, too.

“It’s easy to forget that with the way supply chains work, proteins are part of seasonality,” he says. “For example, it doesn’t make sense to eat traditional autumn meats like goose in the spring. Proteins that really shine in the springtime are things like rabbit, frog, and chicken.”

If you’re cooking for a crowd, frog might not be for everyone. So on special occasions like Easter, Prins says to go for a roasted turkey, a dish most of us probably won’t see again until fall.

His biggest tip is to brine your turkey in a five percent sugar and salt solution (and whatever aromatics you fancy), and let it sit overnight. Brining not only seasons your meat, but will add a ton of moisture — there’s nothing worse than a dry piece of turkey.

Since we are talking about spring after all, try Prins’ recipe for roasted asparagus and buttermilk dressing, the perfect accompaniment for any spring protein!

Serves 6

24 sticks of asparagus

Oil for coating

1½ cups (360 mL) buttermilk

1/8 tsp smoked paprika

2 Tbs (30 mL) coconut milk

1/8 tsp xanthan gum

To taste salt and sugar

1. Clean asparagus and drizzle with oil.

2. Grill until slightly charred, or roast at 400º F for a few minutes, or until tender.

3. To make dressing, whisk the rest of the ingredients together, or use an immersion blender to aerate it (Note: the xanthan gum gives the dressing body and helps it hold air).

4. Spoon dressing over cooked asparagus.

There is one spring protein that stands out from all the rest, says John Forsythe, chef at Yakima Social Kitchen + Bar in Calgary, and we agree.

Tender and mild, lamb is the spring protein. Lamb can be tricky to cook, but Forsythe has it down to a science that any home cook can understand.

An easy method — one he picked up from a chef in Australia — is grilling a butterflied leg of lamb on the barbecue.

The first step is to marinate the lamb overnight in olive oil, lemon, garlic, onion, oregano, bay leaves, and crushed black pepper.

Crucial to the marinade is not adding salt; Forsythe says to be very generous with salt when it comes time to grill, but doing so beforehand will dry out the meat.

“Cook it to a solid medium rare, slice, and then cover it with sautéed tomatoes, olives, and spinach. It’s almost like a hot Greek salad,” he says. “It’s one of my favourite springtime dishes, there’s virtually nothing better.”

Equally delicious and perfect on the barbecue or in the oven, is Forsythe’s recipe for Grilled Flank Steak. He says it’s great for soft shell tacos or on its own with a chimichurri sauce and a bit of Fleur de Sel garnish.

Crucial to a marinade is not adding salt...it will dry out the meat

Serves 4-6, depending on size of steak

800 g – 1 Kg flank steak

To taste kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Marinade:

3 limes, juiced

½ cup (125 mL) dark soya sauce

3 cm knob of fresh ginger, peeled and crushed

4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

½ bunch of cilantro, stems and all, chopped fine

1 tsp crushed red pepper flake

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

2. Place flank steak on a cutting board and poke holes in steak with a fork. Place in a non-reactive (Pyrex) dish and cover with marinade.

3. Cover dish and place in the fridge for 24 hours, flipping the steak after about 12 hours.

4. Remove steak from marinade and wipe off excess. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

5. Cook on grill over a high heat to medium rare, about 3 minutes per side. Rest steak for at least 10 minutes and slice thinly against the grain.

Leg of lamb is also a spring favourite of Spencer Thompson, chef at The Marc in Edmonton. Wanting a change from the traditional ham and turkey Easter dinners he grew up with, Thompson switched it up to roasted lamb rubbed in all the flavours of spring: mint, parsley, lavender, mustard, and garlic.

“If you can cook a roast beef, you can pull off a roasted leg of lamb,” he says. “It’s slightly cheaper than a rack of lamb, easy to make, and it’s a showstopper — my family loves it.”

Another great group share Thompson loves to make when the warm weather hits, is a spatchcocked, or butterflied, chicken topped with a fresh, zesty salsa verde. Paying homage to the prairies, he recommends using local cold-pressed canola oil to really amp up the flavour.

Whether it’s for Easter dinner or just for fun, Thompson’s recipe for spatchcocked Cornish hen with salsa verde is guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser!

Serves 6

3 Cornish hens

3 Tbs (45 mL) olive oil

To taste salt and pepper

Salsa verde: 1 parsley bunch, stems cut off ½ bulb of garlic ½ tsp chili flakes 3 anchovy fillets ½ cup capers Zest of one lemon 1 cup (240 mL) cold-pressed canola oil

1. To make salsa verde, put dry ingredients and ½ cup (120 mL) of canola oil in a food processor or blender. Blend until ingredients are finely chopped. Add remaining ½ cup (120 mL) canola oil and blend until thoroughly combined.

2. Lay Cornish hen breast side up on a cutting board. Remove any offal from inside. Insert knife into cavity, and cut the bottom of the hen along either side of the backbone all the way from neck to tail.

3. Flip hen over, and press down firmly on the breast bone to flatten. Remove the wishbone and rib cage with a knife. Slice down center of the hen to divide into two equal portions (each portion includes a breast, thigh, and drumstick).

4. Turn your grill on low heat. Rub hen with olive oil, and season with salt and freshly cracked pepper.

5. Place hen skin side down on grill, and cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until the skin is golden brown.

6. Flip hen over and continue cooking for 8 to 10 minutes. Once the internal temperature reaches 165º F and the juices run clear, it’s fully cooked.

7. Slather the skin with a generous portion of salsa verde and serve. Note: Salsa verde will keep for about a week.

Anna Brooks is an award-winning journalist and graduate student currently living and studying in New York City.