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The strawberry is a luscious, sensuous fruit. It’s the one we dip into chocolate or float in a flute filled with Champagne. Although the Pennsylvania and New Jersey strawberry season is a short one, we can enjoy California grown ones year-round.
The California Strawberry Commission sent me a copy of “Strawberry Recipes for Everyday.” The book is chock-full of unusual ways to enjoy this nutritious berry. California farmers grow more than 85 percent of America’s strawberries. They are packed with vitamin C, potassium, folate, one of the B vitamins and fiber.
Let your nose be your guide when buying strawberries as they should impart a sweet aroma. Look for berries that are bright red, with no green, white or yellow spots around the tops.
Store them in their containers. Wash and hull them as you eat them. Never store strawberries in a plastic bag.
Tiny, wild berries pop up in my garden each year. Today, there are more than 600 varieties being grown throughout the world.
The strawberry is so popular I doubt The Beatles would have written a song called “Blackberry Fields Forever.” Walk through Old City and you will come upon Strawberry Street.
Poets and writers have put pen to paper to laud the sexy strawberry.
“Doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless God never did,” wrote the 17th century writer William Butler.
For information, visit www.calstrawberry.com.
Strawberry Cucumber Salad
Ingredients:
4-1/2 cups of strawberries, stemmed and quartered
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into one-half-inch dice
3/4 cup of Italian parsley leaves
4 scallions, sliced
6 radishes, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoons of fresh chopped dill
1-1/2 teaspoons of fresh chopped mint
1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon of sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
Directions:
Place all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss well. In a medium-bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Pour over the salad.
Serves six.
Note from Phyllis: I would use an English cucumber or several Israeli cucumbers.
Grilled Salmon n with Strawberry Ginger Salsa
Ingredients:
1 English cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon of cilantro leaves, snipped with a scissors
3/4 tablespoons of seasoned rice wine vinegar
1 yellow pepper, seeded and cut into strips
2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and diced
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon of honey
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
6 6-ounce salmon fillets
Directions:
Mix together the first five ingredients. Cover and chill for at least one hour. Add the strawberries just before serving.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the garlic over low heat. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cook for two minutes.
Prepare a charcoal grill. Brush the sauce onto the fish and grill for approximately four minutes per side. Brush with the sauce again after turning the fish.
Place the fish on a warm serving platter and top with the sauce.
Serves six.
Strawberry Lassi
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups of fresh strawberries, stemmed and halved
1 cup of plain yogurt
1/2 cup of ice cubes
1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger
Directions:
Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend on high until the mixture is frothy. Pour into two 12-ounceglasses and serve immediately.
Serves two.
Note from Phyllis: A Lassi is a popular drink in India. SPR
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
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