Mar-Apr2016_Final-FlipBook

the Seafood issue

At Season’sPeak

Artichokes Culinary History: Our local love affair with stuffed artichokes began in the late 19th century early 20th century when thousands of Southern Italian and Sicilian immigrants settled in New Orleans and the surrounding parishes. A traditional version with bread crumbs, Pecorino Romano cheese, Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese, and garlic is perfect for St. Joseph Altars (St. Joseph’s Day is Saturday, March 19th), but you can add anchovies and cured black olives, crabmeat, even ground shrimp. The Heart of the Matter: Artichokes are thistles, and like other thistles, and all flowers, they have petals — in the artichokes case, thick green outer one and tender, pale, yellow inner ones. The fuzzy choke at the center of the artichoke covers the artichoke heart, which is connected to the stem. The meat from the hard petals, and the soft petals, heart and stem are edible. Prepped to Cook: Artichokes are delicious steamed, grilled, roasted, sautéed, even fried. Before cooking, rinse thoroughly, and slice off the top quarter of the globe and more fibrous bottom of the stem. Use kitchen shears to snip the ends of the petals. Storage: Store fresh artichokes in a produce bag in the refrigerator for one to two weeks. In The Can: At Rouses, we love artichokes so much we canned our own. Look for them on our grocery aisle.

Asparagus Way to Grow: Asparagus is the gift that keeps on giving. A member of the lily family, it has an extensive root system that can reach over a dozen feet deep. Each root has multiple shoots, and very time you cut a spear, another one is released. Asparagus loves warm weather, and peak season is now through June. Prep For Cooking: Always rinse asparagus to remove any grit (be gentle so you don’t bruise the tips).Thin asparagus can be eaten raw, but thicker spears need to be cooked. Trim or snap off the woody ends. Storage: Hydration is the trick to keeping asparagus spears firm until you cook them. As soon as you get home from Rouses, place the asparagus spears stalk side down in a glass of water, cover with plastic, and place in the refrigerator.To revive limp stems, rehydrate with a soak in ice water. Pineapples Flower Power: What do Spanish Moss and pineapples have in common? They’re both members of the Bromeliad family. Aloha: Hawaii is the leading producer of pineapples. Storage: Pineapples don’t ripen off the plant, so they’re ready to eat when you buy them at Rouses. Whole pineapples can be stored at room temperature for up to three days. Cut pineapple stored in an airtight container will keep in the refrigerator for three to five days.

Grow Me Something, Mister! Cabbages, carrots, potatoes and onions are the throw of choice at St. Patrick’s Day parades around the Gulf Coast. If you don’t catch them at the parades, you can always catch them in our Produce department.

Find our recipe for Smothered Cabbage at www.rouses.com. It’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, Thursday, March 17 th .

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MY ROUSES EVERYDAY MARCH | APRIL 2016