Farmers’ Market offers the flavour of spring

It’s time to celebrate spring cuisine!

It’s also time to start shopping every Saturday at the Peterborough Farmer’s market for fresh spring vegetables and to embrace and purchase local proteins.

Harley Farms in Keene raises and sells lamb, pork, and beef that is humanely raised, free range, GMO free, and environmentally friendly (SPCA Certified and Animal Welfare approved). Go to http://harleyfarms.ca to find out where their products are sold locally.

I love Italian dumplings called gnocchi for spring. In the winter gnocchi tastes delicious when smothered in a blue cheese or meat sauce. But in the spring prepare the dumplings with lighter ingredients like chicken broth with olive oil, fresh asparagus, fresh lemon juice, and fresh chives.

Finish the resulting spring dish in freshly grated Pecorino cheese. Delicious!

Now a full time caregiver to my husband Jack with Alzheimer’s, I simply do not have the time to prepare gnocchi from scratch at home.

I purchase these little dumplings as ONE Fine Foods (800 Erkin Avenue) in the freezer section.

They are like little fluffy clouds. Place the frozen dumplings in a pot of rolling, boiling water. When they float to the surface, drain the dumplings and prepare them accordingly.

The tanginess of fresh lemon juice and saltiness of Pecorino call for a light, crisp white wine. Wines that will work with this dish include Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio, and dry Riesling. Vermentino, Verdicchio, and Soave are Italian whites that will also complement this dumpling dish and other spring cuisines. At the LCBO Verdicchio can range from $10 to $30 per bottle. So choose one that will harmonize with the quality and occasion of your dish.

Crisp, dry whites also complement fresh pea and lemon tapenade on toasts to serve as an hors d’oeuvre, along with barbecued white fish drizzled in fresh lemon juice.

Cave Spring Riesling Dry, (CSPC 233635), $15.95, is a lovely crisp, dry white with classic floral and citrus notes on the nose and palate with zinging acidity. This gem will complement any springtime dish highlighting fresh lemon or lime juice, salty cheeses like feta, Pecorino, or Parmigiano-Reggiano, capers, and olives.

Spring pork can also harmonize with a crisp, dry white wine like dry Riesling. How about Pancetta Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with Spring Vegetables? The saltiness of pancetta nicely offsets the acidity in dry Riesling.

Red wine and heavier meats can also be enjoyed in spring.

Grilled lamb chops with ratatouille can be made with grilled red peppers, eggplant and zucchini. The richness and heaviness of lamb contrasts nicely with the lightness of these other ingredients. A chilled glass of Pinot Noir would shine when served alongside this dish.

Other lamb dishes complemented by Pinot Noir include: lamb chops with walnut, fig and goat cheese salad; roasted oregano lamb with vegetable caponata; and lamb chops with minted carrots.

G. Marquis The Silver Line Pinot Noir, (CSPC 258673), $17.95 is a light, crisp red with cherry, raspberry, smoke and a hint of spice on the nose and palate.

For the price this wine also offers good complexity. It has enough complexity to stand up to the richness of spring lamb.