Erica De Mane

Fresh asparagus at Union Square.

Recipes:

Fava Beans, Mozzarella, Mint, and Spring Onion
Fennel and Mozzarella with Basil and Anchovies
Roasted Asparagus, Mozzarella, and Parsley Oil

Often with the first hit of warm weather here in Manhattan my mind jumps ahead, bypassing spring to start thinking about summer. And to my culinary mind, summer means Caprese salad, that amazing Neapolitan combination of perfect tomatoes, mozzarella (never refrigerated), summer basil, and the best extra-virgin olive oil. Caprese has beeen my idea of exquisite summer dining ever since I was a child and my father fashioned big platters of it from his backyard beefsteaks and Long Island basil. I now wait all year to be able to turn out a perfect version, with August tomatoes from the Greenmarket. Thinking about Caprese when I can’t have it gets me craving mozzarella with something fresh, herby, and olive oily, so every spring I start concocting seasonal improvisations on the theme, tinkering with the Caprese concept in small, timely ways.

Spring and early summer produce tends to be green and crisp or leafy, with nothing like the juicy tomatoes of high summer, but much of it goes wonderfully with mozzarella. For instance, asparagus needs quick cooking to bring out its flavor, but do that by high heat roasting or grilling it and you won’t lose the immediacy that makes Caprese so alluring. Local early-summer fennel is juicier than the larger bulbs at the supermarket, so it makes a good stand-in for the tomatoes, and its anisey flavor, with gentle bitter undertones, is just jarring enough to serve as a counterpoint to mozzarella’s mild sweetness. Fava beans are never local here, but I’ve been finding them lately in the better food markets. In Italy in the spring raw favas are often paired with Pecorino, a more assertive cheese than mozzarella, but if I use the gentle mozzarella as a bed, scatter on favas, thinly sliced spring onion, fresh mint, salt, and a really fruity olive oil, the mild and punchy flavors and textures all balance each other in a very fresh way. I’ve also made the exact same dish using raw,thinly sliced artichoke hearts.

Additions such as pine nuts, capers, anchovies, and olives have turned up on Caprese salads I’ve sampled in the Campania region of Italy over the years, so I feel justified in using them for my springtime variations. I’ve also sampled Caprese type salads in Italy with dried oregano, fresh marjoram, mint, or wild spiky arugula standing in for the basil.

Here are a few of the springtime Caprese variations I’ve been making to tide me over until tomato season comes along.

(All the recipes serve 4 as a first course)

Fava Beans, Mozzarella, Mint, and Spring Onion

1 1/2 pounds fava beans
1 pound buffalo or cow’s milk mozzarella, thinly sliced
1 small spring onion, very thinly sliced, using some of the tender green part
About a dozen fresh mint leaves (spearmint is best), lightly chopped
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil

Shell the fava beans. Set up a large pot of water and bring it to a boil. Drop in the fava beans and blanch for 1 minute. Scoop the beans from the water with a large strainer into a colander. Run cold water over them to stop the cooking. Drain. Remove the skin on each bean by breaking the skin with your thumbnail and them giving it a little squeeze. The bean should pop right out.

When ready to serve, arrange the mozzarella on a serving platter in a slightly overlapping fashion. Scatter on the onion and then the fava beans. Decorate with the mint leaves. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper and drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil. Serve right away.

Fennel and Mozzarella with Basil and Anchovies

3 tiny early-summer fennel bulbs, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 pound buffalo or cow’s milk mozzarella, thinly sliced
About 15 small basil leaves
4 oil-packed anchovies, minced
A squeeze of lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil

On a large serving platter alternate slices of mozzarella with a few slices of fennel, inserting basil leaves here and there in an attractive pattern.

Place the anchovies in a small bowl. Squeeze on the lemon juice and grind in some fresh black pepper. Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and mix well. Pour over the salad. Serve right away.

Roasted Asparagus, Mozzarella, and Parsley Oil

1 pound asparagus, the tough ends trimmed
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound mozzarella, thinly sliced
About 15 flat-leaf parsley leaves
The grated zest from 1 small lemon
A handful of black olives, pitted and halved

Preheat the oven to 425. Place the asparagus on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Toss the asparagus around with your fingers to distribute the seasoning, and then lay it out in one layer. Bake until just tender and lightly browned at the tips, about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on its thickness. Take the asparagus from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.

Lay the asparagus out on a large serving platter. Drape the mozzarella slices over the asparagus in a slightly overlapping pattern, leaving the tips and top quarters of the stalks uncovered.

In a food processor combine the parsley, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, the lemon zest, and a pinch of salt. Pulse to purée. Drizzle it over the mozzarella and asparagus, and garnish with the black olives. Serve right away.