Despite some very stubborn temperatures, it’s officially spring in New York, and that means the artichokes and ramps are dancing through the produce aisles and the grills we have covered up out back are trying to get our attention and remind us to order charcoal, because at this point who knows how long it might take to ship.
It’s Valentine’s Day, which means the internet is saturated with romantic stories and pink food. I was chiding myself for not saving my red velvet cake until today, when I realized that I actually had the perfect festive dish in my archives- a Valentine’s Day borscht!
I’m eight days out from being able to chew again (I mean, who’s counting, really) and boy am I excited. While dutifully eating my puréed soups, fruit smoothies and extra-calorie Ensures, I’ve been torturing myself watching the Food Network and scrolling through my almost exclusively food-centric Instagram feed. While I won’t be able to dive directly into a T-bone next week, I’m working out some easy, soft recipes (fish, pasta, eggs) to get started on. It’s utterly exhilarating.
Nothing exemplifies summer eating quite like seafood – I’m thinking lobster rolls, fried calamari, octopus ceviche, a pot of steamed mussels eaten al fresco, shrimp po’boys. I could go on with this seafood word association but will spare you. I’d earmarked this recipe for a Cajun-style fried soft-shell crab some time ago but was totally sold when, during my weekly shopping extravaganza at the 75th St. Fairway Market, I saw that soft-shell crabs were on sale. I’m confident cooking most seafood (octopus, squid, mussels) but was a little apprehensive having never tackled crab before.
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