01 September 2011

Seasons Best

Spring marks the beginning of growth and new life - it's a time for shaking off the winter blues, getting outdoors and enjoying the benefits of longer sunshine hours with family and friends.

With spring comes a wide variety of new foods and tastes to indulge in and explore! At Col'Cacchio pizzeria we pride ourselves on sourcing top quality, fresh, hand selected ingredients to ensure our dishes are as nutritious and healthy as possible.

Practice your own fresh thinking and celebrate the season with our selection of South African grown produce. Here are our top picks for the season...

Asparagus

The first tender stems of asparagus appear in stores over spring and have a deep, rich flavour that's hard to beat.

What's so good about it?

Asparagus is a low calorie source of vitamin C, potassium and antioxidants.

How to choose

Choose firm, spring, fresh looking stems. Avoid ones that look wrinkly and dry. The tips should be in tight clusters and never be discoloured or slimy.

Prepare it

Wash the stems in cold water and trim at the woody end.

Cook it

Lightly steam fresh asparagus spears, then wrap them up in slices of Parma ham and pair with soft boiled eggs for a perfect weekend brunch dish.

Storage tips

It has the best taste when eaten fresh but you can store it in a plastic bag in the fridge for up to four days.

Strawberries

Nothing says springtime quite like fresh, red strawberries bursting with flavour!

Strawberries serve more than just fulfilling a sweet tooth though - they’re packed with hordes of health benefits, making it a nutritious fruit for mind and body.

What's good about it?

It has the ability to remove harmful toxins in the blood and is recommended for sluggish liver, gout, constipation, high blood pressure and even skin cancer.

Strawberry is also a rich source of folic acid, folic acid helps to reduce birth defects involving brain. A super food indeed!

How to choose

From the beginning of October you’ll be able to find fresh strawberries in local markets and shops or even venture out to pick your own strawberries from Polkadraai Strawberry Farm (Stellenbosch, Western Cape). In the stores, always choose locally grown strawberries during the harvesting season - they are sweeter and juicier than those that are bred for shipment.

Look for a beautiful, bright red colour. Strawberries should not have any green or white on the flesh of the berry and avoid blemishes. They also shouldn't be dark red - a sign that the berries are overripe.

Prepare it

Leave the caps (stems) on the strawberries until ready to eat or use in your recipes. For best flavour, don’t wash the strawberries until you are ready to eat or use them.

Lightly rinse strawberries and pat dry with a paper towel (they shouldn’t be over washed or exposed to too much moisture). Remove the green caps after washing with a twisting motion or using a paring knife.

Cook it

There are a variety of delicious dishes that can be made with Strawberries - whip up a fresh strawberry sorbet, sweet shortcake or serve as the perfect addition to a salad!

Storage tips

You can keep strawberries fresh for a week in the fridge.

Line a tupperware container with paper towel, place a single layer of strawberries in container, cover the top layer with the paper towel and seal the tupperware lid.

Grapefruit

Start the day with a powerful Grapefruit!

High in vitamin C, grapefruits are great for a healthy breakfast, and just half of one is equivalent to one of your “five a day”. Cut in half and drizzle with honey or dot with butter, sprinkle with sugar and grill until bubbling.

They’re also perfect for juicing. To segment, slice off the skin top and bottom. Cut away the skin and pith with a sharp knife, working from top to bottom, then slice into segments.

Nectarines

Juicy nectarines have delicious flavour and sweet cream-yellow or white flesh. A really ripe nectarine is best eaten as it is - juicy and rich in antioxidants. Or slice and add to salads - both leafy and fruit. Firmer fruit are good grilled, poached or made into chutneys.

Mint

Mint is one of the herbs of the season enjoyed for it's amazing aroma, great taste and healing power. Long known for its ability to settle digestive problems and stomach cramps, mint has a great many other health benefits as well. Crushed dried mint leaves can even whiten the teeth and remove stains like wine and coffee.

Mint is perfect as a fresh garnish or dried and crumbled into cold spring soups. Brew it in teas and fresh squeezed citrus drinks or make a classic Mojito cocktail with a signature minty taste.