I love it when the seasons change and Spring, you are officially here!
Brighter, longer days lead to a sea of beautiful colours outside. It's as if the ground opens up and lets out all of the hues we've been deprived of all winter. Reds, oranges, yellows, greens, purples and whites are suddenly everywhere. Neighbours and community members you haven't seen all winter appear out of nowhere looking to get caught up.
Spring, for me is also a time for cleaning. I don't know about you but starting in March get the itch to go through the freezer and my closet, deciding what to eat, what items to store away for next year and what clothes to donate. This year, the itch has been worse as I'm been watching Marie Kondo's "Tidying Up" on Netflix? Have any of you watched it too, or have you tried any of her de-cluttering methods? I've started to "kondo" with the magical art of rolling. I'll let you know how it goes...
It seems to be around the same time my clothes change to spring/summer wear, that my eating changes too. I put away recipes for heavy stews, chilis and breads and start to crave salads, fruit crisps, vegetables, grilled fish and lighter meats. I was lucky enough to find some early spring edible flowers (violas, dandelions and pansies) last week and knew immediately that I wanted to bake (recipes coming next week!) and create light, beautiful dishes with them. Food that reflects the change in the seasons and all of the colours I'm seeing outside.
If you don't follow Lori A. Stern, stop now and go check out her website and Instagram profile. She is AMAZING! She is a chef that uses vibrant colours in her creations, from local vegetables and edible flowers. I am blown away by the beauty she kurates into her dishes and baking. These Radicchio Chicken Pesto Cups were inspired by her use of flowers in everyday cooking.
The cups are not only colourful, they are easy to make and taste wonderful (even the next day!). I've recently had them on hand for when neighbours pop-in for our seasonal spring visits!
I love the balance of bitter radicchio, with salty pesto, combined with the lemony-pepper of the violas and the creaminess of goat cheese crumbles. Yum.
If you need a go-to appetizer or lunch this spring and have some edible flowers handy, this is your recipe!
I'd love to see your photos if you make this recipe or if you are using any edible flowers in your cooking. Instagram #mykuratedliferecipes and we can share our ideas!
Enjoy,
Krista
Springy Radicchio Chicken Pesto Cups
Ingredients
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken (I baked a chicken breast and shredded it, or you could use store-bought chicken)
1/4 cup pesto*
2 tablespoons plain greek yogurt (I used Siggi's Icelandic Skyr, it has amazing tangy)
1/2 head of radicchio leaves peeled apart into cups
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
fresh basil leaves (for garnish)
Himalayan pink finishing salt
edible flowers such as violas, dandelion petals and pansies (for garnish) - make sure they are organic
Method
Mix chicken, pesto and plain greek yogurt together in a medium-sized bowl.
Place peeled radicchio leaves onto a platter and fill each leaf with about 1 tablespoon of the chicken mixture. The amount you place into each leaf will vary depending on the size of your leaves.
Top cups with crumbled goat cheese, fresh basil leaves and flowers. Sprinkle a very little bit of salt over top to finish.
Serve immediately, or chill until ready to serve.
Recipe Notes:
Late every summer, I make pesto with the basil plants I've grown over the summer and freeze it into ice cube trays to enjoy over the winter. In cleaning out my freezer, making room for this years bounty, I came across a zip top bag of pesto cubes and thought it would be perfect In this recipe. I used 8 frozen ice cubes, but you could easily replace the home made pesto with a jar of store-bought pesto.
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