Though I’ve long been known for my experience with fruits and vegetables, I thought I’d digress this month to talk about some other farm products I’ve come to know: Easter and Passover plants.

Growing up in a seasonal family business—Napolitano’s Produce in Bergenfield—we had to sell whatever we could to survive “shoulder” season, the cold months from November to December and March to April, when there was no local produce to sell. In addition to picking up odd jobs like shoveling snow and delivering newspapers and telephone books, my family sold Christmas trees and Easter plants to help boost the household income. So I got to learn about many of the popular plants, flowers and trees that people use to celebrate different holidays.

Easter and Passover are interesting because, occurring anywhere from early March to late April, they can dictate big differences in which flowers and plants are available from year to year. A nice thing about these holidays arriving in early-to-mid-April this year is that frost concerns should be behind us, and many early spring flowers should be in bloom. Like most everyone, I can’t wait to enjoy their bright colors and lovely scents. (And I’m also excited that the annual planting of my tomatoes, eggplants and peppers will soon be underway!)

Produce Pete discusses the range of different Easter and Passover flowers during a segment of NBC’s Weekend Today in New York. Photo courtesy of Pete Napolitano/NBC

Early in the season, bulb plants such as tulips, hyacinths, lilies and daffodils are the most prominent. After they’ve bloomed and start to lose their flowers, these plants can be cut back to about an inch or two from the bulb top and planted in the ground. They’ll come up again next year—and for years after that. Perennials are a strong and rugged variety that weather cold temperatures very well.

Tulips are one of my favorite plants—I love how the flower opens up in sunlight and closes when it gets dark.

Hyacinths have a wonderful smell, almost like perfume, and can permeate a room. Like many flowers, the aroma can trigger a wave of memories. Whenever I remember my Grandma Morrissey, for instance, I always think of hyacinths; they were her favorite.

Lilies are among the most popular Easter flowers. Very beautiful to look at, they’ll return every year if you cut them back and replant them. A quick way to keep lilies looking clean and pretty is to pull out the pollen stems from the inside of the flower. (Just be careful not to get the pollen on the white flower—that will stain the flower and make it die sooner.)

Daffodils are also visually lovely and are especially pretty planted in your yard. When daffodils start to peek out of the ground, you know spring and warmer weather are close!

Produce Pete displays a variety of Easter and Passover flowers at DePiero’s Farm Stand & Greenhouses in Montvale. Photo courtesy of Pete Napolitano

Mums, hydrangeas, cineraria, miniature roses and azaleas are also great plants for the Easter and Passover holidays.

Mums come in many colors and remain in bloom a long time—sometimes two to three weeks. If you cut them back and plant them, mums will grow back in the fall.

Azaleas are also very pretty, but since they don’t usually bloom this early, the products typically available now at garden centers, farmers’ markets or supermarkets are ones that have been forced to bloom. If you’re planting this kind of azalea outside, be careful with them—they’re not as strong in the beginning. However, if you plant them in a spot with southern exposure and a lot of light, they should be just fine in time.

Hydrangeas, also called snowballs, are another fine option. Once planted in the ground, hydrangeas usually won’t flower for two to three years, but then they’ll do so regularly. They might also change color—from pink to blue or purple, for instance.

Years ago, my father had a whole truckload of hydrangeas to sell for Easter. When they suddenly began to wilt, my mom—the smart one in our family!—recommended we feed them some aspirin. So we bought a case of it and diluted the tablets in a big vat of water. With a pencil, we poked three or four holes in the soil around each plant, then submerged them in the aspirin-infused water up to their soil levels. We watched as bubbles appeared in the holes, and when the bubbles stopped, we knew each plant was sufficiently saturated. Sure enough, it worked: The hydrangeas perked right up! As our family learned time and time again, mom was always right! To help your own potted hydrangeas stay healthy, simply dilute two aspirin in water and give them a drink.

Nothing warms us up after winter quite like the colors, fragrances and new growth of spring! Enjoy it all, and have a happy and healthy Easter and Passover

Zucchini Cutlets

• 3 each zucchini,-roasted(rubbed with olive oil and poked)-cooked

form tender

• 3tablespoons olive oil –rub on zucchini

• 1⁄2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

• 1⁄2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 2 teaspoons garlic powder

• ground black pepper to taste

• 2 large eggs, beaten

• 1 cup vegetable oil for frying

• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

• salt to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 400. Place oil rubbed zucchini on baking sheet and place ion oven.

Roast until fork tender-Reserve –In bowl add breadcrumbs with all dry ingredients

and mix. In another bowl add beaten egg. Once zucchini are cooled slice lengthwise

in 1⁄4 slice. Place in egg and then breadcrumbs. Take out of mixture and add to hot oil

on saute pan. Cook until brown –approximately 45 second on each side . Take out of pain

and drain on paper towel.

Top with your favorite salad

THANK YOU CHEF JOHN IACHETTI

Chef John Iachetti

Stuffed Red Peppers with Meat and Rice

6 ea Medium Red Peppers-Tops off and seeded

8 oz. ground beef-cooked and drained (or 6 of your favorite meatballs-cooked and sliced)

1 ea small diced yellow onion

2 ea garlic cloves smashed

Two cups of cooked white rice

1 cup Pomodoro Sauce

2 ea large eggs (beaten)

1⁄2 cup parmesan cheese –grated

1 T chopped parsley

1t chopped green onion

Black pepper

Method

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Divide stuffing into 6 equal

parts and stuff peppers. Once peppers are stuffed place standing up in sauce pot. Pour 1⁄2 cup

tomato sauce over the peppers. Place pot in preheated 350 oven for 30 minutes or until

peppers are fork tender. Take out of oven and serve with sprigs of fresh basil-ENJOY

THANK YOU CHEF JOHN IACHETTI

 Ingredients:

3 pounds corned beef brisket with spice packet
8-10 small red potatoes, cut in half
5 carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch pieces
1 large head green cabbage, cut into wedges

Directions:

Place corned beef in large pot or Dutch oven and cover with water. Add the spice packet that came with the corned beef. Cover pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for approximately 45 minutes per pound or until fork tender. Add potatoes and carrots and cook until the vegetables are almost tender. Add cabbage and cook for 10-15 more minutes. Remove meat and let rest 15 minutes. Slice meat across the grain, serve with carrots, potatoes, and cabbage, and enjoy!

Ingredients:

18–24 asparagus spears
6 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
Pinch of tarragon
2 cups bread crumbs

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gently place asparagus spears into a skillet of boiling water and blanch. Drain the asparagus and place it in a buttered shallow baking pan. In a skillet, melt the butter and sauté the onion, garlic, parsley, and tarragon. Add the bread crumbs and mix well. Spoon the bread crumb mixture over the asparagus, cover the pan with foil, and bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake at 400 degrees for an additional 5 minutes to achieve a crusty top. Enjoy!

About “Produce Pete” Napolitano
With over 65 years of experience in the produce industry, New Jersey’s own “Produce Pete” Napolitano is a renowned fruit and vegetable expert, author, and television personality who’s appeared on a highly-popular segment on NBC’s Weekend Today in New York broadcast every Saturday mornings for over 33 years.  For more information, 

visit Pete’s website.

• ½ of a large, long rustic Italian loaf, such as ciabatta - you can really use any type of loaf bread here
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and cut in half
• 2-3 heirloom tomatoes
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil - I didn't measure my olive oil as I just drizzled some on from the bottle
• 5-6 fresh basil leaves, sliced into thin strips
• coarse sea salt to taste
• optional - splash of balsamic vinegar to top

• Let's start by prepping the ingredients. Wash and thinly slice up your tomatoes, peel and cut your garlic clove in half, take your basil leaves, roll them up together and then slice them into thin strips. Take your loaf of bread and slice it horizontally to create 2 long halves. I always use the bottom half for my bread because it's flat, but if you need to use the top half, then you will want to trim off a bit from the top of the loaf to make it a bit flatter.
• Pre-heat your grill to high heat.
• Grill the bread 1 to 2 minutes on each side until moderately charred or browned to your liking. If you don't feel like firing up the grill, you can always try toasting the bread under your broiler. I haven't tried this, but I'm sure it works just the same.
• Take the cut side of each garlic half and rub it along the top and bottom of your bread. The grilled bread sort of acts like a grater and grates the clove. Make sure to rub the garlic along the top edges of the bread as well.
• Pour any accumulated juices from your sliced tomatoes over the top of the bread.
• Drizzle half of the ¼ cup of olive oil over the bread, and use a brush if desired to get the olive oil into all of those nooks and crannies. Feel free to add a pinch of sea salt as well.
• The bread is now ready for the sliced tomatoes.
• Arrange the tomatoes by color making sure to cover the entire surface of the bread.
• Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the tomatoes, sprinkle on the sliced basil and season with the coarse sea salt.
• Cut the tomato bread into slices and top each slice with some balsamic vinegar if desired. The bread tastes perfectly without the balsamic, but I thought I would give you the option incase you're a fan of balsamic vinegar.
• Seriously, this bread is super tasty and super easy to prepare. It's a great bread to serve up for dinner or lunch, just pair it with a nice kale salad and you have yourself an easy no fuss dinner.
• THANK YOU MARIN MAMA COOKS FOR THIS GREAT RECIPE

Oven Charred Broccolini

Serves 4

4 bunches broccoli-(washed, stems trimmed )

6 Teaspoons avocado oil

1 clove roasted garlic

12 pear or cherry tomatoes

1 cup muscat grapes -cut in ½ ( or your seedless favorite grape)

2 T lemon juice

8 oz Fresh Mozzarella(optional)

1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

Method-

Pre heat oven to 450 degrees

In bowl combine half the avocado oil, lemon juice salt and pepper-

Add broccolini and mix well

On sheet pan evenly space broccolini being careful not to overlap- Roast for 12-15

minutes or until leaves caramelize

Remove from oven and arrange on platter

In bowl whisk remaining avocado oil and lemon juice .

Add grapes, tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper-

Generously pour mixture over the broccolini. Season with salt and pepper-

Add the red pepper flakes-

Mix in Mozzarella- Let rest at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving

https://public.latakoo.com/841cc9ca95fbe9bf8bd5d4d4f0c37bbb

1 egg yolk

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 anchovy fillets, mashed

 1 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large head romaine lettuce, cleaned and cut into 1 to 2-inch pieces

Freshly grated Parmesan

2 cups croutons
 

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, lemon juice, garlic, Worcestershire, pepper flakes, mustard, and anchovies. Slowly whisk in the oils to emulsify. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
2. Place the lettuce in a large bowl. Sprinkle with Parmesan and black pepper. Drizzle with desired amount of dressing and toss well. Sprinkle top with croutons.

Recipe Courtesy of Wolfgang Punk 

Ingredients: 

1 stick (4 ounces) butter, melted

· 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided

· 1 cup all-purpose flour

· 2 teaspoons baking powder

· 1/4 teaspoon salt

· 1 cup milk

· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

· 3 to 4 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, thinly sliced

· 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375°.

Pour melted butter into a 2-quart baking dish (11x7 or 8-inch square). In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of the sugar, the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir to blend. Stir in the milk and vanilla until blended. Pour the batter over the melted butter. Toss the peaches with the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Arrange the peach slices over the batter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. The top will be browned and the cake will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Serve warm with a little heavy cream, whipped topping, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Serves 6.

 This rosemary Asian pear crisp is a fun twist to the normal fruit crisp. Packed full of sweet ripe Asian pears, golden raisins, minced rosemary and finished with a super crunchy oat topping. Perfect when served plain, sprinkled with powdered sugar or a big scoop of ice cream.

FOR PIE FILLING

• 3 Asian pears, peeled, cored and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/3 cup golden raisins
• 1 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Pinch kosher salt

FOR TOPPING

 1/3 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
• Pinch kosher salt
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 
  

  DIRECTIONS

 For topping: In a medium sized bowl add brown sugar, flour, unsalted butter, baking powder, apple pie spice and kosher salt. Mix until crumbly and stir in rolled oats.  For pear crisp:   Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 8x8 pan with non-stick spray.In a large bowl combine all ingredients together and stir to evenly coat. Add pears to the prepared dish and top with prepared topping.Bake for about 40 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the pears are soft.
Posted by NUTMEGNANNY   

INGREDIENTS         Serves 10

 4  large ripe persimmons 

 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 

 1 3/4 cups sugar

 1/2 cup butter,room temperature

3 extra large eggs 

2  teaspoons vanilla extract 

2 cups all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

3/4 cup dried currant 

confectioners' sugar 

DIRECTIONS

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F.

Butter and flour Bundt pan.

Peel persimmons.

Press pulp through coarse sieve into medium bowl. 

Measure 1 1/3 cups persimmon puree into small bowl. 

Mix baking soda into puree and set aside.

Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until blended (mixture will be grainy).

Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Mix in vanilla

Sift flour, cinnamon, salt, allspice and cloves into butter mixture; blend well using rubber spatula.

Mix in persimmon mixture, walnuts and currants. 

Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake cake until tester comes out clean, about 55 minutes.

Cook cake in pan on rack 5 minutes. 

Turn out cake onto rack; cool completely.

Sift confectioners’ sugar over cake 

Recipe by Evelyn/Athens

My Persimmon Story

If you're lucky enough to have a persimmon tree, you're guaranteed to have plenty of gorgeous persimmons come autumn. Or, if you have a neighbor with one, you're bound to find a bag of persimmons on your doorstep one fall day. The prolific trees are especially striking when the leaves drop and the traffic-stopping bright-orange orbs are still clinging to the bare, gnarled branches, silhouetted against a clear autumn sky.

Even if you don't have a tree, or a neighboring one that you can benefit from, you might have seen persimmons at the market. Most likely they were Hachiya persimmons, the most common, elongated-shape variety. It's the one I recommend for this cake. They must be squishy soft before they can be used. If you buy them rock-hard, leave them at room temperature until they feel like water balloons ready to burst. When ready, yank off the stem, slice each persimmon in half, then scoop out the jellylike pulp and purée it in a blender or food processor.

 Pop's Tomato Sandwich - 1 Serving

2 - slices Italian semolina bread

1 medium-sized to large New Jersey Tomato sliced

2 or 3 thin slices sweet onion

olive oil

 balsamic vinegar 

dried oregano 

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

For this sandwich, you need the best semolina bread, perfectly ripe new jersey tomatoes, and the best olive oil. ( We always had olive oil and vinegar in the truck). If we were near a delicatessen or general store, sometimes my father would buy a little jar of mayonnaise and use that too. If you're using mayonnaise , spread a thin layer on both slices of bread. Then cover one piece with a thick layer of tomato slices, then thinlysliced onions. Sprinkle some hot pepper on top( as i got older i cut out the hot pepper)Dress with olive oil, vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper. Top with second slice of bread.

TAKE A BITE AND YOU WILL KNOW IT'S SUMMER !!!
 

We have all kinds of upscale restaurants, and there is a lot of interest in complicated cuisines, but sometimes it's the really simple things that give you the most pleasure. When I was a kid, I had to help my father sell produce out of the back of his truck. At lunchtime he'd stop at some little store and buy a loaf of Italian bread. Then we'd find a place where we could pull off to the side of the road. He'd put down a piece of cardboard for a cutting board, slice the bread, cut up a tomato and an onion, and make tomato sandwiches. Sometimes when I come home from work and I'm too bushed to prepare or even eat a full meal, I'll make myself a tomato sandwich. Food brings back memories. You can sit down with the most ordinary things on your mind and eat something good and it will bring back memories - things you haven't thought about in years. Even memories that might not start out being so good seem to improve as time goes by. At the time I hated peddling fruits and vegetables out of that truck with Pop, but now I wish I had the time to pull off to the side of the road they way we did then. We don't have the luxury of slowing down - everything is geared to working and being productive. Produce, produce, produce! Wouldn't I love to be able to take my son and go sit by the side of the road and have a tomato sandwich? With the perfect ripe red tomato and good bread, there's nothing better. 

CRUST

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 cup unsalted butter or margarine, melted

FILLING

3 eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

3 cups sour cream

1 1/2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and cut in half

Preheat the oven to 375*F

In a bowl, mix together all the crust ingredients, then press mixture on the bottom and sides of an 8 or 9-inch springform pan.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, salt, cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract until smooth. Blend in the sour cream. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and bake for 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. 

Top with cherries, then chill for 3 hours, and ENJOY

• 1 (15 ounce) package pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
• 1 egg, beaten
• 5 cups sliced white and yellow NJ peaches
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter

• Prep   30 minutes Cook  45 minutes  

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Line the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie plate with one of the pie crusts. Brush with some of the beaten egg to keep the dough from becoming soggy later.
3. Place the sliced peaches in a large bowl, and sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix gently. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Pour over the peaches, and mix gently. Pour into the pie crust, and dot with butter. Cover with the other pie crust, and fold the edges under. Flute the edges to seal or press the edges with the tines of a fork dipped in egg. Brush the remaining egg over the top crust. Cut several slits in the top crust to vent steam.
4. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake for an additional 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust is brown and the juice begins to bubble through the vents. If the edges brown to fast, cover them with strips of aluminum foil about halfway through baking. Cool before serving. This tastes better warm than hot.