The Seasonal Kitchen

The Month of Fresh Herbs: Cilantro

As spring arrives, fresh herbs begin to show up more frequently at markets and in home kitchens. One of the most vibrant herbs this time of year is cilantro, also known as coriander leaves.

Cilantro brings a bright, fresh flavor that instantly lifts a dish. It’s commonly used in cuisines around the world, from Indian and Mexican cooking to Mediterranean and Southeast Asian dishes.

When choosing cilantro at the market, look for:

• bright green leaves
• firm stems
• a fresh, citrusy aroma

Avoid bunches that appear wilted or yellowing.

Cilantro is often used as a garnish, but it can do much more than that. When used thoughtfully, it can completely change the balance of a dish by adding freshness and contrast.

Below are three easy ways to use cilantro in your kitchen this month.

***Three Ways to Use Cilantro

Butter Chicken with Fresh Cilantro

Click here to View Recipe

Simply sprinkle a handful of chopped cilantro over the finished dish just before serving. The herb adds freshness and color that brighten the entire plate.

Cilantro Lime Rice

A simple side dish that works with almost any meal.

Serves

2–3

Ingredients

1 cup jasmine or basmati rice
2 cups water
½ lime (juice)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt

Instructions

Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear.

Combine rice, water, and a pinch of salt in a pot.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat, cover, and cook for 12–15 minutes.

Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.

Fluff the rice with a fork and stir in lime juice, olive oil, and chopped cilantro.

This rice adds brightness and freshness to simple meals.

Cilantro Garlic Sauce

A quick sauce that works on grilled meats, vegetables, or roasted potatoes.

Ingredients

1 cup fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Add cilantro, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt to a blender or food processor.

Blend until smooth.

Taste and adjust salt or lemon as needed.

Drizzle this sauce over roasted vegetables, grilled chicken, or even sandwiches for an instant boost of flavor.

***Chef Tip

Fresh herbs should almost always be added at the end of cooking. Heat can dull their flavor, so finishing dishes with herbs keeps them vibrant.

Classic Canapés

Canapés are small bites designed to deliver balanced flavor in a single bite. Traditionally they are built with a thin white bread base, lightly buttered to keep the bread from absorbing moisture, and finished with two components: a piped spread for flavor and texture, and a garnish that adds contrast and visual appeal.

Below are three simple examples that follow this classic structure.

Orange & Honey Canapé

A bright bite with citrus and sweetness.

Ingredients (makes about 10)

5 slices white sandwich bread
Soft butter

For the piped mixture
100 g cream cheese
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon orange zest

For the topping
Thin slices of fresh orange

Instructions

Trim the crusts from the bread slices and cut each slice into two squares or triangles.

Lightly spread a thin layer of butter on the bread.

In a small bowl mix the cream cheese, honey, and orange zest until smooth.

Transfer the mixture to a piping bag and pipe a small rosette onto each bread base.

Finish with a small segment or thin slice of orange on top.

Black Olive Canapé

A savory Mediterranean-style bite.

Ingredients (makes about 10)

5 slices white sandwich bread
Soft butter

For the piped mixture
100 g cream cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon lemon juice

For the topping
Black olives, thinly sliced

Instructions

Remove the crusts from the bread and cut into small squares.

Spread a thin layer of butter over each piece of bread.

Mix the cream cheese, parsley, and lemon juice until smooth.

Pipe the mixture onto the bread bases.

Place one or two thin slices of black olive on top of each canapé.

Tomato Brunoise Canapé

A fresh canapé with bright flavor.

Ingredients (makes about 10)

5 slices white sandwich bread
Soft butter

For the piped mixture
100 g cream cheese
1 teaspoon olive oil
Pinch of salt

For the topping
1 ripe tomato, finely diced (brunoise)
1 teaspoon olive oil
Chopped basil

Instructions

Trim the crusts from the bread and cut into small squares.

Butter the bread lightly to seal the surface.

Mix the cream cheese with olive oil and a pinch of salt.

Pipe a small amount of the mixture onto each bread base.

Toss the tomato brunoise with olive oil and basil.

Spoon a small amount of the tomato mixture onto the piped cream cheese.

The Month of Strawberries

May is when strawberries truly start to shine. After months of winter produce, they bring a fresh sweetness that feels like the beginning of summer.

When strawberries are in season, they’re naturally sweet, fragrant, and full of flavor. The best way to enjoy them is to keep the preparation simple and let the fruit speak for itself.

When choosing strawberries at the market, look for:

• bright red color
• a strong strawberry aroma
• firm berries with fresh green tops

Avoid berries that look dull or overly soft, as they tend to lose their flavor quickly.

Strawberries are incredibly versatile. They work just as well in fresh savory dishes as they do in desserts.

Three Ways to Use Strawberries

Strawberry Ricotta Toast

A simple breakfast or afternoon bite that feels like something you’d order at a café.

Toast a slice of good bread and spread it with fresh ricotta. Add sliced strawberries, drizzle with honey, and finish with cracked black pepper and a little lemon zest.

The creamy ricotta balances the sweetness of the berries and keeps the dish light and fresh.

Strawberry and Arugula Salad

A bright spring salad that works well as a starter.

Combine arugula, sliced strawberries, shaved parmesan, and toasted almonds. Dress lightly with olive oil, lemon juice, and a small drizzle of honey.

The peppery greens contrast beautifully with the sweetness of the strawberries.

Classic Strawberry Shortcake

When strawberries are at their peak, this simple dessert lets them shine.

Serves

4

Ingredients

For the strawberries
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice

For the shortcakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
½ cup milk

For serving
1 cup whipped cream

Instructions

In a bowl, toss the sliced strawberries with sugar and lemon juice. Let them sit for 10–15 minutes so they release their juices.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).

In another bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Add the cold butter and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingers until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Stir in the milk until a soft dough forms.

Shape into 4 small biscuits and place on a baking sheet.

Bake for 12–15 minutes until golden.

To assemble, split the biscuits in half, add a spoonful of strawberries, a dollop of whipped cream, and top with more berries.

Chef Tip

Letting strawberries sit with a little sugar pulls out their natural juices and creates a simple syrup that soaks perfectly into the shortcake.

When fruit is this good, the best recipes are often the simplest.

That’s the Forking Way.

Some meals just work for everyone.

The best dishes are often the ones that are simple, comforting, and balanced enough that anyone at the table can enjoy them. They don’t need complicated techniques or hard-to-find ingredients. They just need good flavors and a little care when cooking.

This dish is a great example of that idea. It’s warm, flavorful, and easy to adjust depending on who you're cooking for. Served with rice and a couple of simple sides, it becomes the kind of meal that works for family dinners, casual gatherings, or even meal prep for the week.

The star of the plate is butter chicken — rich, gently spiced, and creamy enough to feel comforting without being too heavy.

Paired with fluffy rice and a few simple sides, it becomes a meal that really does work for all ages.

Below is a simple way to bring it together.

Butter Chicken

View Recipe

Extras

Simple White Rice

Serves

4

Ingredients

1½ cups jasmine or basmati rice
3 cups water
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear.

Combine rice, water, and salt in a pot.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover.

Cook for about 12–15 minutes until the water is absorbed.

Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes.

Fluff with a fork before serving.

Yellow Lentils (Simple Dal)

Serves

4

Ingredients

1 cup red lentils
2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon turmeric
Salt

Instructions

Rinse the lentils thoroughly.

Add lentils and water to a pot and bring to a simmer.

Cook for about 15 minutes until soft.

In a small pan heat olive oil and sauté garlic.

Stir garlic and turmeric into the lentils.

Season with salt and cook another 2–3 minutes.

Tomato Vegetable Relish

Ingredients

1 tomato, diced
½ small red onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt
Black pepper

Instructions

Combine tomato and onion in a bowl.

Add olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

Mix gently and let sit for a few minutes before serving.

That’s the Forking Way.

Don’t Skip Meals

Shrimp Risotto made with Fumetto

This is absolutely my favorite risotto. Before attending culinary school, it always came out bland and unsavory. What I’ve learned during my tenure was how to make a fumetto to make the perfect broth.

The simplicity of the fumetto and how much it elevates the taste of the risotto result is forking amazing. Just by doing a simple mirepoix (cubes, around 1 cm, of a carrot, a stalk of celery, and an onion), olive oil, and a spoon of tomato paste, letting it cook on high heat until the bottom of the pot gets a brown color (smell is highly important at this stage; if it smells burned, you have cooked it too much), add the shrimp shells and heads and stir.

Deglaze with white wine and you’ll see all that brown from the bottom of the pot come up and add a huge amount of flavor. As soon as deglazed, add 1 liter of water and let it boil for around 30–40 mins.

Cut the shrimp into pieces and cook it in a pan with olive oil and some salt for 5/7 mins.

As for the rice, in culinary school I was taught several methods to cook it. My favorite, and the one I still use, is from Chef Tiziano Zuccheri: toast the rice in a pan until it smells like toasted grain, stirring it to toast them evenly. Now for the part and why I love this method: with a paddle, add enough fumetto to cover the rice and let the rice do his own business and absorb it. Once you drag the spatula in the bottom of the pan and there is very little liquid, add again, and do this 4/5 times, as this is enough to have the rice perfectly cooked. On the last ladle you add to the rice, add butter and grated parmesan (or pecorino) and stir until you can see a bit of cream, which is a mix of all the fumetto, rice starch, butter, and cheese.

Serve it while it’s hot. If you wait too much time, you’ll let the rice become too dry, and once it absorbs, you won’t be able to get the rice to release that forking great cream again.

You’ll see how your taste buds will have a forking party.

Yield

2–3 portions

Ingredients

For the Shrimp Fumetto

• Shrimp heads and shells from 300 g whole shrimp

• Carrot, small dice (about 1 cm) 60 g

• Celery stalk, small dice 50 g

• Onion, small dice 100 g

• Olive oil 20 g

• Tomato paste 15 g

• Dry white wine 100 g

• Water 1000 g

• Salt, optional and very light if desired

For the Shrimp

• Raw shrimp, peeled and deveined 180–200 g

• Olive oil 10 g

• Fine salt 2 g

For the Risotto

• Carnaroli or Arborio rice 180 g

• Shrimp fumetto, about 700–800 g, kept hot

• Butter 30 g

• Grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino 35–40 g

Instructions

1. Make the Shrimp Fumetto

1. In a pot, heat 20 g olive oil over medium-high heat.

2. Add:

   • 60 g carrot

   • 50 g celery

   • 100 g onion

   all cut into roughly 1 cm dice.

3. Add 15 g tomato paste and cook everything together until the vegetables soften and the bottom of the pot develops a deep golden-brown fond.

   • This is a key step. The goal is caramelized and savory, not burned.

   • Use smell as your guide. If it smells bitter or burnt, it has gone too far.

4. Add the shrimp shells and heads and stir well, letting them cook for 1–2 minutes so they release flavor.

5. Deglaze with 100 g white wine, scraping the bottom of the pot to dissolve all the browned bits.

6. Add 1000 g water and bring to a boil.

7. Lower to a gentle simmer and cook for 30–40 minutes.

8. Strain the fumetto through a fine sieve, pressing lightly on the solids. Keep the broth hot for the risotto.

2. Cook the Shrimp

1. Cut the peeled shrimp 180–200 g into bite-sized pieces.

2. Heat 10 g olive oil in a sauté pan.

3. Add the shrimp and 2 g salt.

4. Cook for 5–7 minutes, until just cooked through.

5. Set aside.

3. Toast the Rice

1. Place 180 g risotto rice in a wide sauté pan or risotto pot over medium heat.

2. Toast the rice dry, without fat, stirring often, until it smells like toasted grain or warm cereal.

   • The grains should be hot and lightly fragrant, but not colored.

4. Cook the Risotto

1. Once the rice is toasted, add enough hot fumetto to just cover the rice.

2. Let the rice absorb the liquid gradually, stirring occasionally.

3. When you drag a spatula across the bottom of the pan and there is very little liquid left, add another ladle of hot fumetto.

4. Repeat this process 4–5 times, always adding just enough liquid to cover or nearly cover the rice.

5. Continue until the rice is al dente and creamy, usually about 16–18 minutes total, depending on the rice.

5. Finish the Risotto (Mantecatura)

On the last addition of fumetto, once the rice is almost fully cooked:

1. Add:

   • 30 g butter

   • 35–40 g grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino

2. Stir vigorously until the risotto becomes creamy and emulsified.

3. Fold in the cooked shrimp.

6. Serve

Serve immediately, while hot and fluid.

Chef Notes

• Rice choice: Carnaroli is ideal for structure and creaminess, but Arborio works too.

• Fumetto amount: You may not use every gram of broth, but keep 700–800 g hot and ready.

• Cheese choice: Parmigiano gives a rounder, nuttier finish; Pecorino gives more salt and bite.