Seasonal Fare with Flair Sampling Events

Date: Ongoing

Join Victoria Hicks for her delicious free samplings that are always a crowd favorite.

Demo Schdule

Check out Victoria’s upcoming food demos:

Rhubarb and Ginger Crumble

Avocado Sald with Pine Nuts, Cannellini Beans and Prosciutto

About Victoria

Victoria Hicks is a familiar face at Co-op food samplings and in-store events. An avid cook and food enthusiast, she lived overseas while growing up and returns to Greece annually to search out new recipes. Victoria loves to share her food expertise through classes, demos, and her popular column in the Co-op News. Check out her articles for tips and ideas for your own entertaining! Or of course, you can always drop us a line.

Recipes Being Sampled

Rhubarb and Ginger Crumble

This lovely crumble is a favorite in spring when rhubarb is at its peak. It is delicious served with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Rhubarb is a member of the buckwheat family and its tart fleshy stalks are eaten. The peak harvest months of field-grown rhubarb, which has a more distinctive flavor than the hothouse variety, are April, May, and June.

Serves 6-8

Filling:
5-6 stalks rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbs. chopped crystallized ginger
Grated zest and juice of one orange

Topping:
6 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup sliced almonds
2 tsp. ground ginger

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Lightly butter a 9-inch square baking pan.

In a medium bowl combine the rhubarb, sugar, ginger, orange zest and orange juice. Stir to combine. Spoon into the prepared pan.

Combine the butter, flour, and ground ginger in a food processor. Pulse 3 to 4 times or until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the oats, almonds and brown sugar. Spread over the fruit mixture.

Bake for 40 minutes or until juices are bubbling and top is browned. Remove from the oven and serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

—Victoria Hicks

Avocado Salad with Pine Nuts, Cannellini Beans and Prosciutto

Serves 4
1 ripe avocado, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 to 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice, or to taste
2 cups cooked cannellini beans, rinsed well and drained
3 Tbs. top-quality extra virgin olive oil
2 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into thin slivers
2 Tbs. toasted pine nuts
3 Tbs. finely chopped red onion
3 Tbs. finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1-1/2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary, plus 4 sprigs for garnish
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine avocado and lemon juice in a mixing bowl and toss gently. Add beans, oil, prosciutto, pine nuts, onion, parsley, rosemary, salt and pepper, and gently toss to mix. Adjust seasonings, adding salt and lemon juice to taste. Transfer salad to martini glasses or plates and garnish with rosemary sprigs.

—The New York Times, March 2000

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