Artic Char is one of my favorite fishes. A bit milder than salmon, this fish has a just-firm-enough texture and a beautiful skin. In this particular treatment the fish is not seasoned at all, but is topped with a rich pureed mushroom, rice wine and butter sauce and some pan carmelized shallots and leeks. This high quality fish deserves a bed of high quality udon noodle.

The fresh shitakes, which I found at Devon Market, were bursting with flavor, and I was tempted just to use them pureed with nothing else. But I wanted to try something a little more complex. The rice wine I also bought at the Devon Market has a label the says 'For Gournet Cooking' It's a bit salty, but it reduced and mellowed nicely.

fillet of Artic Char
5-6 medium size shitakes
one medium sized leek
4 shallots, peeled and chopped
1 sprig green garlic
1 slice of Kolozsvari Hungarian bacon or similar smoked, salt pork.
1 bundle of udon noodles
half a cup of rice wine
butter
grapeseed oil

Put the leeks in some boiling water. Depending on the size, they'll take 7-8 minutes which is enough time to get the mushroom sauce done.

Pan saute the sliced mushrooms in some oil, butter and - the secret ingredient - a super smoky Kolozsvari Hungarian bacon. Also found at the Devon Market. Slice it thin and use it sparingly, just to add some smoky salty pork fat goodness. I used about three postage stamp size pieces for 5 medium sized shitakes. When the mushrooms are just browning, add a thinly sliced shallot and a minced sprig of green garlic. Brown everything. Remove the bacon, since its too much for the puree (you might as well just eat it). Puree the rest adding about 3-4 tablespoons of rice wine, and about 4-5 ozs of water. I threw in a few drops of Madeira for a touch of sweetness. Return the puree to the pan with a tablespoon of butter and reduce gently.

Put some udon into some boiling water, you'll have 8-9 minutes to do the fish before the noodles are done.

Score the skin of the char, and pan grill the fish skin down in some butter and oil. Try not to rip off the very pretty skin when you flip it. In the same pan, after you've flipped the fish once add the rest of the chopped shallots and the chopped leeks removed from the boiling water. Save a leek or two for garnish. The fish will be ready when just colored on both sides. Remove it, and continue to pan saute the shallots and leeks until they reach a nice color.

Plate the fish on top of the drained udon, sprinkle with the shallots and leeks, and drizzle with the reduced shitake sauce.

Salads are simple to make, but if you avoid treating it like filler food they can become a great meals. When every bite contains something special, it makes it very satisfying. This spring salad contains all kinds of greens, all from Henry's Farm. At the Evanston farmer's market, they sell a bag of mixed greens with all kinds of interesting things in it. Some of the leaves are a bit holey, but that's organic farming. I also included lots of mizuna. Here's a good page that'll help identify some gourmet lettuces.

But it wasn't just the greens that made this salad, it was the chanterelles and earthy morels and the richness of the port reduction. The nutty, chewy shrooms, the intense flavor of the reduction, the tiny strings of crunchy, spicy daikon, all combine with the slightly tangy greens for a complete range of flavors and textures.

• as many chanterelles as you can afford, this recipe was made with $6 worth, about a small berry container's worth
  
• as many morels as you can afford, I had about five thumb sized ones
  
• a bag of mixed spring greens form Henry's Farm, no substitutions allowed since I can't tell you everything that's in there. I'll take some notes at next week's market.
  
• a handfull of mizuna
  
• about 2 inches worth of a finely grated daikon
  
• 6-8 asparagus tips, small (I forgot to add them before the photo)
  
• 1 shallot
  
• 1 sprig of green garlic
  
• 1 sprig of chive
  
• 5-6 ozs. of port
  
• 2 T butter
  

Wash and dry the greens thoroughly. I don't like to wash mushrooms, but with morels and chanterelles you need to soak them for a bit, then wipe them off with a paper towel or you really will achieve earthyness in your salad. Melt a tablespoon of butter in a saute pan and toss in the morels first for a minute, then the chanterelles. When they start taking on color, toss in about half the chopped shallot and minced green garlic (young garlic before it begins forms cloves, it looks like a baby leek). Pull out the mushrooms before they get too tanned and pour in the port. Throw in the other half of the shallot and some more chive and reduce until it bubbly, and add the other tablespoon of butter and reduce gently until it thickly coats a spoon.

To assemble, throw down the bed of greens, spread the shrooms on top and annoint the salad with the reduction shaking spoonfulls of the rich stuff over everything. The idea is not to soak everything, just to have drops of it everywhere. The flavor of the chanterelles is too special to cover over with anything. Spread the tiny slivers of daikon on top. Oh, dont' forget the asparagus. I've been just lightly boiling mine in water, a splash of lime juice and a taste of rice wine.