Strictly speaking, ramps (also known as wild leeks) are not really the first food of spring (young greens or broccoli are also growing right now), but they’re the spring produce that gets home cooks and restaurateurs alike totally amped for reasons that remain mysterious. Perhaps it’s the romance of foraging rather than farming. Or it may be that because they aren’t imported or grown in hothouses, they’ve been absent for long enough to make us miss them. [Read more…]
roasted black radish and grape quinoa
Sometimes seasonal food writing, here on the east coast especially, feels like a tour of the very homeliest food stuffs; and among the rutabagas, parsnips, jerusalem artichokes, celery roots, cabbages, and all the other misshapen, sun-starved vegetables that tide us over until the sun comes back for real, the black radish feels forgotten. [Read more…]
now in season: golden beets
At the Union Square Greenmarket on New Year’s Eve, I noticed a clear shift from even the week before. Freezing temperatures have finally settled on the region and the Greenmarket offerings have accordingly dwindled. [Read more…]
now in season: redbor kale + kale, butternut squash, and orange salad
Our last CSA share of the year featured a bunch of Redbor kale. I loved its deep purple and green hues and stashed it for a weekday salad–my favorite use for kale. A few days later, I roasted a butternut squash (one of seven to pass through my kitchen in the past month), and supremed an orange to go with it. [Read more…]
now in season: radicchio
You guys, that time of year has arrived. Almost all the apples are off the trees. Pears too. We’re swimming in tender kale, fresh broccoli, and just-picked squash. Like the sudden shift in weather, all the fall vegetables feel novel and fun. But beneath the thrill of cozy dinners of stuffed squash or braised greens is a touch of sadness–the knowledge that these are all the ingredients we’ll be working with until April. I’m not planning to despair just yet, so for now I’ll be enjoying all the beauty, color, and food of my very favorite season. [Read more…]