Winter

To me, one of the greatest marvels of modern technology is the mango. Not only the mango, but also bananas, blueberries, asparagus, peaches and bell peppers - found in the supermarket in January. A lot of us have grown up with an abundance of food all year long and have no thoughts about what food is seasonal or locally grown. Starting fresh this January, I encourage you to think about it.

Not only is food most delicious when very fresh, but also it hasn’t been forced up out of the ground synthetically or tricked into thinking it’s another time of the year with costly heating that causes all sorts of environmental havoc. Our bodies are programmed to require certain nutrients during different seasons – often the same nutrients that are found in seasonal foods! Each season contains a wonderful variety of treats that will inspire you to think creatively when planning meals. Because we are so far removed from food production, many people don’t know what foods are in season or even that food eaten in its proper season actually tastes better. The Natural Resources Defense Council compiled a wonderful list of seasonal foods by state and month. Please visit Natural Resources Defense Council to find the appropriate list for your area.

It’s important to remember that not all of us are perfect and sometimes a recipe calls for cherry tomatoes in the dead of winter. I encourage you not to be puritanical about it, but enjoy seasonal foods one step at a time, becoming aware of what’s best when and how it was grown. Take time at your local grocer to notice where your produce was grown, or better yet, become a regular at your local farmer’s market for a direct source to fresh foods straight from the farm. You’ll not only enjoy the flavor more, but over time the scales will tilt in the right direction for your health, the environment, and the welfare of the people who grow your food.

WINTER ROAST CHICKEN

Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Serves 3 to 4

As soon as the weather starts to turn, I begin dreaming of the perfect roast chicken. My husband and I love the way the oven warms our apartment, the savory aroma fills the air, and the ease in which the meal is prepared and served. You can make roast chicken any time of the year by simply switching the vegetables below to those that are more seasonally appropriate. Be sure to purchase an organic chicken, raised free of hormones and save the leftover carcass to make a nourishing chicken stock.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Place in a roasting pan

1 yellow onion, thickly sliced

8 small red potatoes, halved

4 carrots, quartered

1 small butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes

Toss to coat with

2 Tbsp olive oil and salt to taste

Remove the giblets and rinse inside and out

1 5-6 pound roasting chicken

Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with:

1 bunch fresh thyme

1 lemon, halved

1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise

Brush the outside of the chicken with

2 Tbsp butter, melted

and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.

Roast the chicken for 1 ½ hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Carve the chicken and serve along with roasted vegetables.

VARIATIONS:

Add leeks, parsnips, fennel, turnips, garlic, or other winter squash to the vegetable mix.

I like to include a small salad of raw fennel, endive, cabbage, or spinach to create a balanced meal.

Foods That Heal

With my sweet husband lying in bed with a cold today, I decided to take it upon myself to fill him with nourishing foods to ensure his health swiftly returns. I found a recipe for a garlic-y soup in my new favorite cookbook, The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters.

THE HEALING QUALITIES OF GARLIC

Being an excellent source of vitamin B6, manganese, selenium, vitamin C, phosphorous, calcium, potassium, iron, and copper, the healing benefits of garlic are vastly beyond the scope of this entry. For now I’ll focus on the reason I decided to make this soup – Allicin. Chopping or crushing (or chewing) garlic stimulates the enzymatic process that converts the phytochemical alliin into allicin. Garlic’s allicin is known as “Russian penicillin” because of its antibacterial properties and has a long history of use as an infection fighter. It has shown to be effective against colds, flu, stomach viruses, and Candida yeast as well as powerful pathogenic microbes including tuberculosis and botulism (Murray, The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods). When I’m feeling under the weather I’ll often hand-stuff raw garlic into olives, make an avocado-garlic spread, or just eat a few cloves raw. The flavor is intense, but it sure beats a long, drawn out sickness.

Garlic then have power to save from death

Bear with it though it maketh unsavory breath,

And scorn not garlic like some that think

It only maketh men wink and drink and stink.

- Sir John Harrington, The Englishman’s Doctor

GARLIC BROTH WITH SAGE AND PARSLEY

This delicious and comforting soup is easy to make yourself even when you’re feeling under the weather. If someone is making it for you, ask him or her to include the variations for a heartier meal. This soup is best in early spring through early summer when immature green garlic has just been harvested, but you can make it any time of year using whatever garlic you have at home.

Peel and slice fresh garlic:

2 to 3 teaspoons sliced green garlic, or 1 to 2 sliced cloves per cup of broth.

Bring some light chicken broth to a boil with a few leaves of fresh sage. Once it comes to a boil use a skimmer to remove the sage leaves (if the sage cooks too long, the broth will become bitter and dark). Add the garlic to the broth along with salt to taste. Cook for about 5 minutes. Ladle the soup into a bowl, add a pinch of coarsely chopped parsley, and serve.

Variations:

For a more comforting soup, drizzle olive oil over a toasted slice of day-old bread, put it in the bowl, and ladle soup on top.

For a heartier soup, poach an egg in the broth and serve it on top of the bread.

Sweet Potato & Coconut Soup

I tasted this soup for the first time at Three Stone Hearth in Berkeley, California and found it divine! An avid soup avoider most of my life, I enthusiastically embraced my newfound love and immediately scoured the internet to find a recipe. After combining a few, this is what I came up with:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled & diced

1 tablespoon lemon thyme

1 pint vegetable stock

1 pint coconut cream or milk

2 limes, juice and zest

Heat oil in a large saucepan and gently saute the onion, garlic and ginger for about 5 minutes until tender. Add the sweet potatoes and lemon thyme and cook for a further 3 minutes.

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Cool the soup slightly, then liquify with half of the coconut cream and process until smooth.

Return the soup to the saucepan, add the remaining coconut cream and season with lime juice, zest, salt and pepper.

Add a dollop of sour cream, greek yogurt, cilantro, lime zest or parsley to garnish.