the importance of eating seasonally

Eating seasonally isn't something we do all the time, but it's something I've been thinking about more and more, and thinking that it's something we should incorporate more into how we think about cooking and eating. Cooking foods that are in season where you are has a number of benefits, and I'll just talk a little bit about what those are.

First of all, freshness. If you eat foods that are in season where you are, you will be more likely to be getting local foods that are fresh and taste great. They are less likely to have been processed and preserved and probably haven't traveled days or weeks to get to your supermarket. Keeping a small garden of good staples yourself can be really fun and rewarding as well, and give you more of an idea how your food goes from seed to being used in your meals.

Variety is the spice of life, and if you start to cook more and more with seasonal ingredients, it will force you to give up some staples that you always use year round, and get you to try some new things. You will discover new flavors and colors and smells, and learn how to incorporate those things into recipes you make.

Cycles and expectation are things we have lost a bit in modern life. Cooking with more seasonal ingredients gives you things to look forward to in each season. You will find particular ingredients that you love in each season, and you will wait expectantly for the time when they are ripe and fresh in season, when they taste the very best.

I'm hoping to think about this more and to find recipes and combinations that focus on seasonal ingredients to pull out at the right time of the year and emphasize the in-season flavors and colors. If you have some that you love or find/invent any, feel free to let us know and we'll try them out. Of course, if we come up with some, we'll post them here for all of you. Cheers!

Pan seared cod and wilted spinach

This week we made cod twice, once with black cod and once with pacific true cod. We decided we liked the black cod better, but the recipe was the same either way, and they were both really good. The whole thing takes about 20 minutes to prepare, which is fantastic.

Ingredients

• Approximately 3/4 lb fillet of cod
• 2 bunches of spinach
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• Approximately 6 tbsp. butter
• Approximately 1 cup white wine
• Sea salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Pine nuts

Directions

1. Rinse spinach and chop roughly, set aside in a bowl.
2. Chop 3-4 cloves of garlic, depending on your taste and the size of the cloves
3. Salt and pepper each side of your cod fillet, to taste. Rub in the salt and pepper lightly.
4. Cut the fillet in half if it won't fit in the skillet in one piece.
5. Melt about 2-3 tbsp of butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.
6. Cook the cod approximately 3 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the fillet - it should just be getting flaky when finished.
7. Remove the cod from the skillet and add another 2 tbsp of butter.
8. Saute the garlic in butter until just starting to soften.
9. Add about 1/2 cup of white wine, then add spinach in batches and cook until well wilted.
10. Once all the spinach has been cooked down, remove it from the skillet and add the last tablespoon of butter, and the last 1/2 cup of wine.
11. Cook the butter and wine with the pan juices until it reduces into a nice sauce, about 5 minutes or so (results may vary).
12. Plate the cod and the spinach, and then drizzle the sauce over both.
13. Sprinkle some pine nuts over the spinach, and you're done!

Maple Cinnamon French Toast

This weekend we made the now annual feast for my birthday (more on that later). And as per usual for us we had tons of leftovers. One thing we had to use right away was the beautiful fresh french baguette.


Maple Cinnamon French Toast

day old french baguette, cut in 1 1/2 inch thick slices
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/8 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon


Preheat oven to 375 F

~beat eggs till just scrambled but not frothy
~add in milk and maple syrup and combine
~add sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon and mix completely


~Place the baguette slices in a baking dish and pour egg mixture over the bread.
~Let sit for 15 min, turning occasionally to coat and soak up all the egg-y goodness.
~Remove the bread slices and cook each side in a hot buttered skillet or griddle till just golden brown, careful not to burn.
~While the bread slices are browning throw away any left over egg mixture from your baking pan and wipe it out.
~Once your french toast has browned place the slices in the baking dish and finish cooking in the oven for about 10 min.
~The middle of the french toast will finish cooking through and puff slightly.


Serve with maple syrup and butter.