Stay seasonal all year long

If you are a fiend of seasonal foods, this late-winter, not-quite spring time is tough. Locally stored roots crops are running low and the long winter storage is beginning to take its toll on quality. Spring is obviously not ready to deal us fresh bits from the ground. What to do? We can all waltz off to the grocery store and come up with some interesting exotic things to ponder, but I like to at least start with the basics. So, more often than not, I find myself turning to old-fashioned comfort food this time of year.

Stews, pot pies, meats roasted with vegetables (or without, depending on your preference), cakes from the oven, a little home-made ice cream, yummy rice dishes and lots of bread.

Simple is always better, especially when fresh, local ingredients are on the low side of available.

A year ago, I offered this menu at the restaurant. It is simple, delicious and attractive. Valley Carrot Bread, Roots & Clucks and Mixed Rice with Herbs.

• Valley Carrot Bread is a customer favorite and one of our favorites to make. It is rich and tastes slightly like a vegetable, with an outstanding golden hue. You can always pick up a loaf from us, but why not make your own? In its most basic form, substitute an equal part of medium-thick, raw carrot puree for any moisture in the bread and use a tad less flour than you normally would. It’s that simple. Carrot bread has an amazing rise, so be prepared for lots of lift and wonderful results. We make ours out of organic whole-wheat flour and a bit of unbleached organic white flour.

• Roots & Clucks is a great way to show off late-winter root crops.

Start the chicken the night before. Cut into nice-sized chunks that will fit comfortably on a skewer. Put in a big bowl with the following marinade mixture and leave overnight in the refrigerator:

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup honey

1 cup crushed berries, taken from the freezer and thawed. I like to use wild Alaska varieties such as raspberries, Saskatoons or blueberries.

1 teaspoon crushed red peppers

1/4 cup ground coconut

1 cup strong red wine

Salt

Pepper

For vegetables, use whatever you have; carrots, beets, rutabagas. I would not recommend potatoes since you are going to serve this with the herbed rice. Peel vegetables and cut into chunks big enough to skewer, roll in light olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in a 450-degree oven until half-cooked. Remove and set aside. This won’t take very long so don’t wander off.

Assemble skewers by starting with meat, alternating meat and veggie. End with a meat as well, if you can. You can make these as large or as small as you want. Made big, they are a meal, as in this case. Made in small pieces, on small skewers, they are appetizers or a savory supplement to a soup or salad serving.

Once assembled, place on a flat baking sheet, drizzle with some of the marinate and broil under a hot flame — around 500 degrees — for about 3-4 minutes, until meat is just done. If these are overcooked, they are tough and nasty. If done correctly, the meat is soft and tender and the veggies still slightly crisp. They should look fairly dark, but not burnt.

Mixed Rice with Herbs

Begin by cooking three colors of rice separately and setting aside to cool. I like to use organic rice in brown, red and black. There are various type that fill these needs, but looking in the store should yield three colors that you could purchase. This requires well-done, but not sticky rice. Do not cook rice colors together. They will bleed into an unpleasant homogenous grayish color and become most unappetizing.

For each cup of rice in your final presentation, you will need 1 teaspoon minced or finely chopped fresh herbs. Do not use dried herbs. I like to use equal parts rosemary, thyme (any variety is fine), basil and oregano as well as a little fresh bay, and a bit of dill. I often throw in many other fresh herbs I may have on hand such as lavender, nasturtium, calendulas, fresh mint, and so forth. The combinations are only limited by the flavors you wish to produce and the herbs you have on hand. There is a trio that I do not like in this dish: marjoram, savory and tarragon.

Put all rice together in a large bowl with extra room for mixing. Add herbs and a very generous amount of salt, coarse ground black pepper and 1/4 cup of finely cut green onions per each cup of rice. Mix well. Do not over mix or you will needlessly soften the rice.

Herbed Rice can be eaten cold, as a salad, or heated.