Is It Spring Yet?
The vernal equinox has come and gone, so technically, yes: spring has arrived. Daylight has stretched its fingertips into the evening, and Seattle is awash in cherry blossoms. But there is technical correctness, and then there is how things actually are, and those two things never seem to align in quite the way we’d like.
In the kitchen, spring is the season we anticipate most. With the northern hemisphere now tilted toward the sun, our expectation for crunchy green vegetables shifts into overdrive. The sky may be brighter, but alas, here in the far north, most of our local bounty lags at least a month behind.
So let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We can’t, really. Seasonal cooking in March and early April is mostly about unearthing the last storage crops from corners of the root cellar. We can lighten up the menu a little, but we still want warm, comforting foods to steel us against the lingering chill. At least we can eat that bowl of soup in the sunlight instead of complete darkness.
If we’re clever, we can still incorporate some green. Leeks are a great option - a green cool season crop! This week we’re doubling down on alliums, serving up tender charred leeks on toast with farmer’s cheese and scallion oil. Mac may or may not have said: “This is the best thing I’ve ever made…or maybe I’m just hungry.” Y’all regulars can let us know.
This time of year is when I feel most like a compressed spring, a sprinter in a box. Frustrated is an apt summation. Just because I’m ready for spring doesn’t mean spring is ready for me. It’s a seasonal reminder of how little control we have over the forces that shape our lives. Let’s call these forces conditions. What can we do while we’re waiting for the right conditions?
Focusing on what I can do helps loosen my unproductive attachment to what I can’t do. For now that means cooking up some lighter takes on the last of our cool season crops. Savor them until we see them again next fall.
We’re glad you’re cooking with us.
Cheers,
Sten and Mac
Chef Snacks
KITCHEN TIP
Get yourself a cake tester. Essentially a long pin, a cake tester is simple and useful. It’s most commonly used for testing the doneness of baked goods (does it come out clean?), but it’s also great for testing the doneness of roasted and boiled vegetables like potatoes (does it meet any resistance when inserted?). A knife will work, but the blade is just a bit too wide for an accurate assessment (and it leaves an obvious hole in your food). Try using a cake tester this week to assess the doneness of your charred leeks.
A cake tester is also the old school way to take steak temperatures (how hot does it get?). Insert into the steak and then touch it to the inside of your wrist. We recommend double checking with a thermometer until you get really good at it.
Reading is another way I prepare for when the conditions are right. Diving into my favorite cookbooks helps convert my misdirected energy to inspiration. For the rest of March, take 15% off any book in our Top Nine Collection. Enter the code BSO15 at checkout. Provided by Bookshop.org.
Shop with our newest affiliate! Chubo Knives is a fantastic online purveyor of Japanese knives and accessories, along with other cooking gear like cutting boards, fish pliers, and Yakumi pans.
