Asafoetida

Indian Greens

2 1/2 lb Swiss chard leaves, washed and coarsely chopped. The white stems are optional, if used wash and cut not too big.
1/2 tsp asafetida
1/3 cup olive oil
red chilli and salt to taste

1. Heat the oil in a pan, just medium heat. Add the chilli and asafetida. Cook for a minute.
2. If using the stems, add them now to the pan and cook for two or three minutes.
3. Add the leaves and about 1/2 cup of water. Stir. Cover and let it cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook for another five minutes without the lid to let the water evaporate.
4. Add salt and serve warm.

NOTE - Use ghee or neutral oil for a more authentic Indian flavor. The hot peppers are optional. If using Indian chillies, use 2 or 3, or to taste. The Spanish chillies I keep in my pantry are so hot that a little strip does the trick.

If you are cannot find asafetida, substitute it for two cloves of garlic, peeled and slivered.

SEASONAL EATING- SPRING

Spring is a season of abundance. It is easy to stay focused on fresh options. There is great selection of fresh meat. Vegetables are at their most tender during this season. Many juicy fruits ripen towards the end of the spring.

VEGETABLES

BEST QUALITY: asparagus; artichokes; broad beans; beets; broccoli; cabbage; carrots; cauliflower; chard; kale; leeks; lettuce; mustard and cress; new potatoes; peas; radish; salad greens; spinach; rhubarb; tomato; turnip; watercress. AVAILABLE: avocado; eggplant; French beans; chicory; fennel; mushroom; okra; onions; salsify; zucchini.

FRUIT

BEST QUALITY: pineapple, gooseberries; strawberries, and raspberries. AVAILABLE: apples; bananas; pears; coconuts; lemons; lime; mangoes; medlar; oranges; pawpaw.

MEAT

BEST QUALITY: lamb, choose light cuts; mutton. AVAILABLE: veal and beef; pork.

POULTRY

Chicken and turkey are always available, try white meats such as chicken and turkey breasts; small birds such as Cornish hens, squab. Guinea fowl is still of best quality at the beginning of the season.

GAME

There are doves or pigeons; quail; some kinds of wild duck; rabbit.

FISH

BEST QUALITY: king salmon; northern halibut; sea bass; sole; sardines; brown trout, sea trout or salmon, whitebait. AVAILABLE: mock halibut; pilchard; rainbow trout; sea bream; whiting.

SEAFOOD

BEST QUALITY: scallops; crab; mussels and clams; soft-shelled crabs. AVAILABLE: clams; prawn; shrimp; whelks. At the beginning of the season, there are mussels and oysters

SEASONAL EATING

Daily menus and recipes most suited to every season: light cooking, usually grilling, baking or steaming, in the warmer season; rich sauces, baking or stewing, when it is cold.

There is a list of seasonal food. Best quality indicates the products that are being harvested. Food marked as available is good quality food that can be found all year round, or those products probably not local, but in their harvest season. It is a rough guide, as harvest season may vary due to weather conditions, and the fact that different varieties have a different harvest time has been ignored.

Although most produce can be found all year round in the market, probably through storage or hot house porduction, choosing seasonal products means enjoying the ripest and freshest food at the height of its flavor and nutritional value.

RECIPE OF THE DAY

There is a new section new daily recipes either for breakfast, a recipe for lunch or dinner, new vegetarian recipes, and also low carb or low fat free recipes.

Natural Cooking

Natural cooking makes you feel better. It certainly makes your life simpler. Nevertheless, this is not the only reason why natural cooking is so appreciated; it is also considered one of the healthiest ways to prepare food.

Natural cooks use mainly seasonal fresh ingredients, grown locally. Soups, salads and vegetables appear regularly in the menu. Rice and pasta have a place, combined with flavorful sauces. Fish and meat are used in small quantities. Herbs, spices and other natural condiments provide flavor and aroma.

SEASONAL EATING

Daily menus and recipes most suited to every season: light cooking, usually grilling, baking or steaming, in the warmer season; rich sauces, baking or stewing, when it is cold.

Meal Pattern

Most people follow a pattern with three more substantial meals and two or three small snacks in between. The number of snacks and which meal, lunch or dinner, will be the main one, depends on habits, preferences and lifestyle. Feel free to organize your meals to your convenience. It is more common that one could think to follow a pattern on week days and a different one on the week end.