Between Seasons
Includes recipes for Spinach and Wild Garlic Cream Sauce, Nori-Scented Pickled Salsify, and Potato Gnocchi.
March 8, 7:45 am. I hesitated before walking into the long morning shadows that clung to the frosty grass; my sweatshirt suddenly felt insufficient to ward off the icy morning air. I was heading toward the forest edge, lined with blossoming hazelnut and beech trees. I was searching for signs of spring, even as I glimpsed at the snow-covered majestic Alps defining the horizon above and beyond the treetops.
The morning hum of distant traffic abruptly ended when interrupted by a noisy kyü-kyü-kyück sound – the striking call of a green woodpecker searching for a mate. Seconds later, I heard splashing sounds of feet running across the water from the lake just behind me. Four frisky – even aggressive – coots felt the encroaching spring and broke into a brawl over mates or nesting territory...or maybe because coots like to fight. Witnessing this bird version of a professional wrestling match was captivating and amusing.
I turned and continued walking toward the trees. The shadows receded quickly now, as the sun moved higher into the blue sky. There...just under the trees to the left, I could see the green emerging from the bed of dried leaves. Wild garlic – an unmistakable sign of spring – transformed the forest floor from decay to new growth. I was struck by the overwhelming fecundity of nature’s renewal.
Without warning, a cold breeze whipped through my sweatshirt – a chilling reminder that winter didn’t feel like giving up.
This back and forth between seasons – winter’s lingering chill and spring’s insistent emergence – creates a paradox that mirrors what’s happening in my kitchen. My pantry remains filled with vegetables harvested months ago. The dark and cool cellar prolongs the culinary life of potatoes by staving off inevitable sprouting—the same with my onions, garlic, and foot-long roots of salsify.
The emergence of a new season usually stimulates cravings for fresh new products, but I’m also keenly aware that storage time sprinkles a bit of magic dust on leftover ingredients. Starch-rich potatoes transform into gnocchi that are so light that I believe they might float away in the rising steam when I poach them. Onions and garlic explode with aggressive sweet and fiery notes – they require a delicate touch and open up a new world of flavors and textures to play around with. Woody salsify, still filled with numbing sap, caramelize beautifully in a hot oven or on the grill; their taste is reminiscent of water chestnuts. When pickled, late-season salsify adorns a spring salad perfectly, offering another layer of contrasting flavors to bitter dandelion greens and a few segments of blood oranges.
This intersection of seasons is where I find the most creative inspiration. Discovering blankets of wild garlic amongst bursting buds, nesting birds, and the constant hum of new life represents everything I love about this microseason. The fragile, transient nature of the world surrounding me at that moment made me feel alive and part of the universal rhythm of life. My head fills with ideas of how I can bring a few young leaves of wild garlic to the table in my chef’s way of preserving this magical context.
For those embracing a holistic lifestyle with nature, as I do, these seasonal transitions bring me particular joy. The pure expressions of vegetables, herbs, and all of that wild stuff growing under the spring sun take center stage. The punch of new flavors, like that of wild garlic, against the comforting earthiness of last year’s potatoes creates a unique harmony that feels both nostalgic and fresh – exactly like those early March mornings that can’t decide which calendar season they belong to.
Spinach and Wild Garlic Cream Sauce
This simple sauce has an eye-popping, vibrant green color. The key is to heat the sauce slowly, then cool it as rapidly as possible – perhaps over a bowl of ice. The flavors are big and bold. They marry perfectly with potato gnocchi, tubular pasta, and roasted salsify...bridging the seasons between winter and spring.
Nori-Scented Pickled Salsify
Pickled salsify is a marvelous addition to a seasonal salad or served on toast with mushrooms. The nori sheet adds a slight suggestion of seaside flavor to the crunchy pickled sensation of the salsify, which still preserves much of its flavor character.
Much of the preparation can be completed in advance...even up to a day early. Leftover pickled salsify pieces can be kept in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Potato Gnocchi
I first ate potato gnocchi during a trip to Liguria years ago – long before I became a professional chef. These gnocchi set a high standard in my mind. They were exceptionally light, tasted like potato, and held enough sauce on each gnocchi to form a delicious tandem.
What defines a season?
What’s a season, anyway? Winter, spring, summer, and autumn don’t adequately reflect what’s truly happening in the fields. In the plant world, development occurs rapidly and is not always aligned with a date on the calendar – it’s more like a series of microseasons dependent on climate, soil, and nature’s own timetable.
What do you think about seasons? Is it a consideration when you set out to make a meal in your kitchen or visit a restaurant?
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Nori Scented Pickled Salsify!!! I'm currently in a tsukemono phase and I am going to try this. Such a great idea!
What a glorious recipe. Spring is not quite here in my corner of the globe. I have saved this recipe as I will be making it as soon as the wild garlic makes an appearance. That vibrant green is beckoning, and sings the new beginnings of spring.