Surviving Winter in New England—From Farm to Table
Photos by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty
Well, folks, the long winter is here. But we’re New Englanders, right? We can handle this.
True—but for this hungry soul, I still need help getting through these cold winter days and nights. As an East-, West- and East-Coast-again transplant, I need something to keep the winter blues away. The snow is beautiful and outdoor activities are fun (except for the shoveling), but it’s the food that keeps me going until spring.
A little backstory: Growing up in New Jersey, surrounded by farms, you would think I’d have had an early education on all sorts of fresh vegetables. And I did, sort of. Except the only vegetables allowed in our house were from a farm called... What was it? Oh, yeah—Bird’s Eye. The one real farm that we did go to was just for ice cream (and cow tipping, but that’s a story for another day). My house had the only full standing freezer in the neighborhood, filled with bags of lima beans and creamed onions and even some “specialty” items from the nearby shop that sold damaged and unlabeled airline food on the cheap. (There were some winners from that shop, of course, but the unlabeled ones were a real gamble; to this day I still shiver when I think of Pineapple Chicken Surprise.) Even so, I will always be grateful to my mom for getting dinner on the table for us, every day.
I’ve come a long way since then and consider myself so fortunate to have cooked on New England farms for the last 20 years. My appreciation for small family farms and what they can offer year-round has driven me to look at every ingredient with the utmost respect, especially with so many farms now growing and storing winter crops. Case in point: celery root, or celeriac. This relative of celery is grown for its root, not its stalks. Celeriac is sometimes served raw in salads with apples, or roasted with other roots as a side dish. My first experience with it was when I worked at one of the best restaurants in L.A.: puréed into a sauce with black truffles with duck, and made into waffles to pair with Scottish venison. I was hooked and I’m hoping you will be as well.
My Celery Root Soup with Fennel and Apples brings together a trio of flavors that go so well together. One of my favorite sayings is “if it grows together, it goes together,” meaning seasonal foods make for natural pairings. Peeling celeriac can be difficult: Use a knife so you don’t break your peeler. And while some of you might be apprehensive about anisey fennel, a good braise will mellow it out; it becomes so tender and sweet that sometimes I even add it to mashed potatoes. Sunny Crest Orchards, a local favorite in Sterling, has a wide and delicious variety of apples that I want to use in everything, and this soup is one of my favorite ways to incorporate sweet juicy apples into savory cooking.
Braised Pear Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette shines with another local flavor, and one that might surprise you. First, I swapped out the typical red wine for poaching the pears and went with pomegranate juice instead. The sweet-tart contrast is one that I enjoy a lot. So what is the surprise local ingredient, you may ask? Ginger, grown here, even in our stubborn climate. Only a few farms grow it (Volante included), so look for it in the fall and make your own candied ginger. Store-bought will do just fine; I put my homemade candied ginger in my cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving, too—a real treat. The different flavors and textures in this salad really stand out and are a great way to start a meal.
Local Wheat Berry Salad with Beets, Kale and Roasted Apple Vinaigrette is so hearty that it can be a meal all on its own. I got a late start cooking with whole grains. The only one I knew of growing up was instant Uncle Ben’s. But thanks to the wonderful folks at Four Star Farms in Northfield, I’m hooked. And you’d be hard pressed to find a bigger fan of beautiful beets than me. Roasting them really brings out their flavor and concentrates the sweetness. It helps to balance out the bitter edge of one of my other favorite vegetables: kale. Its trendiness has waned now and it’s back to being the hardest-working green of all. Local blue cheese and not-so-local salted Marcona almonds add pleasant surprises to every bite, while the roasted apple vinaigrette anchors this salad and I bet you’ll make it more than once.
Spiced Yogurt Chicken with Crunchy Winter Slaw takes us in a whole different direction. This fresh and vibrant dish lends itself to another favorite saying: “Globally influenced, locally made.” The flavors and techniques of Indian cooking influence this dish, and some local ingredients bring it home. Garam masala is my favorite spice blend, warming without being spicy, and it permeates this light but satisfying dish. It’s easy to find at the market but also simple to make on your own. The crunchy winter slaw’s star ingredient is kohlrabi. You can find this underdog vegetable in the winter, with its mellow flavor of apple crossed with turnip. I also use it in soups and stews. Thinly sliced Napa cabbage and the rest of this crunchy bunch will have you coming back for more.
Braised Chicken Legs with Winter Vegetables could be on my dinner table every week of winter if my family allowed it. With a short list of ingredients, it’s the technique that makes this recipe a real gem. Searing the chicken and caramelizing the vegetables in batches is the most work you will have to do; a short stovetop braise cooks it through. Parsnips are readily available in the spring, fall and winter here, and as with many root vegetables, the first frost turns their starches into sugar, intensifying their flavor. Lowly rutabaga has always had to shake off its reputation as an Old-World, stodgy, overcooked thing to avoid. But as with many foods, eating it prepared the wrong way can scar you for years; you may have a new respect for the rutabaga after you prepare it like this. Kale makes another appearance here to dazzle with its rich, deep color and flavor. I can almost smell it simmering now….
So I hope you try these dishes to satisfy your hungry soul this winter. Be inspired by what is available in New England’s winter months and don’t be intimidated by different ingredients. You are sharing part of you with everything you cook, whether it’s for yourself, for your family, for your friends—even if it’s just boxed mac and cheese (another winter staple at my house). Recipes are meant to inspire, to be the starting point on a cooking adventure. Try them once, then play around with methods or ingredients to make each dish your own. The most important part is to be creative, to have fun and let loose!
And before too long, spring—and the promise of a fresh new harvest from this magnificent region—will be here.
This story appeared in the Winter 2023 issue.
