How to Plan a Meal Around Seasonal Ingredients

A winter tomato salad will never be as tasty as a summer one - at least in the northern hemisphere. Adapt your cooking to the seasons by following these guidelines from Annie Somerville, chef at Greens, San Francisco's famed vegetarian restaurant.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Cookbooks

1. Go to a local farmer's market and buy the fruits and vegetables that look so beautiful you can't resist taking them home. Then use your imagination and start cooking.

2. Ask the farmer's market vendors or your grocer for recommendations on what's good, and also for ways of preparing unfamiliar produce.

3. Get ideas for seasonal dishes in cookbooks and cooking magazines, then head to the market with a list in hand.

4. If most winter vegetables, say, are unfamiliar to you, start with simple and familiar ingredients and work from there. Use recipes with a few ingredients, so you can experiment and be comfortable.

5. Keep the following in mind when you're at the local supermarket: If it's expensive, it's probably out of season.

6. Buy produce you can imagine using. There's no need to overwhelm yourself with exotic foods.

Tips & Warnings

• An antipasto platter is one dish that can be easily varied with the seasons. In the summer, use grilled or roasted red and green peppers and eggplant, with some sliced ripe tomatoes and blanched green beans. In the winter, use grilled or roasted carrots, turnips or potatoes. In all seasons, you can use brined artichoke hearts, roasted garlic, mozzarella cheese marinated in a light, flavored olive oil, a bean salad and olives.

on 2/10/2006 Pick up the ad in the front of the store and look to see what is on sale. I have found that these are items that are usually in season and therefore overstocked. Plus you save money!