Fine-dining chefs reveal why we should be eating fresh in the new year
After all the indulgence and luxury of festive food, many of us look to improve our nutrition in the new year by choosing to cook with fresh produce.
Chefs from five-star hotel The Grand, York, reveal why eating seasonally is one of the best ways to make the most of fresh produce and the benefits it can bring.
Seasonal produce has better flavours
Ahmed Abdalla, Head Chef at Legacy says, “Eating seasonally means that you get fruit and vegetables at their peak, when they’re meant to be eaten, strawberries for example are unbelievable when they’re picked in season and more bland the rest of the time.
In January I like to make the most of beautiful root vegetables, such as celeriac, beetroot, carrot and winter squash to make nourishing and hearty meals. Now is also the perfect time to use fruits and vegetables that were harvested earlier in the year. For example, incorporating some acidity to a beetroot salad, using strawberries that were preserved in their own juices to create vinegar dressing. This really lifts the dish and helps to counteract the dullness that is often associated with this time of year!”
Seasonal produce is good for your body and the planet
“The biggest draw for me now of eating seasonally is sustainability, it tastes better and is better for the planet if we eat local produce when it is in season,” Ahmed explains.
“We produce some amazing fruits and vegetables here in the UK that are vibrant, tasty and so good for you – hit the farm shops and buy the produce that hasn’t travelled; it’s night and day flavour-wise.
Whilst the choice is vast in a supermarket you lose the sense of seasons as you can buy everything year-round which is not how it should be. Enjoy the juicy sweet strawberries in summer, get the fire on and enjoy the hardier greens like Kale in autumn and, if you’re really on it, start fermenting and preserving the bountiful produce we have in spring and summer so that you can enjoy it in winter.”
Seasonal produce is versatile
Kevin Bonello, Executive Head Chef at Legacy says, “For me, celeriac is a star seasonal ingredient. As a vegetable, it is very versatile and has an interesting flavour profile which changes depending on how it’s cooked. It can be used in many ways, such as soups, sauces, roasted, fermented, pickled, marinated and many more and is particularly flavourful in January.
One of my favourite celeriac dishes to cook, which uses every part of the vegetable, is ‘Fermented celeriac ‘nosotto’. The dish is a kind of risotto but instead of using rice, it uses diced celeriac. There are so many options for the vegetable – you can even make tuille out of celeriac!”
Celeriac Tuille Recipe
Ingredients
- 200g celeriac (dry cooked)
- 200g egg white
- 200g melted butter
- 170g icing sugar
- 130g grated parmesan
- 140g flour
- 6g salt
- Dry celeriac powder
Method
1. Mix all ingredients, except the dry celeriac powder, together in a blender until smooth. Chill overnight
2. Spread the mixture on desired mould, dust with celeriac powder and bake in the oven at 150 degrees for 8 minutes until golden brown.
3. Once crispy, remove the tuilles from the oven and cool. Store in an airtight container until use.
Ahmed concludes, “Seasonality should dictate the menu! There’s nothing better than enjoying something for several weeks whilst it is at its best, putting it on every menu possible and then when it’s gone it’s gone! We miss it for the rest of the year and then we get excited again when it comes back around.”