Ehhhh…What's Up, Doc?

Recent immigrants to the Northwest have a hard time getting used to our mostly sunless, rainy winter months. You know it's been particularly dreary when the natives start looking wan and defeated. But I was actually cheered to read that I'm not the only one feeling uncharacteristically cranky about the weather, as contributor Jim Dixon of RealGoodFood relates below.

Any Spring-like feeling I might’ve had last week vanished with the return of the cold and gray. I’ve lived in western Oregon my entire life, and you’d think by now I’d know better. Oh, we’ll have sunny days and even some really warm weather that seems summery. But it’ll be July, if we’re lucky, before we really dry out.

So it’s only fitting that any thoughts of tender, verdant vegetables fresh from the earth are dashed, and we return to the staples of the cold months, the hardy keepers, both local and trucked in from afar, that nourish us during the damp, featureless winter.

Carrots with Anise

Peel a lot of carrots (these taste really good, and you’ll eat more than you think you might). Leave them whole, split, or cut into coins; it’s your choice. Combine in a shallow pan with a good lid with a splash of water, equal amount of Katz Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc vinegar [a good wine vinegar or white balsamic works well, too. - KAB], some extra virgin olive oil, a few cloves of chopped garlic, and a generous pinch of anise seed. Heat gently to a simmer, cover, and cook until the carrots are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the cover or at least set it ajar and cook a bit more, increasing the heat if necessary, until the liquid has been reduced to just the oil. Eat hot.