By Mackensy Lunsford / Photos By Matt Rose
Jason Sellers waxes poetic about spring. He just can’t help himself. As the chef of the Laughing Seed Café in Asheville, he knows that spring brings out the best of the produce around which he bases his creative vegetarian menu, and this in turn brings out the customers. Diners, says Sellers, are eager to cast off the cloak of hearty winter sauces and roasted squash. They crave the lightness of spring and the food that it brings.
“In the springtime, when it’s bright out in the evening, it seems to cast almost a natural light on our food,” he says. “A light pasta with a white wine and garlic sauce is so much more attractive at eight o’clock on a May evening than it is in February.”
Spring means fresh baby vegetables and tender shoots. Spring brings young leaves for lightly dressed salads, early peas and the expectation of the native fruits that are right around the corner. Living in Western North Carolina, ‘tis the season for wild edibles, a fact that Sellers counts as one of his favorite things about springtime. “Sometimes we’re lucky enough to get very early season mushrooms out in the woods,” he says, a gleam of anticipation in his eyes.
What’s more, we can look forward to regional specialties: indigenous Appalachian foods like ramps and paw paw. Such items are enjoying a culinary renaissance these days thanks to the renewed interest in local cuisines and the resurgence of heirloom vegetables and traditional recipes. “Strange stuff comes out of the woodwork around here because North Carolina is so diverse,” notes Sellers. “We’re so lucky to have this extended menu and an extended appetite, both figuratively and literally.”
Unsurprisingly, the longtime vegetarian chef does not stop at foraged local goods to satisfy his craving for springtime treats. The new Laughing Seed Farm put its roots down in Barnardsville this past summer. Despite some problems caused by the irrigation system last year, all is up and running smoothly, and the restaurant staff looks forward to a second year of enjoying the fruits of its labor. The farm enables Sellers to customize his menu based upon what seeds he chooses to sow.
Eating produce culled from local soil—especially produce tended to by the hands of Laughing Seed’s own employees—is a huge plus for patrons. “It really pulls people into the experience,” Sellers says. “It’s great for us because we get to play with the things that we put in the ground and it’s great for people to feel like they’re being taken care of, especially in times like these.”
And Sellers does like to take care of his guests. With the changing of the seasons, he adjusts his cooking techniques to fit what the body needs…or doesn’t. “We try to avoid too much fat,” he says of his warmer-weather cooking. Often, a simple seasoning and minimal cooking will do.
In the spring, says Sellers, “The food sort of has this ambient quality to it, like the air does.” Just as an ideal April day allows us to turn off the heat, throw open the windows and invite the temperate breeze inside, spring food seems naturally perfect, requiring little fuss. This delicious simplicity that spring inspires is what influences Seller’s treatment of the food.
Jason Seller’s recipe for Spring Risotto is light, in accordance with the season, yet filling enough to be a main course. It utilizes the best vegetables that spring has to offer and uses farro in place of the usual Arborio rice. Farro is a whole grain with a firm and chewy texture found most commonly in traditional Italian recipes.
“When people think of grains, they’re either thinking of them from an Asian perspective or that sort of quasi-macrobiotic health-food thing. That term ‘health food’ is still being batted around facetiously, even though there is a growing awareness of diet and better eating.” This recipe shows that whole grains have a place in comfort food, and that “comfort food,” according to Sellers, “has a place in every season.”
Laughing Seed Café, 40 Wall Street, Asheville, 828-252-3445
Farro and Spring Vegetable Risotto
Serves 2
For the grain
Ingredients
>> 2 cups farro
>> 1 tablespoon good-quality olive oil
>> ¼ cup dry white wine
>> 4-6 cups light vegetable stock
>> large pinch of salt
Soak the farro in enough water to cover by 1 inch. Soak overnight, and drain.
Heat the stock in a saucepan over medium heat until it begins to simmer. Heat the olive oil in a second heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat for 1 minute. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the farro and stir it to cover in the oil. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until the grains begin to brown, and then add the wine. Cook for 2 minutes until the wine has cooked away. Add the salt. Using a ladle, add enough hot stock to cover the farro and cook until the stock is absorbed. Repeat, adding just enough stock to cover the farro each time, until the farro is tender but chewy.
The farro should have a slightly gelatinous quality, in which the individual grains are visible but joined by the slightly thickened stock. Remove the farro from the heat and set aside.
For the spring vegetable garnish
Ingredients
>> 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
>> 1 shallot
>> 1 teaspoon minced garlic
>> 2 tablespoons carrot, small dice
>> 1 cup oyster mushrooms or your favorite wild mushrooms, trimmed and cleaned
>> 1 tablespoon diced red bell pepper
>> 2 tablespoons fresh green peas
>> 6 asparagus stalks, bottoms trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
>> ¼ cup white wine
>> 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs, chopped—try dill, parsley, or thyme
>> salt and fresh-cracked black pepper to taste
Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the shallot and garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the carrot and mushrooms and cook for one minute. Add the peas and asparagus and cook for another minute. Stirring or flipping your pan each time ensures that the vegetables are cooked evenly. Add the white wine and herbs, toss and cook until the wine is cooked away. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Stir this mixture directly into farro risotto and serve, or use as vegetable garnish, plating farro first and crowning with spring vegetable mixture. Finish with grated cheese.
