In the Kitchen-March 10th

Saturday, March 10, 2007 03:51 AM

With the warmer weather upon us I can’t help but get excited about what spring means to a chef and his kitchen.

Being in Prince George and surviving it’s long winter with it’s limited supply of vegetables and certain products that a chef let’s say from down south are accustomed to having at his fingertips, spring is a time of year when my imagination and creativity are at their peak.

There are so many options to work with: vegetables-fresh asparagus, fiddleheads and green beans to mention only a few.

There’s nothingthat says spring to an Italian like lamb. With Easter just around the corner most Europeans will be sourcing out their favorite cut of lamb or if you have a larger family a whole roasted baby lamb.

There is also suckling pig that can be prepared in a variety of ways-my favorite is pork belly braised in cherry beer and served with a farro risotto(farro is an ancient grain from Umbria or Tuscany that has been recently resurrected from near extinction and is a great alternative to a Arborio grain and much more healthy.

Fresh halibut is another great springtime choice and being from the west coast we have the best access to fresh halibut steaks, fillet or cheeks. Another choice is Copper River salmon in Alaska. They have done a great job in marketing and supplying salmon all over North America. The salmon have to store extra oils and fat when they swim upstream so this tends to give them a better flavor (the Copper River is one of Alaska’s longest rivers therefore swimming longer distances and having to store extra fat and oils.)The quality is second to none.

Spring is a time of year when only your imagination can hold you back.

Remember to keep the preparation simple and let the freshness of the product shine through.

Today’s recipe will be lamb chops with fresh asparagus.