Usually I'd be eating something like this in the dead of winter not the first of Spring. I've been doing my best to enjoy a salad every day, plus, just posted about digging up those Sunchokes, for goodness sake! But it's snowing!! Not a lot, but ...
It's April and finally graced with a nice day which was missing the typical showers. I got excited and took to my garden to harvest the first of my fruits of labour. (Well, some baby carrots were first, but they weren't exactly, you know, edible.) The first things to come from gardens are ...
Dinner, oh dinner. Yeah, this is the big one. It's also the one that by experience has proven that planning ahead, pop it in the oven kind of dinners are waaaay more enjoyable than missing out on events while slaving away in the kitchen. Plus, ...
Of course with a long weekend ahead I would be lost without a handy potato salad recipe, so here it is. I'm sure not too many of you miss the heavy mayo laden with egg and celery version but not to fret, I'm sure it will still ...
I wouldn't go so far as to label myself a hippie or anything. Although I do enjoy a good amount of Canned Heat, I'm just not old enough. What I could call myself is frugal. I grew up with granola in the house but ...
It's unseasonably warm but damp today. Crazily enough, once winter takes it's hold, at least for me, I just wish it would put us into it's full throws. Cold, crisp, freeze your the inside of your nose, crunchy snow kind of winter. I find it a little easier warming up from the cold rather than the damp which is why today, I needed a little extra help. Quick, satisfying, revive you to your toes help, like potato leek soup. Potato leek is virtually the premise for most vegan "cream" soups, which is what makes it so perfect. The simplicity leaves for the attention to details like the perfect potato, consistency, herb combination and finishing drizzles of infused oils and the like. It's a free pallet that's open for individual taste, but no matter what your preference, the satisfaction is all there. I choose to keep my soup fairly au natural as possible then jazzing it up with some little bite sized Walnut Rosemary and Kalamata Madeleines. Mmmm savoury and delicious.
I love latkes. It's almost bad, how much I like latkes. A holiday tradition usually brings sharing and that might be my biggest problem. To date the best solution I've had is to make them smaller so I have more. That way it takes me a little longer to eat them and gives others a chance to snag one. Usually served on their own with a choice of apple sauce or sour cream on the side, I wanted to offer something with them to dress them up, especially when served as an appetizer. Slathered on a plate, I like the sour cream option, but there's something about the salty grease that goes so well with a little tartness. For platter passing, otherwise known as sharing, I conjured up my own applish sauce, just a little fancier for the Hoildays. I added the glimmer of pomegranate to quince to make this tart and spicy relish. It was pretty good. I ate the whole plate. ... But after I was done, I thought I might just make another batch, maybe even double it - to share. The relish in a little jar tied with a red bow, might just make a pretty sweet hostess gift.
Stuffing is easily the highlight of most Holiday dinners. It's what turns Sunday dinner in to a Holiday feast and there are about the same amount of people who eat it that there are ways of making it. Here, I've combined a few of my favourites with a little seasonal flare, creating something scrumptious, festive and memorable. What would be lovely on it's own, shuffled up beside stewed cranberries, I originally thought I would stuff red onions. Upon a quick search, I found that the beautiful site, Smitten Kitchen had already done just that but with much different stuffing. Having a surplus of onions and one lonely pumpkin still left from Halloween, I decided to march forward and give you all one more pumpkin dish. Naturally the stuffing can be baked up on it's own, or in any other found cavity, but I really liked the moisture and the sweetness of this little pie pumpkin. It really complemented the dried persimmons and roasted chestnuts headlining the dressing. ...And I still had a little left over for a few onions after all. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Thank you for all your kind words and encouragement. Enjoy the day, your friends, family and your dinner.
Had enough of this pumpkin business yet? Thought not, so, just you wait.
Upon returning from vacation I couldn't help but notice one of my pumpkins from my collection. The skin of my Marina Di Chioggia had turned much darker than its original green and although I don't know a whole heck of a lot about pumpkins and their various shades green, I do know that my prized Marina Di Chioggia is one of the most delectable of all the gourd breeds. From the coasts near Venice, love is in the air for the pumpkin aptly nicknamed "Deliziosa". The hard, green shell of this heirloom pumpkin may be a pain to peel, or even get into for that matter, but it's sweet, subtle flavour and silky flesh certainly make it worth it. To claim victory over the tough to surrender peel, just make one cut around to get in and clean out the seeds, then simply roast the pumpkin in a short depth of water for about 90 minutes at 350ºF. Of all the heirlooms gathered from the patch this season, the glorious Marina Di Chioggia is perfect for just about any recipe. It's sweet yet delicate and can hold it's own beautifully in pies, pasta and of course, gnocchi. Perpetually intimidated by making gnocchi, with or without eggs, I found that this pumpkin is a great addition to the delightful dumplings. Typically worried about them being gummy and dense or at worst, falling apart in the cooking water, I found nothing of the sort. The dough was quite soft, so depending on the extent of draining you do, climate you live in and any other moisture factors, you may have to adjust the amount of flour to create a workable dough. ...And with a terrific yield, everyone can look forward to a few great pumpkin recipes to add to autumn and holiday collection.
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