Made with apple-shaped quince that was shredded and slow-cooked, this marmalade is delicious. Quince starts out yellow, with drab flesh that needs to be doused in lemon quickly to avoid browning. It then magically transforms into a beautiful, glistening rose-colored substance. I adapted this recipe from David Lebovitz’s cookbook Ready for Dessert. He in turn [...]
Archive for December, 2010
Quince Marmalade and Quince Jelly
Posted in Preserving, tagged Quince jelly, Quince marmalade on December 31, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Festive Roots: Rutabagas with Pomegranate Seeds and Pink Peppercorns
Posted in Turnips and rutabagas, tagged Rutabagas and pomegranate, Using pink peppercorns on December 31, 2010 | 1 Comment »
At this time of year, I seek out ways to make ordinary food more festive. The other night we had a local organic rutabaga mashed with a little creamy yellow potato and garnished it with crushed pink peppercorns and pomegranate seeds. Pink peppercorns are not related to the black ones we usually use. They are [...]
Dark Days Week 4: Collard Greens Timbale
Posted in Carrots, Dark Days Challenge, Greens, Vegetable gratin, tagged Collards custard, Dark Days Challenge on December 31, 2010 | 2 Comments »
This simple and satisfying supper features sturdy collard greens and stems suspended in a savory custard. The custardy mixture was surrounded by bright orange carrots and served with a salad of local escarole and dill. Unlike the long-stewed collard greens common to Southern cooking, this dish cooks collard stems with onions just until tender and [...]
Orange Marmalade
Posted in Citrus fruit, Preserving, tagged Orange marmalade on December 31, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Making orange marmalade has become a December tradition in our household, getting ready for the holidays and gift giving. While throughout the year, I make jams and other canned concoctions in small batches – sometimes just 2-4 small jars – I go into production mode for the marmalade. This year, I made two dozen 4-ounce [...]
Dark Days Week 3: Chicken Cacciatore with the Last Locals
Posted in Chicken, Dark Days Challenge, Peppers, tagged Chicken cacciatore, Dark Days Challenge on December 29, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
At the end of the fall growing season, right before the first killer frost (which was late this year), we harvest the last of our peppers and tomatoes and collect some from local farm stands, trying to stretch the season as far as possible. Tomatoes are fully ripened from a nutritional point of view when [...]
Farfalle Pasta with Beets and Roasted Oranges
Posted in Beets, Citrus fruit, Pasta, tagged Pasta and beets, Roasted beets and oranges, Roasted oranges on December 29, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Hmmm. Do these really go together? Pasta and beets? My daughter brought me a package of cream and magenta striped farfalle from Italy so beautiful that it’s been sitting in my pantry untouched, preening. The magenta sections were colored with beets, so why not? Come a wintry snowbound day when I was supposed to be [...]
Sautéed Cabbage with Portobello Mushrooms
Posted in Cabbage, Herbs, Mushrooms, tagged Sauteed cabbage with mushrooms and dill on December 25, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Cabbage and mushrooms have a great affinity for each other and I find myself using the combination in various ways. In order to pep up sautéed cabbage, I decided to add a few sautéed mushrooms and turned an ordinary side dish into a tasty concoction. I added a few snips of the last dill of [...]
Pumpkin Risotto with Sauteed Brussels Sprouts
Posted in Cabbage, Pumpkin, Risotto, Winter squash, tagged Pumpkin or squash risotto on December 25, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Right up there with the definition of eternity as “two people and a ham” (or turkey as I remarked last year) is “two people and a pumpkin.” After the pies and breads and soups and stews from a large roasted and pureed cheese pumpkin that I made at Thanksgiving, there was still a cup or [...]
Rice Custard
Posted in Bread pudding, Dessert, tagged Rice custard on December 21, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
On popular demand… of all of the ways to make rice ”pudding,” the one my family likes best is an egg custard with a handful of rice and raisins at the bottom. It’s more like custard with rice than the other way around. Smooth, creamy, aromatic, warm comfort food meant for the days when the [...]
Dark Days Week 2: Stuffed Cabbage and Butternut Squash
Posted in Cabbage, Dark Days Challenge, Pork, Winter squash, tagged Dark Days Challenge, How to cook butternut squash, Local stuffed cabbage on December 12, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Our local ingredients have been great. Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve eaten all kinds of organic greens, root vegetables and brassicas, which have been served simply or transformed into soups, stews, and egg-based dishes. We still have plentiful local organic peppers, and I have a stash of tomatoes from my garden that were [...]
