Archive for December, 2008
Honey-Ginger Carrot & Parsnip Latkes
Today is a special day for me. It was four years ago that D and I went on our first date. And what a first date it was. It started with a long stroll through the Philadelphia Museum of Art where we sat by the monastery courtyard fountain and he took my hand for the first time. Then we had a late lunch at More Than Just Ice Cream on Pine Street. He had the guacamole; I had the grilled cheese with tomatoes; and we both agreed that water is the only drink we ever order out. We shared an enormous slice of the house special: apple pie al la mode.
And because we were having so much fun already during that first encounter, we decided to catch a movie too. Does anyone remember that indie film Closer, the one with Damien Rice’s haunting melodies? While it was an interesting flick with a great soundtrack, it was most definitely NOT first date material, seeing as how it’s all about deception among couples. But somehow we made it through that and went on to have many more dates and here, 1460 days later, we’re celebrating another anniversary.
Sadly, we didn’t get to spend most of our special day together as he had a class to attend. But I decided to make something nice for a light bite when he got home. A recipe I spied in Eat Feed Autumn Winter (still equally in love with this book too) for Honey-Ginger Carrot Parsnip Latkes seemed like just the ticket. D was raised in a Jewish household and still has a soft spot for many of the traditional dishes he ate as a kid.
Fatal Attraction
I like to think it was fate that brought me to today’s recipe. One those chance encounters that really changes your perspective on life experiences. As it was, I’d always been a fan of creamy coleslaw but never really a fan of cabbage. I know there are legions of devotees to such standards as cabbage soups and sauerkraut. But, hey, I just don’t particularly like the taste of cabbage, okay? The only reason I like the creamy-style coleslaw you get at every truck stop and road-side diner is because it masks the flavor of the cabbage while still providing a good bit of crunch.
With that background info in mind, I wasn’t really looking for a new cabbage recipe. But during my last stint at the Headhouse Market around Thanksgiving, a customer practically came running over to our table when she spied the heads of crinkly-leafed Savoy cabbage we had. (Yes, that’s “savoy”, not “savory” for anyone wondering if I forgot the “r”.) Granted, these are the prettiest members of the Brassicaceae family of crops and worth some attention. But this customer was so very enthusiastic about them that I had to ask what her plans were for the two heads she bought. Turns out the NY Times had just printed a recipe for Savoy Cabbage Slaw With Applesauce Vinaigrette that she was dying to try.
Being the diligent customer service representative that I am, I made a mental note to go home and find the recipe so I could be familiar with it and recommend it to future customers if it proved worthy. After reading off the list of ingredients, my own curiosity was piqued so much that I decided to give the recipe a try with the small head of Savoy I’d brought home with me.
Holy molly, boy was I wrong about cabbage! Or, perhaps to be fair, up until this recipe I hadn’t known how to highlight its strengths. The fruity vinaigrette and the nutty walnuts along with the zing of the radishes all harmonize with – but do not mask – the cabbage’s flavor. I’m also certain using Savoy in this recipe is critical to its success since this variety of cabbage is not as poignantly “cabbagy”, and its texture is crisper than some of the standard heads (which I sometimes find almost rubbery).
Rhubarb & Port Risotto
I’m about to do two things: pull out my thesaurus and dust off a rather old draft that’s been waiting for its fifteen seconds of SFTF fame for quite awhile. Alrighty, now let’s skim this tattered thesaurus and find all the possible synonyms for “decadent”. Whoa! I’m not crazy, right? Decadent, as applied to food at least, is a good thing, isn’t it? My thesaurus has words like “corrupt”, “degenerate”, “dissolute”, and “self-indulgent”.
Huh.
Well, I guess “self-indulgent” isn’t too far off the mark as a descriptive for this Rhubarb and Port Risotto. But maybe I should just stick with “decadent” and not try to stretch my vocabulary any more. As recently as this past August I made my very first risotto and only had one small regret: it was steamy hot summer. Risottos are definitely a dish for cold days.
Rhubarb’s gorgeous red hue always inspires me, as does its tangy fruity flavor. I got my last bunch of it when the chill of autumn had set in and risotto had come back to the forefront of my mind. How beautiful would a creamy risotto infused with the pink blush of rhubarb look? This beautiful, of course.
Lucky for me, I didn’t have to dream up the recipe from scratch. My lovely food blogger acquaintance, Mohini, over at Mango Power Girl, had already come up with a solid recipe that also included Port wine, my favorite spirit. The flavors of rhubarb and port mingled together are rich and robust with just enough zip to cut the sweet creaminess of the rice before it becomes overpowering.
Creamy Cauliflower Garlic Soup
The mercury has taken a decidedly sharp turn downward and soup season, at least here in Pennsylvania, is in full swing. I hadn’t made a big pot of soup since…um, let’s see…filing through the archives…ah, there! Well, August wasn’t so long ago. But before that, the last batch was made in January. It’s high time to start stirring the pot again, don’t you think?
I’ll start off this winter’s soup making with a recipe I’d clipped years ago (2004 to be exact) and, frankly, forgot. You’d better believe I won’t be forgetting this Creamy Cauliflower-Garlic Soup again. Ever. It is so simple to make, and yet it’s outright luxurious, like a fuzzy white bathrobe that engulfs you after a long hot soak in the tub. Who knew cauliflower could be so dynamic?
I have to shamefully confess that I had this soup prepared and all eaten a couple weeks ago. I hate when my archives get backed up so I’m not posting the day after trying a recipe. But this log jam in the drafts is auspicious in a few ways. First, I can tell you that even now, several days and outstanding new recipes later, this soup still makes me drool. Second, I can say with complete confidence that the leftovers are equally delicious and keep for several days in the fridge.
So, go ahead! Snuggle up with a bowl of this creamy wintry-white soup full of robust garlicky flavor. You should still be able to find some local cauliflower at a farmers market or stand. As for me, I happen to stash away a few bags of prepped florets in my freezer so I can make more soup as the flurries fly. If you can get the extras, I’d recommend blanching it for two minutes and flash freezing it on a tray before bagging it up for future use.
Last One…for Now
I was looking at the top shelf of my cupboard just a minute ago and shaking my head in partial disbelief and partial smugness. On that top shelf is the oddest assortment of small batch jams and jellies I’ve ever had to date. This growing season kept affording me opportunities to make these preserves that were just too good to pass up, and yet, now, I’m a bit shocked at what I have. Pity the fool that wishes to have something so commonplace as raspberry or grape jelly at my house.
Still, all the recipes I tried and fiddled with this year for preserves proved very successful; thus my teeny bit of smugness. I have Ground Cherry Chamomile Jam, Apple Rhubarb Jam…and now Spiced Fig and Pear Preserves (jam really, but “preserves” sounded fancier). Originally, I really wanted to try the recipe my Portuguese pen pal sent me (thank you, A!), but alas my fig supply was severely dwindling by the time I got around to this jam-making session. I mulled it over and realized I had a lot of pears I’d plucked from the ancient pear tree at my childhood home. Thinking they would mingle well with the figs, I chopped them up and threw them in to bulk up my fruit pulp for this preserves project.
This is the part where I have to take a moment to sing the praises of Elise at Simply Recipes. She always has just the thing to guide my culinary experiments. If I’ve dreamed it up, chances are Elise did too and already tried it so I can learn from her experiences. Not only did she have a recipe for a fig-comingled-with-another-fruit preserve, but she also used the microwave and made jam-making the simplest venture in the world so even newbie cooks can fearlessly tackle their abundance of fruit and force it into jellied submission. Hurrah for microwave jams!*
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