This has been such a long January. And it only just started. I am restarting my restart for the second time! And the weather is not cooperating. Rain and cold and the long days seem endless. Everything would be better with a rich, hearty bowl of soup. Except I am trying to recover from the wonderful joyous eating of the holidays which was just topped off with a week of eating mindlessly as we dealt with the emotional loss of my daughters’ grandmother. So “rich and hearty” is out of the question. Fortunately, there are vegetables which can be cooked and pureed in broth which will create ...
Main Courses
January reset, reset. Crab Cakes with Mango Salsa
I don't know that I would like someone who went all the way through December without really overindulging, ending up in January as trim and fit as that person went in! I have tried but is it worth it? I don't know. Most of us look to January as a month of beginnings. A new diet, exercise, resolutions, they all surface in some form or other in January. I have never really looked at it as a month of beginning so much as a month of returning to the good habits I willingly and happily threw aside in the past year's end. So here I am, one day into eating better, with ...
BRAISING MEAT: LAMB SHANKS TO DIE FOR
Did you ever make a meal that was pick-up-your-plate-and-lick-it good? One that was a slam-dunk to serve for dinner? Would you like to? Come with me to my kitchen…We are slowing cooking Lamb Shanks for a tender and savory meat with a rich red wine infused gravy. A little known fact about Asheville is that we have a good sized Greek population. The first Greek arrived here in 1900 and opened a restaurant. He was swiftly joined by others and in 1920 the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church was established to serve the Greek Orthodox population of Asheville. Every year the church holds a ...
FRESH MARINARA SAUCE, OR NOT.
Fresh tomatoes are paired with carrots, onions and garlic with a hint of Vermouth in this easy to make Marinara Sauce. The sky is a brilliant blue and the leaves are vibrant reds and yellows. The final tomato harvest has taken place and my raised beds have been covered with mulch for the winter. The job of cleaning out last winter’s ash and dirt from my fireplace has finally been completed (yes, I procrastinated on that all summer long) and tonight’s freeze warning seems like a good reason to start this year’s wood burning season. The seasons are so much fun and autumn’s ...
FROM PIG TO PLATE: PORK LOIN WITH HORSERADISH CREME FRAICHE, SAUTEED APPLES AND A RICH DEMI-GLACE SAUCE
Pork Loin is slow cooked then served with a fresh horseradish cream, butter-sauteed apples and a rich demi-glace sauce in this blog post which takes us from the butchering of the pig to the final dish on a plate. Did you ever learn something that changed the way you saw the world? It's that moment when something you knew intellectually becomes something you fully understand and can use. One of those moments came for me last week when I went to a whole hog butchery demonstration at Hickory Nut Gap Farm. (Quick disclaimer: this post relates the life the animal lived to the way the meat we eat ...
I LOVE FALL: APPLE AND SAUSAGE STUFFED ACORN SQUASH WITH BACON
Acorn squash is roasted then stuffed with an apple, onion and sausage mixture. It is finished with a layer of bacon and cooked until the bacon is crispy. Once removed from the oven, the bacon is brushed with maple syrup for a satisfying Fall dinner. I love September. I love the clear blue skies, the gradually cooling nights, the lingering touches of Summer, and most of all I love the food. Even when I lived in the tropics, September turned my mind to comfort food. Melted cheese, soups, winter squash and stews. Now that I am home in North Carolina, I am free to indulge in all things ...
SHEET PAN CHICKEN WITH FIGS
Chicken and Figs go together with a Simple Rub of Rosemary and Lemon Zest for an easy-to-make Dinner August is the Sunday of Summer. Like Sunday, it is bittersweet. There is still time for fun outside and summer eating but the quality of the light and lengthening shadows speak of Fall which will soon be upon us. Even the colors of August remind me of the coming cool weather. Gone are the vibrant reds, yellows and pinks of summer peaches and berries. The color of August is purple. Purple eggplant, blackberries, blueberries, plums and, one of my favorites, figs! Someday in the future, ...
Tomato Tarts: Summer on a Plate
This has been a wonderful summer. And now it is the middle of August. The mornings are getting cooler and the sun rises later. In the evening the light has a golden tinge which signals the coming Autumn. An even surer sign of summer's end is the sound of children waiting for the school bus. Their laughter is such a pleasant sound to wake to although I am sure they would rather not be headed back! My tomato plants are sagging under the weight of ripening red orbs and I have eaten tomato sandwiches for lunch and dinner with an undiminished joy. But, as the summer harvest continues, even ...
ZUCCHINI AND FETA GALETTE WITH FRESH THYME
I drove back up the mountains the other night, returning from Charlotte, the airport and another trip. The sky was clear, the light just fading and lightening flashed in the distance. I smelt the clean air and watched the temperature drop and I was happy to be home. Home means my town, my house, my cat, my friends, and my garden. And this year that garden is not going to get away from me! Weeds are not going to take over. Tomatoes will not spread recklessly everywhere, and zucchini will fight back against mold and bugs. In return the garden is gifting me with quantities of produce ...
ZUCCHINI, TOMATO AND MOZZARELLA BAKE
Zucchini “Bake”—it’s such an inadequate and clunky term for delicious layers of squash, fresh tomatoes, and lovely gooey melted cheese flavored with olive oil and salt and just a touch of balsamic vinegar. There has to be a better word! Summer is in full swing and my garden is working overtime producing fresh tomatoes and zucchini. SOOOO much zucchini! I am still at the beginning of my zucchini craze which is when I happily eat it sautéed, in salads and roasted. Shortly the glut will become overwhelming and I will need to resort to other cooking methods (along with a box on the ...
