November 7, 2016
This is winter squash season and piles of butternut, acorn, delicata, buttercup and more are piled high on the stands at the markets. I do my share to support local producers and buy a lot of them. They can sit on the counter for a while as part of the kitchen scene, bringing in a seasonal element and beautiful shapes and colour to your home. But of course they are meant to be cooked. The... View Article
November 6, 2013
I hope you are cooking with squashes this fall. Don’t miss the season to use these beautiful and versatile fall vegetables when they are at their best. This season I have been cooking especially with Sweet Dumpling squash. Unlike other varieties, this one is easy to cut: its skin is not as hard as some of the other varieties and your knife will not be permanently jammed into it’s flesh. Sweet dumpling is a lovely... View Article
October 23, 2013
Squashes are in season and make my head spin when I am at the market. So many varieties, colours, shapes and sizes. Needless to say I love them all and pile my kitchen counter with a few of these gorgeous things. What can I do? Vegetables are my “thing”. I get so excited I almost forget the weather is changing and it’s getting cold outside. There are the usual varieties of squashes, like butternut and... View Article
August 2, 2012
Whenever I serve appetizers I try to include crudités (raw vegetables) with dip. Vegetables are so beautiful and can serve as a centrepiece of an appetizer table. They are also nice on the table before dinner, allowing guests to munch on fresh vegetables while waiting for dinner. As a salad they can be very refreshing and make a beautiful salad plate for one or more. Try to use the unexpected. How about raw asparagus, sliced... View Article
July 17, 2012
Spanish in origin, this refreshing chilled soup is lovely in the summer when tomatoes are ripe and sweet and vegetables are crisp and tender. I serve it on hot days and even the skeptics and the less adventurous fall for it every time. Gazpacho is easy to make, there is no cooking involved and the ingredient list is quite flexible. Today I made this with vine riped tomatoes from the local market, small cucumbers, tender... View Article
June 5, 2012
Acorn squash along with other squashes are fall and winter vegetables and I cook with them often as soon as summer is over. I do however like to use squash as a “container” and stuff it with various grains and vegetables and I can do that any time of the year. Being the starch lover that I am, I can never have too much starch (read The Starch Solution by Dr. John McDougall). Acorn squash... View Article
April 13, 2012
This is a delicious but less familiar winter squash. If you haven’t tried it I suggest that you do. It is easy to handle, cook relatively fast because it is smaller and the rind softens as it cooks and becomes an edible part of the squash, unlike any other. For this dish I combine the roasted squash with roasted chestnuts and parsnips. The deep flavours were similar and complimentary. I drizzled over a wonderful little... View Article
April 2, 2012
Squashes are beautiful fall and winter vegetables (see my entry under What’s in Season)and butternut squash is one of my favourites. It has a natural sweetness that is enhance by a bit of brown sugar that softly caramelizes on its flesh. When I roast big chunks of the squash I don’t bother peeling it. The skin cooks and softens as it roasts and is perfectly good to eat. It also provides a nice ribbon that... View Article
