Our Christmas dinner was German-themed: roasted pork, potato dumplings, pickled vegetable salad and braised cabbage and apples – a pretty amazing meal that was kicked off with an afternoon noshing of flammkuchen that my sister Holley made. Flammkuchen is the German equivalent of pizza that is topped with quark or crème fraiçhe, onions and bacon/speck (see photo above of ours from Christmas). The crust is more cracker-like than chewy pizza crust – mainly due to the miniscule amount of yeast in the dough. It reminded me a lot of a lighter version of Suzanne Goin’s bacon and young onion tart with cantal cheese from her cookbook, Sunday Suppers at Lucques, of which I make a “lighter” version with just sautéed onions and the ricotta-crème fraiçhe base that tops flaky puff pastry.

In cooking, as in life, there are perfect pairs; onion and bacon are one of them. There is nothing better than sautéing onions in bacon fat to start a pot of clam chowder. Spaghetti carbonara and bucatini all’amatriciana are both sublime with the silky onions and pancetta that make up the base of their sauces; one creamy and unctuous; the other piquant. Onion and bacon can play multiple roles in the kitchen, as a flavor base, as the star of the show, or as a side note in a steaming bowl of pasta – a perfect pair indeed.

Here’s a link to a yummy recipe of flammkuchen from the very yummy blog, Delicious Days.

Up next: pork three ways: braised pork with polenta, shredded pork and avocado tacos and fragrant pork with jasmine rice and julienned cucumber.

Happy eating, -s.

Happy Holidays! Pickle's school is closed for the week, so he and I are hanging out at home. It's been a blast so far and we're only on Day Two. Here's what our days have consisted of:

1. Wake up and watch Little Bear; have juice and fish oil pills/tangerine-flavored chewables for P.

2. Eat steel-cut oats and dehydrated apples with a little maple syrup for sweetness.

3. Play with all of Pickle's new toys, while still in pajamas - heaven.

4. Have a snack (steamed edamame, seeded crackers, clementines, etc.)

5. Head outside: go on snow walks, shovel, sled in our back yard (we have a mini hill), make snow angels, follow bunny tracks.

6. Inside for lunch (soup, grilled cheese and avocado sandwiches, etc.)

7. Nap time: for me and Pickle yesterday; again, heaven.

8. Post-nap snack and more playing.

9. Make dinner (see recipe below) and dance.

10. I love vacation

I made a pledge to myself that I would cook out of my cookbooks more this year instead of constantly printing out recipes online. I'll share them with you as I proceed. I'm highlighting Alice Water's lovely cookbook, The Art of Simple Food. Last night's meal was spicy cauliflower soup from page 257 of this lovely tome. I changed only two things: I used orange cauliflower and I pureed it a bit more than what she called for as Pickle likes silky-smooth soups. Try it - it's warm, hearty and good for you, too!

Spicy Cauliflower Soup

modified from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters

serves 4-6 hungry mamas, dadas and bambinos

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, scrubbed clean, ends trimmed and diced

1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed

1 teaspoon chile powder

1/4 teaspoon dried chile flakes

salt ( I used about 2 teaspoons total)

freshly ground black pepper

6 cilantro sprigs, roughly chopped

1 large head of cauliflower, stemmed and coarsely chopped (about 6 cups)

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

3 cups water

accompaniments

yogurt

chopped cilantro

wedges of lime

Directions

Heat a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add olive oil. Once oil is hot, add onion, carrot, spices and salt & pepper. Cook and stir often until softened but not browned. Stir in cilantro, cauliflower, broth and water.

Raise heat to high and bring to a boil; stir occassionally. Once a boil is reached, reduced heat to a simmer and cook until the cauliflower is very tender, 20 to 30 minutes. At this point, either puree with an immersion blender or use a stiff whisk to coursely puree the soup. If overly thick, add a little hot stock to thin until the desired consistency is achieved. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve hot with a dollop of yogurt, a sprinkling of cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Here's what we're eating this week...

Menu: week of 27 December 2010

Monday: spicy cauliflower soup

Tuesday: mushroom ragout with pappardelle

Wednesday: braised pork shoulder with polenta

Thursday: black-bean soup served with crusty bread

Friday: shredded pork tacos with avocado and black refried beans

Saturday: Happy New Year! lasagne bianca with homemade pasta served with a fennel-apple salad

Sunday: sauteed broccoli rabe on ricotta bruschetta

Happy eating, -s.

I love the Thanksgiving holiday. Its focus is pure: coming together to enjoy a meal and giving thanks for another year on this planet. I am thankful every day for my wildly patient and loving husband and my little Pickle who makes me so darn happy, even when he’s a stubborn 2.5-year-old. I’m thankful for my family – my overly generous and supportive parents and my fun, smart and caring siblings to whom I am so close (how lucky am I?!).

But, as I’ve gotten older, it’s the little things for which I am more and more thankful:
1. My daily thermos of delicious coffee made with such care by my husband.
2. Pickle calling me “my mama, my Sarah” when I pick him up from daycare. Too sweet.
3. A job that helps me enjoy all the little things outside of work.
4. A sunny day.
5. A long run.
6. Not rushing somewhere.
7. A husband who cleans up after I cook!
8. A child who sings all of the time and who walks with purpose and confidence. What a gift.
9. NPR.
10. An abundance of love.

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving Day full of delicious food and drink, lots of hugs and kisses from those you love and, most importantly, a moment to rest and relax.

Cheers, -s.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. We've been consumed by buying a house and the associated packing that goes with it, but, don't worry, we have been eating (were you really worried about me not eating?). The last farmers' market of the season was on Saturday. It's always a little sad as it is a big part of our Saturday morning riutal and the weather has been pretty amazing, so that makes it even more bittersweet. I loaded up on squash, carrots, brussel sprouts, potatoes, and onions for our winter pantry, while also indulging in some fleeting frost-sweetened spinach and spicy mixed greens. With packing being our main focus, our menus have definitely simplified and leftovers are my best friend. We're really digging my simplified version of Suzanne Goin's roasted squash salad with bitter greens and lardons of bacon. It's divine and the only reason you need to pick up her gorgeous cookbook, Sunday Suppers at Lucques.

Here's what we're eating this week...

Menu: week of 7 November 2010

Sunday: Split pea soup made by my sister Holley (so nice and yummy)

Monday: Take out

Tuesday: Spinach and sausage pasta

Wednesday: Roasted squash salad with lardons and bitter greens

Thursday: Onion tart served with a fennel-apple salad

Friday: Potato and rosemary pizza with fresh ricotta

Happy eating, -s.

As I write this, we have all of our windows open and I am drinking a very summery Dark and Stormy. All of this on the ninth day of October; what odd weather we’ve been having. Now I am an admitted Weather Channel junkie who loves to know what the weather will be and when the forecast is inevitably wrong, I always complain about it, to which my husband always asks me, “why do you keep watching it then?” He makes a good point. But, besides helping me figure out what to wear, the weather really does drive what I cook. Who wants squash soup for dinner when it’s 80 degrees outside even if those squash are in season?

It was our second to last CSA box this weekend, which makes me sad. It’s been a really great season with Driftless Organics and I always think of our boxes as little biweekly gifts. We hit the farmers’ market as well to pick up apples and some other essentials. Here’s what we’re eating.

At the market and in the box:
Apples
Bell Pepper
Broccoli
Butternut Squash
Current and cardamon rolls
Daikon radish
Garlic
Green-top Carrots
Heart of Gold Squash
Lacinato Kale
Mint
Onions
Parsley
Parsnips
Red Leaf Lettuce
Red Potatoes
Sage
Spinach
Sweet Potatoes
Tomatoes

Menu: week of 9 October 2010
Saturday: Banh mi with sweet potato fries
Sunday: Panko-crusted pork chops with homemade applesauce and sauteed kale
Monday: Lucques-style onion tart with roasted broccoli
Tuesday: Turkish-style roasted carrots and parsnips with hummus, yogurt and pita
Wednesday: spicy chiles and pork stir-fry with jasmine rice
Thursday: Spanish tortilla with homemade garlic aioli
Friday: Roasted squash salad with lardons and spinach

Happy eating, -s.

Door County in the fall; perfect for hot chocolate*

This recipe for hot chocolate is so good it calls for an extra T (and it is a little ’80s with that extra T, so it has that going for it as well). This is the splendid union of the hot chocolate a la Chocolat my lovely man has made me on occasion and the cinnamon-spiced Mexican hot chocolate you can make with Ibarra chocolate and milk. A happy marriage, indeed.

This hot chocolate is rich and decadent enough to end a meal (as I did for my bookclub dinner), although you would be mighty popular if you brought a thermos of this with you ice skating come winter. You can make the “base” ahead of time and then just add the remaining milk and bring up to heat.

Whipped cream is a must to both cut the richness and gild the lily.

Hott chocolate
Serves 8 adults or 10 hungry bambinos

Ingredients
Two whole rounds of Ibarra chocolate; I smack the rounds on the counter while still in the package to break them up into pieces
6 oz. Scharffen Berger bittersweet chocolate, chopped roughly
A tiny pinch of kosher salt
6 cups whole milk

lily-gilding accompaniments
½ pint whipping cream
2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

Directions
Heat two cups of milk until really hot, but not simmering. In the jar of a blender, add the chocolate and salt. Pour the hot milk over the chocolate and blend it until smooth and frothy. Note: Always use caution when blending hot liquids.

If making ahead, place the chocolate “base” in a sealed container and chill until ready to serve (can be made up to a day ahead of time).

When ready to serve, place the base and the remaining milk in a saucepan and bring to just shy of a simmer. While the hot chocolate is heating up, whip the cream with a mixer, adding the sugar when the cream reaches soft peaks. Whip until stiff – you don’t want soft cream here as it will dissolve when it hits the heat.

Pour hot chocolate into cups, crown with the whipped cream. Enjoy.

*I forgot to take a photo of my cup, because honestly I couldn't wait to drink it!

Happy eating (and drinking), -s.

Before our latest dinner group dinner, to me the land of Sweden was basically IKEA, Tretorns, ABBA, gravlax and Alexander Skarsgard (yum). Well, our hostess for this dinner was Cecilia, our dinner group’s local Swedish "ambassador" and the perpetuator of the myth that all girls from Sweden are blonde and beautiful. In working with her on the menu, I learned many things about Swedish food culture and I especially loved learning about Swedish Christmas celebrations and how family food traditions are treasured and showcased during that magic time of year.

Once I had a conceptual idea of what to serve, I checked out a few cookbooks from the library, as most of Cecilia’s recipes were in Swedish: the stunningly photographed The Scandinavian Cookbook and the charming Swedish Table. Both books had a seasonal bent to them, which helped make these somewhat heavy dishes feel lighter and brighter with the incorporation of fresh produce. What was surprising to learn was that the Swedish seasons mirror the seasons of the Upper Midwest, except we are lacking the prime ocean access and its briny bounty.

I couldn't have been more pleased with the menu. The courses worked well with each other. The creamy and hearty soup and the equally hearty meatballs were balanced nicely with the tart and crisp salad and the meal ended with an apple trifle that wasn't at all heavy and showcased the beautiful, in-season fruit perfectly. Each course was led off with a rousing "Schnapps" song and a tipple (or shot) of aquavit. Needless to say, all who attended left with full bellies and rosy cheeks ... and a warm feeling in their hearts. Skal!

Menu for SEPTEMBER 18

Cocktails and nibbles:
Icy-cold Vodka and Champagne
The Carlsson Family's Gravlax and store-bought pate with water crackers and toast

First Course: Yellow Pea Soup with bacon, tomatoes and parsley (The Swedish Table)

Second Course: Chanterelle, bacon and plum salad with blue cheese (The Scandinavian Cookbook)

Main Course: Swedish Meatballs with creamy mashed potatoes and served with an orange-scented cranberry sauce

Dessert: Apple Trifle (The Scandinavian Cookbook)

Happy eating, -s.