So here we are with my first entry into the flavour pool.

A word of warning - I have to admit that I'm not putting a ton o'effort into the first 4 'flavours' in the challenge. This lack of effort has nothing to do with me not liking apples, plums, mushrooms, or duck because I do. Instead it has more to do with the fact that we were madly finishing up work all over the place and in the midst of a close election campaign and trying to get ready to jet to Italy and boom - design four recipes to blog ahead so I don't become known as the Favour Blogger who is always 5 cycles behind the rest of the crew.

By all rights I should be in Napoli right now.

Buon giorno.

Where is the nearest gelato shop?

For this recipe I envisioned a flatbread that combined sweet plums, salty prosciutto, a wee bit of tang from goat cheese, and some fresh herbs all on a bite of crispy bread. Normally I might have made my own flatbread - if you have your favourite recipe for this I encourage you to do so. However, being raced beyond sanity for time I went lazy and used a store-bought baguette.

Plum Flatbread

3 black plums, sliced lengthwise
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 baguette sliced in half lengthwise
5 thin slices of prosciutto, roughly chopped
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
1 tsp chopped fresh mint
Balsamic glaze (optional but REALLY good)

Mix the plums, cardamom, and lemon juice in a bowl. Let sit for 30 minutes to allow flavours to blend.

Turn on the oven broiler element.

Arrange the macerated plums on the cut baguette. Drizzle any of the juices in the bowl over the plums.

Sprinkle with the chopped prosciutto, ensuring that it is evenly distributed.

Sprinkle with the crumbled goat cheese, ensuring that it is evenly distributed.

Place the prepared flatbread on a cookie sheet and put it under the broiler. Broil until the prosciutto is crispy and the cheese starting to bubble. Since all broilers vary in temperature and rack placements you should watch this carefully. For us it took about 5 minutes. Don't watch and you can go from delicious toasted bread and crispy prosciutto to charred mess you'd not even feed the 'guy in the office who took a bite of your sandwich and then put it back in the refrigerator' in seconds.

Allow the cooked flatbread to cool slightly. Sprinkle with the chopped mint.

If you have balsamic glaze (we have bottles we bring home from Italy and I know stores here carry it) you can gild the lily be drizzling some over the finished flatbread. You can make your own glaze by boiling down some balsamic vinegar until it thickens considerably. Take my advice - buy the prepared glaze if you can find it. :-)

These were quite good. Surprisingly good for a self-confessed lazy recipe. Yes, they'd have been even better with a homemade base but I suspect I'd be in a locked ward right now and NOT in Italy so there you have it.

Buon Giorno from Pienza. Yes, this is where I am right now:

I can imagine my friends back home in North America saying 'how nice'. I'd respond with yes, it is lovely, but I know what you really mean by 'how nice'. In fact, I can still hear Palma telling the joke. :-) Just ask her - she tells a wonderful joke and everyone giggles.

Anyways. Yet again I had all sorts of plans for apples - a delicious panna cotta . . . a crisp . . . a tart . . yet when the frenzied pace of work and trip prep threatened to put me in a rubber room so I made a drink. In the end it served a host of purposes.

Those who follow my blog know I make drinks often. In fact, the pic beside my name off to the left is a drink that I made. In fact, that particular drink inspired my recipe for this week's apple flavour!

For this week's entry I combined apples and vanilla to make an infused vodka. This then was mixed with cider, cinnamon, and Calvados to make a zippy pre-dinner beverage.

Harvest Martini

Infused vodka:

1 cup vodka
1 apple, thinly sliced
1/4 whole vanilla bean

Pour vodka into a jar with a lid. Place apple and vanilla bean in vodka. Cover. Let sit for at least an hour or longer for more flavour.

Martini:

2 oz cider
1 oz Calvados
1 oz infused vodka
thin slice of apple sliced crosswise (for garnish)
sprinkle of cinnamon

In a martini shaker mix the first three ingredients. Shake with ice. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with the thinly sliced apple. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Here we are in week three of the flavour challenge and I am still on the road. Life is tough some time kids, yes it is.

For those of you not ready to kill me yet I am in Torino today. Well, that is where I am supposed to be so if I am not that something has gone array with the plans. *smile*

Let's make you really happy with a picture from Torino taken on our last trip there:

Interesting fact about the cafe - it has always been owned and operated by women.

Enough about me and my travels. You came here looking for a recipe. You're in for a treat. we had our house sitter over for dinner the Sunday before we left and I made this as the appetizer. Oh my. This certainly was met with ohhs and ahhs. The best thing about it is that everyone thinks you worked really, really, really hard to pull it together and the reality is that you didn't.

Who doesn’t love excessive praise when it really isn't warranted?

Mushroom and Goat Cheese Tart

3 cups chopped assorted fresh mushrooms
2 T olive oil (divided)
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup chopped prosciutto
8 oz goat cheese, brought to room temperature
3 T fresh thyme leaves (divided)
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten

Heat 1 T olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the mushrooms. Sauté until almost soft - add 1 T thyme leaves. Cook for 1 more minute. Remove mushrooms from the pan.

Add the remaining oil to the pan. Sauté the sliced onion over a medium-low heat until it is caramelized - about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

In a small bowl use a fork to blend 1 T thyme leaves into the softened goat cheese.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Place the puff pastry sheet on a parchment lined-baking sheet.

Lightly brush a 1/2 cm strip along the edges of the rectangle. Carefully fold the edges over the egg and press to seal. You should have a thin raised 'crust' all around the edge of the rectangle. Brush this raised crust with egg. Prick the centre with a fork. Place the baking sheet in the oven for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven. If the pastry in the centre of the shell has puffed up press it down with the back of a spoon.

Allow to cool slightly. Arrange the goat cheese over the pastry shell. Sprinkle the cooked mushrooms over the goat cheese. Sprinkle mushrooms with caramelized onions. Sprinkle the prosciutto over top. Finally, sprinkle the remaining 1 T thyme leaves on the tart.

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Cool. Slice into 6 - 8 pieces and serve as a first course.

Originally I had planned to make something fabulous with duck while we were in Italy. Nope. Didn't happen. I was waaaaaaaaayyyyyy too busy loving being in Italy to even think about cooking.

I had visions of an amazing duck pasta sauce. Then after more than two weeks of eating Italian food I realized I needed a break from italian food for a spell.

Then I remembered a wonderful curry we made when we attended a Thai cooking class in Sonoma years ago. I think it was the first cooking class we ever took . . . yes, they did have cooking classes way back then. The curry was made with a store bought (yes kids, store bought) roast duck from an Asian store, red curry paste, coconut milk, chillies, and Thai basil. For my duck dish I set out to recreate this (while tossing in an extra ingredient or two to make sure I had enough of the flavor ingredients to keep those who like rules happy as a clam)

Duck Curry with Pumpkin and Green Tomatoes

1 1/2-lb. kabocha or other winter squash
4-5 cups coconut milk (use two 19-oz cans of the Mae Ploy brand)
4-6 Tbs. red curry paste
1 1/2 to 2 Tbs. palm or coconut sugar
Fish sauce (nahm bplah) as needed to desired saltiness
2 1/2 to 3 lb. roast duck, chopped through the bone into small chunks
2 medium sized green tomatoes
1 lb shitake mushrooms, roughly shopped
2-4 red hot chillies, cut into thin slivers with seeds (optional)
2 cups Thai basil leaves and flower buds

Cut the kabocha in half, scoop out the seeds. Peel and discard the greenish skin. Then cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch chunks.

Do not shake the cans of coconut milk before opening. Spoon 2/3 cup of the thickest cream off the top of a can into a large pot placed over medium-high heat. Reduce cream until thick and bubbly (about 3 minutes), then add the curry paste. Stir the paste into the coconut cream and fry for a few minutes until it is very aromatic and darkened in color. This is an essential step in making any Thai curries - it results in a more full-flavoured sauce.

Pour in the remaining milk from both cans, stirring well to dissolve the paste to make a smooth rich sauce.

Add 1 1/2 Tbs. of palm sugar (use brown sugar if you can't find this), stirring well to blend into the curry sauce. Taste and add fish sauce as necessary to salt to the desired saltiness. This will allow you to balance the flavours.

Add the squash chunks and duck pieces (note - I deboned the duck first and just added the meat). Stir well into the sauce. If there is not enough sauce to cover most of the duck and squash pieces, add more coconut milk; or if the sauce already looks rich, add 1/2 cup of water instead, as the squash and duck will thicken and enrich the sauce even more when they are cooked.

Return to a boil, then lower heat to medium, or just enough to boil the sauce gently. Cook partially covered, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender, or cooked to your liking (15 minutes or more). Taste the sauce and adjust as needed with fish sauce and palm sugar to the desired salty-sweet combination.

Stir in the mushrooms and cook for 4 minutes.

Stir in the green tomatoes and cook for 1 - 2 minutes more.

Taste. If more hotness is desired, stir in the slivered chillies.

Stir in the basil until it wilts to a bright green color. Turn off heat and spoon curry into a serving dish. Garnish top with basil sprig(s).

Serve with rice.

I bought 2 ducks so I had extra meat to use up (a happy problem). I whipped up some duck and mango spring rolls with a zippy lemongrass and ginger sauce. I mentioned it on facebook and I was accused of being an overachiever! LOL Not wanting that particular label I shall save that recipe for something else - like my own blog.

But just to tantalize you, here is a sneak preview:

YUM. YUM. YUM.

Have a brilliant weekend y'all. See you next weekend with my carrot creation - which was amazing if I do say so myself.

These days everyone is talking about Cucina povera. Cucina Povera is simply making use of everything/not wasting anything but at the same time creating dishes that don’t sacrifice in taste or goodness. Cucina Povera emerged due to economic circumstances but continues today in many parts of Italy not only because of economic circumstances but also for the deliciousness of the cuisine and traditions that were created. Some recipes have become mainstream –pizza,polenta,spaghetti cacio e pepe while others are regional or less known. Cucina Povera is more than just recipes however…it’s a way of life.

This recipe is a good example of this. This week's ingredient is carrots. I had all sorts of fancy things I was going to make with carrots but I have been sick. Then work has been busy again - happily after next Tuesday my major work will be done until February. Posting day was rolling around and I had made nothing.

Last week I had made a recipe from Food and Wine for whole roasted carrots with ginger and garlic. The leftovers had sat in the refrigerator for a week . Tonight, in a panic because tomorrow is posting day, I pulled together this carrot risotto using the leftover roasted carrots.

Carrot risotto sounds . . . well . . . bleah. I wasn't expecting to be wowed by this dish yet I was. The crisp pancetta provided an interesting salty contrast to the sweet roasted carrots. The thyme complemented the sweet carrots - as it always does with carrots. All in all this was an excellent risotto . . . one I'll make again!

Roasted Carrot Risotto

leftover roasted carrots - about 6 medium carrots
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped pancetta
5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup minced shallot
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus 1 tbsp. for garnish
1 teaspoon roughly chopped fresh thyme
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

In a blender, purée half of the leftover roasted carrots with 3/4 cup hot water.

Bring chicken broth to a simmer and keep at a simmer, covered, over low heat.

Heat remaining oil and butter over medium heat in large pot. Add chopped pancetta dn saute until crisp. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add rice, stirring with a wooden spoon to coat rice with oil, 1 minute. Add wine and cook, stirring, until wine evaporates. Add carrot purée and cook, stirring, until mixture no longer looks soupy.

Add 1 cup hot broth, stirring often, until rice absorbs most of the liquid. Repeat process, adding 1 cup broth at a time and stirring often till each addition is absorbed before adding the next, until rice is al dente (about 20 minutes; at least 1 cup broth will remain).

Fold in reserved carrots (save 2 tbsp. for garnish), mascarpone, 1/4 cup parmesan, 1 tbsp. parsley, and the thyme. Add up to 1 cup broth (1/4 cup at a time) to loosen the risotto. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.

Sprinkle each bowl of risotto with some of remaining 1/2 cup parmesan, remaining 1 tbsp. parsley, and reserved carrots. Serve immediately.

If you have ever had Italian wedding soup you'll understand what I mean when i say that this soup could be called 'Asian Wedding Soup'. There are some real similarities - delicious broth, tiny meatballs, and healthy greens all show up in the bowl.

I figured that everyone would be doing roast pork or pork chops in some form or another so I really wanted to go outside of the box. The Flavor Bible listed ginger, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and garlic as good flavours that pair with pork so I started working on an Asian themed dish.

Paul and I made this soup for dinner last night - we were glad that we had doubed the recipe because it was delicious. The ginger and sesame oil in both the meatballs and the broth added a wonderful depth of flavour to the dish.

Sesame Ginger Soup with Pork Meatballs

Meatballs
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 clove of garlic minced
2 T minced fresh ginger
1 T low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 lb ground pork (NOTE: I had some pork chops that had been in eh freezer for awhile so I thawed them out and minced them in the food processor to make my own lean ground pork)

Soup
1 T canola oil
1 tsp sesame oil
4 carrots, peeled, diced
2 T minced fresh ginger
6 cups low sodium broth (I was out of chicken so I used beef - chicken would be better I think)
2 cups water
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 T Sirracha sauce
2 T rice wine vinegar
2 cups thinly sliced bok choy leaves

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

Mix all of the meatball ingredients together so that all of the ingredients are well-distributed throughout. Shape into small meatballs (about 1 tsp of the mixture per meatball) and place on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes. Set aside. Note if your meatballs are larger you may need to bake them for longer - check the largest one, if it is cooked inside then they are done.

Drizzle the canola oil and second amount of sesame oil in the bottom of a large soup pot. Heat over medium heat. Saute carrots for about 5 minutes. Add ginger and saute for 1 minutes. Stir in broth, water, soy sauce, and Sirracha sauce. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes (the carrots should be tender by this point) and flavours blended.

Add the meatballs and rice wine vinegar. Bring the soup back to a boil.

Stir in bok choy and cook until wilted.

This recipe involves three steps - the first being a cranberry infused vodka. You’ll need to start making this in advance to really let the flavours meld. Then you whip up a citrus infused simple syrup to bring some wonderful lemon and orange goodness to the drink. Once these are ready you can pull everything together.

I should caution you - these are really very good. We had mom over for dinner and she knocked her martini back in record speed and promptly wondered where her second one was. Be careful though because the simple syrup and juice masks the alcohol - someone needed to lay down before we could eat dinner . . .

Infused Vodka
3 cups vodka
3 cups cranberries

Mix together and let stand at room temperature for at least 6 hours. Strain. You could reserve the cranberries for adding to some baking . . . they'd give it a wonderful 'flavour'.

Citrus Simple Syrup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 T lemon zest
1 T orange zest

Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a small pot. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. When cool add the lemon and orange zest. Allow to sit for at least six hours to allow flavour to develop. Strain.

Martini
1 1/2 oz infused vodka
1/2 oa Grand Marnier
1/2 oz Pama (a pomegranate liqueur - adds a wonderful red colour to the drink)
2 oz cranberry juice
1 oz citrus simple syrup

Add the martini ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with some of the reserved cranberries and small pieces of lemon, orange, and lime.

Cheers!

No. There is nothing out of the ordinary about roasted brussels sprouts - in fact, a google search reveals more than 1.5 million hits. There is a reason for that though - roasting takes a vegetable that some folks despise (not me) and turn them into a crispy, tasty treat.

I wasn't feeling particularly creative when I picked my recipe for brussels sprouts. I love them roasted with balsamic vinegar, some salty pancetta - the combination of sweet vinegar and salty pancetta being nothing short of sublime. From the Flavor Bible I added garlic, cheese (goat and pecorino), and thyme. I also added raisins because we like the combination of sweet and savoury flavours side-by-side.

These oven-caramelized treats will convert die-hard Brussels sprout foes into instant supporters.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Goat Cheese
1 lb. brussels sprouts
2 T olive oil
3 T balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup raisins
2 oz pancetta, cubed
1 T thyme leaves
3 T grated pecorino cheese
1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese

Preheat oven to 425 F. Trim brussels sprouts, remove any discolored leaves, and cut into half. Put sprouts in mixing bowl and toss with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, raisins, thyme, and pancetta.

Cover a heavy roasting pan with foil. Spray foil with non-stick spray. Arrange the prepared sprouts in a single layer on roasting pan, and roast 25 minutes, turning occasionally, or until sprouts are slightly crisp and golden brown on the edges.

Toss with the pecorino cheese. Top brussels sprouts with goat cheese.

For my pear dish I really wanted to make something savoury. I automatically turned to blue cheese since in my mind it is one of the perfect foils for pears. Happily the Flavor Bible agreed! In this recipe I used the following 'flavours' suggested by Page and Dornenburg: Gorgonzola cheese, cinnamon, honey, canola oil, prosciutto, salads - greens, walnuts.

I wanted a combination of flavours and textures in this salad - crisp/salty prosciutto, the creamy gorgonzola cheese, crisp greens, crunchy walnuts, a sweet pear based dressing, and the roasted pear. We had this for dinner last night and I must say it was pretty amazing - mind you, what could go wrong with this combination of ingredients? *smile*

Roasted Pear Salad with Gorgonzola and Prosciutto

Salad
4 thin slices prosciutto
1 large, ripe pear, cut in half and cored
4 T gorgonzola cheese
1/4 cup shelled walnuts
4 cups salad greens

Dressing
1/4 cup pear juice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp grainy mustard
1 T honey
2 T white balsamic vinegar
1 tsp finely chopped shallot
2 T canola oil

Freshly grated pepper

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Lay the prosciutto on a baking sheet and bake until crisp - about 5 minutes. Gently lay on paper towels. Set aside.

Lower the heat to 350 degrees.

Place the pears, skin side down, in a baking dish. Mound the gorgonzola cheese in the cavity created when the core was removed. Bake for 15 minutes (or until tender). (note: you may find that some of the cheese has run out of the cavity - just spoon it back in)

Toast the walnuts.

Mix the dressing ingredients together. Check for taste - I didn't add any salt but you may wish to do so.

Arrange the salad greens on 2 plates. Carefully layer the crisp prosciutto on top of the greens. Place the bake pear on top of the prosciutto. Sprinkle with the toasted walnuts. Drizzle with dressing. Serve with a sprinkle of freshly grated pepper.

My formative years, culinary-wise anyway, were spent in a community with a huge Germanic tradition. I can remember the hearty stews, schnitzel, pork dishes, sausages and mustard . . . yes, I am now drooling at my keyboard. Food memories are a funny thing.

So when I thought of a recipe for cabbage I automatically recalled those wonderful dishes and went to town! I marinated the ribs 2 ways - grainy mustard on one side and a delicious rub on the other. After they were slowly cooked they were set aside. Next, the key ingredient - cabbage was braised with onions, beer, smoked sausage, and sauerkraut. After a few hours the ribs are placed on top of the braised cabbage mixture for a final hour of cooking.

The result was the sort of dish I remember fondly from my earlier years. Hearty, delicious, and extremely satisfying!

This is NOT a weeknight meal (unless you cook it in advance). This is the sort of thing that is perfect to make on a rainy Sunday - it will fill your house with delicious smells. It may seem like a time consuming recipe but it really isn't since most of the time involves the cabbage or ribs slowly cooking in the oven.

Braised Cabbage with Ribs and Smoked Sausage

3 to 3 1/2 pounds pork spare ribs, bone-in
1/2 cup (or more) grainy mustard
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp caraway seeds
1 Tbsp cracked black pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 32-ounce jar of sauerkraut
4 cups thinly shredded cabbage (about 1 medium head)
6 slices, thick-cut bacon, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 lb smoked sausage; cut into chunks (I used turkey Kielbasa)
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 cups chicken stock
2 bottle of your favorite beer
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon juniper berries

Rub the underside of the ribs with the grainy mustard. Place on pieces of plastic wrap. Mash the garlic, caraway seeds, and cracked black pepper together to form a paste. Rub top of the ribs with rub. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Unwrap the ribs from plastic wrap. Wrap the ribs with aluminum foil and place them on a roasting pan. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until tender. Remove from oven and set aside.

Sauté the bacon in a large Dutch oven. When approaching crisp add the onion to the pot. Cook until soft. Add in cabbage, caraway seeds, and brown sugar. Sauté until the cabbage is limp. Stir in beer, smoked sausage, juniper berries, and chicken stock. Add pepper to taste.

Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. Bake the sauerkraut-cabbage mixture, covered, for 3 hours.

Lower the oven temperature to 325°F. Place ribs over sauerkraut, cover, and cook for an additional hour. Add more liquid if needed.

Serve the ribs with the sauerkraut.

My goodness, I was almost a Flavours delinquent! Life has been so crazy lately that Wednesday rolled around and I realized that I hadn't made my recipe for the week.

Well, back up a bit. Not only had I not made my recipe, to be truthful I had no idea what the ingredient of the week was!

This is what happens when you bake 36 kinds of cookies and squares at a time when work is throwing all sorts of curveballs. Blogging gets set aside for a bit. Cooking certainly was NOT a focus.

The good news is that things are almost under control again. The better news is that I made this recipe which, ahem, was flipping delicious!!!!!

Parsnips are a vegetable without a ton of flavour - this is why they are generally mixed with other vegetables as they don't overwhelm. I figured that if I roasted them more of their natural flavour would come out. Parsnips are also versatile - they can be combined in a sweet dish or a savoury one. With all those cookies and squares under my belt (literally *smile* one needs to taste) sweet was ruled out immediately!

I decided to make a savoury appetizer using parsnips which we ate last night as a part of our 'It's December 16th, We Haven't Decorated the House, and We Have Company Coming Tomorrow Decorating Blitz' dinner. I used cumin, curry, olive oil, coriander, maple syrup, and onion - from the list of ingredients suggested in the 'Flavour Bible'.

The result of my last minute panic was a delicious dish that you could use as a starter or a side The crisp parsnip 'fries' went well with the dip and were the star of the meal - really, they were addictive! Paul and I ate an entire pound of parsnips.

Later I found out that the concept of parsnip fries isn't new or unusual - a quick google search revealed 100s of similar choices. SIGH Oh well, I console myself by being amongst the company of happy eaters then. :-)

Parsnip fries with Curry Yoghurt Dip

1 lb parsnip
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 tablespoon maple syrup
salt and pepper
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon curry powder curry paste
1 green onion , minced

Peel parsnips; cut into 2 x 1/2-inch sticks.

In bowl, toss together parsnips, oil, cumin, coriander, and maple syrup. Add a 'grind' of salt and pepper.

Bake on greased baking sheet in 425 degree oven, turning occasionally, for 30 to 40 minutes or until browned and tender. You'll need to watch carefully near the end as the smaller parsnip sticks will brown quickly - don't toss them out as they are particularly delicious even though they might look like something you'd find on the forest floor.

In small bowl, stir together yogurt, curry paste and green onion. Serve sauce with parsnip fries

It seems weird to be posting a decidedly fall dish on December 24th but such is the world of blogging. Chestnuts are a late fall thing according to the book but I think Christmas might be the season - I can recall fall travels to New York and seeing old guys roasting them on the street corners. Heck, chestnuts even feature in popular Christmas songs (everybody sing along with me now . . . . chestnuts roasting on an open fire . . . Jack Frost nipping at your nose . . .).

Up until last year I had only ever seen or read about chestnuts. When I had to do my recipe for the previous blog challenge all I got to do was to boil them in red wine resulting in an OK result that was messy and made my fingers very, very wine stained for weeks causing my colleagues to worry about me.

One of the challenges with chestnuts is in cleaning those suckers. The internet is full of tales of exploding chestnuts when folks tried to roast them without cutting open the shells properly or of folks requiring extensive red wine therapy after trying to remove the bits of shells from the tender nuts. Really, there is nothing inviting about chestnuts . . . and then you taste them and think 'wow, it was worth it!' For the record, I used the technique that Amy blogged about yesterday and it worked a charm.

When I was perusing the chestnut entry in the 'Flavor Bible' I quickly realized that I go to sweet or savoury and is my style I went svoury. I combined brandy, butter, cream, mushrooms, onions, pepper, pasta, sage, stock (chicken), and thyme in this recipe. The result was amazing!!!!

Gnocchi with Fall Vegetables and Chestnut Sauce

1 lb fresh gnocchi
3 tbsp butter, divided
2 cups sliced cremini or button mushrooms, about 6 oz
3 cups cubed winter squash, about ½ inch pieces
1 small leek, thinly sliced white and light green parts only
¾ cup chicken broth or stock, divided
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
3½ oz cleaned chestnuts, chopped, about ⅔ cup
2 tbsp brandy
½ cup whipping cream
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 to 2 green onions, thinly sliced
Shaved parmigiano cheese

Cook gnocchi in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions, usually 3 to 4 minutes or until those little suckers float to the top of the boiling water. Drain, briefly rinse under cold running water and drain again. Set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp butter in frying pan over medium to medium-high heat until hot and bubbly. Add mushrooms; sauté 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pan; keep warm.

Add another 1 tbsp butter to frying pan. Sauté squash cubes until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle sliced leeks and chopped sage over top. Add ¼ cup chicken broth; cover and reduce heat so vegetables simmer for 5 to 7 minutes or until just tender - NOTE - do not go upstairs and visit facebook on your PC whilst this is happening as you may burn your squash if the liquid cooks off . . . just saying . Add to mushrooms; keep warm.

Chop chestnuts. Heat final 1 tbsp butter in same frying pan over medium heat until hot and bubbly. Sauté chestnuts for 3 to 4 minutes or until lightly browned; deglaze pan with brandy (mmmmm brandy - glaze the cook's eyes titch by swigging some straight out of the bottle).

Stir in remaining ½ cup chicken broth, cream and thyme. When bubbling, add gnocchi. Cook, stirring gently, until hot and thick. Taste; add salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed.

In warmed serving dish, heap gnocchi and sauce. Place vegetable mixture on top of gnocchi. Garnish with sprinklings of green onion and shaved parmigiano cheese. Serve right away.

Until recently I have not had much 'experience' with sweet potatoes. In fact, I have never tasted that 'treat' from south of the border the sweet potato casserole with the required topping of marshmallow that I have read about. It's just as well because I know I'd hate it. When it comes to the sweet vs savoury argument I am firmly in the savoury camp (unless, of course, one happens to be debating a dessert then it is sweet all the way baby!!!!!!)

I've had roasted sweet potatoes, sweet potato fries, grilled sweet potatoes, and used them in stews and curries - all of which were wonderful since they weren't cloyingly sweet!

I couldn't decide between sweet potato gnocchi or a sweet potato galette (the layered potato side dish not the free-form French pie variety) for my dish. In the end I went with the galette as I needed a side dish for dinner last night.

I think that this 'flavour' revealed a fundamental flaw in the premise behind the book or perhaps in the strategy behind our blog challenge. Dornenburg and Page asked expert chef's what ingredients/flavours they pair with a particular item, in this case sweet potatoes. The more chefs recommended a particular ingredient the highest its rating on the flavour charts. In this case the highest rated flavours were butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange, and sugar - all of which lend themselves to a sweet preparation but not as well to a savoury one. The rules behind the challenge are that we must use one of the bold (capitalized flavours), and one of the bold (non-capitalized) flavours. I didn't want to use any of the top flavours at all. In the end I dumped in a tablespoon of butter (how lame is that) that the dish didn't need in order to follow the rules.

In the end my recipe used the following flavours: butter, olive oil, cheese (fontina), chile pepper, garlic, bitter greens (chard), mushrooms (chanterelle), olive oil, and salt (kosher). My galette was five layers of amazing deliciouness (is that a word? If not I hereby claim it as an official 'Flavors Blog Challenge' adjective!) It worked well as a side dish would have been just as fine as a main dish paired with a salad for a nice light meal.

Sweet Potato Galette with Swiss Chard and Chanterelle Mushrooms

2 tsp olive oil
1 bunch swiss chard, chopped, thick stems removed
1 cup chopped chanterelle mushrooms
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (more if you want more of a 'zip')
salt and pepper

1 T olive oil
1 tsp butter
2 large sweet potatoes, sliced crosswise, 1/16 inch thick
¾ c. grated fontina cheese
1 tsp melted butter

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat 2 tsp. oil in a heavy, non-stick, oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and quickly cook (taking care that the garlic doesn't brown) until you can smell the aroma - about 1 minute. Add the chopped chard and mushrooms and sauté until the chard is beginning to wilt and the mushrooms have released their liquid. Remove to a bowl and wipe out the skillet.

Heat 1 T oil and 1 tsp butter in the skillet over medium heat. Arrange slices of sweet potato in a circular pattern in the skillet. Crowd the slices over the whole surface area, overlapping them, as they will shrink up a little when cooked.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cover the sweet potatoes with the chard/mushroom mixture.

Arrange another layer of sweet potatoes over the chard/mushroom mixture and season with salt and pepper.

Cover this layer of sweet potato slices with the grated fontina cheese.

Arrange the last layer of sweet potatoes on top of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Press down with a spatula to help mesh the layers.

When the bottom layer of potatoes starts turning golden, drizzle the melted butter over the top and transfer the skillet to the oven.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the galette is tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.

Place the galette under the broiler for a minute at the end to crisp the top, but be careful not to burn the potatoes.

Let the galette cool in the skillet for 10-15 minutes. Loosen the galette from the pan with a spatula. Fit a plate over the galette, and invert the skillet to release it.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Oysters - ICK

I suspect that oysters are one of those foods where people are firmly in the 'love 'em' or 'hate 'em' camp. I am in the latter. Of course I was in that camp never having tasted one - food loves and hates aren't generally rational.

So here I was with a dilemma - Deborah and Cindy had selected oysters as the flavor of the week and so I was forced to cook something with them.

ICK

I knew I wasnn't going to eat them raw. There was no way that was ever gonna happen.

In the end I decided to go with a fish taco sort of thing figuring that if the oysters were wrapped in a nice corn tortilla with plenty of salsas, sauces, and cilantro I wouldn't actually know there was an oyster there. Of course I had to cook them and just to ensure that there were even more flavours in each bite to disguise that oyster taste . . . I breaded them!

Now if you have never had a fish taco you have missed out on something amazing! I think it was the first time we were in San Diego that our friend Shannon directed to a restaurant in Ocean Beach that was said to have the best fish tacos in the US. We've not traveled the country trying fish tacos throughout the land but can say they were amazing and we were hooked.

There are two things we LOVE about fish tacos - the layers of flavours and the variety of textures in each bite. I tried to replicate both of these in this recipe. In the past when we've made fish tacos at home we’ve tried to lighten them up by grilling the fish instead of using the fried fish. I didn't care about light at all with this dish - I wanted those oysters coated with breading to disguise any possible oyster taste. Hell, I'd have put 9 layers of breading on 'em had I been able to figure out how to do that!

Once I figured out what I was going to do the rest was easy. Well, easy until I tried to buy the oysters. I didn't want to make an investment in the oysters so I didn't want to have to buy a shucking tool. I went to whole foods and they shucked the oysters for me and arranged them nicely on a bed of crushed ice. Had I planned on slurping them down (EWWWWWW) I could have just put the tray on the table and had at it. I laughed at Sandi's picture earlier of her oysters at Whole Foods - I believe the sign said 50 cents each. My oysters were 5 times that!

Oh well. The sacrifices one makes for blogging commitments.

Back home the oysters were stored in the refrigerator while I got everything ready (and discovered that what I had thought was cilantro in the keeper was really parsley causing another trip to the store for cilantro - thank goodness I was still on Christmas break when I made this dish!) When Paul came home from work I breaded and fried the oysters and bring the brave soul that I am, had Paul eat the first one. He didn't fall to the floor, thrashing about and foaming at the mouth, so I decided it was OK for me to eat one.

In the end I liked the tacos. I don't think I'd know it was an oyster on there unless someone had told me. I also made a shrimp version which I liked even better although that may have just been craziness on my part since my brain knew they weren't oysters!

A couple of notes - oysters contain a lot of moisture so when they fry they splatter! I'd use a deeper pan for the frying in the future. Also on the frying - I wasn't thrilled with the way panko coated the oysters - were I to make these again I'd use cornmeal instead.

On to the recipe . . .

Oyster Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

8 oysters, shucked
8 corn tortillas, warmed
2 cups prepared coleslaw mix
1 egg, beaten
2 cups panko - seasoned with some chipotle chili powder (NOTE - I'd use corn meal next time)
canola oil for frying
Cilantro chopped (for garnish)
Lime wedges (for garnish)
Pineapple Salsa (recipe below)
Avocado crema (recipe below)
Chipotle aioli (recipe below)

Mix the coleslaw mix with half of the Avocado crema, set aside.

Dip the oyster in the egg (quiet your stomach as you fight the hurl instinct at touching one of these things). Shake off the excess egg.

Dredge the egg-coated oyster in the bread crumbs.

Fry in the hot canola oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

To assemble - place a bit of the slaw on a warmed tortilla. Top with fried oysters. Place some salsa and cream on top of the oysters. Drizzle with the aioli. Sprinkle with some chopped cilantro. Squeeze a bit of lime juice on top.

Roll.

Eat.

Repeat.

Pineapple Salsa
1 cup pineapple, finely chopped
1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped
1/2 hot chili pepper, finely chopped
3 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
the juice of 1/2 lemon or lime

Mix all ingredients together.

Avocado Lime Crema
1 cup sour cream or crema if you can find it – we never can here in Canada
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cubed
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped fine
1 T lime zest
Juice of two limes

Put all ingredients in the food processor - process until smooth.

Chipotle Aioli
1 cup mayonnaise
2 T finely chopped chives
2 minced garlic cloves
2 tsp fresh lime juice
2 T chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped finely

Mix all ingredients together.

For my squash post I was going to share a wonderful squash risotto with crispy sage I made a few weeks ago. With two other risotto recipes this week I thought 'who needs a third'? Shame because it was REALLY good.

Then I went to plan B. I had some winter squash (being the thick skinned squash as compared to a thin-skinned Butternut squash) left over. I was making beef short ribs for the upcoming beef week and had planned on serving said ribs on some mashed potatoes. Then I thought – ‘hmmm – how about combining the potatoes and squash?’

This was easy! Think mashed potatoes and mashed squash but combine them. Done.

I steamed the squash in the oven with ginger and garlic to add a bit of flavour to the dish (and because those were some of the choice flavours suggested by Page and Dorenburg). The beef ribs were made with ginger and garlic so I thought the flavours would combine well.

They did. This was easy and it tasted great. I know that there are folks out there who do not enjoy squash. I bet they could eat this and not even know - so long as you had an excuse for the beautiful orange colour i.e. it's a special heirloom potato that is orange.

'Squash'ed Potatoes

4 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and halved (or quartered, if large)
1 small butternut squash (2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch chunks (6 cups)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
6 tablespoons butter
1 cup half-and-half

Place the potatoes in a large pot; cover with salted water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 20 minutes.

Drain in a large colander; return potatoes to the pot. Stir over medium heat until dry, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Pre-heat the oven to 350.

Place the squash in an oven proof pan with 1 cup of water, the garlic, and the ginger. Cover with foil. Bake until the squash is tender - about 20 minutes.

Drain squash - preserving the ginger and garlic.

Place squash mixture in pot with potatoes. Add butter and cream. Season generously with salt and pepper. Mash with a potato masher until smooth and creamy.

Serve immediately.

For my squash post I was going to share a wonderful squash risotto with crispy sage I made a few weeks ago. With two other risotto recipes this week I thought 'who needs a third'? Shame because it was REALLY good.

Then I went to plan B. I had some winter squash (being the thick skinned squash as compared to a thin-skinned Butternut squash) left over. I was making beef short ribs for the upcoming beef week and had planned on serving said ribs on some mashed potatoes. Then I thought – ‘hmmm – how about combining the potatoes and squash?’

This was easy! Think mashed potatoes and mashed squash but combine them. Done.

I steamed the squash in the oven with ginger and garlic to add a bit of flavour to the dish (and because those were some of the choice flavours suggested by Page and Dorenburg). The beef ribs were made with ginger and garlic so I thought the flavours would combine well.

They did. This was easy and it tasted great. I know that there are folks out there who do not enjoy squash. I bet they could eat this and not even know - so long as you had an excuse for the beautiful orange colour i.e. it's a special heirloom potato that is orange.

'Squash'ed Potatoes

4 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and halved (or quartered, if large)
1 small butternut squash (2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch chunks (6 cups)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
6 tablespoons butter
1 cup half-and-half

Place the potatoes in a large pot; cover with salted water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 20 minutes.

Drain in a large colander; return potatoes to the pot. Stir over medium heat until dry, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Pre-heat the oven to 350.

Place the squash in an oven proof pan with 1 cup of water, the garlic, and the ginger. Cover with foil. Bake until the squash is tender - about 20 minutes.

Drain squash - preserving the ginger and garlic.

Place squash mixture in pot with potatoes. Add butter and cream. Season generously with salt and pepper. Mash with a potato masher until smooth and creamy.

Serve immediately.

The challenge with being last in the week is that your Flavour combinations are likely all gone by the time it comes to post. At least I can be assured with Deborah's beet liqueur post from last Sunday I'm safe of a replication there! Cindy combined beets and goat cheese in a tart. Jan roasted beets with a citrus vinaigrette. Palma made an amazing looking salad with roasted beets, some citrus, and goat cheese on the side. Sandi had some citrus roasted beets with some goat cheese. Kim had those delicious looking thinkly sliced roasted beet chips.

Then comes Jerry's day.

SIGH

I made a salad. I used roasted beets. There's goat cheese. Citrus. Walnuts. Thyme. Olive Oil. Walnut Oil. A hint of mustard. Most of which has been done already.

That aside, this was a great salad. I whipped it up yesterday afternoon when I got back from a short work trip to Ottawa. I roasted the beets in advance and left them on the trays at room temperature. Once the beets were done I put the walnuts in the still warm oven to toast them. By the time they were done I had measured out everything from the vinaigrette (well, except for the chopped toasted walnuts - they went in next). Nothing left to do, I curled up on the coach with a blanket, two cats, my book, with a fire burning in the fireplace off in the distance. Of course I turned one page before I nodded off.

Paul woke me up when he got home from work and once I was ungroggy (if that isn't a word I claim it to describe that slow process of truly waking from a deep and satisfying nap) I whipped up the salad. I debated throwing all the ingredients in a bowl and just serving it that way but decided to make a composed salad.

Roasted Beet Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

1 pound small or medium red or-yellow beets, scrubbed but-not peeled
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive-oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons walnut oil
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 teaspoon finely chopped orange zest
1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest
2-1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped toasted walnuts
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
1-1/2 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled into small pieces
1/4 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped into small but not fine pieces
1/4 cup pomegranate arils
4 cups mixed greens

Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cover two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Slice off the tops and bottoms of the beets and then slice the beets into thin rounds. Toss the slices well with the first measure of olive oil, salt, and thyme and spread them in one layer, with a little space between each, on the two baking sheets. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, swapping the pans to opposite racks halfway through.

Measure walnut oil, second measure of olive oil, orange juice, lemon juice, orange zest, lemon zest, finely chopped walnuts, second measure of thyme leaves, dry mustard, second measure of salt, and pepper into a small glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Screw on the lid and shake the contents vigorously.

Arrange equal portions of the roasted beet slices in one layer on four salad plates. Drizzle about 1 teaspoon of the vinaigrette over the beets. Sprinkle the goat cheese over each plate of beets. Sprinkle all but 1 tablespoon of the walnuts over each of the four plates as well. Place the mixed greens in a small mixing bowl. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette over the greens and toss lightly. Arrange 1/ of the greens in a mound centered on top of the beets Sprinkle the pomegranate arils and remaining walnuts over each salad and serve right away.

This is a traditional roast from the Italian province of Parma, often served for special family celebrations. ("Rosa di Parma" means it’s stuffed with Parmigiano-Reggiano and prosciutto.) Typically made with beef, it seemed a perfect fit for 'beef' week.

Let's talk about beef for a bit. I love the stuff. I used to eat beef 3 or 4 times a week. however, as I age I've been eating more meatless dinners and adding more fish to my diet to the point that I can go weeks without a slab of beef appearing on my plate. The odd thing is that I can't resist buying it when I see it on sale! I have a freezer full of tenderloin, t-bone steaks, roasts - you get the picture.

Grocery stores here will often feature a whole beef tenderloin for $5.99 a pound. I'll buy 2 or three, bring them home and butcher them up for our needs. Generally I'll get 3 or 4 roasts, 10 filet mignon steaks, and a huge bag of trimmings for stews out of the whole tenderloin. I decided to use a beautiful 4 lb tenderloin roast for this recipe.

This is not a traditional rosa di parma - I've kept the prosciutto and Parmigiano Reggiano but I've added a layer of spinach (I had a huge container of baby spinach leaves in the refrigerator that needed consuming). While not traditional it was very, very good. We had this for dinner last Sunday and we were amazed at two things: a) how quick it was to prepare, and b) how delicious it was.

Rosa di Parma

beef tenderloin roast ( 2 - 4 lbs)
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic minced
Coarsely ground black pepper
1 package (3-ounce) sliced prosciutto
6 ounces grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
2 cups baby spinach leaves (about 4 ounces)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup red wine
Rosemary sprigs
1/2 cup beef broth

Butterfly beef with a sharp, thin bladed knife, by cutting lengthwise down center of tenderloin; open like a book. Cover with plastic wrap and pound until beef is about ¼-inch thick (I find this to be so theraputic . . . life's frustrations vanish, they do).

Stir together olive oil and garlic. Brush the inside of the beef with half the garlic oil. Sprinkle with pepper.

Layer the prosciutto over entire surface of beef. Top with cheese and spinach leaves. Carefully roll meat lengthwise into a long slender roll. Using kitchen twine, tie to secure.

Brush the surface of the rolled beef with garlic oil. Mix together salt, sage and rosemary and rub into surface of meat.

Combine remaining garlic oil and butter in a Dutch oven or deep skillet; place over medium heat. Add beef, turning to brown all sides.

Add red wine and sprigs of rosemary to pan and allow the wine to reduce. Pour in beef broth. Continue to cook, turning and basting with pan juices about 30 minutes for rare (140F) or longer for desired doneness (if your roast is larger the time will take longer).

Let stand 10 minutes. Remove twine and slice.

Yes, when banana week rolled around I knew I didn't want to make a loaf/muffin or dessert which were the things that naturally came to mind when I thought of cooking with bananas. The Flavour bible suggested such things as butterscotch, banana liqueur, caramel, cream, and vanilla. I decided to combine all of this into a rich but bloody delicious martini!

Be careful, this recipe serves 2 and makes a potent but beguiling beverage - sip slowly because you won't taste the alcohol until you try and stand up!!!!

Toffee Banana Martini

4 oz toffee liqueur
3 oz banana liqueur
2 oz vanilla infused vodka

Measure into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a sliced banana.

For broccoli I went with my favourite technique for cooking veggies and roasted up a big bunch of broccoli. Roasting seems to bring out the natural sweetness in all veggies and hide any of those flavours that can irritate some folks. Hmmm - perhaps if George HW Bush had tried some broccoli roasted he might not have despised it so much.

Anyway. Enough of broccoli hating presidents.

From the Flavour Bible combined red pepper flakes,cheese (parmigiano), garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and balsamic vinegar.

Roasted Broccoli with Lemon and Parmaigiano

1 bunch broccoli chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 T olive oil
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp crushed pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
zest of 1/2 lemon
juice from 1/2 a lemon
3 T freshly grated parmigiano
1 T balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cover a sturdy baking sheet with foil. Put the broccoli on a cookie sheet. Toss with olive oil, salt, lemon zest, and pepper flakes. Stir in sliced garlic. Sprinkle with lemon juice.

Roast in the oven 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.

Remove from the oven. Sprinkle the parmigiano over the hot broccoli. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar.

Serve.

Love your roasted broccoli

Note - this would also be great with some raisins and pine nuts added.

Now here we are at the end of rabbit week . . . the gang has made some great dishes. The main commonality has been cooking that bunny long and slow. Rabbit is a lean meat (all of that incessant hopping will do that to you apparently) and it benefits from a long, slow cooking with plenty of liquids.

Like Amy, I have a titch of trouble compartmentalizing the tasty treat on my plate with those fluffy things that some folks keep as pets. Mind you, the compartmentalizing has gotten easier since the bunny population in the woods has exploded and the damn things wreak havoc on my garden. Besides, cows, pigs, and baby chickens are cute and I have no trouble chewing on any of those!

Because of the need for a long, slow cooking in plenty of liquid I decided to make a rabbit sugu (Ragu is another word to describe a nice meaty sauce but I can NOT bring myself to use the phrase since it was appropriated by a giant food conglomerate for a crap jarred pasta sauce).

Heck, we decided to go all out and make our own garganelli pasta to serve with this ragu. I had learned how to make this when we took a cooking class in Bologna. Garganelli are a type of pasta formed by rolling a flat, square noodle into a tubular shape. They can be made from smooth pasta or a ridged variant reminiscent of corduroy.

While garganelli are very similar to penne, they differ in that a "flap" is clearly visible where one corner of the pasta square adheres to the rest, as opposed to a perfect cylinder in penne. We learned to make them by rolling them on a dowel and then running it across a small frame with ridges to leave the marks. When cooked, the pasta and sauce adhere brilliantly because of both the hollow centre and the ridges.

Here we are making the garganelli:

The pasta recipe we used was dryer than I'm used to. I think I'll need to go back to the 2 cups of flour and 4 eggs that produces a lovely, soft, eggy pasta. Given that this was our first attempt at making garganelli and it had been almost two years since the cooking class I was pleased with the results:

We were impressed with the dish. It made far more than we could eat which was great because I know it will freeze well - another benefit from making a big pot of sugo . . . it is around for a while! *smile*

Rabbit Sugo

1 rabbit, about 3 lbs, cut into 8 pieces
2 cups dry red wine
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
7 or 8 whole peppercorns
1 carrot, peeled, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
flour for dredging
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups crushed tomatoes (I used one of those tetra containers of Pommi crushed tomatoes imported from Italy)

In a non-reactive container or zip-lock bag combine the wine, 1/2 cup olive oil, thyme, bay leaves, garlic, and peppercorns. Add the rabbit pieces, making sure they are well-covered with the marinade. Put in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.

Bring rabbit to room temperature (about 30 minutes) before you start cooking with it.

Remove the rabbit from the marinade being sure to preserve the marinade. Gently pat the rabbit dry with a paper towel.

In a large sauté pan head the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery, and onion. Sauté for about 7 minutes or until the onion is a golden brown.

Dredge the bunny pieces in flour (I put flour and bunny pieces in a zip lock bag and shook it up). Add to the pan and brown on each side for about 5 minutes.

Add the reserved marinade to the pan and stir to scrap all of the delicious browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 15 minutes in the marinade.

Add the stock and crushed tomatoes.

Decrease the heat, cover, and cook slowly for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the meat is tender and falling off the bones.

Remove the rabbit from the sauce. When cool enough to handle shred the meat from the bones. Return the rabbit to the pan. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.

Serve.

now on to lentils . . . .

Both Paul and I have been suffering from colds for the past few weeks - I blame the lack of a real Canadian winter with its accompany sub-zero temperatures that freeze and kill germs. The weather we've been having is rather tropical (all things being relative) and so these germs just fester and spread. Many of our friends and work colleagues have had far worse colds this winter than usual.

I remember a few years ago when I was part of the Sunday Slow Soupers group - 23 weeks of soups - that Kim selected lentil soup as her recipe. At the time she indicated that it was one of her mother's recipes for when someone in the family was under the weather. Given that we're so under the weather we don't know what side is up any more I had high hopes for lentil week. High hopes, indeed.

Incidentally, until we had reached that week in the soup event I had NEVER eaten a lentil. I was convinced that they would be gross so I always worked hard to make sure one never arrived on my plate or even worse, passed my lips. Kim forced me to eat lentils in the soup challenge, and once I had confronted my food prejudices I realized that I quite liked lentils. I am sure that there is a profound lesson there but I'm too sick to figure it out.

Compared to other types of dried beans, lentils are relatively quick and easy to prepare. You don't need to soak them for hours on end before you con contemplate cooking them. They readily absorb a variety of wonderful flavors from other foods and seasonings, are high in nutritional value, and are available throughout the year. This makes them a perfect addition to the pantry as there is so much you can do with them.

I decided to make a lentil soup that became so substantial and thick I'll call it a stew . . . I made it so I'll call it whatever the hell I want. :-)

From the Flavour Bible I added: bay leaf, carrots, celery, garlic, olive oil, onions, flat leaf parsley, pepper, sausage, chicken stock, thyme, and tomatoes. The grocery store near us had rapini on for 88 cents for a HUGE bunch so I added that too . . . I figured the added health benefit of all of those greens could only help.

I pulled this all together last night after a busy day of shopping in the US to try and kick-start their economy. We were both impressed with how tasty it was. . . ready in about 90 minutes, it was a hearty and flavourful addition to the dinner table. We served it with a green salad and some warm bread to soak up all of those delicious juices.

Lentil 'Stew' with Sausage and Rapini

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut in small dice (about 3/4 cup)
1 celery stalk, cut in small dice (about 3/4 cup)
1 medium onion, cut in small dice (about 3/4 cup)
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cup red or yellow lentils
7 cups vegetable or chicken stock
4 cups water
1 teaspoon dried basil leaf
3 springs fresh rosemary
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 bunch rapini, trimmed and chopped
2 cups diced tomatoes (with their juices)
Salt and pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil (to drizzle for finish)
1/4 cup minced flat-leaf parsley

Remove the sausages from their casings. Place the oil in a large pot. Over medium heat, cook the sausage on. Remove and set aside.

Add the diced carrots, celery, garlic, and onion. Reduce the heat to medium-low and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent.

Add the lentils, stock, water, basil, rosemary sprigs, thyme sprigs, oregano, and bay leaves. Return the sausage to the pot. Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook covered until the lentils are tender.

When the lentils are tender, add the rapini and diced tomatoes (with juices) to the pot, stir and continue to cook, covered, until the rapini is just tender, about 5 – 10 minutes more.

Stir and remove bay leaves, rosemary, and thyme stalks (the leaves will have fallen off into the stew). Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle into bowls. Drizzle with the BEST extra virgin olive oil you have on hand. Sprinkle with minced flat-leaf parsley.

Enjoy . . .

It continues to be 'comfort food' season here in the tundra known as Canada. For my bean recipe I wanted t make something warm, filling, and delicious. I also wanted something that would make for lots of leftovers - I'm on the road a lot over the next few weeks and it is great to have a freezer full of delicious food options for Paul.

I pulled this together one night last week - I was worried that it would take too long for a weeknight meal but I need not have been concerned. Just over an hour after starting to good we were sitting down to a delicious meal.

This recipe is very easy, try and get your hands on Italian sausages if you can, if not I’m sure regular sausages might work fine too. We were lucky enough to have some of those sausages that we made in the freezer so they went into the stew.

Some might call this a soup but it is thicker than that. Rachel Ray has invented a word for a dish mid way between a soup and a stew - stoup. I won't go there but in a sense this dish is a stoup (teeth grinding at the Rachel Ray reference . . . but it works).

This dish would be great over some polenta of a thick slice of crispy garlic toast. MMMM

1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
4 Italian sausages, casings removed and cut into chunks
2 tbsp flour
1 large tin peeled, chopped tomatoes
300g pancetta cubes
200ml beef stock
2x400g tins cannellini beans, drained
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of rosemary
salt and pepper
3 tbsp olive oil (plus extra for drizzling when you serve it)
1 glass of red wine for the stew and 1 glass for you… (heck, drink the bottle . . . I did)

Heat the olive oil in a large casserole pot. When heated sauté the onions until soft but not coloured. Add carrots and celery, rosemary, and bay leaves. Cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat.

Add the pancetta and sausage meat. Cook for 5 minutes stirring with a wooden spoon.

Mix in the flour. Cook for a few minutes, keep stirring.

Pour in the wine. Cook for about 5 minutes until the alcohol evaporates.

Add the tomatoes, stock, and rinsed cannellini beans to the pot. Taste. Season with salt and pepper (I added some pepper but no salt). Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 30-40 minutes.

Remove bay leaves and rosemary sprigs. Serve in bowls with a drizzle of good quality olive oil.

Lobster is an interesting ingredient.

Years ago it was considered to be the food of the poor. Considered to be nothing more than mud roaches, no one with good breeding would serve up a lobster to a worthy dinner guest. Lobsters were only served to prisoners and indentured servants; in fact, those unfortunate souls were made to eat lobster every day of the week! When they rebelled, agreements were made so that they would not be fed lobster more than three times a week.

Imagine rebelling because you're forced to eat lobster!

If my mother knew she'd be feed lobster daily I suspect she rush out and commit a crime so she'd be locked up.

Confession time - I'm not a huge fan of lobster. I won't refuse to eat it but I won't go running to get some. I suspect it has a lot to do with the amount of work involved in eating a lobster. I'll enjoy a tail of a big claw but that is it. I don't want to work for 10 minutes to get a piece of meat so tiny it would need to be weighed on one of those super powerful scales they use to measure flakes of gold. I’m more apt to want a dish with lobster eat in it than a whole creature sitting on my plate.

I remember our first trip to Maine as kids. We all got lobsters out on a dock. Mom and dad sat at a rickety picnic table eating their lobster with glee. Rose and I stuffed the offending bits of lobster meat between the planks of the dock until we were caught wasting it and given a hot dog.

Fly forward 20 years and Rose married the son of a Nova Scotian lobster fisherman. We were always having lobsters arrive at the house. Even with a plentiful supply it didn't make me love it any more.

During our last trip to Maine we stayed in Portland for a few days. There we enjoyed an amazing dinner at 555. For my main course I had the most expensive item on the menu - truffled lobster "mac & cheese" - torchio pasta, butter-poached shucks Maine lobster, artisanal cheese blend, and shaved black truffles.

I decided that when it came to lobster week I'd try and recreate this recipe and add a few more Flavour ingredients. I had a big can of lobster meat in the freezer, a jar containing a fat black truffle from Italy in the pantry, and a variety of cheeses. I was good to go.

Then I heard that one of my co-Flavor cooks was making lobster mac and cheese - CRISIS. I thought about switching to something else but in the end decided I'd make mine different and hoprefully better (given Sandi's luewarm review of her dish apparently I scored there . . . clearly the Novan Scotian lobster was superior to the creature she added to her mac and cheese).

The end result was nothing short of brilliant if I do say so myself. This sure as hell wasn't your mother's mac and cheese - it was rich and delicious with a subtle lobster flavour and the gentle pungency of the black truffles. I loved the way the cheese sauce was infused with garlic and thyme. The wine added a great level of flavour to the entire dish.If you feel the need for a celebration of heck, if you just want to be happy, make this!

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese with Shaved Black Truffle

1 pound pasta - I did NOT want to use the traditional elbow noodles and used some fancier pasta we brought home from Naples for this dish
1 stick of butter
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup of flour
1 cup of white wine
4 1/2 cups of milk
2 sprigs thyme
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 lb cheese, grated (I used about 6 oz asiago, 6 oz aged white cheddar, 1 oz of blue cheese, and 3 oz gruyere).
Salt and pepper
1 lb lobster chopped meat (be sure to check for bits of shell or cartilage)
1 black truffle
2 cups of fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Drop the pasta into boiling, salted water and cook until almost al dente, about 10 - 11 minutes. Make sure the water tastes like a day at the beach, as the pasta will absorb it and become properly seasoned. The pasta should not be fully cooked; it should have just a touch of firmness when tasted. Drain well.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add garlic and thyme sprigs cook for several minutes until it softens. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until a smooth paste forms. Continue cooking for a few more minutes, in effect toasting the mixture and adding flavour to it. This also infuses the sauce with garlic and thyme. Slowly stir in the wine and continue mixing until smooth and then add the milk, mixing until smooth. Continue whisking until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Add cayenne, salt, pepper, and cheeses and stir until melted.

Add the lobster meat to the cheese mixture along with the pasta. Stir well to combine and season with salt and pepper. Shave most of the black truffle into the mixture and stir to distribute the shavings evenly. Pour into a 9-inch by 13-inch ovenproof casserole or similar dish.

Mix the bread crumbs, thyme leaves, and Parmigiano Reggiano. Sprinkle the macaroni and cheese with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake until heated through and the breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Prepare to be overwhelmed with love and adoration from all you serve it to . . . :-)

When we were recently in California for a weekend long celebration of food and wine the Saturday evening was catered by a local restaurant called the Full of Life Flatbread Pizza. Located in Los Alamos, they are famous for their food and their respect for local, high-quality ingredients.

In the minds of those at the party they are famous for their cauliflower gratin.

I was hanging out by the pizza oven, watching the techniques used in making the amazing flatbread pizzas, so I really didn't get to experience the cauliflower gratin. I did hear about as people raced to the buffet table to scoop it out on their plates. I actually have a photo with a mound of gratin on someone's plate that would normally serve 5 people. I won't post it though in order to protect the innocent (Irene).

It's been awhile since I've heard anyone rave about food to that extend . . . and to think it was about cauliflower! I managed to grab one small spoonful of the gratin - a miracle really given the voracity with which people were scooping it out onto their plates.

It was good!

For cauliflower week I decided to try and recreate an amazing gratin.

I started with 4 beautiful heads of cauliflower . . .

Cauliflower Gratin

1 1/2 cups milk
1 bay leaf
3 cloves garlic split
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup grated gruyère cheese
1 cup grated white cheddar
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
Salt and pepper
1 pound cauliflower florettes
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
5 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Bring the milk to a simmer in a saucepan with the bay leaf and garlic. Cover, turn off the heat, and let infuse, about 15 minutes. Strain. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for a minute to remove the raw flour taste. Gradually whisk in the milk. Cook, stirring, until thick. Stir in the cheese, mustard, season with salt and pepper, and reserve.

Heat the oven to 425°F/210°C.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Salt it, as for pasta, and blanch cauliflower until just shy of being tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well. Pat dry with a tea-towel. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with the sauce and dump into a gratin dish.

Mix the breadcrumbs, thyme, and Parmigiano-Reggiano together. Scatter over the breadcrumbs mixture on top of the cauliflower and bake until browned.

This week's flavour is pineapple. I wanted to do soemthing savoury since I love the sweetness of pineapple pairesd with something that will knock your socks off. Unfortunately most of the flavour pairings lended themselves to a sweet preparation.

In the end I decided to grill it. First I marinated this pineapple in a sweet, spicy marinade and then grilled it. The grilling caramelized the natural sugars in the pineapple and brought out a wonderful, intense flavour. Once it was nicely browned I took the spears off fo the grill and sliced them into bite-sized pieces. These were mixed in with some of the remaining marinade and served over vanilla ice cream.

The result was delicious. Heck, it was amazing! I could not believe how wonderful pineapple was on the grill. In fact, we liked it so much that we ate it three nights in a row - unheard of for us.

Grilled Sweet and Spicy Pineapple
1 ripe pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into spears
1/2 cup low-fat coconut milk
1/2 cup dark rum
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp chinese 5-spice powder
1/4 tsp ancho chili powder

Mix the marinade ingredients in a glass dish. Add the pineapple and turn to coat.

Marinate for 1 hour.

Heat a grill to high.

Remove the pineapple spears from the marinade and place directly on the grill.

Grill until nicely browned.

Remove the grilled pineapple from the BBQ. Slice into bite-sized pieces.

Mix with remaining marinade.

Serve pineapple pieces over ice cream. Drizzle with the liquid.

For lemon week I wanted to make a drink for my recipe.

OK, you caught me. I want to make a drink for EVERY week of the challenge but it doesn't always fit. I'm not sure I'd enjoy a salmon martini although I'm sure it has been done.

One of the things that I have been playing with during this challenge is with making infused vodkas and simple syrups to flavour cocktails. I made an infused simple syrup for this drink by adding blackberries, lemons, and thyme. Shaken with lemon vodka and some of the small batch Rocky Mountain Blackberry Liqueur that we brought back from Denver last summer and the result BRILLIANT!

Lemon, Blackberry, Thyme Martini

Infused Simple Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup water
3 lemons, cut in half (I used meyer lemons that I had in the fridge)
1 small bunch of fresh thyme
1/2 cup fresh blackberries

Martini
2 oz lemon vodka
1 oz blacberry vodka
2 oz simple syrup

To make the simple syrup, place the sugar and water in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a slow boil. Add in the lemon halves, thyme, and blackberries. Slowly simmer for 10 minutes. Cool. Strain into a jar. Refrigerate until needed.

To make the martini, place all martini ingredients into a martini shaker with ice. Shake the bejesus out of it. Strain into a martini glass.

Enjoy.

Make another . . . you're going to want to!!!

For many people when they think of Easter foods they think of lamb! Easter is a leg of lamb (or in some spots a whole lamb slowly roasted in the backyard).

Roast lamb’s good, but my favourite of all is the traditional lamb kabob known as spiducci or lamb spiedini. Lamb spiedini has really caught on in recent years - to the point that a local super market chain even sells a version of them in the freezer department (no Sandi, I did NOT use store bought). The love of lamb spiedini has even stimulated the sale of individual spiedini grills with perfect placement settings for the skewers. I found some online ranging from $200 to $500. For my lamb recipe I just used my regular grill and saved myself some serious cash apparently!

We served these skewers last night for Good Friday appetizers - I had marinated the lamb for six hours - a few minutes on the grill and they made an amazing treat. I really like the way garlicky Tzatziki sauce pairs with lamb so we served a bowl of that with these skewers.

Lamb Spiedini with Tzatziki

1 lb boneless lamb, trimmed and cut into smal pieces
24 wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least an hour
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Greek oregano
1 bay leaf, crumbled
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
3 cloves of garlic

Tzatziki

1 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (if you use other yoghurt you'll need to drain it for an hour as it is far too watery)
1/4 cup finely grated seeded cucumber (Squeeze off juice)
2 tsp chopped garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped, fresh dill
1 1/2 tsp vinegar

Thread the pieces of lamb on the soaked skewers.

Mix the remaining lamb ingredients in a non-reactive dish (I used a rectangle pyrex glass dish). Add the skewers and ensure that the skewers are well covered with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 6 hours.

Mix the tzatziki ingredients together and refrigerate.

Remove the lamb skewers from the marinade and drain. Discard the marinade.

Heat a BBQ to high. Place the skewers on the grill and cook for 5 minutes, turning once.

Serve the spiedini with the tzatziki on the side.

When I mentioned to Paul that this week's ingredient was shrimp he begged me to make coconut shrimp. Yes, begged!

I looked at the 'Flavor Bible' and realized that i'd need to make an impressive sauce to go with the shrimp if I were to use ANY of the ingredients listed in the book.

This turned out AMAZING!!! I was particularly impressived with the sauce with a delicious combination of spicy hot from the tobasco sauce and jalapeno pepper cut with the cool sweetness of the mint. it was such a great combination that we found ourselves eating it with a spoon - when no one was looking of course. LOL

The sauce paired beautifully with the shrimp and would pair nicely with a grilled chicken breast, tuna, or other firm, mild-flavoured protien.

Beer Battered Coconut Shrimp with Hot and Cool Mango Sauce

2 cloves garlic
3 very ripe mangoes , cut into chunks (I used frozen mango since it was impossible to find decent ones in the market)
1 tablespoon grated lime zest
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1/3 cup sugar
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
3/4 cup coarsely chopped mint (about 1 bunch)

1 1/2 cups self rising flour
4 teaspoons kosher salt
2 1/2 cups cold beer, plus more as necessary (if there is some leftover DRINK it!)
1 pound large shrimp , shelled and deveined
4 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
3 quarts vegetable or canola oil

In a food processor with knife blade attached, mince garlic. Add mangoes, lime zest, lime juice, vinegar, Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper, and sugar. Process until very smooth. Pour into a bowl, stir in the mint and chopped jalapeno pepper. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

In a large bowl, whisk flour and salt to combine. Add beer and whisk until smooth. Mixture should have consistency of pancake batter; add more beer if necessary. Spread coconut on a plate.

Pour oil into an 8-quart heavy-bottom pot. Heat over medium-low heat until temperature reaches 350° on a deep-fat thermometer.

Pat shrimp dry with paper towels; add to batter and toss to coat. Remove shrimp from batter one at a time, letting excess drip off. Dredge in coconut.

Carefully drop shrimp into oil, about 8 at a time and fry until golden brown and just cooked through, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels, skimming coconut from oil between batches.

Serve hot with dip.

When I was in Naples last fall I had a wonderful pasta dish made with the canned tuna that Italy is famous for. You might read this and think 'canned tuna, really?'

Yes. Really.

I don't know what or how they do it but canned tuna, packed in olive oil is a wonderful thing.

So when I saw tuna coming up on the schedule I remember those cans of Italian tuna I had in the pantry and decided to recreate the dish. I suspect that the chef who developed the dish for the restaurant was from the south - the olives and pepper flakes speak to that. The result is a zesty plate of pasta that will leave you wanting more.

This dish comes together quickly making it perfect for a weeknight!

Spaghetti with Tuna, Tomato, Olives, and Arugula

1 pound dried spaghetti
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (use the best you have!)
3 large garlic cloves, or more to taste, finely minced
2 teaspoons hot red pepper flakes
2 6-ounce cans Italian tuna packed in olive oil, drained
1 small can crushed roma tomatoes
1/2 cup pitted, black olives, quartered
Kosher salt
1/2 to 3/4 pound baby arugula

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and boil until al dente.

While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-low heat. Add the garlic and hot pepper flakes and cook until garlic is fragrant and sizzling. Add tuna and shred it into fine flakes with a fork. Add tomatoes and olives. Season with salt. Keep warm over low heat.

Just before the pasta is ready, set aside 1 cup of boiling water. Drain pasta and return it to the warm pot set over moderate heat. Add the arugula to teh pasta mixture. Toss vigorously (a good set of kitchen tongs works well here). The arugula will wilt in the heat of the pasta. If the sauce is too 'dry' add in the reserved pasta water.

Divide among warm bowls and serve immediately.

Italians would faint if one served cheese with a dish containing fish. Faint away - er grated some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on top.

It's unusual to find decent artichokes here in Ontario. Perhaps that is why I had never eaten a fresh artichoke outside of Italy until a few years ago. In Italy they look like this:

Here in Ontario they are often brown with age, stems chopped off, and encased in a plastic box. Not very appetizing.

Imagine my joy a few weeks ago when I spied a lovely pile of purplish artichokes on display in the market - they weren't browned at all, had lovely colour, long stems attached, and were HUGE! Were it not for the horrid fashion and the fact that people were grubbing through the produce with their hands I might have thought I had been transported back to Italy.

I bought two and made this recipe.

I like to keep my artichokes simple - steamed with a nice sauce in which to dip the leaves.

Many people are afraid of cooking fresh artichokes since they can seem a bit daunting. This YouTube video shows how to do it:

My dipping sauce had butter, lemon, dijon mustard, garlic, shallots, and tarragon. It was the perfect accompaniment to the delicious artichokes.

Steamed Artichokes with Tarragon Sauce

2 large artichokes
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 shallot, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 T Dijon mustard
1 T chopped fresh tarragon

Trim the artichokes and steam for 30 - 40 minutes until tender and the leaves pull off easily.

While the artichokes steam melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the chopped shallot and garlic. Cook over a medium low heat until the shallot and garlic is soft.

Whisk in the lemon juice.

Whisk in the mustard.

Stir in the chopped tarragon.

Cook for 2 minutes over a low heat.

Remove from heat, cover, and allow to sit until the artichokes are cooked and ready to eat.

Prior to serving whisk the sauce. Pour it into a small bowl and serve alongside the artichokes.

You may think of popsicles as a treat for children. . . they can be but don't give up on them now that you can vote. Lately I have been experimenting with 'adult' popsicles . . . meaning iced treats laced with booze.

When it came to coffee week I decided an iced treat would be the way to go. This recipe combines coffee, cream, chocolate, and vanilla.

Oh yes, I can't forget the booze - I used both Kaluha and a delicious Latte Creama made with grappa that I bought to years ago in Venice. You have to be careful when adding alcohol to anything that you wish to freeze - too much and it will never freeze properly . . . too little and you'll be described as being a puritan.

I think I got the mix just right.

These were amazing - the coffee/chocolate layer tasted a bit like an adult fudgesicle and the cream layer tasted like more! LOL

Mocha Latte Popsicles

2 cups strong coffee
2/3 cup sweetened, condensed milk
1/4 cup Kaluha
1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Whisk together. pour into popsicle molds. Freeze.

Cream layer:

1/3 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon sweetened, condensed milk
2 tablespoons Latte Creama (you can substitute any white coffee cream based liqueur or a white chocolate cream based liqueur)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Pour over frozen layer. Insert popsicle sticks. Freeze.

Run under hot water to unmold.

I've not been looking forward to squid week. To me it has absolutely no flavor, it gives nothing to me other than the impression of chewing on a rubber band. Breaded, fried, with a spicy dipping sauce I can eat it but other than that it is a struggle.

I was curious to see what the Flavor bible said about squid - I suspected it would be like chicken and the book would list 'everything' underneath the title. I mean, what WOULDN'T go with something with such a delicate flavour?

I discovered through my research that grilling is an excellent way to prepare squid because the quick cooking keeps it tender. Apparently, it's easy to overdo it and end up with a chewy texture, so most authors suggest sticking to 3 or 4 minutes total.

I decided to marinate whole (but CLEANED) squids in a citrusy marinade for an hour and grill it over high heat. Once off of the grill my plan was to slice it into rings and serve it dressed with a simple tomato basil vinaigrette.

The result was delicious. Still not enough to have me ordering up squid on a regular basis but I was able to force it down! High praise, indeed.

Grilled Squid with Tomato Basil Vinaigrette

For the marinade:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 pounds cleaned medium squid (about 4 pounds uncleaned)

For the vinaigrette:
1 medium coarsely chopped tomato
1/2 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt

To make the marinade: In a small bowl whisk together the marinade ingredients.

Place the cleaned squid in a large, resealable plastic bag and pour in the marinade. Press the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Turn the bag to distribute the marinade, place in a bowl, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

To make the vinaigrette: In a food processor combine the tomato, basil, vinegar, garlic, pepper, and salt and process until smooth. With the motor running, slowly pour in the olive oil and process until fully incorporated.

Remove the squid from the bag and discard the marinade. Season with salt. Grill over Direct High heat until just cooked, 3 to 4 minutes, turning once halfway through grilling time. Remove from the grill and cut into 1/4-inch strips. Place in a medium bowl and add as much of the vinaigrette as desired. Toss to coat the squid evenly. Serve warm.