Presto Pasta Night #187 = Awesome

Tigerfish of Teczcape did an amazing hosting job for this week's Presto Pasta Night #187. But don't take my word for it... check it out for yourself.

Next week, it's my turn to host. So send your entries to ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by Thursday.

And if you're interested in hosting a PPN yourself, December 17th - the last of 2010, is still open and there are lots of opportunites in January 2011 and beyond.... just drop me a line. In the meantime... manga, manga!

The Perfect Fall Leek Soup

Funny thing about October... Grey, chilly and wet weather somehow is romantic. Same weather in late November has me grumbling. I'm not sure what that's about. It's perfect soup weather - either way. And, frankly, by November, I'm already craving Spring - in fact, it's only thick and hearty soups and stews that get me through the wintery months without killing anyone. Did I say that out loud?! OOPS. Back to this soup.

I've actually been thinking about it for a couple of weeks, and yet didn't get to make it until yesterday. Some things... after dreaming about them for a while, don't meet one's expectations.

Not so this simple, but simply delicious soup. I call it "The Perfect Fall Soup" because... well... it is! I mean, just look at that gorgeous broth... the color is Autumn itself, and you'll have to make it to get all those awesome aromas... the sweetness of the leeks, the thyme that brings out the mushrooms and makes the whole so earthy. But the real secret is the broth. I wait for the first cool days of late summer when all those tomatoes, carrots and mushrooms show up at the market to make some roasted vegetable broth and then fill my freezer with ziplock baggies in 2 cup proportions - perfect for a single serving and a perfect base for anything. One of my favorites is Adzuki Bean Stew (but I digress). Roasting the vegetables and garlic only take 20 minutes and fill the house with the most magical aromas and then the slow simmering for a couple of hours does the rest while you just continue to inhale and smile. See why I make a huge batch? Pulling a bag of frozen broth out of the freezer makes any weather bearable.

This time, because I have pasta on the brain... Tigerfish of Teczcape is hosting this week's Presto Pasta Night Roundup, I added some orecchiette. If you have a pasta recipe, just email tigerfish1101 (at) yahoo (dot)com (dot) sg and cc me - ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by Thursday night.

Not only that, but a wonderful blogger - Girlichef and some friends came up with another awesome weekly event...Hearth & Soul - don't you just love the sound of that? Head over to find out all about it.

What's the dish you think about forever before you finally succumb to cooking it?

Finally - A Trip to the Farmers Market

Finally - I made it to the Seaport Farmers Market. It's been so long that my friends called me "stranger"! Honestly, I was so excited, I didn't know where to begin. Somehow, after a cup of Steve 'O Reno's coffee to wake me up and get me to focus, I managed to bring home a wonderful stash of goodies. Aren't you pea green with envy?
The last time I was there was late September (it feels like an eternity ago) and I saw the first Fall pumpkins, no bigger than a kolrabi...
... today, I was greeted by these beauties at 6:45 AM! You can see that it was pitch black out when I arrived. No wonder I needed coffee. And now... let me take you on a tour.

The first two stops Sweet William's Sausages, and Getaway Farm always look better when cooked, so stay tuned to find out what I do with them... the sausages - lamb pesto & turkey fennel; the meat - Chris is out of hangar steak, so I'll have to preorder for next time. No problem - flank steak will be perfect.

On to The Fish Shop, where Peter Boudreau educated me on sustainable fishing, and knew the provenance of everything on ice. I ended up with halibut fillet so fresh it almost flapped! Well, okay, fins are gone, but it was caught yesterday by line fishing and Peter filleted it last night.
I made this awesome Lemon Pepper Crusted Halibut from The Ocean Wise Cookbook: Seafood Recipes That Are Good For The Planet, where you can learn all about sustainable fishing and simple ways to enjoy the rewards. You can read my review here.
Brussels sprouts will go beautifully roasted with pancetta
Russet apples - I love them so much, I might not even share!
Eggs from Ran-Cher Acres and Bread from Julien's is always a given and I couldn't wait to get home for some breakfast... fried eggs - check out that gorgeous colored yolks and crusty toasted sourdough to sop it up.
...dessert... for breakfast, you say? Yes when it's fresh honeycomb spread on more toast!
Which still leaves a visit to Waldegrave Organic Farm for some gorgeous winter mix salad greens and...
Check out these watermelon radishes. So stunning to look at and quite mild in flavor. They'll be perfect as a crudites with some thick wonderful dip.

Well, time for a snack.. some Ran-Cher goat cheese and bread? or a Grilled Rosemary Ham & Cheese on more of Julien's crusty bread.

What's your favorite Fall delicacy?

Presto Pasta Night Roundup #186

It's that time of the week when Pasta lovers everywhere are looking for their fix. This week Claire of Chez Cayenne is putting it all together. And my sneak previews say it's fantastic. So keep checking her site. I'm off to play with little ones. Who knows, maybe we'll even make some pasta of our own. Thanks all, in advance.

Next week, the fabulous Tigerfish of Teczcape will be back hosting for the second time. So send your awesome pasta recipes to tigerfish1101 (at) yahoo (dot)com (dot) sg and cc me - ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by next Thursday so she can get it together for Friday's roundup.

Apples, Apples, Apples - My Favorite Fall Food

It's Fall in Nova Scotia. The leaves are brilliant oranges, reds and yellows. It's time for me to get out my favorite wool sweaters. But best of all, it's time for apples. The latest cookbook to arrive in the mail was The Comfort of Apples - how timely is that? I've written all about it and naturally made a bunch of recipes from it.

One other thing I love to do while I write is to watch Live from Daryl's House - I love to get my monthly email letting me know there's a new band playing with Daryl, not to mention that there's always something wonderful to eat. This month it's all about apple sauce. Check it out.

Here are a few other of my all time favorite apple desserts:

Cornmeal Apple Cake

Ginger Apple Crisp

Normandy Apple Tart

What's your favorite apple dish? And is it sweet or savory?

Pasta Foraging

Foraging has been on the brain lately - gorgeous cookbook, plus my daughter's excitement. Truth is though, most of my foraging is done in my fridge and pantry, trying to use up food before it goes off.
A few days ago I made a very delicious Baby Bowties & Zesty Shrimp Pasta. It was supposed to be Garlicky Rice and Shrimp, but the cupboard was bare... of rice, at least. I thought that the tiny bowtie pasta, usually saved for soups, would be a close second. It was delicious and I purposefully made the whole bag of baby bowties and two bags of jumbo shrimp so we'd have leftovers...

lunch - just zap a bowlful with a little extra basil pesto in the microwave for a minute; or our personal favorite brunch - a frittata... and so simple to make: Just heat a small oven proof skillet over medium high heat. Toss 2 cups of the pasta in the skillet just long enough to heat through. In the meantime, scramble 4 large eggs & 1 large dollop of basil pesto in a bowl. Pour the warmed pasta and mix well. Pour the whole thing back in the pan and make as you would any other frittata. (You can find some other frittata samples here) .

I'm sending this over to Claire of Chez Cayenne, this week's Presto Pasta Night Host. I do hope you plan on joining in the fun as well. Just write a post sharing a pasta recipe, mention Presto Pasta Nights and Chez Cayennee with links to both. Then email cdmcculloch7 (at) gmail (dot) com and cc me - ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by Thursday so Claire can post this week's roundup on Friday.

This post got me thinking... what is your idea of foraging? Where do you do it? And what are you hunting for?

Fall Foraging

Despite the blustery weather - icy cold rain whipped by high winds - Joanna and I went foraging for rosehips. Why would we choose such a day to go? I'm stll asking myself that question. But as Joanna said..."it's an adventure!"
Her sons, Boaz , who will be four in January, and Dov, who will be two next month, were smarter than we were. They chose to stay in the car and watch us forage by the side of Sandy Cove Beach, right on the Atlantic Ocean. There were lots of wild rose bushes and, naturally at this time of year... rosehips galore. We took turns battling the elements for our foraged treasure...
... two and a half pounds of rosehips to make syrup for a wonderful rosehip & pistachio baklava recipe from my latest cookbook find - The Wild Table: Seasonal Foraged Food and Recipes.

Let me back up a bit, so you can understand why we chose to ignore the weather. Joanna, my "back to the land" daughter, started growing her own vegetables this summer. She even is starting her very own composter in her back yard and has been talking about foraging for mushrooms for at least a couple of years. The thought scares me to death! Then again, I don't go scuba diving in shark infested waters either... but that's another story.

When I was asked to review the book, I knew that, although my idea of foraging is, at best, going blueberry and apple picking at U-Pik farms, and.... even more my style.... letting farmers do the harvesting while I do the buying at local farmers markets, Joanna would love this book. I wrote about it here, and even arm-chair foragers like me will fall in love with it.

Between The Wild Table, Preserve It!, and Jellies, Jams & Chutneys (two other awesome books Joanna inspired me to get), we brought our harvest home and after changing into dry clothes, and sipping some much needed tea, we began the syrup making process....
... removing the "beards" which took quite a while;
... cooking the rosehips after coarsely chopping them in a food processor (just equal amounts of water to rosehips;
... letting the liquid drip out of the pulp through a jelly bag. Don't you love Jo's creativity in finding an alternative to a real jelly making stand? The pulp is then returned to the pot with additional water and boiled down again. This time the bags drip overnight.
Next step is to actually make syrup out of the liquid.... I'll keep you posted. For now it's off to babysit two smart boys while their parents go off to daddy's convocation. Congratulations Ezra!

Keep Checking for Presto Pasta NIght #185

I know everyone is eagerly waiting for this week's Presto Pasta Night. Of course, Claudia of Honey from Rock is in Hawaii, which means we'll have to wait a bit for her to post. (It's only 8am here on the East Coast). I know it's going to be awesome from the sneak previews I've been getting.

Thanks everyone (in advance) for great recipes, great stories, and Claudia for putting it all together.

I'll be posting in all the right places later, but now I'm off foraging with my daughter. You read right. We're going foraging for seaweed (mulch for her garden and compost? - I'm not sure what) and rose hips. It's a long story that starts with a cool book I wrote about... The Wild Table: Seasonal Foraged Food and Recipes and I'll share our adventure soon.

Next week Claire of Chez Cayenne will be our wonderful host. Please send your entries to her (I actually have mine ready to write about) cdmcculloch7 (at) gmail (dot) com and cc me - ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com.

Rescued Chilean Miners Back to Safety

Like so many people around the world, I was glued to CNN yesterday following the successful rescue of the 33 Chilean miners who had been trapped for 69 days, 700 metres/2,296 feet below the surface. It took 17 days, before the world knew of their survival and the delicate rescue operation began. I was teary eyed as each man was reunited with family and friends. What a miracle. What a story of spirit, not only of the men below the surface, but of their families and the experts from around the world that did not give up.

Being a foodie, I naturally had to wonder about what they ate, what they'd want to eat as their first meal back home. I know that the last 10 days or so they were put on a liquid diet and given an exercise regimen to make sure they would fit into the rescue tube.

The Washington Post ran an article that said they survived the first 17 days by each miner eating just 1 spoonful of canned tuna every day or two (depending on which report you read) and sharing "mine" water to drink. Soon after they were discovered, a hole, the size of an orange was drilled through to them to send down food, medicine, music and phones.

I truly can't imagine their ordeal, and I do hope and pray that they will easily adjust back to being at home with family and friends and truly celebrating with their favorite foods - empanada de pino, or Charquican , or Curanto en Hoyo, or Prietas (blood pudding).

Pasta Trifecta

I've been remiss over the last few weeks - somehow I didn't get a chance to actually share my pasta dishes with Presto Pasta Nights. So this week I'm making up for it in Spades...or at least in three.

This Whole Wheat Pumpkin Mac 'n Cheese is so tasty and I felt so devious in serving it. That's because it's made with pumpkin, normally not a staple around here, if you know what I mean. Don't get me wrong, my Honey loves pumpkin... in a pie - who doesn't!...
...and he will eat roasted squash, if it's roasted with brown sugar or a drizzle of balsamic vinegar & maple syrup, as long as it's served with his favorite... grilled steak. But, like many people, his view of pumpkins is that they are really planted for carving Hallowe'en pumpkins. This recipe is from Chatelaine Modern Classics (I just wrote about it) where there are 15 other gorgeous looking pastas I have to try, but this one caught my attention and I wanted to see if he'd notice the pumpkin in the recipe. Well, he was so taken by the richness, that I didn't have the heart to tell him. Now it's just our little secret.

A couple of weeks ago I bought some fresh stuffed pasta purses - Perloni at Costco and stuck them in my freezer for one of those "I can't do anything" days... like last week. I popped the frozen stuffed purses into boiling water and decided to toss the cooked babies with some Jalapeno Cilantro pesto (from a great hummus recipe) and some goat & Parmesan cheeses. It was very tasty, but I hadn't taken into account that the perloni was stuffed with spicy Italian sausage, cheeses, and arugula, which sort of overpowered the sauce. Next time I go the delicate, rich & creamy cheese route, I'll go for a more subtle stuffing, like cheese & spinach, or roast chicken & leeks.
Naturally, I've had these spicy perloni on the brain, trying to figure out how to serve them. This time I tossed them with something a little more savory... oven roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, sun-cured black olives, the last of the jalapeno cilantro pesto and some good olive oil with lots of freshly ground pepper and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Frankly, this was the best of the three pasta dishes.

And now I can sleep easy, without any Presto Pasta Night guilt. I'm sending this off to Claudia of Honey From Rock, this week's Presto Pasta Night host. You can still send her your own bowl of deliciousness. Please send all your tasty treats to claudiariley (at) yahoo dot) com and cc me - ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com .

2010 Coast-to-Coast Food Fight

Even if you're not from Nova Scotia, I hope you'll read this post and that it strikes a chord with you. Today is Canadian Thanksgiving and soon enough the US will celebrate their own. In fact between now and December 31st, there will be countless celebrations for every ethnic, religious and regional group. There will be feasting, and more feasting for many of us.

Unfortunately, more and more individuals and families have difficulty in putting food on their tables, not just to celebrate a holiday, but on a daily basis. Feed Nova Scotia is a wonderful charitable organization that helps feed hungry people by collecting and distributing food to more than 150 member agency food banks and meal programs, while at the same time striving to eliminate chronic hunger and poverty through research, awareness and support programs. Check out Hunger Count 2009 Food Banks of Canada Census to see just how challenging the problem is...and 2010, with no stats yet, looks even bleaker.

Unfortunately, organizations like Feed Nova Scotia are getting less traditional funding to combat this crisis. That means turning to the public in the form of fundraising - foodstuff as well as much needed dollars to cover significant costs of warehousing, transportation and all the costs that implies.

Dianne Swinemar, Executive Director, is passionate, energetic and driven...and it's contagious. Just ask any of the committed staff and volunteers who work with her every day. She and her team come up with some brilliant fundraising events like Chair-a-Tea, and Divas on the Green - a non-golf day at a local golf club.

One very cool event is the 2010 Coast to Coast Food Fight. Here's their Press Release....

"Halifax Regional Municipality and FEED NOVA SCOTIA have been challenged by the cities and food banks in Regina and Victoria to see who can raise the most food in 48 hours. We've eagerly accepted the challenge and we're pumped to win.

Rules of the game:
Beginning at 6pm on October 14, FEED NOVA SCOTIA will have 48 hours to receive and weigh as much food as possible. All food must be weighed in one location and none of the food can come into FEED NOVA SCOTIA's possession before the 48-hour period begins. The good news is you can start collecting food now!"

You can check out all the details right here. Of course I want Halifax to win, but regardless of where you live, whether that's in one of the three cities in the official "food fight" or elsewhere in the world, please donate whatever you can - food and money in your own community.

World Food Day is October 16th, so you still have time to get involved. And if you miss it, well the rest of the year is just as important.

Hunger Awareness 2010

Check out some neat ways that you can make a difference in your community.

Early Reminder to Check Presto Pasta Night #184

Jennifer of Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat is our wonderful Presto Pasta Night host this week. And while I usually try to wait until the host has published, I'll be heading out early and I don't want any of you to miss a moment with all the awesome dishes that everyone has lovingly submitted. So keep checking Jennifer's blog and enjoy.

Thanks everyone for such fantastic pastas, I'm always impressed at the variety and sheer deliciousness of them. I can't wait to dig in ...first reading, then making and...of course, best of all eating them.

Next week, Claudia of Honey From Rock (another great blog) will be hosting. Please send all your tasty treats to claudiariley (at) yahoo dot) com and cc me - ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by Thursday (October 14).

Presto Pasta Night # 183

One hundred and eighty two weeks after coming up with this idea and wondering how many other pasta addicts there were out there...and still going strong. There are lots of oldies, lots of new creations and lots of old with a twist. But you don't want to listen to me...

First in this week is Girlichef is making some more delicious dishes with her homegrown Heirloom Tomatoes and this pasta dish Fettuccine with Tomatoes looks fantastic.
Tigerfish of Teczcape, one of my favorite PPNers, shares this dish created especially for those of us who need to "hide" certain ingredients. This time it's Okra & Eggplant Stew with pasta.
Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe managed this tasty treat of Orange Noodles while singing songs to get her princess to eat her own dinner.
Little InBox of Eating Pleasures brings something very unique and exotic to this week's roundup...Charcoal Noodles with Acar. Doesn't it look awesome?
Katerina of Culinary Flavors made a glorious dish of Spaghetti with Vegetables al Marsala. She may not drink wine, but she made wonderful use of it here.
Pam of Sidewalk Shoes - another fave blogger of mine, made this dish of Pasta with Pesto, Potatoes & Green Beans. It's perfect for the season and so easy to make.
Ching of This Little Corner of Mine made the perfect dish for me. I have a bad cold and all I want is some comfort food...her Cheesy Pasta Shells are perfect.
Elizabeth of Elizabeth's Cooking Experiments, tried her hand with the simplest of Italian pastas...Spaghetti Pomadoro and it looks wonderful.
Daphne of More Than Words is another longtime PPNer who always comes up with something delicious. Check out her Spiced Teriyaki Chicken with Oyster Mushrooms. I'm drooling.
Sarah of What Smells so Good? This dish of Skinny Pastata shows just how tasty a meal anyone - allergies or not, can savor. This one is made with Shirataki noodles.
Bergamot of Cooking Escapades usually prefers tomato based sauces, but she tried this one (one of my favorites) with a drizzle of olive oil plus ...for her Tagliatelle with Olives, & Oven Dried Tomatoes.
Anu of My Only Facade, has shared pasta 3 out of 4 weeks in a row. Much better record than mine and hers are all delicious, including this week's Simple Veggie Spaghetti.
From Kirsten's Kitchen to Yours...an old favorite made even better. Garlic Pasta with Broccoli. I could use a bowlful right now.
Branny of Branny Boils Over is a first time PPNer and hopefully this dish is just the beginning of a wonderful friendship. Check out this Asian Bolognese.
Joanne - who always Eats Well With Others, and often shares her pastas with us, has a great post (no surprise), reviews a new pasta book (I'll have to check it out) and, of course, a tasty treat. This time it's Fusilli Al Fagiolini.
Claudia of Honey from Rock takes left overs and makes magic. Check out her Chicken Cannelloni. It's when leftover crepes meet leftover roast chicken and transforms itself.
Margaret, Vegetarian Casserole Queen, squeaked into the roundup and I'm glad she made it with her Three Cheese Pesto Lasagna.
Last but not least...it's my turn. So....well... last night I really did intend to make a glorious pasta from one of several new cookbooks sitting on my counter....they all looked wonderful. But, I came down with a cold and so was going to just do a simple pasta....that didn't happen either. I only had strength enough to make a quick sandwich and go to bed.

What I did discover in my freezer this morning, however was a container of Asian Broth and some Chinese dumplings which will make a delicious lunch today.
Next week's wonderful host will be Jennifer of Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat – don’t you just love the name! Check it out and then send in a pasta dish of your own. Just mention Presto Pasta Night, Jennifer (and a link to Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat) and then email your URL link to jenisnape (at) gmail (dot) com and cc me - ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com

Please let me know if you want to have some fun and take over the Presto Pasta Night Hosting reins for a week. December and beyond are wide open.