Recap of the Holidays: A New Years Dinner & Dessert

I spent a wonderful New Years Eve in the blustery cold of Buffalo, and then decided to celebrate the actual arrival of the new year with a festive meal at the beginning of January.

Menu
(Full recipes available upon request)

Dinner:
Organic Peppered Pork chops
Roasted Rosemary White Sweet Potatoes & Parsnips
Ginger Stuffing
Sauteed Swiss Chard with Cremini Mushrooms and Red Onion

Dessert:
Hearty "Pecan Pie" Tarts with Sherry and Chocolate (in the tarts)

Yellow Tail Chardonnay

Dinner:

A meal for 2012

Dessert:
...Hearty "Pecan Pie" Tarts with Sherry and Chocolate - Organic All Purpose Flour Version

 ...Organic Whole Wheat Flour version

Filling recipe includes a little bit of chocolate and cream sherry for the festive touch!

Happy 2012 - More to come!

Recap of the Holidays: Sample Foods from my Family

*Featured Link: Native Offerings Farm, Western New York

This past year's winter festivities was abundant with delicious foodstuffs. I took some time with family and friends from the great lakes region and enjoyed many lovely home-cooked dishes and desserts.

A fun, recurrent source of inspiration is the food my parents make. Here are some of the warming breakfast and brunch concepts my mother served.

Warm Polenta with Fresh Blueberries, Toasted Almonds, Sunflower Seeds, and Rice Milk

Warm polenta with blueberries, toasted almonds, and sunflower seeds by Karen Caya

Soy Sausage, Scallion, and Monteray Frittata

Soy sausage, scallion, and monteray frittata made with free range brown eggs and herbs by Karen Caya

Crispy Buckwheat Pancakes with Sweet & Savory Toppings

...with whole milk organic yogurt and (real) maple syrup [and grapefruit juice]:

Pancakes with whole milk organic yogurt and (real) maple syrup by Karen Caya

...with cumin zucchini, yellow onion, and whole milk organic plain yogurt:

Pancakes with cumin zucchini, onion, and whole milk plain yogurt by Karen Caya

 

...at the end of the plate.

My brother and sister-in-law created some beautiful and vibrant food as well; here are some samples.

Spinach and red pepper whole wheat quiche, raw kale salad with onion and pecans, and a friend's mixed grain cashew and cranberry salad

Kale salad and Quiche produce grown from Native Offerings * farm

And earlier on in the season:

 Fresh Greens Salad, Sauteed Mushrooms, Squash and Olives

...organic greens and gourds from Native Offerings Farm*

There were many other lovely treats, but of course I didn't have my camera with me most of the time. I was eating!

Sage & Garlic Chicken, Roasted Rosemary Peppercorn Roots, and Herbed Portabello

 Based on Tina Nordstrom's corn fed chicken recipe from New Scandinavian Cooking, I thinly sliced a few cloves of garlic and placed them with whole leaves of sage under the skin of several organic chicken drumsticks. It is incredibly easy to prepare and beautifully rich with flavor at the end.
Salted and peppered, they were put on to cook while the turnip, rutabega, parsnip, rosemary and pepper corns roasted in the oven.

I sliced up some portabello mushrooms as well and seasoned them to taste with the left over herbs for a short spell in the cast iron skillet.

Sage, rosemary, rutabega, parsnips, and turnips

Chopped root vegetables with rosemary and peppercorns on oiled baking tray

Chicken stuffed with fresh sage and garlic, peppered and salted, slowly cooking

A Very rustic, aromatic, and textured finish

On Sprouts & Tempeh: Tempeh Reuben with Spiced Brussels Sprouts & Apples

*Featured Link: Bistro Europa of Buffalo, New York

I don't know whether it is the reuben here or the brussels sprouts that are the focus. I had thought I posted something about tempe before now, but it looks as though I didn't, and brussels sprouts seem to be highly neglected as a diverse and flavorful vegetable. So, here is a meal that appreciates both; sprouts and tempeh.

For those who are unfamiliar with tempeh, it is a vegetarian source of protein which is common in macromiotic cooking, whole foods stores, alternative nutrition, and eastern cuisine.
Originating in Indonesia, it is made from soy beans, and maintains good levels of protein, fiber, and vitamins because of its fermentation process and the relatively intact beans. It is tightly compact - similar to a vegetarian burger - and can be used in soups, salads, as a snack, and in sandwiches, among other things.

Speaking of sandwiches, I loved tempeh reubens as a kid. Roast beef wasn't really an interest in my family, and while I have had it sinse - the best organic beef reuben known to man made by the brilliant chefs at Bistro Europa in Buffalo, NY* - I greatly appreciate the unique and hearty context of the tempeh version.

(Full recipes available upon request)
Tempeh Reuben with Spiced Brussels Sprouts and Apples

For my reubens I pile on sauerkraut, thousand island dressing, and any of munster, swiss, monteray jack, or a good cheddar cheese over a pan-browned slice of tempeh. Adding thinly sliced red onion and pickled carrots might be lovely as well - Just had the thought.
I prefer an artisan rye, but pumpernickel or whole grain would be just as good.
And then of course fry the sandwiches in a pan while the halved sprouts and roughly chopped green apples get browned in cinnamon, cloves, and coriander.

Green or Golden Apples coarsely chopped with halved Brussels Sprouts, butter, cinnamon stick, cloves, and coriander.

Tempeh Reuben with Spiced Brussels Sprouts

Fennel & Leek Ricotta Risotto

Risotto has been said to be ridiculously tricky, as well as simple and easy, but through careful recipe attention and experimentation, I've decided nothing works for me but my own way.

That said, risotto can be as tricky or as simple as you can manage. I think I've got my approach down.

I've enjoyed a rich combination of zucchini, onion, and ricotta risotto before, which is a favorite with fish. Recently I put together something quite last minute - purely in the efforts to make something enjoyable from food stuffs that would otherwise go to waste - and was inspired by a bit of the scandinavian flavors.

(Full recipes available upon request)
Fennel & Leek Ricotta Risotto with Broccoli Rabe and Coriander Acorn Squash

Using fresh fennel root and leeks, vegetable stock and onion, I made an aromatic base for the rice, going about my particular method for preparation.

On the side I made some lovely bitter rabe in a pan, and had two golden acorn squash halved, dashed with coriander, baking in the oven.
The flavors melted together by the creamy rice were sweet and bitter and earthy - very soothing for a winter meal.

Coriander Acorn Squash, Broccoli Rabe, and Fennel Leek Ricotta Risotto