While I’ll never quite live up to fellow post-Vassar foodie Claire over at For the Taste of It or unbelievable gourmet/couture blog Luxirare, kicking ass in the kitchen (in 4” heels, and because I love it, thank you very much) is something I pride myself on and always have, and between my boyfriend’s new kitchen (and knives I picked out, oh GOD they’re wonderful) and my uncontrolled love for New England/Hudson valley autumn produce (apples! squash! maple everything!), kicking ass in the kitchen to make a great October meal was definitely in order this weekend. I started cooking in high school largely because my parents are very meat-and-potatoes people, and I am, er, an 85%-fruit-nuts-and-vegetables-15%-fish kind of girl.  There’s nothing I hate more than “vegetarian” cooking that goes about being vegetarian by “replacing the meat in a meat meal with something else;” the fact is that plenty of vegetables, nuts, and grains are delicious (and full of protein etc) on their own, and can just as easily be made the focus of a meal.  (That said, panchetta or some other smoked/salted meat could probably be added to the below stew for the insatiable carnivore.) Preparing the stew: butternut squash, shiitake mushrooms, leeks, white beans, and corn, cooked in a bit of oil and vegetable stock, spiced with fresh garlic and plenty of garam masala with extra cinnamon and cloves. And the salad: farro, pecans, and granny smith apples, garnished with roasted pumpkin seeds. Dressing: OJ, olive oil, a tiny bit of maple syrup, cumin, nutmeg, salt + pepper. The final result! Dessert:  pears poached in merlot, orange juice, and garam masala, served with a scoop of marscapone and dulce de leche and garnished with the masala/wine syrup and cinnamon. I think this may be the tastiest thing I’ve ever made. I’m not joking. I’m a little bit unhealthily obsessed with marscapone in general, to be honest — a few tablespoons of it are great on top of any hot cereal (rather than mixing in milk or butter), like my oatmeal this morning with dried cherries, pecans, and plenty of cinnamon.

While I’ll never quite live up to fellow post-Vassar foodie Claire over at For the Taste of It or unbelievable gourmet/couture blog Luxirare, kicking ass in the kitchen (in 4” heels, and because I love it, thank you very much) is something I pride myself on and always have, and between my boyfriend’s new kitchen (and knives I picked out, oh GOD they’re wonderful) and my uncontrolled love for New England/Hudson valley autumn produce (apples! squash! maple everything!), kicking ass in the kitchen to make a great October meal was definitely in order this weekend.

I started cooking in high school largely because my parents are very meat-and-potatoes people, and I am, er, an 85%-fruit-nuts-and-vegetables-15%-fish kind of girl.  There’s nothing I hate more than “vegetarian” cooking that goes about being vegetarian by “replacing the meat in a meat meal with something else;” the fact is that plenty of vegetables, nuts, and grains are delicious (and full of protein etc) on their own, and can just as easily be made the focus of a meal.  (That said, panchetta or some other smoked/salted meat could probably be added to the below stew for the insatiable carnivore.)


Preparing the stew: butternut squash, shiitake mushrooms, leeks, white beans, and corn, cooked in a bit of oil and vegetable stock, spiced with fresh garlic and plenty of garam masala with extra cinnamon and cloves.

And the salad: farro, pecans, and granny smith apples, garnished with roasted pumpkin seeds. Dressing: OJ, olive oil, a tiny bit of maple syrup, cumin, nutmeg, salt + pepper.


The final result!


Dessert:  pears poached in merlot, orange juice, and garam masala, served with a scoop of marscapone and dulce de leche and garnished with the masala/wine syrup and cinnamon. I think this may be the tastiest thing I’ve ever made. I’m not joking.


I’m a little bit unhealthily obsessed with marscapone in general, to be honest — a few tablespoons of it are great on top of any hot cereal (rather than mixing in milk or butter), like my oatmeal this morning with dried cherries, pecans, and plenty of cinnamon.

Tags: food flog