For the last two years, we’ve participated in Zephyr Farm’s CSA.  If you’re not familiar with a CSA, it stands for “Community Supported Agriculture” and is basically a vegetable subscription.   Ours started mid-June and ran through the end of October.

Pickups from the beginning of the season (6/22/2010) and end of the season (9.15.09)

I looked forward to my Tuesday pickups, when I’d walk down the street with my IKEA bag and come back with an Iron Chef-like challenge to imagine a week of dishes with the bag’s contents.  Every second week, we got the most delicious assortment of multi-colored eggs.

This year, we won’t be doing the CSA.  We moved to a new neighborhood, and since J works late and I take the bus, it would be very hard for us to pick up our weekly allotment.  Instead, we’ll be putting aside money to spend at the Saturday farmers’ market, which is luckily in walking distance.  I’ll miss it – maybe one day we’ll be able to join again.

• Zephyr Farm’s blog:
• Farm Fresh RI’s CSA directory:
• Photos from my visit to the farm

Halloween is a favorite holiday in this house, so we hosted a dinner party last night – 8 spooky courses!  One of the advantages of this menu was that much of it could be prepared ahead, so we didn’t have to stay hidden in the kitchen for long.

The table setting, my favorite chef with 3 Liter Duvel, and Escargot

Aperitif: Unicum (drank out of test tubes)
Snack: BBQ Spiced Meal Worms

1: Chouriço Assado -Chouriço set aflame in a terracotta dish (ours is shaped like a pig)
Duvel – we got a GIANT 3 liter bottle!

2: Escargot
White Wine

3: Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
White Wine

4: Blood Red Romaine Caesar Salad
White Wine

- Intermezzo Spoon of Rhubarb Sorbet -

5: Black (squid ink) fettuccine with lemon and caviar
White Wine

6: Roasted spindly carrots and squash
Red Wine

7: Steak Tartare
Red Wine

8: Chocolate Ganache Mini-Tartlets with white chocolate tombstones
Port

- Coffee -

I got a funny call the other day – my mom, sounding slightly alarmed, asked me if I had time to talk.  She said she’d gotten a call about something I’d written in my blog.  My first thought was “Someone is still reading my blog?” and my second, “Did I accidentally write something offensive?”

It turned out that in my post about Indian Cauliflower I mentioned that I’d gotten a spice kit/cookbook that a family friend didn’t want.  The only problem was, the kit was a gift from his daughter, then he gave it to my mom, and then she gave it to me.  And all three of them read the blog post.

At least everyone got a good laugh out of it, and I’m still enthusiastic about the gift, even if it wasn’t for me!

Cauliflower is like a blank canvas which takes beautifully to strong flavors. I like it roasted with bold spices, in a soup with blue cheese, raw with spicy hummus. Recently I discovered this Indian recipe in an out-of-print book called “Cooking with the Spices of India”. A family friend gave me the book, which came with a box of spices, because he wasn’t so fond of Indian food. I’m very happy he thought of me!

This recipe is out of this world. It might sound involved, but after you make it once, you’ll find it’s totally worth it (and not actually that complicated).

Panch Phoran is a spice mixture composed of fenugreek, nigella seed, mustard seed, fennel seed, and cumin seed.

Braised Cauliflower with Panch Phoran Yogurt Sauce

• 1 small onion, peeled and coarsely copped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
• a 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup lowfat yogurt
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 head cauliflower (about 2 lbs), separated into bite sized florets
• 3 tbs vegetable oil
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 green cardamom pods
• a ¾ inch piece cinnamon
• 1 tsp panch phoran
• salt, to taste
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

In a blender, combine the onion, garlic, ginger and 2 tbs of cold water. Puree and transfer half of the paste to a large bowl with the yogurt, salt and sugar. Stir to combine. Mix in the cauliflower florets, turn the florets in the marinade to coat thoroughly and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until very hot, but not smoking. Add the cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon and panch phoran, stir and allow the spices to sizzle and pop, about 30 seconds. Add the remaining half of the garlic-ginger puree and stir for 2 more minutes. Add the cauliflower-yogurt mixture and cook for 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, cover and let the cauliflower simmer for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot and finish cooking until the cauliflower is tender, about 12-15 minutes. Check for salt, stir in the cilantro and transfer to a serving dish.

What is Muesli?  For many people, it’s the lonely imported box of oats and dried fruit at the end of the cereal aisle.  But I’ve always known it as a real treat – a mixture with oats and yogurt that my mom would make on weekend mornings.

Muesli was popularized by a Swiss physician at the turn of the 20th century as part of his regimen for healthier eating.  It’s one of my favorite power breakfasts, perfect after the gym or before a long day.

Muesli made with dried figs and cherries

Muesli (makes 2 small or 1 large serving)

Vary the amounts based on your mood – I often use an apple per person and very little of the other ingredients, making it more of a breakfast fruit salad.

• 1 apple, cored but not peeled
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1 tbs honey
• 1/3 cup oatmeal or granola
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts, such as almonds or pecans
• 1/4 cup dried fruit, such as raisins or dried cherries

Grate the apple using a box grater and toss with lemon juice.  Stir in yogurt and add honey to taste.  Mix in remaining ingredients. If you prefer softer oats, allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes before serving.

We never made it camping this summer, so last weekend we took the smores indoors with a can of chafing fuel.  They taste just as good, though I do miss the smell of a campfire!

It’s getting chillier and the leaves are changing.  Having a warm, spiced breakfast on the weekend makes my whole day wonderful.

Today I was in the mood for pumpkin pancakes with apple compote.  Apple compote is versatile and so quick to make.  I came back from a yoga class this morning and, ten minutes later, it was done.   You’ll find my recipe below.  For the pumpkin pancakes, here’s one recipe I’ve used, but I always change up the spices to taste.  If anyone has a favorite recipe, leave it in the comments!

Apple Compote
This is my basic recipe as best as I can write it down – I always just throw things together and add more ingredients to taste.   Today I even threw in a shot of orange juice!  I prefer not to peel the apples, but this is a matter of taste.

• 2 large apples, cored and sliced (one of these makes the job quick)
• 1 tbsp butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• 1/4 cup nuts, chopped (optional – I used cashews today)

Melt butter in a large skillet with a cover.  Add the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger, and toss to evenly distribute the spices.  Cover and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, for about three minutes.  Add the raisins, lemon juice and nuts, cover, reduce heat to medium and cook for another couple minutes.  Remove the lid and cook until apples are tender and liquid is syrupy, about three more minutes.

Serve with pancakes, oatmeal, yogurt, or even on a cheese plate.

I wanted to share this great sauerkraut recipe I made for our Oktoberfest party.  I’m sure a few of you will stop reading here, but please read on! If you are ambivalent about sauerkraut (I was at one point), this might change your mind. It manages to taste both tangy and buttery, and of course, it’s also a healthy way to get your veggies.

America is in financial turmoil, so I’ll betray my secrets and tell you how I whipped this up on a budget.  We bought jars of Kühne organic sauerkraut, made in Germany, from my favorite secret gourmet store.  If I was making this for dinner tonight, I would have stopped by the farmers’ market for apples, but since I had 20 pounds of apples on my shopping list and a budget to follow, I headed to Price Rite where I got Ginger Gold apples for only 99 cents a pound.

Baked Sauerkraut with Apples
adapted from Lüchow’s German Cookbook

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I’m an IT professional, and people constantly ask if I studied Computer Science in college.  Nope, I majored in…German.  I loved the coursework and my semester abroad in Berlin, and though I can’t say I’ve used my major after college, I still harbor a love for the country’s language and food.  My family is German, so I suppose you could say it’s hereditary.

An Oktoberfest party seemed like the perfect idea this year.  You might be wondering, why an Oktoberfest party in September?  The real Oktoberfest in Munich actually starts during the end of September and continues through the first week of October.  But if you still want to throw your own party, I think any time in October is fair game.

We took the planning seriously, testing recipes and tasting beer.  We chose Paulaner Oktoberfest for the keg and picked out a number of recipes.  For our sausage needs, we took a drive to Karl’s Sausage Kitchen in Saugus, Massachusetts.  I especially enjoyed their Weisswurst, which along with Seven Stars multigrain bread, was a tasty breakfast for our friends who came early to help in the kitchen.

Sausage from Karl’s, the beer, prepping for Hasenpfeffer, “Bavarian camouflage”

My favorite recipe source was Luchow’s German Cookbook, a 1950s gem with recipes from the legendary, and now sadly missed, New York restaurant.  I also browsed one of my favorite food books, Culinaria Germany, for inspiration.  Each book in the Culinaria series is a vivid, comprehensive encyclopedia of a region’s food.  The German volume has a chapter for each state, with descriptions of regional specialites and food customs, photos and recipes.

Here’s our final menu:

• Assorted Sausages – Knockwurst, Bauernwurst, 2 types of Bratwurst
• Himmel und Erde – mashed potatoes and apples topped with sliced blood sausage and crispy onions
• Käsespätzle – Spätzle (noodle dumplings) baked with layers of Emmentaler, topped with crispy onions and browned butter
• Goulash – finished up in a crock pot while we made merry
• Hasenpfeffer – a red wine rabbit stew, also finished in a crock pot
• Pretzels – brought freshly baked by Sean and uglyagnes
• Potato Salad – generally, German potato salad is made without mayonnaise
• Cucumber Salad – just like Mom used to make, herbed with dill
• Baked Sauerkraut with Apples
• Red Cabbage
• Assorted Mustards
• Assorted Breads
• German Apple Cake
• Linzer Torte

Weisswurst for breakfast, my red dirndl, the first guests at the table, washing the steins

The day of the party, we filled the iPod with drinking songs, covered the living room in blue and white tablecoths (fortuitously left over from a party my parents had two decades ago!) and cooked all day. Even though more than 30 people came to help us eat and drink, we ended up with plenty of leftovers. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised – my shopping list included 20 pounds of apples and 10 pounds of potatoes!

Yesterday was the first day of fall, and as I was leaving my night class, a hint of fireplace scented the nippy air.  Fall is my favorite season and I’m always ready for the transition to fall colors, pumpkin stews, Halloween decorations.

I made this Linzer cookie,  a first-day-of-fall treat for my sweetheart, with the leftover dough from a torte.  I finally own a linzer cookie cutter and I’ve always loved my set of miniature leaf cookie cutters (which are like these).   I used this recipe for the torte, but the dough was harder to work with than I recall, so I’m going to have to ask my parents for their recipe. I don’t know if I’ll ever rival their linzer torte talents, though – they work as a team and always do a perfect job on the lattice!  I think I need some more practice.