Sunday, December 28, 2014

The Cottage Cooking Club - December Recipes


December marks the eight month of our international online cooking group, The Cottage Cooking Club. As a group, recipe by recipe, we are cooking and learning our way through a wonderful vegetable cookbook written in 2011 by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, called „River Cottage Everyday Veg“.

The Cottage Cooking Club is meant to be a project aimed at incorporating more vegetable dishes in our everyday cooking, getting to know less known vegetables, learning new ways to prepare tasty and healthy dishes, and sharing them with family and friends.

All the members of this cooking group will make an effort to use as much local, regional, organic and also seasonal produce as is resonably possible. With that goal in mind, during the month of December, I prepared a nice array of vegetable dishes from the recipe line-up.

Let us start with a picture of these incredibly pretty purple Brussels sprouts ("choux de Bruxelles violet" as the French call it or "lila Rosenkohl" as we call it and which translates as "purple rose cabbage"). This was the first time I came across them and I could not resist their undeniably charming appearance.




Since I prepared nine out of ten recipes, I will write about each dish according to the order in which I prepared them.

My first recipe for this December post was the Curried sweet potato soup (page 166) from the chapter "Hefty Soups". Sweet potatoes are root vegetables that resemble potatoes, although they are different in taste and texture and are not related to the potato. They have a deep-orange, creamy-textured flesh that is much lighter and fluffier than that of the potato and, as their name suggests, they have a slightly sweet flavor which harmonized so well with the spices used in this recipe.




This wonderful warming winter soup is cooked with onions, garlic, grated fresh ginger, red chilies, garam masala, curry powder, cubed sweet potatoes, and vegetable stock (page 130). After the soup is puréed, you add coconut milk, lime juice, salt and pepper to taste - finish with some lovely yogurt and fresh coriander (I opted for beetroot, alfalfa and leek sprouts instead). 

This is such a wonderful recipe. The soup is rich and creamy, with just the right kick from the spices, and just the right amout of sweetness from the sweet potatoes and the coconut milk - all counter-balanced by the tang from the lime juice. A must try, no doubt! 




The second recipe this month was Brussels sprouts, apple and cheddar (page 108), from the chapter "Raw Assemblies".

In general, Brussels sprouts suffer from a dreadful reputation. Like miniature versions of the common cabbage, they grow on large stalks and have a sweet, nutty flavour, which some people can find too pungent. But, prepared according to this recipe and treated with a touch of love and care, these little buds will most certainly become your family´s winter favorite.




Who would have thought that raw Brussels sprouts were this delicious - I should add that these purple ones were very mild tasting, very reminiscent of red cabbage. We loved the preparation of this dish. Other than thinly sliced Brussels sprouts, you will need a crisp eating apple, nuts (I used walnuts) and cheese (I used shaved Parmigiano Reggiano). For the dressing it was lemon juice, olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Such a fresh, beautiful salad with a great balance of flavors - lots of delightful crunchiness from the sprouts, sweetness from the apple and saltiness from the cheese.




Recipe number three was the Corner shop spanakopita (page 54), from the chapter "Comfort Food & Feasts". I served this as part of my Christmas spread, hence the star-shaped cut-outs on top of the dish.




This recipe came about as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall´s answer to a friend´s challenge to prepare dinner with items available at the average convenient store - therefore you can use frozen spinach in this recipe - although I used fresh one because I simply could not make myself walk past the fresh one to head for the frozen one and because I just love the taste of fresh spinach, although I must admit that it was quite the task to clean this huge bunch that I had carted home for this recipe.

Once you have prepared the spinach and it has cooled off somewhat, ladle half of it into a pretty oven-proof dish, add crumbled feta, then the rest of the spinach, cover with puff pastry, brush with an egg wash and bake - voilà - this is one of the tastiest, easiest, crowd-pleaser of a spinach dish that you are likely to come across!




The Sweetcorn fritters with corinader or mint raita (page 325), from the chapter "Mezze & Tapas" would make a great, spicy addition to your New Year´s spread. 




Corn fritters are always a big hit with the kids - these were a bit more on the spicy side of things - with gram flour, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and spring onions they packed quite a punch. For the cooling raita, I used yogurt, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and chives - if you are into spicy foods, these fritters with their lovely dark-golden hue will most certainly please your palate. 




Leek risotto with chestnuts (page 270), from the chapter "Pasta & Rice" was the one recipe that received a lot of raving reviews at our house - sweet leeks, sautéed in butter and oil and mixed with lovely Italian risotto rice as well as some dry Italian white wine and homemade vegetable stock was a huge hit. One of my favorite recipes so far. 




The final touch for the risotto was some fresh thyme and fried thin slices of chestnuts - goodness they are so wonderful as a topping to this risotto, that I decided to add them to one of my other dishes I made from the December line-up, the Salsify purée.




Looking for a wonderful side dish - try the Roasted roots with apple and rosemary (page 361), from the chapter of "Roast, Grill & Barbecue". Such an easy recipe and so versatile. I decided to use red-skinned and purple potatoes (the "Vitelotte" variety) on the day I prepared this recipe. I have prepared it with parsnips and carrots before and we loved that too. 




You can use the root vegetables that you have on hand, roast them for a good 35 minutes with olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper, then add sliced cooking apples (the ones that hold their shape) and fresh rosemary and roast for an additional 15 minutes - hard to find someone who does not enjoy roasted root vegetables with some sweet apples and rosemary.




The next recipe I prepared was the biggest surprise to me this month. For some reason I was not sure that I would enjoy the Quick chickpea pasta (page 246), from the chapter "Store-Cupboard Suppers".




With so few ingredients I made sure to choose a really good-quality variety of orecchiette. There are so many different ones to choose from at my favorite Italian market and I kept thinking that I have an amazing recipe for homemade orecchiette but I resisted the urge to make them myself and bought some wonderful looking ones called "orecchiette strascinati", a type of robust orecchiette from the region of Puglia - they held their shape quite well during cooking and were robust enough to hold their own in this easy dish of pasta, chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, chili peppers and grated hard cheese. Fried sage leaves added a nice bit of color to this incredibly easy and tasty pasta dish.




One of the lesser known root vegetables, salsify is also known as "oyster plant" because it tastes slightly of oysters. Around here we also call it "Schwarzwurzel", which translates into "black roots". This typical winter vegetable is quite popular in Belgium and the Netherlands these days but I remember my grand-mother preparing it and I could not wait to give this recipe a try. The most difficult part was finding it - it took me quite a while - no one seems to ask for it much these days, too bad because it has a wonderful intense flavor and it is very versatile. 




The Salsify purée (page 387), from the chapter "Side Dishes" is a delightful way to prepare this veg with a bit of old-world-charm - I added some fried chestnut slices for garnish and a drizzle of cold-pressed walnut oil - delicious, creamy and a lovely taste that is a bit hard to describe and a winter-white color to boot. Absolutely not the way my grand-mother used to prepare this veg but quite fabulous!.




Last but not least, another recipe that I could not wait to try. The Bruschetta with cavolo nero or "cabbage on toast" (page 200), from the chapter "Bready Things".

Once you have decided wether you will use the cavolo nero (a kind of dark Italian kale from the Tuscan region), regular kale or savoy cabbage, all you will need to get is some wonderful country style bread, like the Ciabatta Pugliese that I used.




The cavolo nero has a good, strong flavor. It can be used as a substitute in all recipes that require cabbage but it is particularly good in soups such as the classic Tuscan soup, ribolitta. But cavolo nero is equally delicious simply fried in olive oil with garlic and chilies or as a topping for bruschetta - this is my kind of recipe. Loved the earthy flavor of the cabbage together with garlic, olive oil, pepper and salt. 




Another month full of wonderful vegetable dishes – we certainly enjoy the recipes from this cookbook. And we are all looking forward to another year of wonderful, family-friendly vegetable dishes.

Please note, that for copyright reasons, we do NOT publish the recipes. If you enjoy the recipes in our series, hopefully, the wonderfully talented and enthusiastic members of the Cottage Cooking Club and their wonderful posts can convince you to get a copy of this lovely book. Better yet, do make sure to join us in this cooking adventure! 

For more information on the participation rules, please go here.

To see which wonderful dishes the other members of the Cottage Cooking Club prepared during the month of December, please go here.



29 comments:

  1. I made many of the same dishes as you this month Andrea, and I agree with your well articulated assessment of them all. The spanakopita was the star of this month's choices in my family with the Brussels sprouts-apple salad a surprise hit - but I would have loved to have made it with those lovely "purple rose cabbages", which make the salad absolutely gorgeous. I'm now on the hunt for salsify with the hope of making that recipe; I love that you added the chestnut garnish to that dish.
    It's been wonderful cooking with you these past several months and I look forward to more of the same in 2015. Have a very Happy New Year!

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    1. Zosia, it has been a pleasure cooking along with you these past months and it makes me extremely happy to know that you and your family enjoy the recipes from the River Cottage cookbook.
      Thank you for your participation and a very Happy and Healthy New Year to you and yours,
      Andrea

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  2. Hi Andrea, your dishes look amazing, love all the little details that you added to each picture to make them so special. I really enjoyed the spanakopita, will be adding that to my monthly repertoire. Thank you for all that you do to keep our cooking group going from month to month. Happy New Year!!

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    1. Cheri, it is a real pleasure to count you among our Cottage Cooking Club members and share all the lovely recipes and ideas with you.
      Wishing you and your family a very Happy New Year!
      Looking forward to preparing many more delicious recipes from the Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall cookbook the coming year!
      Andrea

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  3. Hello Dear Andrea, another splendid month of beautiful preparations upon your table. Your added touches of creativity to the dishes are lovely, and I do love the star topped spanakopita. Thank you for another wonderful month, the recipes seem well enjoyed by all. Happy New Year to you and your family Andrea and I wish you a world of happiness in the upcoming year, may all your happy dreams come true! Hugs and Love, Peggy

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    1. Dear Peggy, what a wonderful member of the Cottage Cooking Club you have been the last months - thank you for all your enthusiasm, your kind words and support of this lovely online cooking group! I truly appreciate i, dear friend!
      Wshing you and your family a good and healthy start to the New Year and looking forward to many more delicious recipes this coming year!
      Andrea

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  4. I am a huge fan of brussels sprouts, but have never seen purple ones like these! They are beautiful and the salad looks so delicious and healthy.

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    1. Amy, Brussels sprouts are the best, aren´t they?! They usually do not get that much attention but we love them, wether they are roasted or raw or boiled.

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  5. Andrea, everything you made looks absolutely delicious--and gorgeous! I've never seen purple brussels sprouts before, but after seeing yours I'm going to keep a look out for them. They do look lovely. I was very surprised by how much I liked the raw brussels sprouts recipe. It's definitely one that I plan on making again.

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    1. Jora, these purple Brussels sprouts were a first for me as well - so pretty and so delicious - if you come across them, get them, their taste is different from the regular Brussels sprouts, they taste a bit more like red cabbage, mild and sweet and all. My new favorite winter veg. Gald that you enjoyed cooking along with us again in December,
      Andrea

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  6. They all look magnificent - your photos are just beautiful... and all your linens... xoxox

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    1. Thank you, David, another month of delectable vegetable dishes - we loved them all...

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  7. Andrea, as always, your food looks so amazing! I am so impressed with all of your dishes - oh, and the small bit about doing them in December!!! I feel like I'm always behind, and don't even think of some of the finer details that you are sure to include. Hopefully I will get a chance to make a few more of these recipes... though I'm sure you have more wonderful ones waiting in the wings for January! Happy New Year! All my best wishes to you and your family.

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    1. Dear Candy, thank you for you wonderful comment - indeed a busy month but delicious and we enjoyed these recipes a lot. So nice to have you cook along with the rest of us in the Cottage Cooking Club and a very Happy New Year to you and your family as well!
      Andrea

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  8. Oh my goodness Andrea, you had me sold on the first one but each one seemed to get better and better. You have been a cooking machine this month :)!

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  9. Stunning presentation.
    Gorgeous food.
    the risotto was some fresh thyme and fried thin slices of chestnuts looks FABULOUS!!!! XX

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    1. Kim, dear, thank you so much - the Risotto was my kids favorite dish this month - they loved it and since it is such a lovely no-fuss recipe, we will be enjoying it many times over!

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  10. Hallo,

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    viele Grüße :)
    Iwona

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  11. As always, you rise to the occasion and exceed it. And, that's just from my looking at your photographs. I haven't read a word yet. They are breathtaking, Andrea. Just had to comment about that before I return to the top of your Post and read. You, my friend, are something else again.

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    1. Dear Mary, oh, that feels good...thank you! I am just lucky to have such dedicated taste testers - they loved the Risotto so much and the Spanakopita as well. And were eager to try all of the other dishes I made - it was a nice month, busy but delicious.
      Andrea

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  12. Another great set of recipes! The fritters look amazing, and so does that chickpea pasta.

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    1. Thank you, Beth - loved the December recipes - my personal favorite was the risotto this month - although, I must admit, I enjoyed all the dishes.

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  13. Betsy and you have definitely sold me on trying the risotto this winter. It will be a perfect and, filling, dinner for me. I also have always been a fan of the abused brussels sprout but using them in salads has been new to me this Season. It's a beautiful presentation. Salsify, I have never eaten and am not sure I have seen before. Whole Foods carries so many products I never use or look for so will give that a try. I agree about that pasta. Yummier than expected. Corn fritters - yours look delicious. As always, your photographs enhance the presentation of your food and always inspire me to go back and "try again". Thank you for leading this group, Andrea. I think we all have told you over and over how much we are enjoying this cookbook. I have also enjoyed the Mohr family artwork this holiday season as I posted in my blog this week. In fact, I am taking it all down, packing it carefully and reposting on my California refrigerator. It arrived just as I knew that I really DID have the flu. So, it was nice. Thank you all for your efforts. Happy New Year. I know you have many interesting projects in the works. Good luck.

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    1. Dear Mary, a big thank you for your kind and thoughtful comment - I truly appreciate all your comments! I am hopeful that you will have gotten over that flu by now. And I am very happy that the artwork did arrive in time. Thank goodness, I always worry (for some unknown reason) that our letters will not find their way to cold Aspen - we have been a bit lucky weatherwise (so far).
      As far as the projects are concerned, I have not quite settled on which ones I would like to focus on most these coming months - but I plan on shifting my focus a bit, sometimes less is more...we will see...
      Hope all is well with you, dear friend,
      Andrea & Co.

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  14. What a gorgeous lineup of vegetable dishes you made in December. I love learning the German names for all the vegetables. I've seen purple Brussels sprouts for the first time this year. They are beautiful, but I haven't bought any yet. I love your garnishes on everything, especially the stars on the spanakopita and the flowers on the Brussels sprouts. At your house, dishes are not just feasts for the stomach, but for the eyes as well. Wishing you and your family a very Happy New Year, my dear friend! Betsy

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  15. Bravo as usual, Andrea! Everything looks fabulous. You made the sprout salad shine! Absolutely gorgeous. And I love that you used purple potatoes in the roasted vegetable dish. Such a colorful post!

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  16. I love your garnish for the sweet potato soup. We enjoyed it, even without using yogurt to dress it. It's going to become a regular part of our winter eating, I think. And I agree with you about Brussels sprouts' reputation. If only so many people hadn't had only overcooked, boiled ones as a basis for forming their opinion. I love that kind of salad - there's no need for out of season greens at all to enjoy fresh and crunchy dishes, is there? And the purple ones you chose are especially pretty. All of your dishes are beautifully presented and I'm especially curious about the salsify. I don't see it here often and my attempts to grow it have so far been unsuccessful. Another great month of choices, Andrea!

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  17. I also love to learn recipes from cookbooks and sometimes I search for online cooking recipes when I think to make something unique and interesting. Well, the picture of purple Brussels sprouts is really interesting. Winter soup is one of my favourite and preferred dish in winters. Thanks for sharing its recipe.

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