Monday, December 28, 2015

The Cottage Cooking Club - December Recipes


The month of December marks the twentieth 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, entitled „River Cottage Everyday Veg".

One of the declared aims of our cooking group is to make a decided effort to use as much regional, organic and also seasonal produce as is reasonably possible.

This month I prepared three of the five designated recipes, plus a few extra ones. I will write about each dish in the order in which I prepared them.

My first recipe for this December post is the colorful Spicy carrot and chickpea pockets (page 193) from the chapter "Bready Things“.




This dish is all about buttery carrots and creamy chickpeas and cumin and that Spanish hot smoked paprika – a perfect dish for the holidays as the ingredients that this recipe calls for can easily be bought way in advance or, depending on how well stocked your fridge and cupboards are, can easily be prepared at a moment´s notice.




I chose to serve the Spicy chickpeas and carrots as a starter with freshly backed warm Turkish Flatbread with Sesame Seeds instead of serving them with pita pockets. Those pita pockets are so omnipresent around here these days, that I presently find myself getting just a bit tired of those bready pockets. I also thought that serving Greek yoghurt alongside – to soothe some of the heat from the hot smoked paprika – was a really good and tasty idea. If you are a bit of a spice lover and enjoy eating chickpeas and carrots, then this dish is definitely for you.




The second recipe I prepared was a take on one of my favorite and most beloved recipes from the book, the Blue cheese and chives tart (page 216) from the chapter of "Store-Cupboard Suppers“.




This is another recipe that can come in very handy in the month of December when we are all so very busy with cooking up a storm for the holidays. With but a handful of ingredients, this is one of  the best and most flavorful tart recipes that you can make. Storebought puff pastry, tomatoes, a good olive oil, freshly ground black pepper and a bit of sea salt – plus that lovely French Roquefort (or other blue cheese) and freshly cut chives from the garden. Could not be easier or more tasty than that.




I have made this tart more times than I can remember using feta or mozzarella and different herbs such as thyme or fresh basil (added after baking) – it is always a hit and I am always grateful for this recipe.




My third recipe this month was a dish that I missed last month, the Jerusalem artichoke frying pan gratin (page 382) from the chapter of "Side Dishes“. We love a good gratin, especially potato gratin, so I was curious to see how well this gratin would be received by the crowds – the cooking technique here is a bit different. As the title implies, first you pan fry the Jerusalem artichoke slices than you grill them.

The first step in this recipe is to fry an onion in some butter and olive oil, then add the sliced Jerusalem artichockes with thyme, salt and pepper and a bit of water (or stock, in my case) simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. The second step is to transfer the cooked mixture to a gratin dish (or individual dishes in my case) add crème fraîche and cheese and place under the grill for a few minutes – done.

While the sliced Jerusalem artichokes are prepared with herbs and cream and cheese, their distinct flavor is still very present. So, if you enjoy the taste of Jerusalem artichockes, this gratin is definitely for you. We enjoy eating them in different kinds of dishes and I love them in soup (even won a cooking competition with them in October) but, again, this is a question of personal taste as the flavors in this dish are rather a bit unusual.




The fourth dish was a repeat for me – another recipe I keep coming back to. Aren´t these the best cookbooks that have you come back to the same recipes again and again?! For Christmas day, I served an entrée of Chestnut and sage soup (page 158) from the chapter of "Hefty Soups“ that we first made back in November 2014.

Although I have made and written about this soup on more than one occasion, I still love it with fresh and abundant sage from our garden and I still consider it to be my favorite soup from the book.

What is not to love about the taste of creamy and velvety chestnuts. When we have fresh chestnuts from the tree in our garden, I use those. Later in the season, I buy vacuum-packed ones from France (as the recipe suggests). When I make this soup. I like to add the white parts of a leek for even more taste and instead of the crème fraîche, I sometimes go for milk (3.5%) and foamed milk. For the drops of oil, I like to use a really deeply flavored cold pressed pumpkin seed oil from my local oil mill. We love that soup and it made for a nice and elgant festive first course.




The fifth dish I made this month was a recipe that we made back in June 2014, the Pizza with new potatoes and blue cheese (page 182) from the chapter of "Bready Things“.




This time instead of the blue cheese, I used goat cheese with a red wine rind from my favorite regional goat cheese manufacturer. When we visited them the other day, I had brought back more cheese than we could handle all at once and I kept wondering what to do about this one with the red wine rind – I also had some wonderful small potatoes left over from Christams dinner, the gnarly ones called "les rats“ or "the rats“, so what better way to use those two lovely left-overs than to make this much beloved pizza of a different kind – with no tomatoes in sight but tasty potatoes, fresh goat cheese and fragrant rosemary from our garden.




The sixth recipe I made was actually in the December line-up of recipes, the Chachouka (page 20), from the chapter of "Comfort Food & Feasts“. This is a North African pepper and tomato stew with eggs baked on top, not unlike the famous Italian Peperonata that we made back in July of this year.




This was a first for me and the kids loved it – with onions, garlic, red peppers and tomatoes as well as cumin seeds, Spanish hot smoked paprika, saffron and eggs, this was a true winner of a recipe – I might not have cooked it quite as down as Hugh did but my taste testers preferred it that way and who am I to argue with them?!




The seventh dish I made this month is our all-time favorite potato salad from the book, the New potato salad „tartare“ (page 79) that we made back in June 2015 and that I have served many times since. We love the mixture of tangy Cornichons and capers, fresh dill and softly-boiled eggs and small French potatoes. One of the best potato salad recipes out there, trust us, we are know a thing or two about potato salads around here.




In summary, another month full of wonderful vegetable dishes – this month we were delighted to enjoy a few new as well as some much beloved recipes, main courses as well as side dishes or appetizer for lunch and dinner.

What a year 2015 has been - lots of wonderful vegetable dishes and I am quite proud of all my devoted taste testers and owe them a huge "Thank you!" for their enthusiasm! Another heartfelt "Thanks!" goes to my fellow members of The Cottage Cooking Club for their enthusiastic support of our international online cooking group! Hopefully, in the coming year we will continue to cook together as a group and move to a different book from the same author!




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.

To see how wonderful all the dishes from my fellow Cottage Cooking Club members turned out this month, please visit here. They would all appreciate a visit!


25 comments:

  1. I especially like the look of the blue cheese and chives tart. Sounds delish.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gaye - and delicious it was, if you like a relatively mild Roquefort all melted and warm and fresh chives with some tomatoes, then this tart is definitely for you!

      Delete
  2. All gorgeous, Andrea. You are amazing in the kitchen. You should have your own cookbook!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Colette, that would be nice - I have had plans for a long time now...all I need is a bit of support...
      Thank you for stopping by,
      Andrea

      Delete
  3. Your family eats well, Andrea!!!! Everything looks great. I agree with you about the potato salad tartare. It's the best. You've inspired me to try the Pizza with New Potatoes and Blue Cheese. You made that one before I joined the group. I have some Roquefort that needs to be used. Perfect solution!!! I wish you and your family a Happy New Year! Looking forward to continuing to cook with you in 2016!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Betsy, thank you so much - I often find myself perusing through Hugh´s book when I have some leftovers with no known destination...this potato pizza sans tomatoes came in very handy for that goat cheese but is also utterly delicious with Roquefort (which I happen to like too).
      Thank you for participating and stopping by for comments!
      Andrea

      Delete
  4. You clearly had a very busy month Andrea. Your lead photo reminded me of just how much we enjoyed this "sandwich", (delicious made with olive oil too). I'll have to repeat that one again soon. The chestnut soup I have yet to try but it's such a perfect choice during this holiday season. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you and your family a very Happy New Year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Zosia, a busy month indeed and I seem to need a break for a day...seriously, lots of food and busy for all of us but the month of January will be less busy and I am looking forward to "new beginnings".
      A very Happy New Year to you and your lovely family! Thank you for you participation in The CCC!
      "See" you soon!
      Andrea

      Delete
  5. What can I say. You are a marvelous and wonderful chef, cook, baker, (and, Mom) all rolled into one. Except for the Jerusalem Artichoke gratin, every single recipe (I have tried several already) looks delicious and something I would enjoy. The jury is still out on the JA's. Somehow, after 4 years of food blogging, I have managed to escape making any dish with JA's. Need to change that record. Although I've done some cooking the past two months, it's been sporadic. It's difficult to create food when you're on-the-road. I will be glad to get settled in a few days and back to business. I've already checked in with Tally Farms and receive my first fruit/vegetable delivery next week. Happy New Year to you all, Andrea.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mary, actually I am looking forward to springtime veg myself and there is still a few recipes from this lovely book that we have not tackled yet plus there are plans in the works to continue this group even after we have concluded our cooking adventure with this book - so, there is no need to prepare the JA`s...it is just s question of personal taste - some like them some do not and there are so many other wonderful vegetables out there and for the time being, I believe I have had my fill of these as well (too much taste tesing for the October competition...) - I am very much looking forward to your upcoming posts, all of them and I am looking forward to many wonderful projects with all of you!!!
      Many hugs and kisses from all of us - hope Freya´and Imken´s drawing will find their way to your desk some day...
      Andrea

      Delete
  6. Oh my goodness, well, all I can say Andrea is that in the midst of trying to heal a double ear infection- scrolling the beauty of each of your dishes is dizzying! I love the pan you used for the Chachouka, and it looks lovely. The dish was well received at my house. That Chestnut and Sage soup looks absolutely sensational, gorgeous. I have never yet prepared anything with chestnuts, mainly due to the difficulty in finding them but I shall order them on line since I've been intrigued, actually since you also prepared a chestnut something or other in your Dorie group. Pizza with Potatoes and Blue Cheese, also looks so very delicious. Then the tart, the Turkish Flatbread... exceptional. Hope you had a Happy Christmas and Wishing You a Happy New Year filled with good health, happiness, and much success ahead!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peggy, certainly hope that you are feeling better very soon! Sometimes I believe that the holidas are all a bit much with all that cooking and baking. Personally, I was happy to be making some veg dishes amidst all that baking - but I am also a bit relieved that it is almost all over. Almost...The Chestnut soup is my favorite - I love the taste and look and velvety creaminess (I am totally biased based on personal taste). And I do find myself coming back to many of Hugh´s recipes on a regular basis which goes to prove that we all chose the right book to cook from for our families and ourselves!
      Gute Besserung! - Get well soon, dear friend!
      Andrea

      Delete
  7. Andrea todas las recetas son hermosas y sabrosas me es difícil elegir,deseo con cariño tengas un lindo y exitoso año 2016,abrazos.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Rosita, so very nice of you, thank you! And thank you also for all your lovely comments this past year! I really enjoy following your lovely blog!
      ¡Muchas gracias!
      And have a Happy New Year!
      Andrea

      Delete
  8. Wow Andrea! I'm not sure how you find the time to prepare all the dishes that you did but you are amazing, wish I would have prepared the egg dish, but will make it this week-end anyway, looks delicious, a meal you can enjoy anytime of the day. Happy New Year's to you and your family!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheri, the pepper and tomato stew with the eggs was a huge hit with the kids - I prepared it with red peppers only and the recipe worked out very well. Sure you will enjoy it quite a bit.

      Delete
  9. The blue cheese and chive tart sounds incredible---I'd love to try all sorts of versions! Happy, happy new year to you and your lovely family!!! xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Liz and a very Happy New Year to you and your family! The blue cheese and chives tart was really nice - if you like Roquefort or another blue cheese, that is.

      Delete
  10. I love every single one of these recipes - amazing! And I think your photos are the reason! Once again I will say, Hugh should have hired you to shoot his photos. Your photos have me going back to the book, wondering why I skipped that particular recipe! Several times I have passed over his recipes because the photos didn't excite me. Happy New Year, David

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. David, thank you for the nice compliment! By now I seem to know this cookbook by heart and I am quite sure that I can recognize one of Hugh´s signature dishes just by smelling it...four more months to go and Iw ill have cooked the book - I am looking forward to new challenges!
      Andrea

      Delete
  11. Wonderful results and beautiful photos, as usual!! I have to say that I did enjoy the blue cheese and tomato tarts!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Emily! Glad you enjoyed that blue cheese tart after all.

      Delete
  12. Andrea, I loved reading your post from this month. It made me hungry! You made all of the recipes sound truly delicious. I love your presentation of the chestnut soup. Your Christmas guests are very lucky. I'm curious about the Jerusalem artichoke gratin too. I like their flavor a lot, and like almost all gratins...Thank you so much for asking about Miriam. I will add a couple of photos to the bottom of my post. It's funny that you ask, no pressure to send anything but we do love those wooden toys. They are the best. I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday. Happy New Year and all the best in 2016!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. These look so good! I really need to join one of the recipe groups some time. Thanks for stopping by my blog!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Happy New Year Andrea! You chose some wonderful recipes to make this month. I like your variations for the chestnut soup - it's such a perfect holiday selection and it sounds like you've found many ways to make it even better. My big hit for the month was the mushroom "stoup" that Kevin loved so much. Thanks for all the work you've done on the Cottage Cooking Club over 2015 and here's to a wonderful 2016.

    ReplyDelete