The recipe is Dorie’s. I am not going to post it here but show you my journey. Get a copy of “Around My French Table” for the recipe. I highly recommend it. The recipe is on page 78 and 79. I will give you a recipe below for my own Cuban Bread that you can have baked homemade by the time the soup is ready.

SO, I grew the squash and some leeks in my garden and then harvested them.

I prepared the squash and cut it up with the leeks.

Cooked them with milk, water, nutmeg, salt and pepper…

And cooked them all together until the vegetables were soft, then pureed them with an immersion blender.

Dorie tops hers with apples and nuts. I used an Ambrosia apple and some bacon-mmm (everything’s better with bacon) because I wanted a little smoky, salty contrast against the sweet apples and squashy pumpkin-chestnut backdrop of the soup. It was delicious!

Add a side of freshly baked bread and you have a heavenly cold weather meal. Voila!

Cuban Bread (two loaves ready in an hour and a half)

• 4 cups “00″ or bread flour
• 4-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1-1/2 Tablespoons sea salt
• 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 cups hot water
• 1 to 2 more cups “00″ or bread flour

Mix the 4 cups of flour with the yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle. Mix to combine then dissolve the sugar and salt in the hot water and add to the flour and yeast whilst mixing slowly. Beat for 3 minutes until well combined. Add the remaining 1 to 2 cups flour whilst mixing until the dough is well mixed and elastic and just slightly tacky. Change to the dough hook and knead my machine for 6 minutes until smooth. Finish kneading for 2 minutes on a lightly floured work surface. Put in an oiled bowl and let raise in a warm place for 15 minutes until doubled. Divide into two round loaves. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Cut and “x” on the top of each with a razor or sharp knife. Place another pan of hot water on the floor of your oven and the sheet pan with the loaves on the rack above it in the cold oven. Set your oven to 400F and bake for about 50 minutes or until the loaves sound hollow when thumped on the bottom. Place on a rack and cool completely for best flavour. Or just a bit for warm bread with soup.

Enjoy!

Look what’s growing in our garden! This year we planted some artichokes just to see how they would grow for us. We are big eaters of the “thorny thistle of bliss” as I like to think of it. We usually have them at least once per week. Unless they are $4.00 a piece that is.  There is no way that the space of our smallish garden will keep us supplied but the thought of eating a home grown artichoke was just too tempting – so we planted two and one survived which we will share once it is ready to harvest. The ants have eaten the other- hope they enjoyed it.

To cook and eat an artichoke is an adventure. I think the first person to try it must have been quite determined and madly starving to boot.

First of all- trim the bottom and any tough outer leaves until you see a bit of white around the bottom edges of the heart. Trim the thorny tips from the tops of the leaves so you don’t get stuck by them. Rub the cut edges with a slice of lemon. Fit a pot with a steamer basket and fill it with water to just under the bottom edge of the steamer. Add a couple of garlic cloves- no need to peel them and a bay leaf and a couple of peppercorns- you can also add that slice of lemon you used to stop the artichoke from turning brown- waste not want not you know. You can scoop the choke out (the choke is the unbloomed thistle leaves ) over the heart either before steaming or after cooking during the eating process. The artichokes will take less time to steam if you remove the choke before cooking and the eating is less messy if you do too- but it’s up to you- some people think they are more flavourful if steamed with the choke.  To remove it before cooking I find that a serrated edge grapefruit spoon or a mellon baller makes the job easy. Just spread the leaves open a bit and scoop the fluffy choke out- rub the cup left where the heart is with a bit of lemon.

Get the water boiling under the steamer and add the artichokes to the basket- steam until tender -you’ll have to check them- they are done when an outer leaf pulls easily or you can check the bottom thickest part for tenderness with the tip of a paring knife- it should insert fairly easily but not be mushy.  Remove the basket and drain a bit before serving.  We like them with chile and garlic flavoured mayonnaise. I made some homemade mayo- it is so easy and good- give it a try!

Homemade Mayonnaise 

• 1 egg and two yolks of an impeccably fresh and clean eggs*
• 1/3 teaspoon dry mustard powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• juice of one juicy lemon
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
• about 1-3/4 cups of canola or other neutral oil
• about 1/4 cup of best quality olive oil
• herbs, salt and pepper or spices to taste

* If you are immune sensitive or uncomfortable using raw eggs-you can coddle the eggs by immersing them in boiling hot water for about a minute before using, try pasteurized egg product (not I- I say) or skip this recipe altogether.

The food processor works great for this. Put the eggs into the bowl fitted with the metal blade. Process for a minute then with the machine running add the mustard powder, the 3/4 teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon each of the lemon juice and the cider vinegar. Slowly start to add about half of the olive oil in a very thin, slow stream – followed by about half of the neutral oil do not stop until a  thick mayonnaise is formed. Add a bit more lemon juice to thin it out a bit and then add the rest of the oil in the same manner. Taste and correct the flavour with more lemon juice, vinegar, salt or pepper. Add chopped fresh herbs if desired- or chiles -whatever you like. This will keep for a few days in the fridge- not as long as commercial but then it only has what you put in it- no commercial fillers or cheap oils. 

Have a happy day

Rick and I were in the produce section of our favourite grocer (Harmons) when we spied some fuzzy green pods that were not familiar to us. They turned out to be fresh Garbanzo beans -also known as Ceci beans or chickpeas. We took them home and then debated about the best way to use them- we  regularly use lots of dried and cooked garbanzos but have never used fresh before. 

From what  I could find about them, they have a relatively short season when they are available but I am considering planting some in our garden to experiment.  They are delicious steamed and added to pasta- I thought they had a bit of a meaty texture and a nice fresh flavour. I even thought they were fun to shell – they start with a bit of a pop! I helped with that part.

The day before, I had invited some of the women in my family over for lunch and an afternoon of working on knitting projects. I made some sausages, onion and peppers for sandwiches and Rick used the leftovers in this dish.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Fresh Garbanzos & Sausage and Peppers

for the Sausage and Peppers:

• 6 sweet Italian sausages in casings
• 1 large red bell pepper, sliced about 1/4″ thick
• 1 large green bell pepper, sliced about 1/4″ thick
• 1 medium red onion, sliced  vertically about 1/4″ thick
• 2 count of olive oil

Heat a large cast iron or other heavy bottomed pan with a lid over medium heat, add a two-count of olive oil and then the sausages. Cover and cook a few minutes until browned on one side. Use tongs and flip over then add the peppers and onions.  Replace the lid and cook until the sausages are cooked through and the peppers and onions are soft. Taste  and add salt and pepper if needed and a small pinch of dried oregano, red pepper and basil if your sausages are not flavourful enough already.  For sarnies, serve whole or sliced on toasted buns.

For the pasta:

• 2 cups fresh Garbanzo beans, shelled and steamed
• 1/2 pound of whole wheat spaghetti, cooked and drained
• left over sausage and peppers,  links sliced  and heated
• freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Combine , heat through and serve to your taste.

Easy and fast and best of all prepared by Rick while I relaxed and read a good book

 (Pardonable  Lies by Jacqueline Winspear) on the couch.

xo

Once the harvest is over I will be moving the herb bed to another location (hopefully with a knot layout) and preparing the current area for a new dining/entertaining spot under a small gazebo and new taller planting beds for easier access along the sunnier west side. We plan also to replace the bark paths with red sandstone. I am trying to save a spot for a cut-flower garden as well. So it’s a massive overhaul to add to our list of  to-dos. Rick is taking a welding class that should come in handy when it’s time to make the gazebo. (I’m getting away with taking an oil and watercolor painting class- lucky me!)

Here is a little pictorial tour…

Under the arbour is a lovely for place for sitting with a glass of wine or dining with friends

The zucchini plants that take over the earth The red sandstone beds will be recycled into pathways

Ripening Blackberries amongst the violet leaves

A bowl of Blackberries- what should I make now?

Blossoming Garlic Chives

Merlot grapes are ripe over the arbour

Close up of Merlots on the trellis – a little behind the ones on the arbour as far as ripening goes.

A “Johann Straus” rosebud

“Johann Strauss Floribunda Rose in bloom”

The never ending zucchinis

Lovely jewels of tomatoes- BLT anyone?

St. Francis watches peacefully over the flower garden

Did I mention that we just tore out our master bathroom to remodel it? We are committed now - or maybe we should be!  haha 

Scary isn’t it? The pink thing is half of the remains of the cast iron tub that had to be broken out with a sledgehammer and the lathe and plaster has now come out too.

This was the world’s ugliest bathroom- we can’t wait to make it pretty

Out of the hole where the window used to be and to a much lovelier view right now-the grape arbour. 

Well that’s how things are around our snug little house and garden for now. Wishing you a lovely Autumn.

“Autumn

Autumn has come too fast she said

Her great green crown turning softly red

As slowly sets the Summer sun

My days of rest are now begun

I sadly watch the birds take wing

Who cradled in my arms last Spring

Now I turn to Winter’s sleep

My Season of solitude to keep

When once more the world turns round

My roots will stir within the ground

I’ll embrace with stretching limbs

The tiny ones whose songs seem hymns

They weave their ribbons in my hair

 Sheltered nests high in the air

We live with joy while days are long

Every morning rich with song

But far too soon there comes the call

When each Summer turns to Fall”