Cooking with Chive Blossoms

We have a bunch of chive blossoms and I didn't want them to go to waste. So last night, I tried out a new recipe for Avocado Soup with Chive Blossoms.

The verdict? I thought it was quite good with a strong taste of spring. Kate on the other hand thought it was a little too thick and wasn't quite sure about the chive blossoms.

I think the next experiment will be adding chive blossoms to eggs.

Sunchokes, welcome to my life

At Seward Coop this weekend, I noticed the sunchokes and decided I could use a little challenge. I've never cooked with sunchokes, but figured I should give it a shot.

I roasted them with fresh rosemary and garlic. They were awesome. Turns out, there's a reason they're also known as Jerusalem artichokes. Although they look like ginger and you cook them like potatoes, they actually taste like artichokes.

Definitely will be working sunchokes into the cuisine at our house.

Turkey

I was on turkey duty this year. A job that I enjoy but that carries a fair amount of pressure. After several years of mostly savory recipes, I thought I'd add a little sweetness to this year's bird.

First things first. I ordered a 16lb fresh Wild Acres turkey through the Birchwood Cafe, which meant that I only had to walk one block to pick up the turkey. Keeping it local.

Okay, back to adding sweet to a typically savory dish. A decided to make an apricot-glazed turkey (see recipe on Epicurious). An interesting element of this recipe is that the gravy includes no flour--just blended onions and leaks for thickening.

While carving the turkey, I took a bite and it tasted delicious. Unfortunately it was the only bite I was going to have all evening. It was a rather large piece, and being distracted with slicing, I didn't it chew it enough before swallowing. A moment later, I realized that it got stuck in my esophagus. I won't add any more details, but I spent the next three hours in the ER and went to bed without supper.

All reports have indicated that my first impression was accurate--the turkey was delicious. I definitely recommend the recipe. So tonight, I look forward to eating the leftovers I wasn't able to enjoy yesterday.

However, my project for the afternoon is making turkey stock (ingredients: turkey carcass, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaf, white wine, parsley, thyme and of course water).

Last Harvest of the Season

Brussels Sprouts in a bowel make a great photo. 

Brussels Sprouts sauteed accompanying mashed sweet potatoes and steak from our recent 1/16 grass fed cow purchase makes a great meal.

Ugali

Tom and Sue have been hosting Macalester students for quite some time...I believe ever since I left the nest. By hosting, I mean inviting to dinner from time to time, not acutally living with them unless you mean my japanese brother from another mother Hiroki Matsui. Anyways, Tom decided to cook John from Kenya some typical Kenyan dishes recently. In the spirit of writing about eating, I wanted to include this meal.

We wonder if John really liked it but he said he did and I think I believe him. After all Ugali, a kenyan starch dish like mashed potatoes, only has two ingredients, Corn Meal and Water.


Photo note to self: When taking photos of black people holding white dishes, pose with the light in the foreground so as to illuminate the face.

The Ugali accompanied a bowl of Kenyan beef stew served with apples, shaved coconut, and peanuts. Who knew apples would be so delicious along side beef stew? It was GREAT. I hope Tom makes it all again.