French Fire

 Winter and French food tend to go together. There are plenty of rich dishes that will keep you warm when the temps drop. They are tasty and flavorful, full of protein and taste. The will warm you from head to toe - de la tete aux pieds.

If you want instant French food , then head to Lidl I love their potato gratins which are miniature pies full of cream and potatoes.

These are perfect , good on their own or with squash as I made them for a kind of Franco-American dinner.

This is a nice vegetarian option however if you want true French fire serve then with a hearty cassoulet. This is a mix of various meats and beans originating in the south of France, namely Toulouse. It can be made in a slow cooker. You can add fowl such as chicken or duck along with slabs of bacon and sausages. Use two kinds of pork for a flavorful dish, There beans too , namely both  cannellini and navy along with onions carrots and celery. Garlic is a must along with parsley and cloves. Another hot dish is pot au feu. Thisis a two part meal, with the broth cooked first and then the meats. it does take five hours on the whole, but a perfect dish to make on a snowy day. You can use beef shanks along with vegetables. It's served with a sauce of mustard and sour cream.

A wintry night in means good French food .it should be hot and satisfying. Make either pot au feu or cassoulet for a tasty dinner.

The Complete Squash Guide

One of the best foods of autumn is squash. This versatile veggie can be transformed into a warming soup, a hearty roast or adelicious side.The only problem -how can you tell which is which and what do you use the for. Luckily there is a guide to help you pick the right gourd.

Florence Fabricant created this for yesterday's New York Times Foo section. It is definitely a  keeper, especially for home chefs , new to cooking squash.. There is a description along with a picture for the twelve kinds which will be helpful for those thinking of serving it for Thanksgiving. The most popular and the most known is the acorn squash. This familiar round globe is covered in a leathery dark green skin.The skin or peel is not for eating. The flesh is fairly sweet and it's best for roasting or stuffing.Ms. Fabricant also recommends cutting it up in chunks and pureeing them.Another popular one is the butternut. Again, this is a popular one, usually a foot long in length. It has a fat bottom and light tan skin.It's sweet and nutty tasting and can be mashed or baked into a layer cake.Cute, round squashes are the carnival and cheese pumpkin. The first is reminiscent of the acorn and has a lovely maple flavor. The cheese pumpkin is more savory and can be incorporated into pies, soups or purees.Another sweet tasting gourd is the delicata.It has green and white stripes with a thin skin.The best use? Turn it into a creamy and thick bisque. The Honeynut is the newcomer in the family. It sprang from Cornell University's labs.It's a hybrid of the butternut squash, but sweeter and richer in taste. It would be ideal for desserts.

Looking for super cute? Then try the squash with the super cute name. Jack-Be-Little. This orange or white ball can be filled with soup, a gratin or even a custard. It is mild tasting, perfect for a strong main dish.Craving sweet potatoes?Try the gourd with the exotic name - kabocha. Its' nubbly rind can be eaten with the flesh. Roast pieces or use in soups and stews.Another exotic cucurbita is the Japanese kuri.This is an anomaly in the squash family. Its' flavor is more like chestnut. This makes it perfect for stirfries and stews. The creamy white mashed potatoes is an albino version of its' cousin, the acorn. The inside is dense and scooped out to be fluffed with butter and salt.Ms. Fabricant also recommends halving them and serving with cheese. Spaghetti squash is the most popular with gardeners.Ir's an easy, problem free grow in almost every summer backyard garden.  It's oval and yellowish - about the size of a football. Its' name derives from its' string like flesh that can serve as a sub in for pasta. Then there is the sweet dumpling.It resembles the carnival squash but is green and white in appearance.The skin is thin and edible and can be roasted , stuffing or baking.

Squash is a must have at any fall meal. Cook or bake it for a delicious side or dessert. It'll add color and flavor to the meal.

Where Julia Lived And Cooked

Imagine living where Julia Child lived,That is any chef's and foodie's dream come true and it did for New York Times Food contributor, Julia Moskin. She spent time at La Pitchoune, Child's home in the south of France. What a great holiday, first with fabulous inspiration and second with a breathtaking countryside.,bursting with some of the best foods in the world.

How did Ms. Moskin score such a fantastic vacation? It happened through airbnb. The current owners put the Provencale farmhouse on the popular site.It was well worth it, especially to those who love and worship the famed chef. Many original artifacts are still there. There is still the plastic bin labelled "ail echlotes"for garlic and shallots.There are her cooking knives, sharp carbon steeled ones still in the wooden block that her husband Paul carved.Outside the house , though, very few traces of her remain. For all her celebrity , Chef Child was not a big thing in France,  Her great nephew Alex Prud'homme  confirmed this, with saying that southern France is notoriously laid back, not caring who she was. .Some locals do remember her, such as one of the elder butchers in a local butchery, even doing an imitation of her along with the chef , Mimi Brothier at Les Arcades in  Biot, France. Les Arcades was her favorite eatery, starting out as a canteen for local artists.Ms. Moskin ate here too, in following the chef's trail, enjoying pan crisped sardines,roasted peppers and a bowl of soupe au pistou,Provencale vegetable soup.

Of course, being in Julia Child's kitchen means cooking in it too. Ms. Moskind did just that , along with picking basil and thyme from the garden and buying from hat's left of small family owned shops (the area has been inundated with the big box national markets) The dishes she made were a Provencale white wine beef daube and Provencale potato gratin.The first will make a wonderful fall dinner. It's boneless  stewing beef marinated in olive oil and Cognac. A melange of vegetables are cooked separately. The veggies used are onions carrots and mushrooms, Later , they and the meat are combined along with tomatoes, white wine, bouquet garni and whole peppercorns. The entire dish is cooked for three to four hours  until the meat is ultra tender. Orange zest is added at the end and then the daube can be poured over pasta or rice. The other is a gratin but made with a true Provencale ingredient, anchovies. Tomatoes and onions, again the pillars of southern French cooking, are also used, being cooked together in a kind of marmalade to spread on one layer of tomatoes. The next layer is spread with the fish, pounded with olive oil to form a loose paste. Grated Gruyere or Parmesan - Reggiano is sprinkled on the last layer to give it a nice, crispy finish.

Living in Julia Child's Provence house is a  chef's and foodie's dream come true. It was an inspiration to Ms. Moskin as she created the chef's famed dishes. It was the ideal vacation, definitely full of flavor  and memories.

Rethink Turnips

Mention the word turnip and most people will wrinkle their noses in disgust. Yet this root veggie is actually tasty as well as being versatile. It can be made into a number of dishes , from roasted to mashed. It can be used in stews or accompanying roasts. Turnips can be a great addition to any fall feast.

This common root veggie is mostly harvested right now in the autumn. It’s been around for centuries although the name and origin are unknown. There is actually wild version known as a “hot turnip“ and it‘s also a cousin of mustard and radish. The Scandinavians cross bred it with a cabbage in the 19th Century to create the plant rutabaga. It was also the most popular vegetable there until the potato was introduced sometime in the 1700. The turnip was also the precursor of the pumpkin in Halloween celebrations in Ireland and Scotland where it was carved out jack o’lantern style and then had a lit candle placed inside it. Turnips and their greens are one of the healthiest veggies to eat. The root is high in Vitamin C while the tops or greens are high in both Vitamins A and K.

Turnips can be made a variety of ways. Most people simply like them mashed like potatoes and served with butter. You can also make then in a gratin with cream, butter and parmesan Romano cheese. For a tasty side try them Paula Deen’s waywith brown sugar and butter and then mashed. This would be a great accompaniment tot any pork roast or even ham. You can also try a Finnish casserole, or even a turnip salad to go with holiday turkeys or goose.. Many soups call for chopped or diced turnips , especially vegetable and beef based ones.

The turnip isn’t as bad as some make it out to be. It is a tasty root vegetable, good for you and good tasting too. Have some in a tasty side . You’ll be surprised a t just how wonderful they really are!