Pumpkin Goodness

This is the high season for pumpkins. People are gleefully picking them in pumpkin patches around the US, gathering up big ones and little ones, perfectly round one and lumpy bumpy ones. Yet the pumpkin is an excellent source of vitamins and beta carotene as well. It;s also a versatile gourd that can be use din everything from savory to sweet.



For savory dishes the gourd is versatile . One of my favorite recipes (as fans already know) is pumpkin soup. The recipe is my great grandmother's and is a staple of the Val Susa in western Piedmonte (on the French border)It is a rich creamy bisque like soup; redolent with pumpkin

onion and chicken broth. Another pumpkin savory dish is curry fritters. these are a fiery spicy dish , perfect fo r your Halloween party or even as a Thanksgiving appetizer.You can also use pumpkin as a filling for ravioli and lasagna. However if you do this go easy on the tomato sauce. I prefer pumpkin filled ravioli with a light sage and butter sauce.



Of course pumpkin is phenomenal in sweet dishes. Nothing beats a fresh made pumpkin bread, or muffins. These are staples of fall brunches and go well when topped with cream cheese. Pumpkin mousse is another yummy treat and it's a spin on the famous pie It;s made like pie filling yet without a heavy crust.It's usually served with whip cream and maybe a splash of brandy on top. Are there pumpkin cookies? Yes!!!! I found two recipes, one like gingerbread and th e other with an oatmeal base.



Go wild in the pumpkin patch. Don't just buy the gourds for decoration. Buy a few extra for some savory and sweet dishes. They are the perfect source of vitamins as well as being one of the most versatile fall vegetables!

What's For Dinner Seriously???

Planning meals are always a pain. I usually enjoy doing such, buying the vegetables, selecting the pasta, looking at recipes, the whole nine yards. However,lately I'm finding it a real chore. It's getting troublesome about what to make and what to buy.

With my busy schedule I'm partial to anything in a can.I recently rediscovered Swanson;s Chicken A la King. This is a yummy throwback to Fifties cooking . It hot comfort food, perfect for a chill autumn evening,. It;s also easy to prepare and make. Heat up serve on toast or crusty rolls and voila - a hot dinner. I just bought Marie Callender's Home Style Creations and Healthy Choices Fresh Mixers These are quick dinners that just have to be steamed in the microwave.Then pour the accompanying sauce and instant meal.

I wish I had the time to actually cook. There are some great stove top dishes that are easy to make. Chicken breasts over buttered spaghetti is a great dinner choice . You can make the chicken in a skillet while the pasta is cooking. Make a garlic butter sauce in the microwave for more facility. Another ideal meal is grilled steaks with baked potatoes. Again grill over the stove,heat the spuds in the microwave. Easy as nuking a pot pie - another good and hearty quick dinner choice.

Trying to find a good and easy to make dinner is hard these days. There are way s to make the
choices better. It just takes some creativity and a lot of help from canned goods

A Healthier Pasta

Can pasta get any better for you?

Yes! If it;s made with whole grains. It;s been upgraded from that horrible tasting cardboard to something more artisanal and delicious. Yesterday's Dining section in The Times had a very interesting article written by Dining regular Melissa Clark. She takes what used to be a health food into one of the fall;s hottest trends.

Whole grain pasta is made with ancient grains such as farro and spelt. Farro is grains of a certain wheat. It has to be soaked overnight to be palatable.It's usually put into salads and soups however can be made into pasta and bread. Spelt is hexaploid variety of wheat and has been used in great regularity from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages. The flavor is different from regular spaghetti.It's a nuttier and more robust. That means the sauces have to be toned down. Forget tomato . Think butter.

I may try this natural pasta .it;s sold in Eataly, the Bastianich;s Italian food emporium New York City. What will I do with it. There's a good recipe for the pasta made with a carmelized onion Swiss chard and garlicky bread crumbs. I also like a simple pesto made with walnuts and spinach . This is the perfect winter dish. There's also one with tomato but there's also rosemary and olives to counter balance the tomatoes.

Pasta is good for you. A whole grain pasta even better.It's the perfect and tasty addition to any healthy diet!

Acorns The Surprise Fall Fruit

Normally you wouldn't put acorns in the same categories as other fall fruits. One they're typically squirrel food , and two, they are highly poisonous if not properly prepared. Yet acorns can be a vital part of an autumn diet. The nuts are another alternative to another fall favorite, chestnut.

There is a big article about them in today's Dining Section of the New York Times. Margaret Lee wrote the article and used her own background for it. Koreans are big fans of acorns and make a dish called dotorimuk or acorn jelly. It seems like it;s served as a side and has a fiery red pepper dressing, similar to the cabbage dish kimchi. it has a silky custardy consistency , probably like that of chestnut pudding.Other acorn lovers are the Germans who turn the nut into coffee (news to me) and the Native Americans who used the flour in baking.

You have to know what you;re doing when cooking acorns. The tannins have to be completely leached or they could be completely toxic. The acorns should be completely and repeatedly rinsed. The water will turn brown with t he tannins after three hours and then a fresh rinse is required Also the type of oak is important,A white oak acorn is less astringent than a red oak and probably has less poisons.

Acorns are an unusual alternative to chestnuts and a unique fall dish. It's something for the brave to try as well as for a foodie with a lot of free time. If you want try them for a different fall treat

Chicken Wars

There seems to be trouble brewing in the fast food industry. It has to do with chicken and what's being made and sold out there. Now everything is healthy as opposed to over fried and over flavored. However these last two are also popular. What a junk food affectionado to do? Good question.

It seems the Big Three, Wendy's McDonalds' and KFC are all heading towards the no transfat, eat uber healthy chicken. Wendy's has reintroduced its' salad menu with some new combos and all include fresh hot roasted chicken breast. This is a good move, especially for salad lovers. Not to be outdone Mickey D's is also serving both crispy chicken ad grilled chicken in its' wraps and sandwiches. These have much more choices than Wendy's however the best bet is sticking with Wnedy's. KFC has jumped on their bandwagon since last Spring when it introduced grilled, skinless chicken. It's a better alternative to the fried coated variety.

However there are always places like the Wing Zone and Pollo Tropicale to give you deep fried, or heavily spiced fowl.. I love the Wing Zone because it' so defiant. Nothing is just grilled . Its' fried wings are dripping in pure grease. Theirs is one of the most flavorful and tender chicken I've tasted . I also like the much healthier for you Pollo Tropicale. Unlike the other fast foods ' grilled chicken it comes highly spiced and just yummy. It's good for you but doesn't taste like it.

Who will win in the chicken wars? It depends on what the nation wants. We;re on the road to good health so I'm going to say Wendy's Mc Donald';s and KFC will win this one. That is until other fast food chains come up with an even healthier way to prepare chicken.

Columbus Day 2010- Good Italian Eating

It's Columbus Day here in the States. it;s the day we celebrate the founding of America by Christopher Columbus. it;s also a day when Italian Americans can feel a surge of pride over Italian accomplishments for the past 4000 years.

To me it's a day to also celebrate being NorthernItalian and the contributions we've made, especially in food (not to mention in design , fashion, and Carla Bruni all from mygreat grandparents' native Piedmonte). The North has given the world French cuisine(it came when Caterina de Medici married) Henri II of France. We also gave the world that great dish bagna calda, polenta and risotto. This is refined, elegant cooking, different from the heartier dishes of Southern Italy. the sauces are similar to beurre blanc and the main ingredient is butter and not olive oil. The food is artisanal coming from the best farms throughout Piedmonte and Lombardy along with Trente Aldige, Friuli Emilia Romana, and of course Veneto.

The south has some good dishes as well. Naples is known for it;s seafood and pastas as is the rest of Southern Italy. Pizza was born in the South and spread slowly up north in the 1960's. The Southerners are also known for their lush pastries, filled with ricotta. and citrus flavorings. Of course gelati is the dessert of the day no matter where you go in Italy.

This is a day to celebrate Italy but celebrate its' rich cuisine too. It has been the most influential in all the world, simply because it is good. it ranks right up there with Italian design and fashion, movie making and car manufacturing.

Spoiler Alert: The Times Food Section Is Out

Spoiler alert for all you foodies who haven't received tomorrow;s Sunday Times. Their annual food section is out int eh Sunday magazine. It's a doozy with some interesting articles , recipes and interviews.

I'm not going to go into details but it's not to be missed. There are some good pieces written by some of the Wednesdays Dining regulars like Frank Bruni. As usual it also has some eye opening pieces that make you scratch your head and go "Hmmm" (also the Sunday Times puzzle is pretty decent this week It's not food related though which would have been a bigger kick)

Another FYI yesterday was our eight hundredth article at Foodie Pantry. Pretty soon I'll be reaching the 1,000 th article.

Have fun reading The Times tomorrow and if you want all eight hundred of my entries.