I've been eating persimmons lately, well, I had three and now I'm trying to finish my apples. They just remind me of my parents, mostly, but anyhoo, they are quite delicious and have this crisp texture in the center. Remove the skin when you eat it. However, it should be said that just straight, they're kind of funky in flavor, so i add some honey (I bought some honeydew honey from Buon Italia at Chelsea Market, which is really dark and flavorful) and eat it with yogurt and it takes the funk out.

Also at Buon Italia, I bought some roasted, salted fava beans which are quite good, they're really really crunchy and taste like wasabi peas minus the wasabi.

I'm hoping to do some more interesting cooking soon for Thanksgiving and Christmas, school is eating up a lot of my time, so we'll see...

-patricia

Concord Grape Pie

So, I made the concord grape pie on Friday!

I got the grapes from the greenmarket (they were quite pricey...$6 a box, and I needed two..so I spent $12 on grapes, but "when in Rome", eh?) and concord grapes really aren't useful for anything other than jam making or pie because they have thick skins and seeds and a difficult to chew pulp, so they really must be cooked or juiced or something.

Anyways, I used a recipe from marthastewart.com (http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/concord-grape-pie?) and their recipe for pate brisee (what I always use for pie crusts). It was a big undertaking; I had to peel the grapes (not that difficult, just give the grapes a squeeze and they pop right out, but doing it to 8 cups of grapes can take a while, so I watched Pushing Daisies, the show I always watch when I feel like pie making) then cook and cool for two hours then push through a sieve. But, the resulting color was beautifully purple and I got three cups of fresh grape juice from peeling the grapes, which tasted fantastic.

I baked the pie and let it cool overnight and then I bought some cinnamon ice cream (PJ Madison's) to serve with it! The ice cream is quite necessary, in my opinion, otherwise the grapeyness can be a bit jarring and the cinnamon is quite complimentary. It should be noted, however, that this pie was verrryyyy soupy (maybe it needed more corn starch, but I didn't want it to be starchy). You need to fish out your slices with a spoon. I'm just thinking of inviting some people over and throwing the ice cream on top and eating it out of the pie plate. I'm chilling the pie in the fridge right now to see if it solidifies any, but in any case, it is a fabulous pie and should be made if you happen to have concord grapes available!

p.s. blast! My bad, I strained out the skins and seeds rather than just the seeds... that's probably why it was so soupy and unwieldy...ah well

I got some fresh black eyed peas last week. They were still in the pod! I shelled them and simmered them in water with some butter and baby spinach. T'was quite good!

I was also in Chinatown to get a mooncake (lotus paste with egg yolk is my favorite) for the mid-autumn festival and I also picked up some Chinese sausage. I put one (sliced up) in my pot of rice, but I realized it's better to put it in after the water is almost all absorbed. My mom usually puts it on top of the rice and then all the fat is absorbed by that top layer...soo good.. Thankfully I have another one left and I'm going to do it right this time!

Next on my to do list: concord grape pie! It will be made Friday after my exam and after I do my laundry. I'm excited!

-Patricia

Lacking in inspiration, but not in tasty food

I got some beets and fingerling potatoes at the Greenmarket on Friday. Beets were $2 with greens on and the potatoes were $3 a pound. I bought some regular yellow ones and I also got some purple peruvian potatoes. They taste pretty much the same, perhaps because I cooked them together, but they look cool. Anyways, I roasted the beets and steamed the greens with some olive oil (Again. I'm running out of ideas that will accommodate my laziness and lack of equipment). The potatoes were cooked in vegetable stock (Trader Joe's didn't have any chicken stock) with dried oregano (I would prefer thyme, but I didn't have any) and salt in a skillet until tender and the stock was all concentrated and saucey. I think it's time for me to research some more cooking ideas. Summer's [pretty much] over and I don't want to get bored!

Curry Carrot Soup

about 1.2 lbs carrots
2 medium sweet potatoes
5 cups vegetable stock
curry powder
allspice
fresh ginger
salt
pepper

don't ask me why, but this soup was GREAT. seriously. best texture ever. and naturally vegan.

peel carrots and sweet potatoes, toss in olive oil, salt, pepper, and all spices except the ginger and ROAST in the oven at 400 until they are brown and crackly. meanwhile, heat the broth. after the vegetables roast, add them to the now boiling stock until they have completely softened. grate copious amounts of ginger into this pot as well.

blend all. serve hot. with sour cream? perhaps.

-rachel

Dinner and Lunch

The bottom two photos are from the lovely dinner I shared with Suzanne last night. A simply roasted chicken breast, bone in and brined beforehand in water, salt, and apple cider vinegar. Massaged with poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, and into the oven. On the side: collard greens and apples sauteed with a bit of nutmeg, sourdough mushroom stuffing, and a sweet potato.

The soup was today's lunch. Curried Corn Chowder. I simmered apples, potatoes, curry powder, nutmeg, allspice, and black pepper in vegetable stock. Cooked two corn husks, the kernels from one I added to the pot. The contents of the pot were pureed in my food processor, and the kernels from the final ear added at the end for texture. Better than it looks, I swear!

Rachel

Apples!

Local apples have officially arrived at Whole Foods, which means now no one has ANY excuse to not eat them ALL THE TIME, EVERY DAY!!! APPLE SEASON!

Rachel