I love
eating seasonally. Who wouldn’t? It’s a way to ensure you get the best local produce
at its peak, and usually at a better price than at any other time of the year
(unless you grow your own, which is better still). With farmers’ markets
popping up everywhere (in Toronto, every neighbourhood seems to have one—even City
Hall has a weekly market out front), it’s even easier to get seasonal fare. The
only problem is figuring out what to do with it. If fresh clams are suddenly everywhere,
or venison turns up at the market, do you buy them and hope for the best? Or when
you’re confronted with luscious piles of peaches or zucchini, what do you do
with it all? Everyone’s probably got a couple of standard recipes for their
favourite seasonal foods, but you can only eat so much clam chowder or zucchini
bread before you get bored. Or what about those foods you see year after year
and would love to try, but aren’t sure what to do with them? That’s why DK’s Cooking Season by Season is perfect.
This
massive book is filled with information, photos, and recipes, all organized
seasonally (I also love that early summer and high summer are split—perfect for
gardeners). There’s even a section at the front featuring foods available
year-round. Throughout, certain foods are singled out with a focus on
varieties, as well as buying, storing, cooking, and preserving info (I just
wish there were more of these special focus pages). The recipes are the real
stars, though. There’s a great variety, simple to execute, with
delicious results. For this review I tested four of them (all Fall recipes, of
course):
Cajun Sweet Potato and Bean Soup
Even with a
fair amount of chopping to do (my least favourite cooking task), this soup was
a pleasure to make. With all the colours, it was like autumn in a pot. Besides
being pretty to look at, the soup is delicious. It’s spicy and flavourful—even the
SO agrees, although he deemed it too beany (knowing his bean aversion, I added only
2/3 of what the recipe called for. The beans were still quite prominent,
although I didn’t find them overwhelming, so adjust according to your own
tastes). Not only is the soup satisfying and filling, but it’s also super
healthy; you can easily make it vegan by omitting the chorizo (add a hot pepper
or extra chili flakes and a touch of liquid smoke to compensate).
I did have
a slight issue with the directions, which instruct to partially
puree the soup. We prefer our soups chunky in this household, so I’d skip this step
anyway, but it does seem somewhat unappealing to puree meat and beans. Maybe
that’s just me. But if you plan on pureeing the soup, I suggest cooking the
sausage separately, then adding it and the beans after the rest of the soup has
been through the blender.
Seared Halloumi Cheese with Figs
OMG—I loved
this. The dressing ingredients (a combination of red wine vinegar, cilantro,
hot pepper, and garlic) scared me a bit—at least the thought of them combined
with figs and cheese did—but it was fantastic. Everything melded together
brilliantly—this is probably one of the best salads I’ve ever had. It was so
good that my SO—who claims to hate cheese, salad dressing, and wilted/cooked
veggies—thought it was great. Part of its appeal for him might have been that
the dressing reminded him of Thai flavours. Whatever the case, this was easy to
make and will definitely become a regular addition to our table. Even better,
if you want to omit the cheese and figs (which can be pricey and hard to
find), the dressing would still be fantastic with plain greens (or maybe greens
and different types of fruit and salad veggies). This is worth making and experimenting with
again and again. I’m including the recipe so you can try it for yourself:
Seared
Halloumi Cheese with Figs
10 oz (300 g) halloumi cheese, cut into ¼” (5
mm) slices
8 large ripe figs, cut into quarters lengthwise
Large handful of mixed salad leaves
¼ cup red wine vinegar
Small handful of cilantro, finely chopped
1 red chile, deseeded and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
Drizzle of olive oil, to serve
Put the
halloumi and figs in a large, nonstick frying pan over medium heat and cook for
2-3 minutes on each side until they start to brown. Once cooked, place on a
platter with the salad leaves [I placed the warm cheese and figs on the salad
leaves, which is how I got the wilted effect.]
Pour the
red wine vinegar into the same pan and increase the heat slightly. Add the
cilantro, chile, and garlic and simmer over med-high heat until the sauce has
reduced in volume by three-quarters. Pour sparingly over the figs and cheese [I
poured it all over the entire dish]. Splash the salad with the oil and serve
immediately.
Serves 4
There’s
also a seared pancetta and feta
variation, but I’ll let you get that with the book
Stuffed Mushroom with Herbs
Stuffed
mushroom are something of a pain to make (although it’s much easier if you use a food processor) but well worth the effort.
These ones were no exception. Herby, nutty, garlicky, and lemony—they’re tasty
and pleasantly light. The SO wasn’t as thrilled with these, though—he wasn’t a
fan of the lemon or the lack of meat (he’s the real reason I can never be a
vegetarian). I, on the other hand, had no trouble polishing off four of these
babies. The wild mushrooms are a nice addition but not strictly necessary, so
if you want to make these at a different time of year, just use cremini or even
white button mushrooms instead of the wild ones. I think next time I might also try toasting
the walnuts first.
Crispy Sweet Potato with Zucchini and Chive
Mascarpone
Unfortunately,
the last recipe ended up being a disappointment. The sweet potato was nice (and
it did get crispy) but the zucchini was meh and the cheese is super bland (the
addition of salt and maybe garlic might have improved things). It was an easy
dish to put together, though, and if you like really simple flavours, this
could be the recipe for you. I’ll probably make the sweet potatoes
again, but I’ll skip the other components.
I didn’t
plan to make mostly vegetarian recipes, but as a vegetable lover (yes, we exist) it’s nice to know there’s a good
variety of veggie-focused recipes in this book to choose from. To give you an idea of what other types of
recipes you can find in Cooking Season by
Season…
Spring: Pork
and Clam Cataplana; Cheesy Bacon and Spring Onion Muffins; Thai Fish Cakes;
Roasted Quail and Pea Shoot Salad; Pan-Fried Ham with Pineapple Salsa; Rhubarb
and Ginger Upside-Down Cake
Early
Summer: Battered Haddock with Lemon Mayonnaise; Herb and Garlic Artichokes;
Curried Vegetable Pies; Chicken Fajitas with Tomato and Avocado Salsa;
Strawberries and Cream Macarons; Cherry Jam
High
Summer: Mini Chicken Burgers with Tomato and Chile Sauce; Spicy Sausage and
Tomato Skewers; Brandied Lobster Chowder; White Fish with Spinach and Pine
Nuts; Peach Tarte Tatin; Plum and Rum Jam; Green Bean and Zucchini Chutney
Fall: Beef
with Beets and Spinach; Grilled Squid Salad; Rosehip Soup; Venison Wellingtons;
Butternut Squash Stuffed with Ground Beef; Black Olive and Pepper Ciabatta; Blackberry
and Apple Cake; Spiced Pear Pickle
Early
Winter: Mussels in Coconut and Lemongrass Broth; Roast Pork with Bacon and
Chicory; Shredded Turkey, Mint, and Pomegranate Salad; Stuffed Roast Goose; Brussels
Sprouts with Chestnuts and Pancetta; Salsify Fritters; Chocolate Orange Truffle
Cake; Apple Butter; Cider (that's right--it’s a recipe for how to actually make cider)
Late
Winter: Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with Saffron and Thyme; Crispy Bacon and
Avocado Wraps; Chicken and Cornmeal Cobbler; Wasabi Beef and Bok Choy; Fish and
Leek Pie; Lemon Cheesecake; Rosemary Jelly
Of course
there are way more recipes in this book than I could possibly share here,
everything from appetizers to pizzas, to desserts, drinks, and preserves. Basically,
you’ll never again be able to use the excuse that you don’t know what to do with X veg/fruit/fish/meat.
I owe huge thanks to DK for sending me this book to review. I highly recommend
it, and lucky you—it happens to be on sale right now. Click on the button below and go on and get cooking!
[Edited to update title and links, and for formatting. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com]
