Ok, this is a bit of a random flavor profile, but run with it, shall we? Last weekend, when I went to Eataly, they had a huge section of Italian jams, mustards and chutneys. I was intrigued, and picked out a savory jam with figs and a little bit of onion and mustard seed. Not, it doesn’t taste mustardy, just savory. Anyway, what to do with said concoction? Well, one thing certainly would have been to eat it along with cheese and crackers, but I thought that I would make my own “crackers” (aka savory cookies) and ended up with rosemary and chili flakes in them. Fantastic! These are definitely an “eat with cheese” (or salami or olives) type of “cookie” but very tasty. Experiment successful? I’d say yes!
appetizers
Looking for a few ideas for homemade stocking stuffers? You’ve come to the right place. Here is the first of a few, my twist on your standard holiday roasted nuts. Mine have maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon and as a twist, chipotle powder and sea salt so there is a nice savory and spicy kick. Any nuts will do, but I’ve found I really like the combination of cashews, pecans and almonds. Recipe makes about 4 “stocking stuffer” appropriate sized portions. Yum!
Another “cold-weather” recipe. This weekend, it was kinda cold and rainy here in Boston. No big deal — it is November, after all — but it did inspire me to make another cold weather meal. This is very creamy, even though it uses only milk, not cream. The trick is to use a combination of both mealy (ie. russetts) and waxy (red, yukon gold) potatoes. The russetts fall apart and lend their starch to the broth, versus the waxy that hold together. I even used a few purple potatoes in mine, just for contrast.
I had bought some sweet potatoes at the farmer’s market the other weekend, with the full intent of making sweet potato fries (which I love), but somehow today was another “cold weather food day” so here I am, making another soup. Added some shrimp just because I had them in the freezer. And there are leftovers.
PS: don’t tell me that it looks like baby food. Should have added more cream at the end because it got a little thick after I added the shrimp/prawns. Adjust the cream level as needed!