It’s the very last night of the year and I have nothing to do but stand around nibbling on fancy cheeses and preserves with a glass of my podcast co-host Simon’s homemade mead in hand. We have been entertaining all week long and have simply had enough of people… It’s just me and these little nibbles.
My favourite of the bunch is a type of antipasti made of simmered strips of eggplant that go especially well with grassy wines and robust cheeses. It’s a recipe from Cooking by Hand by Paul Bertolli, a book I’ve referenced constantly on our podcast this year. It is a genuine gem, equal parts traditional recipe-focused cookbook, seasonal manifesto and memoir. It’s the kind of tome everyone should leave loitering on the corner of their prep area for inspiration.
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I found another post-Halloween head in my fridge. Unlike last time this particular head was never 
New ingredients are like amphetamines for kitchen creativity. From the moment I get home from a farmer’s market or an afternoon of foraging or hell, just back from a regular ‘ol grocery shopping run I’m jacked up! What is this crazy looking-stuff? Where did it come from? How do I process it and what can I do with all the bits? My mind is vibrating in a million different directions at once!
Everyone I know has been hiding from the snow (we got a foot and a half! Wtf!?) and pre-Christmas congestion in their kitchens, baking cookies into festive shapes and filling the world with the often-neglected scent of nutmeg. I on the other hand, leave the sweet stuff to Crystal and have spent the last couple weeks pickling and preserving whatever herbs and veg the weather didn’t manage to wipe out.