Fall Funk

I'm out of sorts with the internet.  I'm finding it hard to keep up with all of the blog posts that I have planned.  I have several started, but not finished.  I also just finished reading the newest issue of Lonny magazine, haven't even looked at Covet Garden yet, and have shows stacking up in my Hulu queue.  I'm just lacking energy when it comes to the web.  Is it Fall?  Maybe it's Season Four of The West Wing, which makes me believe that there can be good intelligent people in politics for a few hours a night, despite the fact that its fiction.  I kind of needed that after the recent elections, and its all I want to watch these days.

This was the view from my front porch a couple days ago.

Or have I just been tiring myself out getting ready for the colder weather that's supposed to be on its way?  Stacking wood closer to the house for easy access to the woodstove, and planting lots of daffodil bulbs before the ground freezes have taken up some of my time lately.

Maybe with the colder weather and the need to stay inside that it brings, I'll get back on the horse, so to speak.

Saturday Scene: More Fall Color

When I was saying that our fall color is primarily yellow, I wasn't kidding.  These are the elms that run along the irrigation ditch at the back of the property at dusk yesterday.

The Shopping Bug: Fall Fashion

Can't buy any of this, but the fall J Crew catalog followed by September Vogue arriving in my mailbox has reminded me that a lot of new merchandise is hitting the stores.  I utter a huge sigh when thinking of the following items.

J.Crew Coddington suede platform heel in dusk red, $228.

Shown on the foot.  Not digging the wool boyfriend's sock legwarmers.

That color of red and the forties feel of the low-vamp and the same color platform make for a beautiful shoe.

And then there is this bag, which looks slightly worn in and like you could use it forever.  Sigh, sigh, sigh.

Okay, hopefully posting this will purge these from my consciousness.

Anyone seen something they are coveting this Fall?

Fall harvest recipe: beets

A week or so ago I harvested beets from the garden.  

When I was a kid my mom would make borscht a couple of times a year, and I loved it.  I LOVE* beets in all preparations, so its not surprising that a simple beet soup would be one of my favorites.  Though part of my ethnic make-up is eastern european, borscht is not something that my family ever made, its just something my mom adopted for her cooking repertoire.  There are lots of variations on the recipe.  Some people use beef broth as a base, some people puree the soup at the end, some people eat it hot, some cold.  Our version is really simple, and we leave it un-pureed, and eat it hot, with extra caraway seeds and a dollop of sour cream as garnish.  Here is our recipe:

Simple Borscht

5 medium beets, peeled and diced into half inch chunks

3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced as above

1/2 small onion, diced finely

1/2 of a small cabbage, finely sliced

1 tsp. marjoram

1/2 tsp. caraway seeds

1 Tsp. vegetable oil

salt & pepper to taste

appx. 8 cups water

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed sauce pan and add onion and allow to soften.  Add beets and potatoes and cook for a couple of minutes.  Add cabbage, marjoram and caraway and cook for a minute or so.  Add water, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil.  Turn down to a simmer and allow to cook until beets and potatoes are soft and tender, about 1/2 an hour.  Serve with good crusty bread-- rye or pumpernickel are especially appropriate.  Garnish with more caraway seeds and a dollop of sour cream.  

*When I was in Italy a few years ago my favorite anti-pasti was roasted or steamed beets with parmiggiano cheese grated on top.  I was so happy at the easy availability of pre-cooked beets at all the super markets, that my friends actually packed me off onto the over-night train from Paris to Milan with a package of beets as a going away present.

Cozy recipes

I've been on a real cozy food kick now that the weather is getting cooler.  Who isn't right?  The other day one of my friends was talking about wanting to find more lentil recipes, and it reminded me of one of my favorites, tomato and lentil dhal with toasted almonds.  It comes from a detox diet cookbook that I bought in the super-clearance section at Borders many years ago-- not because of any desire to do a detox, but because its recipes just looked really tasty and healthy.  I have since done the detox once, and found it made me feel fantastic.  I think the recipes in this book-- The Detox Diet Cookbook, by Nicola Graines-- made the diet much more bearable than others I've seen.  Its totally vegan, but uses a lot of spices to make the dishes palatable. This dish is totally cozy food-- hot, thick, and rich.  Best of all its really fast and easy to make.

Tomato and Lentil Dhal with Toasted Almonds

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 carrot, diced

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp yellow mustard seeds

1 in piece fresh ginger root, grated

2 tsp ground tumeric

1 tsp mild chile powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 cup split red lentils

3 1/4 cups water

5 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (or can of diced tomatoes)

juice of 2 limes

4 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup (1 oz.) sliced almonds toasted, to garnish at end

Heat oil in heavy-based pan.  Saute onion until softened, stirring occasionally.  Add garlic, carrot, cumin and mustard seeds, and ginger.  Cook for 5 minutes stirring, until the seeds pop and the carrot softens slightly.  Stir in the tumeric, chile powder and garam masala, and cook for 1 minute, stirring to make sure spices don't burn.  Add lentils, water and tomatoes, and season well with ground pepper.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the lime juice and 3 Tbsp cilantro.  Cook for about 15 more minutes to make sure the lentils are tender.  Serve and garnish with the remaining cilantro and the toasted almonds.

Excellent with a dollop of plain yogurt on top, when you aren't detoxing of course.