New Year's diet resolution? You have fun with that.

Perpetual spinach (Beta vulgaris var cicla) gets sautéed with arugula-lamb sausages and a summer peach

I have a confession. That thing I said about pie being less fattening if you plan a garden while eating it? Not actually true. 

So if you followed my example and ate the equivalent of an entire pecan pie over the course of the holidays, not to mention several pounds of cookies, cakes, bagels with cream cheese and lox, champagne, candy, more champagne, and several pounds of latkes, you may be feeling a little sick of rich food right now. I certainly am. 

And also possibly a few pounds heavier than before the holiday season. 

Miner's lettuce with pappardelle, cherry tomatoes, and fresh ricotta cheese

Pecan pie and garden planning

We've moved! HiveQueen is now PlantandPlate.com! 

Read "Pecan Pie and Garden Planning" and get the complete pecan pie recipe on the new site

Uszka for barszcz

In my last post, Post-Latke Barszcz / Borscht, I mentioned uszka, or "little ears." These mushroom-stuffed dumplings are the traditional accompaniment to barszcz wigilijny (Christmas Eve borscht). 

I have this irrational anxiety about making pasta, so instead of making the dough from scratch, I cheated and used pre-made wonton wrappers, available at any asian market. They're not the same; uszka dough is made with eggs, and is a bit thicker, with a different taste and texture. But you know what? They were still tasty. 

If you use wonton skins, remember to keep the stack covered with a damp towel, because otherwise they'll dry out and crack when you try to fold them. 

Post-latke barszcz / borscht

Did everyone have a nice first night of Chanukah? Did you have lots of latkes? And sufganiyot? And do you now have a fried-foods hangover? Me too. 

Post-latke salads are a nice idea I spotted recently. They're crisp and healthy and mercifully oil-free, full of things like romaine lettuce and apple slices, celery and jicama. Perfect for the next-day lunch except for one thing: they're salads. I don't want salads in winter. It's cold and grey outside, and I want warm cozy comfort food. 

This is why we have borscht. Or, when I make it from my Polish cookbook, barszcz. Warm and savory without being heavy, the classic beet soup is perfect for cold winter days and nights. This version has a slight acidity that makes it a perfect counterpoint to the season's steady progression of rich dishes. 

Candied ginger, candied lemon peels, and science

I really thought candied ginger would be easy. Slice up some ginger, blanch it, put it in a pot with equal parts sugar and water, and heat to 225°. Straightforward, precise directions. I even had a thermometer — not a candy thermometer, but an accurate instant-read meat thermometer that I figured should do the trick.

You can see where this is going. After blanching, three hours of boiling, overnight soaking in their syrup, then individually fishing out the ginger coins and laying them on a pan to dry all afternoon, my ginger slices were all wrong; grainy and wet and crystalized. Sure, they were still delicious, but where were the chewy, golden, translucent coins with just a hint of stickiness that I'd expected?

Here's the thing, though. Just for the heck of it, I poured half of the gingery syrup back into the pot, then blanched a bunch of lemon peels and tossed them in. An hour later I had beautiful strips of perfectly candied lemon peel without even a hint of graininess. What happened?

As far as I can tell, there were two key differences: temperature and interfering agents. 

What to do with that leftover pumpkin puree

I am a big fan of pumpkin pie. Especially when it's made with kabocha squash instead of pumpkin. But whether you make your Thanksgiving pie with a home-roasted heirloom squash or the classic can of mashed pumpkin, there's a good chance you're going to find yourself with some extra pumpkin puree. My suggestions (with directions and recipe links after the jump):

1. Make my quick pumpkin soup. It's tasty and you can throw it together in a few minutes. I like to make this as an easy light lunch to tide people over until the turkey's ready.

2. Make pumpkin black bean empanadas. They take a bit more time but are so very worth it. If you've got enough to do before Thursday, you can always refrigerate the pumpkin and make the empanadas later in the weekend.

3. Make another pumpkin pie. For me.

Warm kale salad with roasted butternut squash, parsnips, and caramelized red onions

Recently, someone told me she'd cancelled her CSA box after one too many deliveries of kale and butternut squash. Those of you in similar situations might want to bookmark this warm winter salad. Kale's assertive, slightly bitter flavor can be too much on its own, but provides the perfect balance for the sweetness of roasted winter squash and parsnips, caramelized red onions, and maple-balsamic dressing.

Full recipe at our new site: Plant and Plate.com!

Continue reading Warm kale salad with roasted butternut squash, parsnips, and caramelized red onions on PlantandPlate.com

How to avoid eating all the halloween candy

Option 1: Put all the candy in a large zip-lock bag and seal it carefully. Put that one in another zip-lock bag, along with several cups of mayonnaise. Ask yourself if that miniature bar of cheap chocolate is worth getting mayonnaise all over your hands and the furniture and everything. If this doesn't work, use live spiders instead of mayo.

Option 2: Put the candy away where you can't see it and make yourself an apple crisp. It's infinitely more delicious than most halloween candy and substantially less unhealthy, even if you eat the entire crisp yourself. 

Garam masala oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

I moved the blog! Hivequeen is now Plant & Plate, at www.plantandplate.com

The full recipe for Garam Masala Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies is now located at: http://www.plantandplate.com/2012/10/garam-masala-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies/