cook: fall meals

Is it time to wear booties and cute sweaters? a colleague asked. No because of my hot flashes, but I have been cooking meals with root vegetables and gravies. It started with my Saturday British breakfast; only I didn't fry the toast and subbed it out for buttered English muffin. Instead of back bacon and pork sausage, I grilled chicken sausage. Nor was there fried black pudding, mushrooms, and baked beans. But yes fried tomatoes and eggs.              

A chilly afternoon made me want to prepare a shepherd's pie because I had carrots, celery, onion, cabbage, sage and rosemary and thyme, beer, and ground lamb.

I had coated the meat and vegetables in flour and then deglazed the pan with Mexican beer, forgetting about the Guinness stout in my alcohol cupboard. And I should have chopped the herbs, but I was lazy and bundled them to remove later.

 

I turn to my Asian ingredients of chicken broth mix and seasoning sauce to add a salty umami bite to my stews.

 

I remembered why I was cooking shepherd's pie--the potatoes in my pantry were sprouting, but they made for a delicious mashed potatoes

Cecilia took comfort in her shepherd's pie after the death of her sister, and I felt compelled to cook even more comfort food. And so I cooked Julia Child's beef bourguignon but without the mushrooms and yes to tomato paste and Cabernet Sauvignon. And mashed potatoes turned into pomme puree with lots of chives for color. I made myself an old fashion to sip with my beef stew. And Cecilia said she imagines that my beef bourguignon is what she'd get at a French restaurant.

There's one serving of beef bourguignon leftover in the fridge for the coming week. And I've been eating chocolate mousse and tiramisu cups with my tea for dessert after my stew dinners.

Patrick has brought home a lot of eggplant--both Japanese and globe--from the garden. And so I've thawed even more minced meat, both lamb and pork to cook with that vegetable this weekend.