All posts by broogscooking

Whilst brussel sprouts may not be one of my favourite vegetables, at this time of year I am partial to a roast sprout or two. The poor fellas don’t have a great reputation, but it’s a lot to do with how they are cooked. I think is easy to associate sprouts with the kind you got boiled at school for christmas lunch which are rubbery and let’s face it, taste like farts (!). But, when they are roasted they get lovely and crisp on the outside and tender on the inside and you’ll forget all about their bad reputation. In general I find greens like kale and broccoli more agreeable, but since it’s Christmas I could resist being creative with sprouts. The combination of parsley with sprouts is excellent as I find that the fresh green herbs lifts and lightens the dish. Pomegranate add beautiful flecks of jewelled red whilst pistachios bring crunch…

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Cashew and coconut butter

December 20, 2014 broogscooking Leave a comment

The Angry Hungry Hobbit

I don’t really like the insanity around christmas – the idea that you have to buy a ton of presents just because “you have to” seems a bit silly. So I ignored all normal presents this year and decided to only give out selfmade things that I’ve made because I want to. No queueing for trinkets and asking people for lists! No worrying because I can’t find this one really specific thing that someone wants! Only good food and love from me this time. Maybe I’ll join the madness again next year, but with this year’s illnesses and recovering from surgery, it just didn’t seem like a wise choice.

So instead I pretty much lived in the kitchen for a few weeks. I was feeling too ill and weak to go out much anyway, so I decided to do something I loved to cheer up. The kitchen was a flurry…

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Rustic Parsnip Soup

December 20, 2014 broogscooking 2 Comments

PETIT WORLD CITIZEN

I’m not often indecisive, but the last few weeks I haven’t been able to make up my mind about what to make for Christmas dinner. Have you? Just as soon as I think of a menu, within minutes another idea comes to mind. The challenge is that the possibilities for cooking wonderful holiday foods are endless.

I’ve had a great time the past several weeks going to the market, picking up interesting winter produce (hard shelled squashes, root vegetables, etc.) and trying new dishes. I’ve tried to restrain myself to buy only items I write on my list, but then I end up leaving with all sorts of other things. The result has been lots of opportunity to cook delicious food in my kitchen, but it also has led to an ever growing list of dishes on my Christmas menu. My husband argues it’s okay to have four different starters…

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