September is the last hurrah for locally grown corn. The sweetness, the crunch, the flavor are all best in the summer months. However, corn products can be enjoyed all year long, like polenta and grits. I feel ready to bid adieu to fresh local corn and welcome autumn fruits and vegetables. This Smoky Tomato Corn Soup lingers in your memory as a late summer best. Continue reading
When asparagus season rolls around, I simply cannot get enough. Plain is fine by me, either roasted or steamed. Sauces for dipping or drizzling, or vinaigrettes for tossing, are also welcome at the table.
The holiday season is here and we need quick and easy snacks for entertaining that can be made ahead, ideal for guests dropping by for a little holiday visit. Two operative words here are quick and easy. For these smoky roasted nuts , add two more words : delicious, and versatile.
My smoky rosemary roasted pecans are an ideal accompaniment to wine, cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages. They elevate the most simple salad to exalted status when scattered atop dressed greens. Have homemade vinaigrette on hand for the healthiest salads. Use these nuts to gussy up substantial salads, too.
Chopped, they give the wow factor to dips and spreads when mixed into whipped cream cheese and sour cream. Envision these nuts folded into a stuffing for roasted pork loin or seared chicken breasts. Pureed soups will appear ready for their photo shoot with an artful drizzle of creme fraiche and a few roasted pecans.
Make these nuts up to a month ahead and store tightly covered at room temperature in a cool spot. Package them in pretty holiday tins or jars and give some homemade kitchen love.
recipe by Michele Humlan, The Good Eats Company 
makes two cups
ingredients
2 cups pecan halves
1 ½ tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
½ teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt – I like La Baleine
directions
End of summer means that field peas are in season. Sure, you could purchase frozen field peas, but nothing compares to the earthy taste and toothsome bite of those that are freshly shelled. You will pay a little more, but these are not mechanically separated from their shells; a labor intensive act of love has delivered these beauties to the market. Field peas are technically beans, not peas. They are cousins to the Asian Mung bean, traveling to the new world in colonial times with African slaves who recognized their value as drought resistant, nutrient rich, portable foods.