Winter is the perfect time for a hearty, comforting meal and the slow cooker makes it easy work. A rainbow of lovely winter vegetables nestled around a tender pork roast makes for a pretty impressive dish. This is the kind of thing I love to do on a bleak, rainy or snowy day, the fragrant meal cooking away while I snuggle under a blanket with a good book. But a meal like this … [Read more...] about Slow Cooker Pork Roast with Apples and Root Vegetables and Hazelnut Sauce
celery root
Cider Chicken Casserole with Celery Root Mash
Finally fall is in the air. I mean, sure, I got really hot when I wore a sweater this week, but at least there was enough chill that I could even imagine wearing a sweater. The leaves are not yet turning, just sort of browning, but I am fully ready for the flavors of fall. Warming soups, rich and hearty casseroles, chilis and stews. But we ain’t there yet. I consider this a … [Read more...] about Cider Chicken Casserole with Celery Root Mash
Root Vegetables with Walnut Sage Crumble
Everyone is always eagerly anticipating the arrival of spring and the excitement of the fresh vegetables that begin to grow. And I love that too. Then the overwhelming bounty of summer, when there is so much fresh produce, there is hardly time to sample it all. But I love winter vegetables too. Rich, hearty root vegetables in a beautiful palate of colors. These sturdy … [Read more...] about Root Vegetables with Walnut Sage Crumble
Cream of Celery Soup
Celery, for many years, was a mystery to me. I know it adds the important base flavors to a million dishes, so I sauté it up with the green bell pepper, onion and celery trinity of Cajun cooking, and with carrots and onions in the soffrito of Italian and Spanish food and the mirepoix of the French. But I never really liked it on its own. Probably because the only experience I … [Read more...] about Cream of Celery Soup