On this last day of November, it really feels like the holidays are approaching, with the chill in the air – there’s even snow on the ground. It’s the time of year we associate with soups and stews, but it’s also time to enjoy as much of this year’s harvest as possible, before the long wait for spring. This month’s Cottage Cooking Club selections suited this late harvest, early winter season perfectly. I made four of the selections, but you can click the link at the bottom of the post to see the rest.
Quinoa Salad with Herbs and Walnuts
The star of this salad isn’t really the grain, in my opinion, which is a good thing, since I substituted quinoa for the Israeli couscous called for in the recipe. I think it’s the fennel that makes this salad. Its crunchy brightness makes this salad a perfect antidote for the winter rains we endured for much of this month. With toasted nuts and spices, handfuls of herbs, and a splash of lemon, this is going to be a lunchbox favourite for us all winter long.
Belgian Endive, Pears, and Salty-Sweet Roasted Almonds
This simple, pretty salad could serve as an appetizer at a dinner party, but I like it better as a weekend snack. It’s got the same kind of crunchy freshness as the couscous salad, but the flavours don’t blend as much as serve as counterpoints to one another. If you’ve got the vinaigrette made up in the fridge, it’s easy enough to put together and addictive enough that you might snack yourself right out of needing to worry about dinner.
Chestnut and Sage Soup
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I wasn’t sure I should try this one, since the Chestnut-Pear Soup from Around My French Table was such a success for us, but I’m glad I did. I think I like the flavour combination of chestnut and sage best of the two and that’s saying something, because I loved the chestnut-pear soup. I stirred a spoonful of sour cream into my bowl, but I’d made the soup itself vegan and it was really lovely without any dairy at all.
Right now, it’s time for fresh chestnuts in the market, so I’ll be taking advantage of those while I can, but I also think that vacuum-packed chestnuts are going to become a staple in my pantry, so I can enjoy chestnut soup year-round.
Swede Speltotto – Make that Rutabaga Risotto
This is the only recipe this month that wasn’t entirely a success for us, simply because the rutabaga was a little bitter. I made risotto, instead of using spelt, so that I could share this meal with Kevin (since he was in a lapsed vegan, cheese-eating phase). I added a couple of Gruyère rinds along with the rutabaga and Arborio rice and used only vegetable stock for the liquid. I finished the risotto with Parmesan and parsley and it was delicious. It was a bit of a letdown that the rutabaga didn’t measure up. I think I’d substitute another root vegetable in its place next time, or roast the rutabaga cubes and add them later, to give them some caramelization and sweetness.
November was a busy, eventful month and December promises to be even more so. There will be a lot going on the blog, but I’m looking forward to seeing what our Cottage Cooking Club selections will be, because I think a little vegetarian goodness will serve as a nice antidote to the holiday feasting that’s fast approaching.
Intrigued by this month’s recipes? Buy the book and join us.
Here are the links to the rest of the group’s posts for this month. I encourage you to check them out – you’ll meet some wonderful bloggers and get some great inspiration for vegetarian eating.
One Wet Foot 
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Your selections look delicious. I did make the soup, and I really liked it – especially the crisp sage leaves! (ps, love the snowfall!!)
I love the idea for endive! I find I don’t eat it enough, considering that I really do love it (but it’s so much pricier here than in Europe!) and agree that it would make a terrific appetizer.
Hi Teresa, My Grandson is wild over your floating snowflakes, a brilliant enhancement with the stunning Christmas tree! I’m sure we will be seeing more snow shortly in the Philadelphia area. It seems the chestnut soup is also a hit among the months selections, alongside the Patatas Bravas so I must get onto preparing it. I also prepared the Belgian endive salad and thought it quite good, also serving it as a first course for a casual luncheon. I’ve very much enjoyed your post, thanks for sharing. Enjoy your holiday season, and keep warm!
i’m enjoying the snowflakes as I read too. I REALLY enjoyed the chestnut sage soup. It’s color isn’t promising, but the flavor is! On your recommendation, I’ll have to try the couscous (quinoa) salad too. Happy December!
I didn’t make the salad, but I love fennel! I’m sure I would have liked it. Your endive and pear dish looks so pretty – another I did not make! Man-oh-man.. I enjoyed the soup, and I also did not add the cream to the soup – I thought it was wonderful as is. I did make the speltoto, with farro, and it was good, but probably the least favorite of the month. Looking forward to seeing what Andrea has for us next month! Happy holidays to you!
Teresa, all of the dishes you prepared look quite wonderful – and I can honestlysay that I agree with you on the chestnut soup – we had enjoyed Dorie´s recipe so much but we liked this one even better. I have stocked-up on chestnuts (as there are none left from the tree) and look forward to making the soup again. The Spelotto has to wait a bit but I loved reading your comments – good to keep the member comments in mind on recipes that we did not make – I will try to chose the easiest possible recipes for the month of December, promised – I know that we are all very busy these days.
Thank you for your continued support, participation and enthusiam you bring to this online cooking group – I truly appreciate it,
Andrea (stay warm)
Hi Teresa, love the picture at the beginning of this post, perfect with the floating snowflakes, nice touch! All your dishes look beautiful, will prepare the chestnut soup now for sure after reading this. Thanks!
I love the photo at the start of your post, and the photos of the dishes you prepared are just as lovely! Most of the recipes are the ones I didn’t prepare and am now looking forward to making the soup and the endive salad. I skipped the rutabaga dish because of the bitterness of the vegetable but I think your suggestion to roast it is an excellent idea – I may just try that.
Chestnut soup sounds delicious! I’ve only even eaten them roasted with butter 😛
It’s fantastic and really easy if you use vacuum-packed or jarred chestnuts.