this kind of flakey is acceptable!!

As a cold front approached and garnered the potential for some flurries in the night sky, I took it upon myself to make sure flakes showed up! My flakes, however were in the form of buttery golden topped buttermilk scones.
With a recipe consisting of pantry and crisper staples… flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, sugar, buttermilk, eggs, butter and shortening, soon some gorgeous scones would be pulled from my oven… After sifting all of my dry ingredients, it was time to cut in the chunks of butter and shortening. As soon as my mixture began to gain a crumbly existence, it was dampened with some tangy buttermilk, stirred lightly until combined [not overworked] and then turned out onto my workspace to be brought together into a wobbly [nobody’s judging], lengthened ‘disk’. From this disk the scones were gently plucked out one by one, layered on a baking sheet, brushed with an egg wash and baked off…
Once puffed and bronzed, it was off to cool and then be slathered later with some scarlet-colored rhubarb jam and enjoyed with a hot cup of tea.

at a low simmer…
-R

keep calm and c[u]rry on…

With a serious want for a wonderful Indian dish, but a lack of desire to go out for dinner on a Monday night… I decided to browse through some cookbooks and with what I had in the house, whip up a quick pork curry dish served with a coconut rice.
Green curry paste, sliced scallions and olive oil were the building blocks to what would soon be a delicious meal. After a quick sauté of the above, thinly sliced pork was tossed in and stirred around. Once the pork was no longer pink, in went some coconut milk, some shredded coconut, and water.
As soon as the whole lot was boiling, it all went down a notch, soybeans and sugar snap peas were added and it was time for a slow simmer to let everyone get to know each other.
After roughly twenty minutes, it was time to plate and surrender to this luxurious and flavor-laden dinner!

at a low simmer…
-R

one [roasting pan] wonder…

After a long day of running errands and battling the cold weather, it was home to prep up something for a scrumptious dinner! I needed something satisfying and filling, while not taking hours and hours to prepare. Simple enough was one of my fave dishes, from one of my fave home-cooks… Nigella Lawson. It was a chicken, chorizo and potato ‘bake’. This dish is literally a ‘one pot’, rather ‘one pan’ meal! Simple ingredients that everyone has in their kitchen pantry and can be put together in mere minutes.
Into a deep roasting pan went some good extra virgin which coated both sides of a healthy portion of chicken thighs, chopped up fresh chorizo, large diced red onion and cubed yukon gold potatoes! A sprinkling of dried oregano, a scatter of salt, a grating of the zest of a clementine and it was into the oven on 425 for one hour. As the ‘bake’ cooked in the russet beauty from the oil and chorizo, the scent of oregano, citrus and spices wafted throughout.
After the cooking time was up, out appeared a bronzed, crisp chicken, seductively aromatic chorizo, browned potatoes and wilted red onion. No sooner did I take this breathtaking beauty out of the oven, that we were plated up and diving in!
This is one of my go-to recipes, and chances are if you try this it will become one of yours as well!

at a low simmer…
-R

the cure for a deep freeze!

With a bleak and blustery day upon us, there was no question as to what to have for dinner. After raiding both the pantry and crisper a menagerie of elements were strewn across my island.
After a quick dice of two onions, a fine mincing of some garlic cloves and a rough chop of a carrot they were banished to my cast iron pot to begin to sweat down. While my veg was cooking away, some leftover ham was sliced up to join everyone in the pot, along with some luxurious organic split peas.
Once everything was thoroughly combined, some homemade chicken stock, water and salt was swirled in and the entire ‘soon to be’ soup was set to simmer away until thick and creamy!
As soon as the soup was ready, it was ladled lovingly into bowls, drizzled with some chili oil and topped with crispy noodles rather than croutons.
This meaty, slightly spicy and satisfying meal hit the spot and warmed us right up!

at a low simmer…
-R