Simple and in Season November Round Up and December Link Open

Welcome back to Simple and in Season! Thank you to Nazima at Franglais Kitchen for doing a wonderful job of hosting and rounding up in October. November’s round up  is below and thank you also to everyone for entering.

Current Simple and in Simple link up (December)

The recipes and posts for December’s Simple and in Season are coming in thick and fast over at our lovely host’s blog –  Karen at Lavender and Lovage. As everyone will be very busy in the New Year and quite possibly, still recovering, the link at Lavender and Lovage will be open until January 15th 2013 with a round up shortly after.

NB Our host Karen is allowing festive/seasonal treats, for example, recipes including chestnut puree!

November Round Up

Here is the November round up. There were so many lovely, warming wintry treats, I hope you enjoy exploring them all and THANK YOU to everyone for entering. We welcome two brand new vegetables! British-grown Wasabi Japonica and a white pumpkin. I used celeriac for the first time with great results, too.

1. Jen over at Blue Kitchen Bakes kicked off our November round with her Egg Free Dairy Free Carrot and Cinnamon Cake. They were mini loafs made with coarsley grated carrots and a big hit of cinnamon. Delicious – thank you. Great to have an egg-less recipe to go to, there are a couple more to come.  

 2. Next, a very seasonal Apple and Pear Parkin from Caroline over at Cake, Crumbs and Cooking – our host for February! Looking forward to that already and thank you for this lovely treat, adapted from a Dan Lepard recipe.

3. A second gloriously stickly Stem Ginger and Apple Parkin from Lottie’s World of Cakes and Bakes – thank you for this sweet treat Lottie. I absolutely loved your sparkler cupcake photo, too!

Parkin with apple and ginger

4. A savoury bake now, this time it is a Stuffed Acorn Squash All’Amatriciana from the very beautiful Ceri at Cucina Ceri. I adore winter squash and I thought this simple acorn squash filled with a typical Italian sauce with pancetta (or bacon), onion, garlic, chilli flakes and tomatoes was spot on. As Ceri says, minus the pasta, this is a lovely gluten-free Paleo supper. Ceri also added pesto and pine nuts for extra flavour. Actually, I’ve just got hooked again on Ceri’s blog, so many great gluten and refined sugar-free recipes. Go see!

5. Nazima now at  Franglais Kitchen made a Chocolate, Pecan and Pumpkin Pie Spice Cake, Nazima used pumpkin puree, but you could also use grated pumpkin as per the original recipe that inspired Nazima. I love the peachy frosting here, too.

Chocolate Pecan and Pumpkin Pie Spice Cake

6. Nazima’s partner in crime for the popular One Ingredient challenge is Laura from How to Cook Good Food. Laura entered a super-seasonal Roasted Cauliflower and Pomegranate Salad, with a Lemon Anchovy Dressing. A lovely way to use cauliflower – this recipe is definitely one to try.

7. This next entry was so good, from Kellie at Food to Glow and got my taste buds going so much that I immediately went off to make it, tweeting Kellie with high praise!  Here’s Kellie’s gorgeous vegan Shepherdess Pie – hope you try it, too.

8. Next, was a Pumpkin Soup entry from My Little Italian Kitchen – but the author seems to have deleted the blog! If it has been redirected anywhere, please let me know!

9. Our next entry is this lovely Butternut Squash Soup with Chilli and Herbs from Katherine’s Italian kitchen and blog in Wales, Leeks and Limone. Thank you Katherine.  Loving the cream!

10. We’ve had a lot of Italian-inspired entries this month and this one is delicious too, made by Rita at Rita Cooks Italian – a Folded Omelette filled with melting leeks from Rita’s allotment. Rita’s leeks were huge!

11. Jacqueline at top Scottish-based blog Tinned Tomatoes made this seasonal stack called a Kale and Cheddar Bubble and Squeak – how tasty does this look with that perfectly poached egg on top?! This was part of a three course seasonal menu that Jacqueline created for Floral & Hardy – great name! Thanks Jac.

12. Next, I made a Slow Cooked Brisket of Beef with a Celeriac Mash and wild mushrooms. It was the first time I’d used celeriac actually and it was a real revelation and the beef was pretty good, too!

Beef Brisket Celeriac Mash

13. Nicola at Nic’s Feasts and Treats entered with her Tangy Fruit Crumble. Nic is a teenager who loves to cook and she’s got some great recipes over on her blog. Thanks Nic – our youngest Simple and in Seasoner?

14. The Taste Space joined in with this lovely Pumpkin Gingerbread Pudding. I imagine it would make a great alternative to a chocolate mousse or as Janet says, a nice addition to your morning oatmeal – Janet wasn’t smitten but I think it would make a tasty treat!

15. Kellie came back to us, this time with a Georgian treat and a lovely post about the food scene in Edinburgh. Her recipe was for a Spinach and Walnut Dip with Pomegranate – otherwise known as a Spinach Pkhali. 

spinach pkhali

16. Karen, our host for December, at Lavender and Lovage made a lovely seasonal salad  – a Clementine and Honey Roast Salmon Salad with a (British) Wasabi Dressing.  Stunning colours and the UK-grown fresh Wasabi is definitely something to look out for. Interestingly, Wasabia Japonica is member of the Brassica family, which includes cabbages, horseradish and mustard.

Festive Fish on Friday: Clementine and Honey Roast Salmon Salad with Wasabi Dressing Recipe

17. A few desserts now, starting with this Apple and Cinnamon Chocolate Braid from Ros at The More Than Occasional Baker. Ros made her bread from scratch and filled it with apples, chocolate and cinnamon. There are some great step by step photos to follow, too.

18. Mel at Sharky Oven Gloves who is still in New Zealand made and sent us her (version 2) Rhubarb Cake – although her first attempt would have been just fine! A little over-fill on the tin the first time and a lack of eggs for the second, but all in all, Mel’s cake looks wonderful to me! Thanks Mel for persevering. The rhubarb behaved and stayed a beautiful pink colour to match the napkin…

19. Louisa at Chez Foti is very kindly hosting an up coming round of Simple and in Season for us, too in the New Year. This time round she made a really wonderful Roasted Wild Mushroom Pizza from her kitchen in the French Pyrenees. Thank you Louisa. The wild mushrooms (parasols) were carefully identified and foraged from Louisa’s garden and there is an adorable photo of toddler Jacques helping her collect!

 20. A third egg-less recipe, this time, from a blog called Nivedhanam. Sowmya made these Egg-less Blueberry Scones and delightful did they look, too! I like their triangular shape.

Blueberry Scone - IMG_0513

21. Next, an exciting recipe from Delicieux, it’s Super, Sexy, Strange Spaghetti Squash by private chef Anneli. The squash is baked first, then you just use a fork to pull and create the strands. Bien, n’est pa?!

IMG_1996 blog

22. Sowmya came back to us from Nivedhanam with her Pooshanikkai Mor Kootu – a white pumpkin-based simple and comforting dish with lots of lovely spices. I have never seen white pumpkin so it is great to welcome a second new vegetable this month in Simple and in Season.

[Pooshanikkai%2520Mor%2520Kootu%2520-%2520IMG_3227%255B6%255D.jpg]

23. Choclette, from Chocolate Log Blog made and sent across her Apple, Rose and White Chocolate Cake, for a local fine food event. Many thanks Choclette. Cut into 36 squares, this cake is perfect for a bunch of hungry visitors.

24. A delicious, savoury lamb recipe now from Caroline Makes, called Lamb with Pomegranate and Mint, made with lamb, cumin, chilli, fresh and juicy pomegranate seeds and fresh mint. A wonderful supper.

25. More pomegranate, this time, a Chocolate and Pomegranate Mousse from Caroline Makes. This recipe was adapted from the Good Food Channel and it looks so easy and so tasty – definitely on my Christmas list to make.

26. This next entry is a great recipe from Urvashi at The Botanical Baker – it’s a fresh Garlic and Chilli Paste. Urvashi keeps a stash of this to use in soups, dhals, chutneys, tossed through pasta or on toast – the garlic flavour mellows over time. Urvashi says this paste will keep in a sterilized jar with a bit of oil on the top, or you can freeze it in cubes. A great recipe to have up your sleeve. I found some really amazing fresh garlic this week at my local deli so I’ll be making this.

garlic chilli

27. A second lovely entry from Mel at Sharky Oven Gloves, this one uses New Zealand lamb with lots of lovely spices. Mel made Keftas with Raisin and Almond Cous Cous. Pretty blue plate!

28. And last, but by no means least, a thought-provoking post from Sarah at The Garden Deli and a recipe for a Parsnip, Chilli and Lime Soup with parsnips from the garden and chilli from the windowsill. Perfect and most definitely in keeping with Michael Pollen’s rules for healthy eating! Thank you Sarah.

So, there we have it, another month of inspiring recipes. Lots of new sweet and savoury dishes to try incorporating seasonal fruit and vegetables. Don’t forget to pop over to see Karen at Lavender and Lovage for December’s link up.

Future Hosts

Our February host will be Caroline at Cake, Crumbs and Cooking – another Simple and in Season staunch supporter.

In March our host will be Louisa at Chez Foti – her lovely family-friendly foodie blog in the Pyrenees.

If anyone else would like to host, let me know in the comments below or tweet me @RenBehan

 

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20 Comments

  1. Mmm, everything looks so delish! Loving the idea of the parsnip, chilli and lime soup – sucker for limes and chillies and the sweet mellowness of parsnips sounds a great foil. I will head over to Karen and pop some recipes through. Have a fantastic holiday with your family. It has been a pleasure reading your blog, trying your recipes and hearing about your developing career. And an honour and privilege to have met you at FBC12. x

    1. Thank you so much Kellie. The feeling is completely mutual. I am very inspired by your blog and by your recipes and writing. I’m preparing to make a lifestyle switch in January to a paleo way of eating so your blog will be a great resource for me on my healthy eating kick. We’ll see how long it lasts for. Christmas reading – It Starts WIth Food, a US book. Hope you have a wonderful time with your family and friends, too. xxx

  2. Excellent round up as always! I love Simple and in Season – it’s one of the first blog challenges I entered in my early blogging days. Look forward to another year of Simple and in Season 🙂

    1. Thank you so much Ros for your kindness and support. It wouldn’t be the same without you!

    1. Thank you Rita and for your Italian-inspired entry, too x

  3. Thanks so much for your lovely comment Ren, and what a wonderful array of seasonal recipes! Squash is just the best!

    1. Hi Ceri, yes squash is certainly a seasonal favourite for me too. Thanks for entering x

  4. Liz Thomas says:

    Oh! The link doesn’t work! Is it just me?

    1. Oh no, sorry about that, have just checked it and added it in again – seems ok? x

  5. Liz Thomas says:

    Wow! What a fantastic round up of recipes. I’m going for that cauliflower and pomegranite with lemon and anchovy. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Got a lunch party today and wondering if I have time to make it.

    Thanks so much to all contributors — I’m very fired up with lots of these.

    Cheers!
    Liz

    1. Thanks Liz and many congrats on your hamper win! x

  6. Great collection of recipes Ren, so many lovely ideas! I’d love to host Simple and in Seaon next year if you’re still looking for hosts – and you’d trust me to do so.

    1. Thank you so much Sarah, I’ll add to you the list and be in touch x

    1. Thank you Jen, I’ll add you to the list and be in touch x

  7. Fantastic round up of such an array of colourful and tempting recipes. It seems impossible that it is going to be the last Simple and in Season of 2012 this month. I have a whole load of recipes made photoed and eaten but not written up yet. Desperately trying to but also have so much to do. Maybe I will just put them all in one big post!

    1. Hi Laura, I know how you feel. So much to do and write about, I have stopped taking pics now as I have such a backlog of posts to write up. Thank you for being such a staunch supporter. Now in it’s 18th month! xx

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