The beauty of food legacies is something I hold close to my heart. Each time I make a dish that has been a part of my childhood and family tradition, I put a little extra love into it. I fondly remember the feeling of sitting at my Grandmother’s big dining room table at the little house in Beverly, watching her make Sunday morning pancakes for a dozen people, flitting about taking care of every one’s needs, hand making dozens of pyrogies and tiny cabbage rolls with hands raw from the acid of the sour cabbage, and never actually sitting down to enjoy her beautiful creations until everyone had been fed. My Grandmother has always expressed her love for her family with beautiful food. Hungry or not, she would open a jar of her homemade borscht the minute I arrived so she could feed me. Made fresh from the bounty of her garden, she fed more than my hunger. Years of watching my mother carrying on that tradition by making my Grandmother’s recipe for borscht, and learning myself how to execute her delicious variety of that hot pink goodness, I feel like I am carrying on a part of my family legacy every time I whip up a batch.

So with harvest celebrations upon us, and much gratitude for my little bundle of girlie delight and all of the beautiful women in my family that have taken the time to pass on their love through cooking, what better time to share a delicious and very “pink” way to bring the fall harvest together into one delicious dish!? Now to try and write down a recipe that never finds itself on paper, but in true family recipe tradition, is born from a little of this and a little of that…

Borscht…according to “Sugar”

3 tbsp butter
5 beets, cut into chunky matchstick sized pieces
1 onion, diced
2 shallots, finely diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 carrots, quartered and chopped
5 baby garden potatoes, quartered and chopped
1 cup of garden peas in the pod, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces (or you can use frozen peas if needed)
1 cup of string beans, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
juice of 3 lemons
1 tsp dry dill
2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
1L of vegetable stock
2 cups of water
1 cup of heavy cream
1 tbsp kosher salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
sour cream, to serve

In a large dutch oven (I use my Le Creuset for this dish) or soup pot, melt butter and saute onions, shallots, and garlic until soft (2-3 minutes). Add beets, carrots, and potatoes, and saute until they begin to soften (10-12 minutes) stirring regularly. Add more butter if necessary to keep vegetables moist. Add peas and beans, and saute an additional few minutes. Next add lemon juice, kosher salt, pepper, vegetable stock, water, and dry dill. Bring to a gentle boil and reduce heat to medium to slowly simmer. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until vegetables are at the desired tenderness. Lastly, add cream and fresh dill. Stir well and serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Nostrovia!

With fresh on the mind, last weekend launched our BBQ season for the year and set the bar high. Perfectly grilled salmon with a Moroccan Chermoula that could make anything delectable. Admittedly, salmon is never my first choice of fish. I prefer the meatiness of halibut, they delicate taste of basa, or the simplicity of pan fried trout, but this preparation boosts a simple fresh piece of salmon to a crave worthy treat. Add to that two fresh and simple salads, one beetroot salad with arugula, snap peas, and fresh oranges, and one carrot, feta, and mint salad (both from Simply Bill by Bill Granger), and there was no doubt that my days of summer had begun.

These dishes are the kind you will return to again and again, when the days grow longer and the sun starts peaking through the long cold days to finally warm your skin.

Chermoula Grilled Salmon

fresh salmon fillet or fish of your choice

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

1/4 cup sesame seeds

4 cloves of minced garlic

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp paprika

1 tsp chili flakes

1/2 tsp coarse salt

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

Using a food processor or mortar and pestle, chop/pound cilantro, sesame seeds, and garlic. Slowly add oil to mixture. stir in paprika, chilies, salt, and lemon juice.

Place salmon on foil lined with parchment. Spoon mixture over the top of the fish generously. (This recipe usually makes more marinade than I require and I freeze the extra for future use.) Fold parchment/foil over fish to form a sealed packet that will be placed directly on the BBQ. Let marinate in the fridge for up to one hour prior to grilling. Heat BBQ to medium heat and grill for approximately 10-15 minutes depending on the size of the fish.

Beetroot Salad

18 baby beets

baby arugula

handful of snap peas, trimmed and blanched

2 blood oranges, peeled and sliced (I couldn’t find blood oranges and substitued with a regular orange)

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp chopped fresh oregano

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Trim beets and cook in boiling salted water for 30-40 minutes, or until tender.Rinse under running water and peel away the skin.

Arrange arugula, sliced beets, snap peas and blood oranges on a platter. Mix together olive oil, white wine vinegar, oregano, salt, and pepper and drizzle over salad.

Carrot, Feta and Mint Salad

1 kg carrots, peeled, halved, and sliced

2 garlic cloves crushed

3 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup feta cheese

1/4 cup pitted black olives (I like the dried at the Italian Centre for this recipe, or kalamata)

small handful of fresh mint leaves

Cook the carrots in boiling salted water for 1 minute. Drain and refresh in iced water. Stir together garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper. Arrange carrots on a serving platter. Top with crumbled feta, mint, and olives, and drizzle with the dressing.

Add a crisp chilled buttery viognier and soak up the sun!