Free style cooking

Keeping with the cottage theme, cooking is always a bit unstructured at the cottage.  And while I often bring a cookbook or two with me, I tend to free style things.  So two notable recipes from the weekend.  One made while there and one made with leftovers last night at home.

I'm still eating yummy goodness from the garden and brought a sugar pumpkin and some pears donated from a local farmer that my husband did some work for and made soup.  The onion that had been in the fridge seemed to have left with the in-laws who left before we did so I made do frying a bunch of green onions (including about half of the green parts), a clove of garlic, the pumpkin, the pears and some rosemary.  No chicken stock, so I used water and a bit of orange juice, turmeric, pepper and cinnamon. Very tasty as an appetizer to the barbecued steaks, also simply done with salt and pepper before grilling and a dab or rosemary butter after grilling.  With a side of foil roasted potatoes and Moose Tracks ice cream for dessert, we were happy and the fridge was that much further to being empty for the end of the season.

We had a bunch of leftover ham from Friday's dinner so I decided to make a ham and mushroom risotto.  I fried up a chopped onion until very soft, added garlic and celery, fried for a couple of minutes more, then added the mushrooms.  Once the mushrooms were mostly cooked, the rest of the process was standard risotto, toast the rice in the olive oil in the pan, add liquid in small amounts and keep stirring.  I used 1/4 cup sambuca instead of white wine as the first liquid added and then chicken stock after that.  When the rice was almost done, I added chopped up ham and finished the rice with parmesan cheese before serving.  The flavour of the ham (which had been baked with a maple mustard glaze) and the mushrooms went very well together.  I think I'm actually overcoming my general dislike of ham.  I really enjoy the things I have made with the leftovers.  The ham and cheese sandwiches on the griddle for lunch today were also fantastic.

Tonight, it is more simple pleasures with a roast chicken and roasted vegetables picked from a big dig in the garden this morning.  I'm really looking forward to the leftovers at lunch tomorrow.