Contrary to the typical calendar year, I begin in Autumn.🍁🍂 It is the season with leaves that whisper secrets I have yet to find of the year ahead.Pumpkins of weird shapes, strange colours from old orange to green gage, to the faint glowing white represent this time of year - a symbol of beginning again.And so I find myself drawn to pumpkin patches, pumpkin stands and pumpkin food in celebration. What pairs better with pumpkin than spices turning this odd fruit into something familiar.And whether used together or separateI cannot seem to get enough of either!
The Autumn air with electric energy smokes by and what seemed out of question comes into question with a fairytalesque beckoning. Begin breaking away from what you think you should be doing for the whimsy of what you want. This is the season of the pumpkin. It's oddities are the perfect pair for a new beginning that is starting right now.
Pumpkin Pie Spice Oatmeal Cookies
makes 6-9 large cookies
1 2/3 c (150g) gluten free oats
2/3 c (50 g) oat flour
2/3 c (70g) almond flour
1 tsp baking powder
7 TB maple syrup
4 TB coconut oil, melted
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
*2/3 c (80g) raisins optional
Preheat the oven to 400 F/ 200 C/ 180 CFan. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium sized mixing bowl add the oats, oat flour, almond flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and pinch of salt. Stir to combine making sure to remove any stubborn lumps.
Next add to the bowl the maple syrup, coconut oil and the vanilla extract. Stir again to combine thoroughly. *Raisins in oatmeal cookies can be a source of contention, but I love them!! If using raisins, now is the time to stir them in (with joy).
With a cookie scoop or a large spoon, scoop out the cookie dough into mounds onto the baking lined baking tray. Bake for 10 mins or until lightly golden brown around the edges. Let the cookies cool for five minutes before removing from the baking tray.
Please laugh with me and not at me as I show you step by step how to make Potatoes Pil Pil Stew in this recipe guide filmed by my husband. We are not professionals, but we did have fun making this short film and though I would love to promise that we will get better quickly - I think we both are happy that we made it out of bed and actually cooked our own food!
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Though summer is drawing it's sunny curtains to a close, I am resolved to make the most of life at home in the countryside and outdoors regardless of the season. Travel is something better reserved for a safer time so I decided to buy a tripod and a cast iron cauldron for cooking over a campfire after making a promise to myself that I would try to bring more of the outdoors in and the indoors outside. In the process of cooking food over the campfire I leave my usual world for an older and slower one. I like it there.
When Mat and I lived in Gibraltar where he is from I learned how to cook with a different accent having a new approach to the same ingredients I grew up with access to in the United States. It means cutting vegetables differently or using larger amounts of ingredients than I am traditionally used to. These new to me methods are actually old like the hills in the region of Andalusia that lead their way to the rock which Gibraltar is built upon and they taught me how to cook a stew based off of what is classically a sauce called pil pil and eaten in large amounts in this region as well as others on the Iberian Peninsula. Old recipes thrive under old methods and so a handful of potatoes, tomatoes and large amounts of garlic and oil become transformed by fire as do you, sitting there to warm yourself and give an occasional stir forgetting about whatever was troubling you instead being mesmerized by flames or just simply allowing yourself to be more still.
But even I know that reality does not allow us all to live in the country or to slow down as much as we would like and so the potatoes pil pil stew has been adapted to the stove top to be a simple, flavourful meal that is easy enough to take pressure off instead of putting it on. And you can spend time doing other things you love or finally get to bed early. If you do have the time and the means, I do hope this stew transports you like does me and that you get to spend more time in the world you truly want to live in.
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Potatoes Pil Pil Stew
Serves 4 people as long as there is dessert or two hungry people
4 potatoes peeled and chopped into halves
4 large fresh tomatoes cut into wedges or one 14.5 oz (400g) tin of chopped tomatoes
Begin by thoroughly rinsing the potatoes to remove the starch and set aside.
Outside over a fire in a cast iron cauldron or inside your home with a medium pot and a medium flame underneath, heat the oil until warmed. Add the garlic and let it sizzle for 30 seconds. Carefully add the tomatoes and potatoes. Immediately after add the *water (for campfire version add 6 cups (1.5 liter) and for home version add 4 cups (1 liter). Add the salt and thyme as well. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce heat to a low simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are pierceable with a knife or even spoon.
Next add the pasta bring to a boil and if cooking outside cover it with a lid for 7 minutes. If cooking inside, leave the pot uncovered and boil for 7 minutes. Take the pot off the heat and let sit for 7-10 minutes, covered with a lid regardless of location to continue cooking but also to cool before eating. The oil keeps the food extra hot and needs a little time to be mouth friendly. Taste the stew and season with salt and pepper if necessary.
Enjoy with your favourite wine on a blanket of grass outside or curled up on the sofa serving the stew in a cherished bowl.
Olives are a great addition to this meal to nibble on while your stew bubbles away, but aren't necessary.
