Introduction

No more lies! Soup on a restaurant menu should be an indication that the kitchen is working to minimize food waste, using up any vegetable trim and scraps that would otherwise end up in the landfill. We always have a rotating soup, one that helps us to make the best use of our ingredients while remaining seasonal. With that, we couldn’t help but include this recipe for one of our favorite winter soups. It’s as comforting as it gets, like your favorite oversized wool sweater. Feel free to get creative and add any clean vegetable trim you have lying around.

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Serve this vibrant dish as a weekend brunch; it sure looks the part.

Introduction

A far cry from a classic shakshuka, yes, but we’ve found that sweet potatoes provide just the right amount of moisture and heft to serve as a base for these eggs. Serve this vibrant dish as a weekend brunch; it sure looks the part.

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For Lidia, crumbles may not be Italian, but they are in spirit

Introduction

Crumbles are not Italian, but I have learned to love them because they are very Italian in spirit—fresh fruit and a simple topping come together to create a homey dessert everyone will love. The trick to making a crisp, clumpy topping is to squeeze the clumps a little.

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A “no-crust” version of the beloved pumpkin pie—which also means it’s gluten-free!

Introduction

Pumpkin pudding is basically a “no-crust” pumpkin pie—which also means it’s gluten-free. Here, we make up for the lack of crust by garnishing the pudding with a salty-sweet pumpkin seed brittle. When buying pumpkin purée, make sure to purchase pure pumpkin purée and not pumpkin pie filling. You might think it would be best to roast your own pumpkin and make the purée yourself, but this recipe requires a particular amount of moisture to ensure that the pudding sets, and roasting your own pumpkin may yield inconsistent results. Use a canned purée to ensure success. If you have time, try making this pudding on the day before you plan to serve it. Giving it additional time to set will improve the flavour of the spices and the consistency of the pudding.

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Velvety soup flavored with leeks, apples, and maple syrup, but also with cumin and cayenne pepper to balance out the flavor.

Introduction

When we think of pumpkin, we usually think of autumn sweets, like pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread, but pumpkin’s earthy flavor is wonderful in savory dishes, too. This velvety soup is flavored with leeks, apples, and maple syrup, so it has those sweet undertones that you expect in a squash soup, but also with smoky cumin and spicy cayenne pepper to balance out the flavor. If that sounds like an unusual combination, have faith—one reader wrote to me that it was one of the best soups she’s made in fifty-three years of marriage! I know canned pumpkin feels like cheating, but it’s a great shortcut; if you’d like to roast and puree fresh pumpkin, you’ll need 1¾ cups.

Introduction

Try this spin on a classic pecan pie. Our version has a buttery, toffee-like, gooey filling with a variety of toasted nuts in a sweet dough crust that is just perfect. Our nutty tart is wonderful with a big scoop of our Vanilla Ice cream(page 219) or on its own with a cup of tea. Sometimes we vary the recipe by adding ½ cup chocolate chips—very acceptable, in our opinion!

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Pot pie is the ultimate cozy comfort food. These biscuits will also become an everyday family favourite.

Introduction

 

Pot pie is the ultimate cozy comfort food. In this recipe, tender poached cubes of turkey nestle in a rich, thick cream sauce decked out with carrots, potatoes and onions, all topped with our famous cheddar cheese biscuits. The biscuits are perfect on their own and will become an everyday family favourite in your home, too.

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Sesame seeds, black tahini, and a unique savory halva—the secret to enhancing roasted carrots!

Introduction

Roasted carrots get enhanced with three different sesame applications—sesame seeds, black tahini, and a unique savory halva. The slight bitterness of the black tahini serves as the counter balance to the sweetness of the carrots, but feel free to substitute plain tahini if you can’t find black tahini. I like to use smaller, heirloom-sized carrots for this recipe—but you can use larger ones if you like. Just be sure to roast them a bit longer until they are cooked through and fork-tender.