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Stuffed cabbage

Winter veg! In France, the changing of the seasons in nowhere more apparent than at the weekly outdoor market and even in the supermarkets. One of the things I love the most about our adopted country is the very fact that people cook or eat with the seasons. This means more opportunity for local producers to sell their goods, which is epically better for the environment. I must admit, cabbage is not a staple in our house. Sadly, I’m the only one who eats it. BUT, recently while visiting my mother, her cousin brought a couple of homegrown cabbages from her garden and, well, I saw a carpe diem moment like none other. I’m happy to say, not only was my dish cousin and cousin’s husband approved (I made two dishes, one for us and one for them), but also mother-approved! I’ll tell you right now there IS some measure …

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Broccoli Pie with Vendéen Jambon Blanc

I fell in love with this incredibly tasty broccoli pie from the very beginning but adding the beautiful Vendée (white) ham makes it extra special. It’s a lovely meal on it’s own, served with a salad in summer or with buttery mashed potatoes in fall/winter. With store-bought dough so inexpensive and readily available, it’s also super easy but of course you can make your own. If you’re intimidated making the roux, don’t worry. If you follow the recipe to the letter, you can’t go wrong. And if you wish to make it vegetarian, simply leave the ham and switch chicken broth with veg broth.Ingredients and preparation Broccoli Pie with Vendéen Jambon Blanc For up to 4 people Pâte brisée – 1 pie crust (or 2 because you can make it prettier by creating a lattice to cover the pie with) 750g of broccoli florets cooked for 3 minutes in salt …

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Butternut pumpkin soup

The sweetness of autumn I do love autumn, don’t you? When the leaves on the trees have turned their darkest green and there is a little sensation of coolness on the morning breeze and the air smells just a little more earthy you know it’s time. Time to run a hand over a woolen jumper, time for boots, time for a cozy fire. Time for different pops of color for different flavors in the kitchen. Time to fall in love with a new season! Let’s head to my kitchen for the king of color … Butternut Pumpkin or Butternut Squash soup!Ingredients and preparation – Butternut Pumpkin Soup For 4- 8 people (I cook leftovers or prep a next batch for the freezer) 1 large butternut – cubed (set half aside) 1 large onions – roughly chopped (frozen also works) 3 cloves of garlic (or as you wish) – minced 4 …

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Vegetarian Butternut Pie – an autumn delight!

Last year in fall or winter, Sky News announced the upcoming UK budget revelation with an infomercial where the main character was a pie… a wintry pie that looked delicious and easy enough to try to make. The infomercial showed the pie being made from scratch, and even without an actual recipe, I thought well, come on, you can figure this out. So, here it is, probably not exact and really it doesn’t matter. Because this pie is delicious, and it’s vegetarian. That makes it pretty much perfect for me. The question was, would my husband -the carnivore- like it too?Ingredients – Vegetarian Butternut Pie 1 butternut squash peeled and sliced into 1 cm portions or in fingers 1 red paprika (bell pepper), washed, seeds removed, cut into chunks 1 medium sized carrot peeled, then washed, and shopped into strips 1 courgette, peeled and shopped into strips Optional: spinach, washed, …