The Candy Haul

Our little pumpkin went out for trick-or treating a few short weeks ago. Is it already November 25th?! Look at all the loot he collected. They counted his big brother's candy and there was about 350 pieces of candy! Almost one for every day next year; oh how the dentist must love Halloween. I think a large quantity has already been squirreled away for a children's charity or a big birthday party.

Below: some creatively carved pumpkins along the route. I do love freshly roasted pumpkin seeds with a little bit of salt. Not a fan of the pumpkin pie though, it always just sits at our table and people take a tiny piece of it then it gets left in the fridge for a while hoping to be eaten, Italians don't really do pumpkin unless it is in ravioli, and even then I think that is a recipe from the north.

It is Thanksgiving this weekend in the Excited States of America so am sure there will be a lot of pumpkin pie consumed. Enjoy the holidays to our friends south of the border. Renee, I want a pic of your bird! xo

My substitute turkeysInstead of buying a frozen, massive turkey which would take 2 days to defrost (and the packaging had a hole in it) I opted for 2 fresh, free range, Waitrose chickens.

I lathered them with garlic, fresh tarragon, salt, pepper and roasted them with olive oil, carrots, onions, sweet potato and regular spuds. Served with bruschetta to start, stuffing, vegetables and vegetarian lasagna it was a fantastic belated Thanksgiving dinner. I started cooking at 11am and didn't stop til guests arrived at 7pm - that is a long day of peeling and preparing, my respect for housewives significantly increased that day!

Then there was the lemon meringue pie that the Bunny made, which should and will have its own post. It was delicious! There was lots of wine consumed and it was a great evening with the NHG and the other London family members.

The Yanks are celebrating Thanksgiving soon so hopefully I will get invited to another dinner - maybe this time there will be turkey!

Cuore e cervelloHeart of veal
& brain of veal.

Just two of the delicacies you can get at the food markets in Palermo.

Maybe I will serve that at my dinner party next week? Not sure what kind of recipe is needed for the brain though? Perhaps will stick to the traditional Thanksgiving dinner meal (yes it is a belated one, as was in Sicily for the official Canadian one). This week am on a mission to find a big turkey!

What are you thankful for?
Today is Canadian Thanksgiving and I will be hosting a dinner party at mine tonight. The question is do I try out some Sicilian recipes or do the traditional bird which everyone is expecting. I think I may do a mixture of both as there are some vegetarians coming so they will have to have pasta, non? Anyhow will let you know how it goes. Am going to India on Friday so there will be few posts posted, unless a) my lovely sister posts for me or b) I have net access at Shruti's house in Delhi. Not sure of either but stay tuned. Will post this week and tell you more about Sicily as it has been scant info so far. Above is a photo of one of my favorite foods, fennel. (pics from Pasquale's farm in Sicily) Now before it became popular with Jamie Oliver bbqing it and using it in all sorts of recipes http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/fennel-and-radish-salad-with-lemon-dressing it is normally eaten just freshly washed after dinner.

It has a celery-like texture and crunchiness and has a slight taste of sambuca and licorice. Look how beautiful it is when it grows, like a gentle and delicate grass (see pic).

From wikipedia's insight, fennel is considered to be a weed in the US and Australia (?!) It is one of the three main herbs used in the poisonous and highly drunkenness-inducing drink absinthe (do not ever have a shot on your birthday!), Indians often chew fennel seed (or saunf) as a mouth-freshener. Fennel is also used as a flavoring in some natural toothpastes. Some people employ it as a diuretic, while others use it to improve the milk supply of breastfeeding mothers.

This is the way to eat it Sicilian style:

-wash and slice into small pieces and use in a salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and beans with olive oil, oregano and lemon/vinegar -or any fresh summer salad

-cut it into large chunks and put it in a roasting pan when roasting a chicken with potatoes and carrots on the side

or

-just wash and eat after dinner as a refreshing desert. (the most popular way!)

and call it by its Italian name -finocchio -just like Pinocchio with an f!

Well Happy Thanksgiving to those over the pond...for all others try and reflect today on all the things you are thankful for. Am sure you will see that they far outweigh the other minutiae of life that annoy you...

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