Firstly, buy yourself a small bottle of Austrian pumpkinseed oil (from here or here, for example). Then the next time you make squash soup, drizzle some of this deep-green oil over each serving. You can get creative by forming droplets and drizzles like modern art on the surface of the soup. It's supremely nutty and rich and so beautiful against the orange soup. Oh, it tastes good, too.
Secondly, keep your cool when carving the Christmas goose. This is now my third or fourth time tackling the annual beast and I have to say that practice does indeed make perfect. More importantly, staying calm and taking your time seems to work wonders. The slices of breast meat fall away just so, the leg bones pop out just as they should and people gasp in wonder at your prowess.
Thirdly, forget ever cooking a New Year's Eve meal again. Instead, buy oysters (if you can, several different kinds and then you can have oyster courses!), a few lemons (take a hike, mignonette) and make each guest bring a bottle of champagne. Do you need anything else? Fine, if you do, get a slab of sushi-grade salmon, slice it thinly and dress it with good oil and herbs. Oh, and toast some bread for that. That's it! Crown roast, seafood bisque, whatever else one spends hours in the kitchen on New Year's Eve for, nothing comes close to champagne and oysters.
Fourthly, here it is! The promised deliciousness from my Sicilian uncle, this year in the form of a torta di carciofi - an artichoke tart encased in puff pastry (storebought!) that is out-of-control delicious. I've got the recipe, too, and am going to be applying myself to test and translate it for you. Oooh, I am so excited for you!
Finally, there's this ridiculously good-looking sformato of pasta and eggplant that my uncle made before I left. Unfortunately, the day he made it was also the day one of us ended up in the ER with an intestinal ailment, the other one was felled by near-pneumonia, and I just felt like death warmed over. So I took a few pretty pictures, watched my cousin's son slurp it up happily and figured the recipe can wait until next year.
Pumpkinseed oil - I like how that sounds!
Also good work carving the bird in the dining room - I always do that in the kitchen so that I can contain the mess. You must have developed mad skillz!
Posted by: Dana McCauley | January 7, 2009 at 11:14 AM
Oh my goodness, you can carve a goose. I'm so impressed! Pumpkinseed oil is going straight to my shopping list.... maybe I'll stock up on artichokes, too. Can't wait for the recipe on THAT one :)
Posted by: Adrienne | January 7, 2009 at 11:53 AM
I love the simple oysters with lemon and champagne.
I've also found that serving this kind of (perfectly) simple food also leads everyone to have a great time. When the food is fussy, there's a sudden formal-ness thrust upon a party. When it's casual but lovely, people seem to open up and be more casual themselves.
Posted by: dailyfill | January 7, 2009 at 12:00 PM
Artichoke tart encased in puff pastry? I am in a state of anticipation.
Posted by: Julie | January 7, 2009 at 12:09 PM
Prowess, indeed!
So glad to have you back, my dear. Hope the intestinal ailments and near-pneumonia resolved themselves (ack). Mostly I hope 2009 brings you all the best.
West Coast love, heading your way.
Posted by: Tea | January 7, 2009 at 12:51 PM
I think you already know how this post went down for me: "blah blah blah torta di carciofi"
*THUD*
Seriously, how about we cook you dinner for a week so you have ample time to dedicate to the translation task? I think it would be a fair exchange.
Posted by: deb | January 7, 2009 at 12:54 PM
drool...slurp...drool...slurp.
i'll take one of everything please.
Posted by: A Mouse Bouche | January 7, 2009 at 01:52 PM
you're so right about the oysters with lemon and sparkling wine! nothing better. i'd like some now!
Posted by: michaela | January 7, 2009 at 02:21 PM
Oh, yum!! Artichoke Torta is one of my most treasured recipes from my grandma. She's northern Italian. I wonder if there's a difference between the northern and southern versions? The sformato looks amazing as well. I'm looking forward to your translations!
Posted by: Ellie from Kitchen Caravan | January 7, 2009 at 03:18 PM
I made a similar eggplant pasta dish a few months back. It was delicious but it collapsed when I tried to get it out of the pan. Yours seemed to stay together pretty nice. Is there a trick?
Posted by: The Food Hunter | January 7, 2009 at 04:29 PM
I've been reading your posts for over a year now, but I felt compelled to write this moment when I read your Oyster suggestion, which is what I did on Christmas Eve(7 different types)with different sauces from 7 countries.Thank you for the imagination and magic that you bring to food and a Happy New Year.
Posted by: john | January 7, 2009 at 05:41 PM
I try to live up to my name, but I'm not sure if I have what it takes to tackle a goose-that is indeed impressive!
By the way, another great source for Austrian Pumpkin Seed Oil (and other wonderful Austrian products) is
http://www.austrianpumpkinoil.com/
Posted by: Shelly A. Good-Cook | January 7, 2009 at 06:01 PM
Hmm, Santa seems to have forgotten to put some pumpkinseed oil in my stocking this year. Will someone please make sure he gets the memo for 2009?
This post was great--very lighthearted and lovely after such food-intensive holidays. I wish you and all your readers a very happy new year!
Posted by: Rose-Anne | January 7, 2009 at 07:08 PM
I love oysters on New Years! Looks like you had a wonderful time. What is the dark swirl on the top of the soup? I have been wanting to try the Squash soup with candied pumpkin seeds from Sunday Suppers at Lucques, but now I guess I need one more ingredient.
Posted by: Kristin | January 7, 2009 at 09:40 PM
Can you supply your recipes for all of these (not the oysters, of course-even I can figure those out)?
Posted by: Mary | January 8, 2009 at 07:53 AM
Food Hunter - my uncle lined a form with the fried eggplant, then piled the sauced pasta into the form tightly enough so that he unmolded it, there was no room for anything to collapse.
Kristin - the dark swirl is the pumpkinseed oil...
Mary - I'll be working on the artichoke torta recipe for a bit before publishing, right now it's in metric and with only approximate amounts.
Posted by: Luisa | January 8, 2009 at 09:25 AM
Love the idea of the pumpkinseed oil! So pretty, and those oysters look divine!
Posted by: Anne @ Pink Galoshes | January 8, 2009 at 11:11 AM
Your photos are beautiful.
I enjoy visiting your website.
You are so tiny and an absolutely charming lady.
Posted by: vicki | January 9, 2009 at 12:11 AM
Oh!! I see now. For some reason I thought the little green drops around the edge of the bowl was the pumpkin seed oil, but I see now it looks like some kind of design on the bowl.
Posted by: Kristin | January 9, 2009 at 03:58 PM
The goose grabbed my attention, the oysters held it, the artichoke tart made me drool (I work in metric, can I have the recipe?!), and the pasta dish made me want to eat it now. That one looks guessable so I'll give it a shot.
Posted by: Gemma | January 10, 2009 at 06:14 AM
Puffing out my chest...I bought a bottle of pumpkin seed oil three years ago at our Uber Supermarket, Wegman's. I shop at the flagship store in Rochester NY. Please don't turn up your collective noses. If you had a cool Wegman's near you, you would think that you were in grocery heaven. Forget Whole foods or Fresh Market. Wegman's has it, hands down! Wegmans.com
Posted by: Pat | January 10, 2009 at 04:49 PM
Just discovered you today (by googling "butternut squash curry"). Have been clicking 'round here for a few hours now. What a terrific blog you've got. Bookmarked!
Posted by: res ipsa loquitur | January 10, 2009 at 06:39 PM
I've been feeling like oysters lately. Gotta get me some of those.
Posted by: Scott at Realepicurean | January 11, 2009 at 01:50 PM
Oh, do make the sformato as soon as eggplant is in season again. I made one (or something like it) this past fall and my husband, neighbors and I all enjoyed it. It is so yummy and worth the time spent grilling the eggplant.
Posted by: Elizabeth | February 8, 2009 at 10:36 PM
Please share your sformata and torta di carciofi recipes soon! I've been hanging out ever since I saw these photos - whenever you post a new recipe, I'm always hoping that it may be these recipes! ...but then very quickly forget as my eyes roll back in my state of happiness and anticipation when I see gorgeous photos of a newly recommended recipe!
..but please please share soon :)
Posted by: JN | March 13, 2009 at 10:44 AM
JN - the torta di carciofi is coming soon, really. But I'm not going to post anything about the sformato, as I didn't get the recipe from my uncle! (To wing it, fry thin slices of eggplant in olive oil, use them to line a baking tin, fill the tin with cooked pasta tossed with very good tomato sauce and pieces of fresh mozzarella, then bake in a hot oven for a while. Unmold onto a plate and serve. Voila!) :)
Posted by: Luisa | March 13, 2009 at 11:10 AM