Flossie

Candyflosslife - Down to Earth Food for Flexitarians - Warm Apples in a Borrowed Pastry It’s dark by half four now, and on these evenings all I want is comfort food. I really don’t think that’s something to fix. There’s something to be said about a warm, fruit-oozing bake on a cold evening, so this week I’ve made my apple crumble tarts. And there’s a new soup that finally puts my sage bush to use. The Tarts The pastry is my sister’s recipe, the one she made for years in her patisserie, and...

Candyflosslife - Down to Earth Food for Flexitarians - Roast It First If there’s a pumpkin on your doorstep this morning, don’t let it go to waste. This time of year I usually have a tub of roast pumpkin in the fridge, because I love to fold it into curries and stews all through the fall. Not only to bulk them up, but for extra fiber and another plant in the pot. My favorite place for it, though, is this Italian pumpkin soup. Italian Pumpkin Soup Why I roast it first Roasting gives the...

Candyflosslife - Down to Earth Food for Flexitarians - A Weeknight Curry for Dark Evenings The evenings have drawn in and the clocks went back last night, which means I’m cooking the kind of dinner you eat from a deep bowl. This week’s new recipe is a spinach and mushroom curry that’s creamy, and there’s no cream or coconut milk anywhere in it. Count the spices and herbs and you’re past 15 plants in one dinner, which is a good chunk of a 30-a-week goal. Spinach and mushroom curry Where the...

Candyflosslife - Down to Earth Food for Flexitarians - Three Things I Grew Up Eating I grew up in Romania, where late fall meant sauerkraut. It was practically a national business in the late 80s, and I remember queuing up early in the market with hundreds of other people, waiting for the cabbage deliveries. Mostly with dread, I’ll admit, with a tad of fondness now. This week I’m sharing three recipes from that side of my kitchen: a soup, a jar, and a loaf. Romanian meatball soup (ciorba de...

Candyflosslife - Down to Earth Food for Flexitarians - Fig Season, Two Ways Fig season is short, so I promised you a dessert that lets them shine: a spelt galette with a layer of milled flaxseed under the figs, which is where that extra fiber comes in. Make it savory, by skipping the sugar and layering some goats cheese. There’s a fresh fig salad below too, while they’re still around. The Galette Fresh figs on a spelt crust, folded at the edges so there’s no tin to line, scattered with...

Candyflosslife - Down to Earth Food for Flexitarians - Back From Transylvania, Straight Into Soup Season I got back on Thursday from a short break in Transylvania with my friend, where I suffered a mild case of "show and tell" with some lovely traditional dishes. We found a little local tavern called "Roata" (The Wheel) that served the most generous portions, so we sampled a chicken & noodle soup, a chunky soup with tender beef and vegetables, and cabbage rolls. Traditional dishes in...

Candyflosslife - Down to Earth Food for Flexitarians - This Soup Turns Two Today My Corn Chowder turns two years old today, funnily enough, and it feels like exactly the right week to bring it back. No flour, no butter, no heavy cream, just fresh corn, buttery potatoes, and flaky trout or hot smoked salmon (the smokiness makes a real difference if you can get it), finished with dill and a squeeze of lemon. It is hearty without being heavy. Corn & Trout Chowder Fresh Corn Chowder (happens to...

Candyflosslife - Down to Earth Food for Flexitarians - Worth Every Hour I only had four small slices left in the freezer, tucked away in a wax bag, when our son turned up unexpectedly for a brief visit. He inhaled all four before I could barely offer him a plate. It feels lucky, having something that takes most of a day to make and is still worth sharing with the people you love the moment they walk through the door. That's why bread will always be the one thing that excites me most in the...

Candyflosslife - Down to Earth Food for Flexitarians - What to cook now September always feels like a bit of a handover month. Tomatoes are still hanging on, apples are boasting their best colors, and cauliflower's coming into its own. I'm always looking to get more plant variety onto the table too, I know it sounds virtuous, but it's because the more different plants your gut bugs get to eat, the happier and more diverse they are. And none of it needs to be exotic. Beans, cauliflower,...

Candyflosslife - Down to Earth Food for Flexitarians - Last of the Plums Victoria plums are still around for a little while longer, and this is one of my favorite ways to use them before the season's over. Sticky, caramelized, a bit messy, and worth every napkin. I'm always looking to layer in more veg, more fibre, more color where I can, and this one leans on the plums themselves, high in polyphenols, plus ginger, garlic, shallots, and tenderstem broccoli counting towards that 30 plants a...