The winter holiday challenge

Finding fresh local produce can be quite the challenge in the winter months. We live in a cold place, not the coldest, but its bitter! This is the best time to put your knowledge of ingredients to good use. Its not like summer where there is a plethora of local produce everywhere you look. This is the best time for soups, stews, and for me, Asian food. I find that Asian influenced food is great this time of year. It is just spicy enough to warm you up, with that nutty-garlic flavored sauce. Daikon is a nice root vegetable to try this time of year which is used in many Asian dishes. It is in the radish family but much milder than red radishes. Root vegetables are the most popular to use in winter. They are cheap, easily available and fairly versatile.

The Holidays are here and you may find yourself thinking/ panicking, 'what should I make'?! Every family has their holiday traditions but this year you may be thinking of changing things up a bit. Wherever you spend your holiday there will definitely be massive amounts of food.

Here are two delicious and simple side dishes that combine seasonal produce and holiday tradition.

Roasted Butternut squash with pancetta, red chillies and fennel
Serves 5

- 2 Medium Sized Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into medium sized dice
- 1 Cup Pancetta, sliced and cut into thin strips
- 1/3 C red chillies, and sliced (seeds too)
- 1/2 Cup Fennel, cut into medium sized dice
- 3 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper

Turn oven to 350F. Toss Ingredients together in a bowl with Olive Oil. Pour onto a 18"X13" pan or a medium sized casserole dish. Bake for 40 min. Remove and let cool for 5 min before serving.


Sunchoke and fingerling potato mash
Serves 5

-2 Lbs Sunchokes, washed, scrubbed and peeled
-5 Lbs Fingerling pot, washed and scrubbed
-1 1/2 C  unsalted butter, softened
-1/2 C heavy cream
-Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 C Chicken stock

Boil both sunchokes and potatoes in a large pot with about 10 cups water until cooked, about 20 min. drain water and put into a large metal mixing bowl. With a metal masher, mash both ingredients until smooth, adding chicken stock, cream, and butter to soften it up as you mash.  Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm in a crock pot, or on the stove on low heat until you are ready to serve.