4th Quarter Columns for 2003

 

 

 

14 Weeks of columns October 1st through December 31st



Oct. 1st - Introduction (if you are new to running The Vast Repast) - The importance of food history and tradition in all of our lives introduces The Vast Repast.
Recipe One - Great Nana's Yorkshire Pudding
Recipe Two – Roast Beef
Recipe Three – Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Oct. 1st – Historic English Food - Hochepot, gelee, flaumpeyns, and furmenty; strange words in a foreign language? No, delicious recipes from an old English cookbook called The Forme of Cury. This column explores the history of English cookery.
Recipe One – Tart for a Fast Day
Recipe Two – Flaumpeyns (Pork Pies)
Recipe Three – Hotchepot (Goose and Onion Stew)

*Oct. 8th – Columbus Day - In 1492 under commission to Queen Isabella of Spain, Christopher Columbus took three ships and sailed West in search of spices from foreign lands. The country that could corner the market on cloves, pepper, saffron, grains of paradise and other exotic spices would become a world force. But what food products did he find when he arrived in this land we now call America?
Recipe One – Earthapple Soup
Recipe Two – Mexican Corn Bread
Recipe Three – Pumpkin Pie

Oct. 15th – Fall Harvest Food - Fall is here. Just step outside, you can feel a crisp tingle on your skin and smell the fall freshness in the air. Or look in your garden. The bright orange of the pumpkins, the deep golden brown of the autumn figs, and the shock of ripe red apples all signal that the fall harvest is almost ready to bring inside.
Recipe One – Renaissance Squash Soup
Recipe Two – Baked Acorn Squash
Recipe Three –Squash Ravioli in Sage Butter Sauce

Oct. 22nd – Onions - The onion is one of the most important ingredients in recipes from all over the world. It lends its special flavor to soups, sauces, salads and casseroles. Cultivated for more than 5000 years. This column explores the onions roots and recipes.
Recipe One – Chaucerian Toasts
Recipe Two – Sweet and Sour Marinated Onions
Recipe Three – Classic French Onion Soup

*Oct. 29th – Halloween - All Hallows Eve, the night of All Souls, Samhain, or just plain old Hallowe'en, October 31st is a night steeped in Celtic traditions. Witches, ghosts, goblins and of course, costumed kids carrying candy sacks, roam the streets in search of a trick or a treat.
Recipe One – Pumpkin Risotto
Recipe Two – Raspberry Popcorn Balls

Nov. 5th – Apples - From the Bible, to Mark Twain, to sayings entrenched in the psyche of the English speaking world, apples play an important part in our culture, our religion, and our daily lives. Apples have even helped with some of the most important scientific discoveries of the modern age. Just ask Isaac Newton.
Recipe One – One Pan Apple Pork Chops
Recipe Two – Applesauce and Ginger Elizabethan Tarts
Recipe Three - Pineapple Baked Apples

Nov. 12th – More Apples! – There are just too many good recipes for only one column on Apples!
Recipe One – Historic German Apple Kraufen
Recipe Two – Rustic Apple Tart
Recipe Three – Easy Apple Crisp

*Nov. 19th – Turkey! - It’s not just for roasting anymore. Deep fried, or stuffed with a duck, chicken and pork so it becomes a Turduckenork!
Recipe One – Deep Fried Turkey
Recipe Two – Turducken!

*Nov. 26th – Thanksgiving Side Dishes - Turkey, turkey and more turkey. This is the holiday everyone has the big bird on their minds and on their table. Thanksgiving is one of the truly American holidays, but what should we serve with the Turkey?
Recipe One – Turkey Dressing
Recipe Two – West Virgina Sweet Potato Casserole
Recipe Three – Green Bean Casserole

*Dec. 3rd – Cookbook Recommendations for Christmas - Books and cooks, cooks and books they go together like bread and butter! More cookbooks are sold every year than in any other genre and I have bought more than the average individual share. So many that my current bookshelves are overflowing onto the floor and about to take over the computer desk where I sit writing this column!
Recipe One – Cathy Casey’s Olive Poppers
Recipe Two – Cathy Casey’s Roasted King Salmon with Orange and Ginger Salsa

*Dec. 10th – Christmas Cookies - Christmas is a time for giving and a time for food, so why not combine the two and give your friends and family a festive treat from your kitchen. Buy a fancy plate and cover it with a selection of cookies. Give a gift of an odd shaped muffin tin, a non-stick baking sheet or a cast iron corn bread pan filled with your favorite recipe or perhaps a new one from The Vast Repast!
Recipe One – Shortbread Cookies
Recipe Two – Snowball Cookies
Recipe Three – Butter Tarts

*Dec. 17th – Hanukkah - Happy Hanukkah! The celebration of light and miracles is here. The story of Hanukkah has its origins in the Old Testament. When the Syrian King, Antiochus, ruled Jerusalem only the Gods of Egypt were worshipped. Jewish temples were desecrated and all who worshipped the Jewish God expelled. But that is not the end of the story. For that, and the delicious recipes that accompany a Hanukkah meal, you will have to read the column.
Recipe One – Potato Latkes
Recipe Two – Sweet Noodle Kugel

Dec. 24th – New Years Appetizers – Holiday festivities are always fun to attend, but eventually the time comes and you are the one who gets to throw the next party. You will have to play the right music, pour the right drinks and above all serve the right food. The following recipes are quick and easy and will make you the talk of the party circuit. So is my invitation in the mail?
Recipe One – Roasted Pepper Spread
Recipe Two – Garlic Blue Cheese French Bread Crostini
Recipe Three – Stuffed Mushroom Caps

*Dec. 31st – 12th Night - During the Middle Ages Christmas wasn't just one day, it was a whole season that began on Christmas day and ended 12 days later. January 6th became known as 12th Night. At the council of Tours in 567 the Church declared 12 Night the feast of the Epiphany, but the celebration goes back as far as the Basilidian heretics from the 2nd century.
Recipe One – Southern 12th Night Cake

Click here for a list of 2nd Quarter 2003 columns

Click here for a list of 3rd Quarter 2003 columns


* Please note the columns that are marked with an asterisk are date specific and need to be run on or very near a specific date.


With a small amount of editing columns that do not have an asterisk are appropriate for almost any time of the year.

   
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