Pumpkin Mushroom & Leek Risotto

I've found an interesting use for the Jarrahdale pumpkins. The Vegan Visitor blog has this great looking Pumpkin Mushroom & Leek Risotto (click here)

Irish Dinner

Bearing in mind that we have about 50 lbs of pre-cooked ham in the fridge (courtesy of Second Harvest), perhaps we should use it for a dinner soonest. I had been thinking that it would be used by the breakfast cooks instead of the usual breakfast ham - but why not make a yummy Dublin Dinner:

Potato Soup / Celery and Apple Soup / Carrot Soup
Limerick Ham (if not enough ham, also offer Beef in Guinness (is there a non-alcohol Guinness for cooking?)
Champ (Mash mixed with Scallions and/or Leeks and Butter) or Colcannon (substitute Cabbage)
Green Beans with Cashews
Red Cabbage and Apples (Elizabeth Baird)
Vegetarian Irish Stew with Accordian Potatoes
Soda Bread
Lambs Leaf Salad
Lemon and Vanilla Curd Cake / Rhubarb Crumble

Creole House Dinner

Speaking to Vickie yesterday and her helpful reminder that meals should have the same appeal as a rustic lunch for someone who has worked very hard, I had an immediate flashback to the lunches I've had in Venezuela - known locally as El Pabellón (also Pabellón Criollo). Here is a description (leaving out the alligator variation!) on wikipedia :

Pabellón criollo is a traditional Venezuelan dish, the local version of the rice and beans combination found throughout the Caribbean. It is a plate of rice, shredded beef and stewed black beans that is considered by many to be the Venezuelan national dish.

Common additions include tajadas (fried plantain slices) or a fried egg. Both of these variants have acquired slang names. A pabellón con barandas (baranda is Spanish for guard rail) is served with tajadas because the long plantain slices placed on the sides are humorously considered to be keeping the food from falling off from the plate.

A pabellón a caballo (a caballo is Spanish for horseback riding) means with a fried egg on top, as though the egg were "riding" the dish. Most waiters understand immediately what is meant by Pabellón con barandas y un caballo.

Similar Variants:
Platillo Moros y Cristianos (or Moros): is the national dish of Cuba, their version of the rice and beans combination found throughout the Caribbean. It is also found in Puerto Rican and Dominica.

Gallo Pinto (or Gallopinto): is the prototypical traditional dish of Nicaragua and Costa Rica cuisines.

Hoppin' John: is the Southern United States' version of the rice and beans dish traditional throughout the Caribbean. It consists of crowder peas (black-eyed peas) and rice, often seasoned with a combination of; ham hock or fatback, onions, green peppers, vinegar and spices. In much of the region, eating Hoppin' John on New Year's Day is thought to bring a year filled with luck.

Greek, Chinese and Indian

Welcome your views on these or variations thereof:

Greece - Easter Soup (Mayeritsa) / Chicken Kebabs / Roasted Potatoes / Rice / Tzatziki / Baklava and Sugar Cookies

China- Corn Soup / Beef and Broccoli / Chow Mein / Mixed Chinese Veg / Rice / Pastries

India - Curried Vegetable Soup / Mughli Chicken (not spicy - based on a almond /ginger / garlic paste with some cinnamon and sultanas), Basmati Rice, Gugerati Green Beans (toasted almonds and black mustard seed), Curried Aubergines (Veg Meal), Mango and Coconut Ice Cream.

Share your Main Course Ideas

We are looking for main course ideas for Dinner 6 (December 10) and Dinner 7 (December 17). Please share your thoughts on main courses. Please remember that we try to turn over the pantry. So here is a list of a few things we would like to integrate into up-coming menus (any course you can !): Squash, Pumpkins and Prunes.

Dinner 3 Main - Chicken with Sausage, Prunes and Apples & Pasta

Here is the main course recipe (for 4)

http://www.baltimorestyle.com/index.php/style/recipe/r_chicken_with_sausage_n06/
We would welcome your ideas on the penne pasta side. I am thinking that due the rich and savoury nature of the main, that the pasta should be as light and bright as possible. Can lemon be effectively employed to balance what is otherwise a very rich dish?

Please share your thoughts.

Please Share Your Ideas

Please share main course ideas to set the theme for a feast