This is a really unique recipe that we made for the first time over 15 years ago and still dream about how delicious it is!  We made a signature salad with mixed greens in a light honey dressing, with slices of this pumpkin, goat's cheese & toasted hazelnuts.   Also fantastic on a charcuterie board!  

Peeled pumpkin cubes from about a 5lb. pumpkin 
6 cups white sugar 
3 cups white or apple cider vinegar 
1 tsp. whole cloves 
1 large cinnamon stick 
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced 

1. Set up a hot water pot for canning*
2. Bring sugar and vinegar to a boil in a large pot.  Boil until sugar is dissolved, then add in spices and ginger.  Reduce heat and simmer gently for 3-4 minutes. 
3. Add in pumpkin and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until pumpkin is fork tender, but not falling apart, stirring frequently.  
4. Remove jars from hot water canner.   Using a slotted spoon, carefully add pumpkin into jars.  Pour liquid over pumpkin leaving a 1/2 inch headspace.  Screw lid onto jars, lightly tightening.  
5. Process jars in canner for 20 minutes.  Remove to a towel-lines space on your counter, leaving to settle for 24 hours before storing in a cool, dark place.   
6. Enjoy within 6 months to 1 year.   

*Click  HERE  for a little Canning 101

Sticky, Pulled Chicken
Serves 4-6

2lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs 
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp. kosher salt (or 1 tsp. sea salt) 
oil, as needed

1 onion, small dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp sherry wine vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp unsalted butter (optional)

Buns, noodles or rice for serving

1. In a shallow dish mix together pepper, paprika, cayenne and salt.  Season chicken with this mixture.  
2. Heat a heavy, oven-proof Dutch oven pot over medium-high heat. 
3. Add enough oil to cover bottom of the pan
4. Carefully add chicken into pan and brown the thighs, in batches, for about 2 minutes per side, returning back to the shallow dish as you cook.   
5. Add onion to the now brown-bottom pot, fry for a few minutes then add garlic and fry for a further 1 minute, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan
6. Add chicken stock, sherry wine vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and tomato paste; return chicken to pan and cover
7. You've got options now:  Cover and simmer over low heat until chicken is cooked through, 15-20 minutes.   Cover and bake in a 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes, or put everything in a crock pot and cook according to manufacturer's directions.  
8. To thicken the sauce, remove the lid and chicken and bring sauce up to the boil.  
9. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions
10. Remove chicken from sauce and place in a bowl; reduce sauce over high heat, skimming excess fat
11. Pull the chicken:  A pair of tongs will pull the meat once it is cooked well.   
12. When sauce has thickened, return chicken to sauce and keep warm, or, chill down slightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days.   Reheat over low heat.  
13. Enjoy!

The key to a really good vegetarian chili is keeping a unified and thick consistency, which we achieve with the use of both quinoa (a super nutritious seed, containing all 9 essential amino acids that make up a complete protein) AND by finishing it with a blend of masa ( a powdery flour made from nixtamalized ground corn. The process of nixtamalization gives masa harina a savory flavor that you won't find with cornmeal) simply mixed with a little bit of water.   Feel free to make this recipe your own by adding a diced red pepper, celery or even a finely diced sweet potato! 

Serves 4  

1 large cooking onion, finely diced 
1 jalapeno, finely diced 
1 chipotle pepper in adobo, finely chopped (these pack a hot punch, add less to start if you like!) 
1 tbsp. chili powder 
2 cups tomato puree 
1/2 cup quinoa 
4 cups stock or water 
1 can of good quality black beans (do not drain) 
1/4 cup instant corn masa flour 
1 cup frozen corn 
oil, as needed 
salt, as needed 

1. Heat a large, heavy pot over medium heat.  
2. Add 3 tbsp. of oil, followed by the onion.  Sprinkle with salt and cook until they just begin to brown.  
3. Add in jalapeno and chipotle.   Saute for 1-2 minutes, then stir in chili powder.  Cook for 30 seconds.  
4. Add in tomato puree, quinoa and stock or water.  Bring up to a high simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until quinoa is tender.   
5. Spoon in black beans, bringing in some of the flavourful aquafaba with the beans.   Taste the aquafaba (the bean liquid).  If it is too salty, don't add it all, rinse remaining beans and stir in.  
6. Blend masa with about 1/4 cup of water and stir in.  
7. Stir in corn, and cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
8. Taste for seasoning and serve, garnished with cheese, sour cream and cilantro, or whatever Mexican toppings you like!   

Beer-Steamed Mussels with Bacon, Leek and Cream
Serves 4 as an appetizer, or two for dinner.  

Mussels can make for a delicious, quick and flavorful dinner option. You’ll feel like you are transported to your favourite bistro for dinner!   The best thing about mussels is that they produce their own broth–and the beer adds depth and richness to this broth, enhancing the overall taste of the mussels.   Leek & cream is a great way to enjoy mussels in the cooler months.   And as an added bonus, Mussels are a good source of various B vitamins, including B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), and B6 (pyridoxine), which are essential for metabolism and overall health and contain antioxidants like selenium, which can help support a healthy immune system!   

2 lbs mussels, scrubbed
4 strips of bacon, diced
1 large leeks, white part only, finely sliced
1 large clove of garlic, finely minced or sliced thin
¾ cup of dark beer
4-5 sprigs each fresh thyme & parsley, leaves only, finely chopped
Chopped fresh herbs, about 2 tbsp. such as thyme or parsley
1/2 cup 35% cream
1 tsp Sherry Wine Vinegar
Salt & Pepper, as needed 

1. Clean, scrub and debeard mussels.  Discard any cracked or opened mussels.  Place in a bowl. We'll often then shake the bowl vigorously at this point, which will help close any mussels that might be slightly open.  Place a damp paper towel over top and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.   
2. In a large pot or pan with a lid, fry bacon until almost crisp over medium heat. 
3. Reduce heat and sweat leeks with bacon until soft, adding garlic for the last 30 seconds or so.  
4. Increase heat: add mussels and fry for about 2 minutes before adding beer,  herbs and cream.  Be sure to pick up the mussels and place in, as opposed to dumping in from the bowl.  You want to leave behind any residual liquid in the bowl.  
5. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until all shells are opened, 3-5 minutes.  
6. Mussels are cooked to perfection as soon as they open. Take open mussels out of pan and place in serving bowls; discard any un-opened mussels.  
7. Lastly, add vinegar, taste for seasoning, and pour sauce over mussels.  

Bone-in Pork Chops with Beer-Brown Sugar Glaze

Serves 2

Expect a lot of ‘oohs and ahhs’ when serving these pork chops!   When the glaze is cooked on the pork chops, it caramelizes, creating a beautiful crust that adds both texture and a depth of flavor. The caramelization process enhances the sweetness and richness of the dish.   The glaze not only adds flavor but also helps to seal in moisture within the pork chops. This ensures that the meat remains tender and juicy throughout the cooking process.  Using bone-in chops also contributes to the body of the sauce, and the beer helps to balance the sweetness.  

Feel free to make it spicy as well– add a teaspoon of chili garlic paste (sambal oelik). 

You’ll be eating with your eyes first with these glossy chops!   Glazed pork chops often have a glossy, visually appealing appearance due to the glaze. The caramelized coating makes the dish look appetizing and enticing.

2 thick bone-in pork chops 
1 shallot, finely diced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
3/4 cup beer
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp grainy mustard
1  tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. Butter 
Salt, as needed 
Neutral Oil*, as needed 

1. Preheat a frying pan (just large enough to fit the pork), over medium-high heat.  
2. Generously salt and oil the pork chops.  
3. Add to hot pan with just another drizzle of oil.  Sear 1-2 minutes per side.  Remove to a plate.  
4. Ensuring there is enough oil in the pan, add shallot & garlic.  Sweat until soft but not too brown.  
5. Add beer, increase heat and allow to boil until reduced by about half.  
6. Reduce heat and whisk in sugar, mustard and vinegar.  Boil one minute.  
7. Return the pork chops to the pan.  Continue to cook over medium-low heat, turning and basting with the sauce as much as you like until pork is cooked through, 8-10 minutes.  
8. Turn off heat and swirl in butter just before serving.  
9. Serve pork with sauce, slicing pork if you like.   

*Generally we use grapeseed oil or sunflower oil 

Beer, Cheese & Potato Soup with Sausage-Pretzel Crumble

Serves 4 as an appetizer 

The cheese & beer is front and centre in this rich soup!   With a fun topping (einlagen!) of sausage and buttery pretzels, it is addictive bite after bite!  This is Oktoberfest in a bowl, but we are certain you’ll be making it year-round!  

2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
1⁄4 lb. / 125 g grated cheese, such as an aged cheddar, gouda or gruyere-type cheese

2 tbsp. butter
1 large cooking onion, thinly sliced
1 rib celery, finely diced
1⁄2 tsp. ground cardamom
1⁄2 lb. yellow fleshed potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1-cup beer (a lager works well!)
3 cups water
2 bay leaves
1⁄2 lb. Oktoberfest sausage meat
1 large pretzel
1⁄2 shallot, finely diced, optional
Salt & pepper, as needed

1. In a small pot melt butter and stir in flour to make a light roux
2. Slowly stir in milk. Bring to a simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes
3. Turn off heat and stir in cheese. Set aside
4. In another pot, melt butter and sweat onion and celery until soft but not browned.
5. Stir in cardamom, potatoes and beer. Let simmer for a couple of minutes to reduce the beer, and then add in the water and bay leaves. Simmer until potatoes are very soft. Blend until smooth in blender or with hand blender.
6. Meanwhile, make pretzel topping (einlagen): in a frying pan over medium-high heat, fry sausage until crisp. Stir in shallot, if using, sauté for about a minute and stir in pretzel pieces. Stir to coat in fat, reduce heat to low and allow the pretzel to crisp, 2-3 minutes.   
7. Fold the cheese sauce into the blended potato soup and taste for seasoning.   Rewarm over medium-low heat if necessary. 
8. Ladle into bowls and top with a generous amount of sausage- pretzel einlagen!

This was it, this was the dish that made me change my mind about eggplant!  Just a small amount of spice made a big impact!  For a complete meal serve it with some garlic bread.   We've made this recipe with both Mutti brand whole canned tomatoes and their fantastic canned cherry tomatoes.   

1 large eggplant
¼ cup sunflower oil
¼ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp ground cumin
2 cups water, divided
1 cup good quality canned tomatoes
Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, to taste
freshly chopped greens such as parsley and/or watercress and/or arugula, to garnish
feta cheese, to garnish

• Trim and peel the eggplants, but leave some of the skin on.  Cut into spears by first slicing thick circles and then cutting into strips the size of your finger
• Heat a wide heavy pot over medium heat.  When the pot is hot, add the oil and the spices and fry for just a few seconds before adding the eggplant.  Stir and toss for a couple of minutes, season with salt, and then add the first cup of water and the tomatoes. 
• Bring to a full boil, and then add the second cup of water.  Maintain a boil over medium to medium-high heat for about 15 minutes, until sauce has reduced. 
• Cover and cook over low heat for a further 20 minutes
• Serve hot or room temperature, topped with feta cheese and fresh greens

The key to this is to remove the water, so although you may have a county-fair- winner-sized zucchini, these contain too much water, so just stick with a solid, medium-sized zucchini.   Feel free to double this delicious recipe!   They are best served fresh and hot, but they could be made ahead of time and re-heating in a 400F oven, on a baking sheet lined with a cooling rack.  

1. Julienne or grate zucchini.  
2. Place in a bowl and lightly salt. 
3. Set aside for a few minutes to draw water out of the zucchini.
4. Mix together yogurt, lime zest, juice and a pinch of salt.   Refrigerate until needed 
5. Squeeze out any water, and then gently toss with chickpea flour, baking powder, garam masala, pepper & water (start with 1 tbsp., adding more if necessary) until mixture holds together.
6. In a preheated frying pan, add about 1⁄4 cup of olive oil.  
7. Drop zucchini mixture into the pan by the heaping tablespoon. 
8. Fry 3 minutes on one side, turn over, and cook a further 2 minutes on the other side, rotating your pan as you need to to evenly distribute the heat.
9. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate or cooling rack, lightly salt and eat immediately with Lime Yogurt.