It’s that time of year again! Although it’s almost too late to start a batch of sauerkraut in order for it to be ready in time for gift-giving (or perhaps to mail a tea set to you niece in Amsterdam), it’s perfect timing to start thinking about most other gifts.
Last year we made bath salts for the people we love. The recipe is here along with a big list of other thoughtful ideas for people who may (or may not) be going through cancer treatment. We have a fresh new list of ideas this year too.
Daikon radish as described by my quietly kind (and British) brother-in-law:
“It’s a mixture between potato and radish, it’s lovely” (or oh-some, I can’t remember, he’s sort of Canadian-ized now).
My response, before he had even finished the sentence:
This butter is my new obsession. I wanted a savoury spread that was fatty like real butter, didn’t make everything taste like coconut (ok for some things, but not for everything), wasn’t a pain to make and had rich umami vibes. This is so it.
It contains only three (powerful!) ingredients: roasted garlic (sweet, warming, anticarcinogenic, antibacterial, antifungal), extra virgin coconut oil (antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral, also contains lauric acid, which is great for the immune system and brain function) and chickpea miso (a fermented paste, big umami flavour, great for digestion, anticarcinogenic, reduces effect of radiation and pollution). Phew.
As you read this, I am in Rome, probably eating a big bowl of pasta followed (and likely proceeded) by gelato (sorbetto al melone is my fave). When in Rome, right? But in a couple of days I will probably be wishing I had packed elastic-wasted pants and be seeking out the rapini and artichokes side of Italian food, and dreaming about this very salad.
It has all of the things to balance out a decadent holiday season (it’s kale salad after all), while tasting hearty and decadent itself.
