Things have been getting a little crazy around here, what with my book poised for release and all the media attention I’m getting. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the great reviews and interviews- folks have been so kind (so far!). But what happens is I get fatigued after focusing on making sure I make sense, or cooking up dishes for the photographer. And by the end of the day, it’s all I can do to stop myself from collapsing and calling out to my husband to just order a danged pizza.

Instead, I’ve taken to cooking up nice big pot au feu style dishes- not necessarily with beef, but using that means of cooking up dinner: a solid iron pot filled with fresh, locally grown winter vegetables, pork belly, beans, white wine and stock, all simmered for hours until the scent reaches out and grabs you by the throat, screaming “eat me!” Well, maybe not THAT intense, but so so tasty, you get the idea.

Pot au feu is a regional French style of cooking, dating back to when the home was warmed by hearth, and the one daily meal just simmered and cooked all day long there as well. While we don’t warm our home that way any longer, I envision the hearth turning to heart, and maintaining that style of feeding our family and home from there. So big cast iron stock pots of loving goodness in the new year it is!

For new year’s day, I cooked up a pot of black eyed peas in chicken stock with sauteed greens, bacon drippings, peppers, and bourbon-glazed ham. You just can’t have a bad year with those ingredients to start you off right! What I do is sauté a shallot and garlic in bacon drippings until they start to sweat, then add black eyed peas that have soaked for a day in water with a dash of baking soda thrown in. I add enough chicken stock to barely cover the beans and all that to cook for an hour, then add chopped ham (leftover from the holidays of course!). Last, in a separate pan, I cook down some chopped up greens (of any kind- mustard, kale, whatever you like) in lime juice, cider vinegar, a spoonful of brown sugar, diced red pepper and chile flakes. Once the black eyed peas have simmered away for another hour or two until the beans are cooked through and the flavors all melded together nicely, I add the greens to the beans and call that a healthy and happy new year dish.

And right now, I have a stockpot of leeks, sweet potato, caramelized shallot, green beans, bacon, and flageolet beans simmering away in a vegetable stock with curry, raisins and peanuts. It’s all I can do to not tear myself away from my desk and run downstairs this very instant! Though I’ll wait. As with all things that simmer, the longer I wait, the better it’s going to be.

Deliciously happy new year to everyone! Keep it tasty, and I’ll see you somewhere down the road.

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