Winter Epilogue /with links/

A Year of Seasonal Eating | pt.3

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Before leaping into spring, I’m in the mood for a little recap. Winter was merciless, yes. But I baked and ate lots of cake and tell me if that’s not a good reason for deeming a life well spent.

The cool thing of things that work cyclically, like the seasons, is that they never really end. They shift from phase to phase, every transition a good occasion for looking back and taking stock.

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Winter Epilogue Recap:

a) THE BASICS: I enjoyed my first months of learning to cook like crazy and with a smile that goes from ear to ear I’m here to tell you that now I know how to make béchamel, lemon curd, the best mince pies (as taught by The Regency Cook), Venetian saor, infused vinegar, spicy fig compote and lots more.

I like learning the basics, they really are the best.

Lemon mince pies from an 1830s recipe, taught online by Paul Couchman

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b) THE BAKINGS: I baked and baked and baked. (I may have forgotten how to turn on the stove. But then again, who needs a stove when you got an oven). Savoury pies are by far what I enjoyed making the most (with Chiodini mushrooms eggs and parsley, Savoy cabbage and raisins, cheese+leek and the sweetest of pumpkins). Simple one bowl cakes came second with walnut cakes, hazelnut cakes, apple cakes, lemon cakes… you name it, I baked it.

Mimi Thorisson's walnut cake - i baked it once a week every week from November to Christmas. It's that good.

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c) CABBAGE BOREDOM NO MORE: I have won my very personal feud with cabbage - an ingredient that always finds its way into my fridge… and there it stays because who knows what to make with it. I have now devised 2 (!) recipes for Savoy cabbage that I look forward to cooking again next winter ( I’d link them here if I hadn’t deleted my blog by mistake yesterday LOL - I’m working on it).

Savoy cabbage, the king of the frosty vegetable patch.

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d) BOOKS GALORE: I devoured countless helpings of books, the most appreciated being: The Language of Food by Annabel Abbs, Risotto with Nettles by Anna del Conte, How to Eat by Nigella, Several Short Sentences About Writing by Verlyn Klinkenborg, Traditional Scottish Cookery by Margaret Fairlie (sent to me by a friend in the UK), Forgotten Skills of Cooking by Darina Allen and a few more that I linked below.

WHAT SHOULD I READ NEXT?

Traditional Scottish Cookery - a precious gift I received this winter. Thank you Kathy.

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e) NEWSLETTERING: I connected with fellow foodies who write. You can read their newsletters here:

• Kimberly Nichols’ Culinary Chronicles

• Mia Billetdeaux’s Borscht for Breakfast

• Ruth Stroud’s Ruthtalksfood

• Hoang Samuelson’s Nourish Me

• Marg Moon’s Book Chat

• Jolene’s Time Travel Kitchen

• Christy White’s Forest Notebooks

• Emily’s In Good Taste

• Nic Miller's Tales from a Topographic Kitchen

• Kate McDermott’s Newsletter.

The Language of Food - How two women transformed recipe writing into poetry. Inspired by the life of Eliza Acton

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Resources for seasonal living & cooking

• The Almanac by Lia Leendertz

• Tender vol 1 & vol. 2 and Kitchen Diaries vol. I, II, III by Nigel Slater

• 12-month almanac-like course on Venice’s seasons and cuisine

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About Me

My name is Sinù Fogarizzu and I’m a vegetarian food writer from the mainland of Venice, Italy. In 2021, I launched Dash of Prosecco, a Substack newsletter about learning to cook, identity and Venetian cuisine. I’m on Instagram & Twitter.