We use Tater-Ware biodegradable and compostable food service utensils for all our corporate catering lunches in the Vancouver area.

What is Tater-Ware? It’s a great line of products made from, you guessed it, potato starch. These incredible utensils are tan in colour and feel very similar to a high quality plastic, however they have been proven to even out-perform plastic in boiling and microwave tests, are dishwasher safe and of course, will completely biodegrade or compost when disposed of.

I encourage anyone planning a large event where disposable food service items would be required to consider using these fantastic products:

http://www.bdfs.net/products/TaterWare/

While they are not the most cost-effective option out there, they are the highest quality and most sustainable product available that we could offer to our clients, so for our business, it was an easy choice.

Pumpkins, gotta love ‘em. Though for the most part, we know 2 good uses for pumpkins: carving and eating large amounts of pie. Well there’s more than meets the eye to our dear old October friend, and I’ve got a great savory pumpkin recipe for you to try out this season.

First things first, cooking with pumpkins 101:

- While as kids we seemed to want to hunt for the biggest pumpkin we could possibly carry, this isn’t the case when picking out a cooking pumpkin. Find a nice small one, they have a much better flavour.
- Don’t shy away from pumpkins that have a duller colour to them, pumpkins can actually get sweeter as they age a bit. So as long as there’s no bruising or other flaws, grab that dull pumpkin over it’s bright orange brothers.
- A good cooking pumpkin should weigh between 4-8 pounds. They may be labeled as Sugar Baby Pumpkins or Pie Pumpkins to help you find them better.

Let’s get to it!

Pumpkin and Sage Risotto with Goat Cheese

This dish not only says fall comfort food, it sings it from the mountaintops.

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

- 1 small cooking pumpkin, approx. 4-5 pounds whole
- 2 cups arborio rice or similar risotto rice
- 6 cups chicken stock (can substitute vegetable stock)
- 1/3 cup goat cheese
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 3 cloves garlic, finely diced
- pumpkin seeds, toasted
- fresh flatleaf parsley
- 10 leaves fresh sage
- olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp butter.

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F. Take the pumpkin and cut it in half using a large, sharp knive. Scoop out those pesky seeds and inner pulp. Save the seeds if you did not buy pre-toasted pumpkin seeds for this dish. Take a large casserole dish and add a 1/4″ layer of water to the bottom, season this water with salt. Take the sage leaves and place them inside the pumpkin halves, then flip them face down in the casserole dish, like this:

Roast in the oven for 45-60 minutes until fork tender.

While pumpkins are resting, heat a heavy and large saute pan or heavy bottomed pot with 2 tbsp of olive oil. In a separate pot, heat up the 6 cups of chicken stock until steaming but not boiling. When oil is hot, add in the diced onion and garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes until softened, add in the arborio rice and stir to combine, add in the white wine and let it cook off. Season with salt and pepper. Begin ladelling in the stock slowly, stirring after each addition, and continue doing this until the stock is gone and the risotto is creamy. When rice is nearly cooked through, turn the heat down to low and add in the butter, goat cheese, and parsley. Cover and let simmer for 5 minutes. While rice is simmering, scoop out the flesh of the pumpkins and cut into 1/2″ pieces. Add these to the risotto and stir to combine.

Serve immediately in bowls and garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds and more fresh parsley.

Enjoy!

I’m always surprised how many people have never heard of brining, much less tried it. This incredibly easy technique is the key to most amazingly juicy turkey you’ve ever eaten. It’s not difficult, and it uses ingredients everyone has at home. All you need is a little time and a vessel large enough to hold the turkey and the brine. So what is it?

A brine is simply a solution of water, salt,  sugar and often some other basic flavouring ingredients. These ingredients are mixed and the turkey is submerged in the brine, and allowed to soak refrigerated overnight, or up to 24 hours. The result is the juiciest bird you’ve ever eaten with a virtually fool-proof technique. Ready to try?

Recipe:

2 gallons water
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
3-4 bay leaves
a dozen or so black peppercorns
1 lemon, halved
1 bunch fresh thyme sprigs

Step 1: Ensure your turkey is fully thawed. A frozen bird will not absorb the solution and the brining will be all for not.

Step 2: Mix all ingredients in a large stockpot, big enough to hold the turkey and the brine solution. If you don’t have a pot large enough, use a cooler.

Step 3: Submerge the turkey in the solution, what you have at this point should look something like this:

Step 4: If using a cooler, add in a large quantity of ice to keep the solution very cold, and place in a cold place like a garage or a safe place outside. If using a stock pot, place in the refrigerator.

Step 5: Allow to soak overnight, or up to 24 hours. For a large turkey, the brine needs a minimum of 6 hours to have an effect, though longer is desired.

Step 6: Remove from the brine, pat dry and roast as usual!

That’s it, and this technique works on ALL poultry, so don’t hesitate to try it and put the usual BBQ’d chicken over the top. Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and happy brining!