1 Tbsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Ginger
1 Tbsp Paprika
1/4 Tsp Cayenne
1/2 Tsp Tumeric
1 2 inch piece of cinnamon stick.

1 Sliced medium Onion
3 or 4 Skinned chopped Tomatoes

2 Cups Chickpeas (cooked or canned)
3 Cups Pumpkin (or other squash) peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

3 1/2 Cups Veg Stock.

Heat some olive oil in a large pot and cook the cinnamon in the oil for a minute or two.

Add the onions and cook until soft and light brown.

Add the remaining spices and stir for a few seconds.
Add the tomatoes and cook until slightly soft.

Dump in the Pumpkin, Chickpeas, and stock.

Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for ~15 mins. Until the pumpkin is tender.

Serve over couscous with a dollop of yogurt.

I am generally not a big fan of Fine Dining. Somehow along the way fine dining in North America turned into a big masturbatory exercise in which the Chef crams as many ingredients as is possible into a dish and stacks the plate way up high to the sky. (Sweeping generalization, I know. There are exceptions, and the tide does seem to be turning.)

Give me a perfectly prepared piece of fish with a simple sauce and the freshest vegetable possible, and I am happy. Keep your whatever rolled in porcini dust and glazed in reduced balsamic chili sauce, with deep fried mashed taro root croquettes, thank, I don't want 'em.

I like my food to look and taste like what it is. Food is a pretty amazing thing. The universe provides all of these incredible things, each of them practically perfect in their own right. No need to fuck around with it - just treat with respect and care.

It's a lot harder to cook food that is simple and keeps the integrity of the product than it is to mask the natural flavours in a sea of what is hot and trendy. So I am often disappointed with contemporary fine dining.

But when it's done right, it is amazing. I was not disappointed this weekend. J and I went to a local food and wine festival and sprung for a big deal fancy pants dinner. 6 courses, each served with 2 different wines.

And it was gorgeous. Each course was simple and clean and damn near perfect. I could have lived without the underdone snail ravioli - but other than that, it was damn fine food.

Six courses. 12 glasses of wine. I may never eat or drink again.

I need to be able to replicate the poached sablefish and pine mushroom broth. I'll try to post a recipe for it once I've figured it out.

Everyone needs a little taste of the mediterranean now and then.

8 Chicken thighs (bone in, bone out, skin on, skinless - your choice)
1/2 to 3/4 cup large green pitted olives
3 Oranges
1/2 Lemon
A small handful of slivered almonds
A few threads of saffron.
1 or 2 tablespoons of honey

Brown the chicken lightly, and set aside.

Roughly chop the olives.
Peel and roughly chop two oranges
Slice the lemon thinly (skin on)

Toss the above, plus the almonds into a casserole dish with a lid (or a dutch oven)
Add the chicken.

Soften the saffron in a cup or two of warm water.
Mix the honey in with the water and saffron.

Add to the dish. Use enough water to come about halfway up the chicken.

Cover and cook at low heat (250) for 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours until the chicken is cooked and the meat is starting to fall apart.

Ladle off any excess liquid. You can reduce it and add it back to the dish if you want to. On lazy days I don't bother.

Serve with rice, yogurt, with diced apple or grapes cut in half sprinkled over.

The apple/grapes are important here. The olives are pretty strong and earthy, and without the hit of sweetness this dish can be unbalanced and kind of overwhelming.