autumn

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in collaboration with the my multi-talented friend - danielle arsenault - i am so excited to share with you the news of our first cookzine!

just in time for the fall season, it is fifty six pages full of vegan and gluten-free recipes, beautiful photo vignettes, and simple stories about sharing food. 

this is the first issue of four - one for each season - and we could not be happier with how it turned out. you should have seen us as we could hardly conceal our excitement when we held our hard work in our hands for the first time. what a feeling!

the first run is hot off the press and is available for purchase in our etsy store! 

a very big thank you to all of you who have encouraged me to keep sharing the stories from my kitchen. this book is for you :) 

WARMTH | a vegetarian thanksgiving feast

Fall is here, pilgrims, and the holiday season is just around the corner. It's time to bid farewell to our beloved bowls of mul nangmyeon and usher in a new season of WARM foods and cozy ondol-heated evenings. And what better way to do that than to gather around a WARM stove with other food lovers in Seoul, just in time for American Thanksgiving?

We can't think of a better way... so we're doing it. On Saturday November 2oth, at the O'ngo Food Communications School in Insadong, we're hosting a vegetarian feast around the theme of WARMTH. Join us for a hearty taste of seasonal vegetarian foods, from WARM mulled libations to a WARM apple dessert.

30,000w per person includes a WARM apertif, four courses of seasonal comfort foods and good company. Bring a homemade vegetarian dish of your own and get in for 20. (note that the cooking studio has a handful of ovens, so let your imagination run wild here).

Come early if you'd like to help cook the meal and swap a few tricks for preparing new Thanksgiving recipes with Korea's bounty of fruits and veggies. And regardless, be sure to bring your own WARM memories from Thanksgivings and falls past to share!

persimmon chutney

the first frost has fallen and it's getting cold here in korea. while the ginko and maple trees are dying a vibrantly colored death, the persimmon trees have already lost their foliage and look like naked christmas trees ornamented in bright orange globes of glass. this time of year, all the persimmon trees are decorated with fruit and, as a result of the practical korean tradition of giving food as gift (a tradition i wholeheartedly intend to take with me), we have received many a bag of the sweet autumn fruit.
their sweetness is perfect enough eaten fresh but, with so many rapidly ripening persimmons to work with, i was inspired to use them in almost everything i ate this month. here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy persimmons and i hope you will enjoy them too...

frozen and eaten with a spoon... a natural sorbet!
spiced apple and persimmon compote with yogurt.


persimmon chili chutney...

6 fuyu persimmons, peeled and diced
1 lemon, juiced and 1 inch of peel retained
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
6 whole cloves
8 peppercorns
1 green chili, minced
4tbs vinegar
1t salt
½ cup sugar
¼ cup Water
1tsp cumin seeds

simmer the cumin seeds, cloves, peppercorns, chili, salt and sugar in the vinegar, lemon juice and water until spices have steeped, about 15 minutes...
add onion, garlic and lemon peel and simmer for an additional 10...
add persimmon and cook over low heat for about 40 minutes until thickened.
serve over anything and everything!

rice harvest

korean tea

korean tea is different from what we commonly regard as tea because it can be made by using fruits, grains, and roots... much more than just leaves.

korea's commitment to eating seasonally extends beyond fruits and vegetables. it has been said that by ingesting the season's bounty as tea, our bodies assimilate the season's vital energy (chi). traditional teas embrace centuries-old wisdom used to link human life to nature. just as we naturally desire water after eating salty foods,  teas made with seasonal ingredients provide elements our bodies crave at particular times of the year.

autumn's tea is omija. in korean, 오미자 (omija) means 'five taste berry'. the five flavors of this berry - sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and pungent - are uniquely distinct but can be somewhat compared to a cranberry.

our region of mungyeong is said to be the finest omija-producing region in the country. the pristine conditions deep in the mountains provide the perfect environment to cultivate the berry prized by epicureans and herbalists alike.

the omija harvest has just come in and i was oh-so-pleasantly surprised to receive a gift of the idolized berry from one of mayo's co-workers. i delightedly washed my three kilos of omija, layered them in a large glass jar with equal parts white sugar and sealed the lid to start the 100 day fermentation process. i'm thrilled to observe my berries as they ferment into the sweet and sour fruit extract i will be using to make omija tea to keep me warm in the new year!

autumn glow

autumn's last glow over the rice fields...

a festival of apples

the region we live in is home to several agricultural products of which the locals are extremely proud. apples, shitake mushrooms, rice, korean beef and omija (5 taste berry) comprise the list of tasty healthful foodstuffs that are grown/raised on mungyeong's local soil.

this weekend was perfect to head up to the mountains to enjoy, perhaps, our region's most famed product: the apple. there were more than twenty five orchards at the annual apple festival selling dozens of varieties. we sampled all of them. when we finally settled on which one was more delicious and juicy than the rest, we bought a five kilo box for a very fair price and spent the rest of the perfect afternoon strolling lazily through the provincial park and soaking up the autumn sun. ahhhh.....

veggie cooking school

my darling friend ryan and i have recently joined forces to share our love of vegetarian food with the seoul community.  we held our first seasonal, local vegetarian cooking class last month and are whipping up the final details for our next gathering on october 23rd at O'ngo Food Communications Culinary School in insadong, seoul.

take a look at what we did last month...

and stay tuned for more info on october's event, themed:
WARMTH-an evening of warming fall harvest food and warm hearts around the table

a taste of what we'll be sharing:

mulled wine
warm spinach and pear salad
ginger and seasonal greens soup
pumpkin risotto
and a heart warming apple dessert

... just in time for my favorite season

creamy carrot soup

creamy carrot soup...

for 2

3 cups of chopped carrots
3 cups of water
1 onion - roughly chopped
4 cloves of garlic - chopped
scallions, fresh chili peppers (optional - i like it spicy!) and sesame oil to finish

saute garlic and onion in olive oil until fragrant
add water and carrots... cover and bring to a boil
simmer about 20 minutes until carrots are soft but still bright orange
puree carrot soup until smooth (much easier using a hand blender!) and salt to taste
garnish with scallion, a drizzle of sesame oil, and minced chili (if you want some spice)