thoughtful consumption

Last night, we had bok choy with raisins and walnuts and baked pumpkin.

Whenever I eat bok choy, I remember meeting Marcus Samuelsson, who proudly served collards mixed with bok choy. Chef Samuelsson suggested the addition of bok choy makes collards more pleasing for the collard-phobic. No dice. I choked mine down because I didn’t want him (or me) to look bad. Honestly, if salt pork can’t make collards palatable, what chance does bok choy have?

Bok choy by itself, however, is quite nice. These are just the greens; the stems in the fridge awaiting their big break.

Sorry about the mediocre photo. I was sleepy last night, just took one, and didn't check it.

The pumpkin was oddly bland – so much fiber, so little flavor. It tasted exactly like the olive oil and salt we drizzled on it. So I’m thinking I will bake the next pumpkin and use it in a quickbread recipe instead.

Pumpkins do yield a bunch of seeds, though. These are drying and will be ready to toast tonight or tomorrow.

Unlike butternut squash, pumpkin shells don’t get soft after baking. The insides get soft and scoopable, but the shell remains…

And makes me want to make a diorama…

Or, given the season, a nativity scene…

Merry Christmas!