Edible Vancouver Island November/December 2023

colour to the golden rolls. If you really want to get into the festive theme, rather than using a standard pan for the Parker House rolls, I form them into the shape of a holiday tree on a parchment-covered baking sheet. Use four small balls of dough for the trunk in a square, then start with 6 small dough balls as the first row, and decrease the dough balls by 2 for each row above. Let them rise into each other, and bake as directed in the recipe. Kids especially love tucking into the tree of rolls, brushed with the pesto butter and decorated like a holiday tree. Stuffing is often a favourite part of the holiday meal–only made once a year and decadently delicious, whether you like apple and onion, or olive and sausage, or wild mushroom and fennel or any other delightful combination of ingredients, soaked in butter and bread. The presentation on the other hand, is less than ideal; no matter the version, a "blah" brown dish lands on the table. Yes, it is devoured, but only because we know how delicious it is, not because it’s beautiful. To add some much-needed visual elegance, spray a large muffin tin with non-stick spray, then line each cup with prosciutto, to make a small basket for the stuffing. Add a heaping scoop full of your favourite prepared, uncooked stuffing into each muffin cup and bake until the stuffing is cooked through, puffed and golden. Carefully remove each stuffing basket from the oven and place on a serving platter. Top with diced dried apricots, dried cranberries and a crumble of bacon or minced crisped prosciutto, and a dusting of grated parmesan. These can pop in the oven while the turkey or ham is resting and be served piping hot with gravy drippings. The sweetness of the dried fruit paired with the salty prosciutto is the perfect complement to any stuffing recipe. Speaking of stuffing, I love adding stuffed mini pumpkins, or small acorn squash to a table. Edible decadence, and so much beauty. If you cut an acorn squash in half across the ribs, parallel to the stem, it looks like a flower and offers a deep cup for plenty of stuffing. I always make a small cut top and bottom to make the bases level and stable enough to sit on a baking sheet. If stuffed with wild rice, faro or another hearty grain and jewelled with dried fruit or pomegranate seeds, this is also a lovely vegetarian- or vegan-hearty main course option for those at your table forgoing a meat-based protein. They are beautiful and add a delightful pop of colour to the table. The abundance of a delicious, overflowing table will never disappoint during the holidays. Here on the West Coast, we are blessed with such a wealth of beautiful food. As we create, play and enjoy all that Mother Earth has blessed us with, I hope your holiday table is filled with laughter, joy and play as new memories are made, traditions created and dishes devoured with love. Emily Lycopolus is a local best-selling cookbook author and olive oil sommelier with a background in chemistry. As such, her kitchen has turned into her lab, where she loves to play with her food to create new combinations. oliveoilcritic.com.

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30 NOV/DEC 2023 EDIBLE VANCOUVER ISLAND