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Simple side dish of oven grilled wintery vegetables. I liked the color combination.

Dinner with my parents. Baked cannelloni with sweet potato, ricotta and goat cheeses (sirene and pecorino). Sage, nutmeg and chives. Covered with bechamel sauce.

Tahini is a favorite of mine as well, I usally eat it in savory context, but I do enjoy it sweet as well. I really enjoy it on toast with carob "honey" (actually a syrup) or date "honey". Iv'e indeed added it to the nut mixture (though Iv'e once seen an intriguing recipe that called for tahini between the phyllo sheets). I used 20g of tahini for every 100g of mixed nuts. It's flavor is subtle in the final outcome, having a mostly nutty flavor, it's supposed to enhance the nuts, rather then really add a new flavor. The advantage of tahini comes from being finely ground, so it's flavor is quick to release on the tongue. It also works as a binding agent and improves mouth feel thanks to being creamy, in contrast to the crunchy nuts.

Fattoush salad, based on Ottolenghi recipe with some adaptations, mainly cutting the amount of buttermilk by half and toasting the pita bread until dry and crunchy before soaking it a little in the sauce. It's a very nice salad.

Baklava with pistachios, walnut, tahini paste, butter, honey, lemon peel, anise seeds, cinnamon, rose water. I much less syrup then common, as I find most baklava to be too sweet and sticky to my taste. Those have very nice toasted nutty flavor with floral spice aroma. The lemon, anise and rosewater works well together and compliment the nuts. They are also extra crispy thanks to the moderate amount of syrup.

Thick Sicilian style pizzas. AP flour for soft crumb, 80% hydration. cold retarded for 3 days. Baked in 26cm round pan, oiled with some EVOO. Placed on a preheated steel plate and baked in a 250 deg C oven. First one is "sfincione" style: thick tomato sauce with brown caramelized onion, garlic, oregano, bread crumbs, olive oil, Parmesan and olives. Second is tomato sauce, mozzarella, a little cheddar and mushrooms.

Toasted pasta with ricotta and walnuts. Plenty of black pepper, some Parmesan, a touch of nutmeg, lemon peel and a small drizzle of honey. The toasted pasta, prior to cooking:

All sorts of legumes (lentils, chickpeas, fava) would have bean common. Dishes should include both grains or breads (likely similar to pita, but obviously using less refined grains). Meat centric dishes will be reserved for festive occlusions, with meat being used only in small amounts for flavoring or not at all. There was likely plentiful usage of herbs and spices, similar to sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano would all be very common. Gentle herbs and leaves such as coriander, dill and spinach is also common. Olive oil was of vital importance and used commonly. Vegetables, mostly roots such as carrots, onion, garlic, fennel, and various squashes and cucumbers. Mujadara is a lovely idea, and although it is not common to do so, I think that green beans will be a welcome addition. Bulgur, and whole cooked grains such as spelt or wheat berries will be a good and quite authentic base for your meal.

@blue_dolphin Thank you for the info, while there are great citrus fruits in my region, it seems that nobody grows limes... I'm going to plant a tree this month, hopefully I'll soon have some fruits And now I'll also know that it is indeed better to pick them ripe, I always wondered why someone would prefer under ripe fruits...

Since you are lucky to have ripe limes, can you please tell me if there is any quality of unripe limes that gets lost in their yellow stage? I'll assume they turn more juicy, and perhaps more sweet and less tart?

@rarerollingobject My jaw just dropped through the floor... Those look amazing!

Quick dinner. Stir fried soft tofu with bell peppers, scallions and chili in aniseed and peppercorn flavored soy sauce. Finished with rice vinegar and cilantro.

Kenneth is correct. It is common to boil the coconut milk and reduce it until it's solids separate from the fat, then spices and pastes are fried in the coconut oil while the coconut solids gets toasted. The film of oil on top of the dish is considered a positive thing. That said, it is completely acceptable to prefer an emulsified result. The best way to garntuee this is by using canned coconut milk that almost always contains stabilizers (guar gum is common). I assume that adding the milk just before serving is also likely to help.

Today's brunch was s sweet noodle kugel. This style of kugel is called "Jerusalem kugel". It's usually made much larger, but I was only feeding a few people. Made a dark caramel, added butter (it is usually dairy free, but I prefer butter over oil), cooked egg noodles, eggs, almonds, cinnamon, dry ginger, plenty of black pepper and a fair amount of salt. Baked, in a low oven all night long in a tightly sealed pot so keep the moisture inside. Then served warm with some tart and slightly sweet cornichons. The long bake gives it this signature brown color and flavor.

Yorkshire puddings and a quick mushroom and onion gravy (not shown, but you don't miss much, it looks like a gray goop, but a tasty goop).

Iv'e actually used them in the pasta cooking water, added along of it and boiled. The ones on top are purely for garnish, as you need a very large amount to give scent without heating them or chewing them... Since I had plenty of needles and used the minimal amount of cooking water for the pasta, then added the starchy water to the sauce, it gave plenty of flavor to the dish. (I never boil pasta in plenty of water, doesn't make much difference with dry pasta) I found that crushing the needles might help. Never tried to toast them. I've actually really liked the lemon peel in the sauce, together with the pines and rosemary it's a nice combo, the tarragon also gives a nice bright complementing flavor. The mushrooms and toasty pasta gives an earthy flavor that balances the sharp notes. And of course, moderation is key Smoking with it sounds really nice, I can imagine it with being really nice, maybe with shiitake mushrooms and eggplant in a Japanese style of dish.

@Thanks for the Crepes Iv'e opened a new thread about pine needles, since I think it's nicer to give however interested in this subject an option to take part. I have fond memories of wintertime pine forests, searching for mushrooms (weeping bolete is the common specie) and Cyclamen flowers (I never knew this is their English name until this moment), and have always been a fan of the forest piney scent. I wanted to create a dish that will revolve around this, with piney aroma and mushrooms. Iv'e done my Google search, just like you did, and after assuring myself that there is no ill effect in cooking with them (and possibly some benefits), I got to pick some and try using it. Iv'e used Aleppo pine needles, since this is what common around. Some pine nuts felt like a must with this theme (and who can say no to pine nuts?). I've added rosemary, since as you said, it has a different piney note, less citrusy and slightly sharper. I've played with the thought of adding some juniper heavy gin, but ended up skipping it this time.

@Panaderia Canadiense Those are some buetiful breads! @Anna N Wow, it's been a long time since I ate one of those, tough I know them with a different look. They are shaped round with a stamped center, and usually topped with plenty of white sesame and a little nigella (a small amount goes far, as it gives it a very specific flavor). The coolest thing about them is the traditionally they are baked vertically in a huge stone oven, similar to tandoori bread. I've never tried to make it myself, but this one delicious bread. Found a nice image online (I have no credit for it). I really like the way you scored it using scissors, it make you want to grab a piece and snap it off Have you got to taste it by now?

Thank you very much! Toasting the pasta is mostly a matter of flavor, but it does effect texture in a way. It gives it a flavor of lightly toasted nuts or a golden toasted bread, very pleasant. I use it for many pasta dishes, in any place where the flavor is appropriate to the sauce (not for tomato sauce, for example). It does effect the texture in a way, making the cooking time longer and highly reduces the chance of over cooking it (it can get past al-dente, if you are not really not careful, but it will take a real long time for it get mushy). The method that I use to toast it is exactly the way I like to toast nuts. Spread the pasta in a single layer over a baking tray, and place it in a cold oven (this helps to get an even bake). Set the oven to 150 dC (300 dF) and toast until it gets pale golden-copper and smells nutty (get it out of the oven when you notice a reddish tint). If you toast it for too long, it gets quite red and will start to crack, this is not serious, it's just likely to break when boiling if this happen. The toasted color will fade somewhat when cooked, but the scent of it while cooking is amazing, like a pound of toasted pine nuts. This works good with both short and long pasta shapes, and obviously, only with dry pasta.

I am glad to hear so! Please post your version of it, I'll be eager to see it

Roasted sweet potato soup with Indian curry spices (turmeric, fenugreek, cumin, curry leaf, black pepper, coriander seeds, chili, fennel seeds), ginger, garlic, tangerine orange peel and juice, coriander leaves, browned butter. Topped with yogurt and a mixture of coriander leaves, toasted pistachios, tangerine peel and black pepper. This soup is really good. The flavors work together so nicely.

Pasta mafaldine "of the forest" : Portobello mushrooms, porcini, toasted pine nuts, dried unsweetened berries. Used eggs and really thick pasta water for thickening the sauce. Flavored with rosemary, pine needles, lemon peel, chives, parsley, tarragon, paprika, garlic, sauteed onion, thyme and a touch of vinegar. Pasta was lightly toasted before boiling.

Home made Thai red curry paste (not perfectly authentic, as there is no galangal to be heard of around here). Sweet potato, butternut squash, soft tofu, giant chickpeas (those are huge), red chili, onion, coconut milk. Jasmine rice, spiced with seeds. Lemon grass and coriander (cilantro) from the garden. The lemon grass is sad during the cold weather, but the coriander is having the time of it's life. It has such a potent flavor, almost strong enough to be used for riot control!

Cinnamon rolls (with brown sugar) & Cheese pastry (filled with farmers cheese, egg yolk, orange zest and raisins)

Creamy mushroom soup without cream or milk. Used a vegan recipe by Kenji Alt from Serious Eats, but I used butter instead of oil, because butter... Very nice, but the shiitake mushrooms are slightly too strong, will mix them with other varieties next time.