La Chamba Magic — SpiritScout

2019

The Hunter’s Moon appears today and with it a desire to cook richer, more deeply satisfying foods from the autumn harvest. The sun is opposite the moon for the longest period of the year and this provides us one 'last call' for the joys of Indian summer. We are continuously paying respect to the elements and Mother Earth, and every seasonal transition offers up plenty of time for ironic reflection: I mourn the brilliant leaves as they whither to the ground, even as I jettison my once lush garden, beheading plants I so lovingly nourished all summer, with a mainical glee. The Hunter’s Moon brings the season of rich vegetable bounty, yet it will never be a plant-eater’s favorite moon, this killing season. A full moon always make me feel kind of crazed, yet I love the fresh impetus it delivers—a renewal energy among all of the decay.

I roasted a large batch of beets from Jericho Farms. I’m going to cube them and pickle in a 1-1 water-cider vinegar bath along with a generous glug of maple syrup. Note the La Chamba cooking vessel, it roasts huge amounts of food.

This moon's energy helps us to rally and bring our intimate relationships into sharper focus as we move indoors. It signals us to burrow—embracing crops from beneath the earth’s surface for baking, roasting, stewing, pickling, and preserving. My favorite foods this time of year are beets and potatoes—their versatility and appeal never cease to excite me as I get reacquainted with my indoor kitchen.

‘I am giddy to get my knives organized…’

The Hunter Moon energy fires within me a desire to reevaluate and organize my kitchen space. As I go through every drawer to clean and review my tools I ask: Are they useful? Are they pulling their weight in a finite space? Are they pleasurable to work with? I’m a tough boss and some items need to move along—dead weight just doesn’t cut it in my kitchen. If I'm not 100% sure, I place the item in a ‘purgatory closet’ for six months and decide then—less pressure, and the thing is still out of my way. (This works really well for clothes closet cleaning, too.)

I am giddy to get my knives organized in a way that provides me pleasure and efficiency—finally! I don’t know what took me so long to discover the magnetic strip on Amazon that now safely houses my selective collection. I upgrade two sizes of non-stick pans to the Danish Scanpan, considered the top of the line for performance and safety, on the authority of my Chef pal, Courtney Contos, a Functional Wellness Coach. I clean all of my pots and pans and make a shopping list to refresh flours, spices, condiments, and other pantry staples.

As a reward for my efforts, I treat myself to a trip to the Saratoga Olive Oil Company. I taste everything in the store—all manner of vinegars, oils, and salts alternating between straight shots of oil and spongy croutons saturated with the goods. After much agonizing, I settle on Blood Orange Olive Oil, Vermont Maple Balsamic, Honey Ginger White Balsamic, Australian Koroneiki Olive Oil, and some Chipotle Oil (to drizzle over my avocado toast.) A few jazzy products like these add a bit of snap to my traditional recipes—and leave my guests guessing, just a little bit.

‘My hygge heaven is the aroma of wood smoke and ….’

For me, a handmade Apple Tarte Tatin is the essence of Autumn.

I love cooking cold-weather foods—there is something so Hygge (‘hue-guh’) about winter in Vermont, and I welcome it by treating my friends and family to roaring fires and slow-cooked meals. While Hygge is Danish in origin, it is a special kind of energy that is available for everyone to enjoy. It asks only for your consciousness: a certain relaxed pace and the ability to be present enough to truly experience feelings of intimacy and comfort in the moment. My Hygge heaven is the aroma of wood smoke and the feel of my favorite flannel shirt on my shoulders as I release a perfectly caramelized Apple Tarte Tatin from a gleaming copper pan.

Another way I invite Hygge into my home and my cooking, is through the magic of La Chamba black clay cookware. The town of La Chamba sits on the banks of the Magdalena River in central Columbia. It produces handcrafted toxic-free cookware that has been traced back seven hundred years—the oldest pottery in the Americas. I first fell in love with La Chamba a few years ago during a cooking class at The Santa Fe Cooking School. I watched wide-eyed as the Chef moved his soup vessel first from roasting in a slow oven, to the open flame of a gas stovetop for simmering and seasoning, and then he set the beautifully steaming mass on a trivet in front of me for serving. The flavors of food cooked in La Chamba are complex and more concentrated, there is a subtle, smoky quality that echos umami.

Plant Lovers Pasta: this is a mixture of sliced leek, asparagus, green olives, and shitake mushrooms sauteéd quickly in a little olive oil on the grill. I then added 1-cup of vegetable stock. Next, I used tongs to toss in some precooked brown rice f… — Plant Lovers Pasta: this is a mixture of sliced leek, asparagus, green olives, and shitake mushrooms sauteéd quickly in a little olive oil on the grill. I then added 1-cup of vegetable stock. Next, I used tongs to toss in some precooked brown rice fettuccini and minced garlic, and allowed the batch to heat through. Next, I delivered the bubbling dish to the patio table—all in bare feet!

La Chamba can withstand any heat source, so I use it in my 'outdoor kitchen' during the summer—the grill. Sizzling, rustic dishes go straight to a lovely buffet or land on a rowdy table ready to devour. Cold, colorful salads present beautifully against the black pottery. Assuming that high quality ingredients are being used, the results look and taste like a dish you'd thrill to at a farm-to-table restaurant: earthy, sexy, extra-moist food that maintains its integrity start to finish.

‘This is the season for filling the soul and stomach with some extra coziness…’

Because each piece of cookware is distinctive and rustically elegant, La Chamba is very versatile and saves room in tight kitchens by replacing tired pots, pans, and serving platters. I cook most of my dishes in one unit, so the clean up is always minimal—less fuss, and no muss for these reasonably priced, one-of-a-kind wonders. La Chamba is cookware that has the power to wow, yet I use mine everyday. I often leave a piece resting on a cold burner—the quiet beauty of the pottery inspires me to cook. This is the season for filling the soul and stomach with some extra coziness. Why not open up some cabinets and drawers, crack open a cookbook, and get reacquainted with your kitchen as you think about what brings you Hygge bliss. The temperatures are dropping rapidly, so be sure to treat yourself to a heaping portion.

P.S. I am happy to note that my dear pal, Katie Webster at Healthy Seasonal, has consolidated her massive recipe collection and added a vegan category that is La Chamba friendly. Katie is a cookbook author, test-kitchen whizz, brilliant chef, and all-around awesomeness. Thank you for sharing, Katie!