If this fragrant, sensuous soup doesn't say Cold Weather Comfort to you, then I don't know what will. It has what it takes to melt your winter weather woes away, with wafts of ginger and garlic, a thick vegetal sludginess and the ubiquitous warmth of Indian spice. This soup cooks up in under an hour, boiling into a real Happy Meal while you do something else. With a few deft strokes of your knife, you can tackle the prep, set it a-simmering and wait for the magic to happen. Soup making is one of the best examples of kitchen alchemy, conjuring archetypal images of boiling cauldrons on an open hearth delivering sustenance and satisfaction. Various and sundry items go in to the pot; a soft, tender, savoury mass emerges later, perfuming the home with tantalizing aromas, seducing us to the table to enjoy the product of our efforts.

Make magic in your kitchen:

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch chunks, equalling about 7 cups; 1 tbsp. olive oil; 1 leek, white and light green parts only, washed well and sliced thinly; 1/4 cup thinly sliced celery; 1/2 cup peeled, diced carrots; 2 tsp. minced fresh garlic; 2 tsp. freshly grated ginger; 1 bay leaf; 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots; 5 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth or water; 1 tsp. kosher salt; 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper; 1 tsp. garam masala; juice of 1 lemon; 1 tbsp. honey; Greek yogurt for garnish (optional).

Over medium heat in a medium sized pot, warm the olive oil and add the leeks, celery, carrots and shallots. Saute, stirring, until softened and the vegetables start to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook just until fragrant, 1 -2 minutes, stirring. Add in the broth, bay leaf, salt and pepper and squash and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower heat and cover the pot, maintaining a gentle boil and cook until the squash is completely tender and falling apart, about 45 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and add in the garam masala, lemon juice and honey and puree soup with an immersion blender. You may want to thin it with extra broth if it is too thick. Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt. Serves 4 - 6.

Some variations worth mentioning: Substitute a can of light coconut milk for some of the broth. The silky smooth richness and creamy taste will complement the robust squash and the spices. You can also kick up the heat with some cayenne pepper or hot sauce to suit your mood. I have also enjoyed a splash of orange juice in place of some of the liquid in this recipe, for a pleasant fruity note that also brings with it more beautiful colour. You may like the idea of a dash of cinnamon and grated nutmeg too, for more depth and a way to accent the sweet undertones of the squash. Some would say that sage has a place in this soup and I would agree, including a couple of leaves in the simmering soup and removing them before pureeing.

Some people shy away from making soup, imagining it to be an enormous ordeal. How much work is it to cut up some veg and cook it? Chop and boil, basically, sums it up here. No skimming of "scum" (yuck!), no bones (double yuck), no fuss. Easy peasy.

Homemade soup on a cold day equals happiness and health. It's the best sort of magic I know.

Ancient grains make for hearty, healthy, interesting fare and this cookbook is loaded with a spectrum of colourful ideas for creating wholesome, appealing meals using them to their full advantage.

I fell in love with the ancient grain farro in Tuscany a few years ago and welcome ways of incorporating it into meals, from soups to salads to pilafs. Maria Speck's Ancient Grains Modern Meals showcases farro with honey roasted grapes, or in a stew of fire-roasted tomatoes and eggplant. I am also drawn to a riff on summer tabouli made with farro instead of bulghur wheat, more toothsome and rustic, a satisfying vegetarian meal replete with whole grains, vegetables and even some tangy feta if you so choose.

After I finished drooling over the farro recipes, I browsed some more and fell hard for the quinoa and barley offerings in Speck's beautiful book. I come to quinoa a bit late in the game, only just getting into it, enjoying pairing it with hot peppers, sweet fruit and fresh vegetables, frequently all at the same time. What think you of cumin-scented quinoa with red beets? Or lemon quinoa with currants, dill and zucchini? These are combinations that will thrill and delight you all winter long, offering comfort and health, which essentially equals well-being.

Barley makes a memorable appearance with figs and a grown-up tarragon-lemon dressing. It is also featured in a stew with lentils, mushrooms and dill, classic, timeless, but with the added surprise of fresh apples thrown into the mix. This is a book of innovation and inspiration, new ways of using ancient grains to nourish you and entertain simultaneously.

I am happy to report that meat does make an appearance as well, lamb burgers with bulgur and mint, exploiting the time-honoured flavours of Turkey with cumin and Aleppo pepper, plus the kick of garlic-spiked yogurt. For the perfect pantry-based concoction, when hunger strikes and your imagination wanes, try spicy spaghetti with carmelized onions, anchovies and tuna, all ingredients commonly kept as staples in our kitchens. No fancy wizardry here, just well thought out solutions to dinner dilemnas, presented with flair and love.

Barley Salad with Figs and Tarragon-Lemon Dressing from Ancient Grains for Modern Meals

Barley: 2 cups water; 3/4 cup pearl barley; 1 2"x1" strip lemon zest; 3 peppercorns; pinch of fine sea salt.

Salad: 1 lemon; 1/4 cup chopped dried figs; 2 stalks celery, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4" pieces, about 1 cup; 1/2 cup finely chopped green onions, white and light green parts (about 4); 1/2 cup chopped tangy apple (Granny Smith is a good choice); 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil; 3 tsp. honey; 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt; 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper; 2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh tarragon (use any herb you like if tarragon is not available; I think dill or thyme would be lovely here); 2 tbsp. finely chopped flat-leaf parsley.

To prepare barley, bring water, barley, zest, peppercorns and salt to a boil in a medium sized saucepan. Decrease heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook until barley is tender but still slightly chewy, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 5 - 10 minutes. Drain remaining liquid and transfer barley to large serving bowl to cool. Remove zest and peppercorns.

To prepare the salad, finely grate zest of the lemon until you have 2 tsp. Cut lemon in half and squeeze to get 2 tbsp. juice. Place dried figs in a small bowl and stir in 1 tbsp. of lemon juice. Set aside. Add the celery, green onions and apple to the serving bowl with the barley.

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, remaining 1 tbsp. lemon juice, zest and honey. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning to suit you. Stir in half of the tarragaon and half of the parsely.

To finish, add the plumped figs with any juices to the barley mixture and drizzle on the dressing. Mix to combine. Allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Toss again, sprinkle with remaining herbs, and serve.

Serves 4.

It is rare to find a book that sings out to me with page after page of beautiful, inspired creations that I must rush off and produce. Often, a cookbook will offer merely a recipe or two that appeals to me, but not so here. I find myself wrapped up in each and every dish, imagining it on my table, wishing it into existence. This is a book to embrace on a daily basis.

Other cookbooks I cannot live without? Here are some of my favourites:

Moosewood taught me to love cooking, back in the hippy days of my past, where I was seduced by the intoxicating flavours of the world so thoughtfully presented here. I still follow Katzen's directions for guacamole, hummus and babaganouj:

Everyone has recipes, but these are the BEST recipes, where the editors have made all the mistakes in their test kitchens to save you making those mistakes in yours. You could spend the rest of your life cooking from the international recipes and never be at a loss for a great meal:

Italian food is a staple in my diet, food I must have, often. Lidia Bastianich has it figured out, just the way I like it, authentic, real, simple, wonderful. I could cook from this book every day of my life and never grow tired of these timeless dishes:

What's for dessert? There has to be something, right? Life is short and it should also be sweet. So, make sure your sweet eating is great. Everything in this book is excellent, worthy of your time and worth the calories!

October 2011 was my tenth anniversary as a vegetarian. Wow – a whole decade without meat! I didn’t go “cold turkey”, but instead took about a year to wean myself off of flesh – first pork, then beef, then chicken. Several people have asked me why I became a vegetarian in the first place. Here’s the answer: I had a crush on a vegetarian. But, once the crush wore off, my motivation remained. I simply could not eat meat, knowing how it was produced.

I couldn’t be part of a system that profits while treating sentient beings as mere commodities. I couldn’t support an industry which produces so much waste and pollution. I simply couldn’t stomach the truth about the meat industry and the harm it causes – to animals, individuals and communities. There’s nothing delicious about animal cruelty, environmental degradation, and morbid obesity.

But last week, I hosted a party. And I ate chocolate covered bacon. And it was divine.

I made sure to source organic free-range bacon from a local farmer’s market, and I thought long and hard before my first bite. Could I still consider myself a vegetarian? Would I fall off the wagon and straight into a bacon addiction? It was time to find out. I watched the bacon sizzle until it started to char around the edges. I put a strip to my mouth. I bit in. It was astounding; long-forgotten childhood memories came flooding back to me! That salty, lip-smacking strip was all I needed to be transported back in time, to my father’s kitchen.

So, what now? Am I still a vegetarian? Sure. After 10 years of meat-free living, I’ve earned the right to follow the spirit, rather than the letter of the law. Being a vegetarian isn’t about scrutinizing every morsel; it’s about eating mindfully and with a focus on health. I know that despite my greasy indulgence, I’m still a vegetarian at heart - and I don’t need to cling to a “clean record” to prove it.

Vegetarianism doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing affair. Try instituting a “Meatless Monday” into your routine, or replace beef with beans, in your next pot of chili. Cut out your least favourite kind of meat, and start to buy organic or ethically produced versions of the meat you do enjoy. Visit the produce section and make an effort to buy something new or strange – there’s more to life than apples and oranges! Make small steps; vegetarianism happens one meal at a time.

There are 9 years and 11 months until my next “bacondulgence”. In the mean time, here's the book that convinced me to go vegetarian, and not turn back. Well, at least no more than once a decade.

Diet for a New America, by John Robbins

Reading through cookbooks helps me feel like I am close to normal, seeing that other people also willingly devote precious hours of their lives to food preparation. Some would say I am obsessed with food, but I take pride in what I cook and bake, with just about everything made from scratch. I confess to spending hours in the kitchen and I feel healthy and virtuous as a result.

But, even I have my limits, parameters outside which I do not venture: Homemade sodas? Nope. Handmade pastrami. I'll pass on that one. Smoke my own jalapenos? Canned chipotles en adobo are just fine. But something about buzzing up some made-from-scratch chocolate hazelnut spread sounds like a project I would joyfully tackle, falling within my paradigms of normalcy. I can easily roast hazelnuts and quite enjoy the sweet aroma they serve up. I have a food processor and know how to melt chocolate. That's basically all the skill you need and, half an hour later, you can be the proud owner of a large crock of better-than-Nutella spreadable decadence.

Now, you are probably thinking, there IS nothing better than Nutella. That's a tough argument to speak against, but here I go: Do you like eating modified palm oil and chemical emulsifiers? I didn't think so. Imagine using the best quality European chocolate in a nutty spread, with pure vanilla extract and freshly roasted hazelnuts. Where you control the amount of sugar and salt and toss in some real butter too. Yes? Are you in?

Photo courtesy of bakecookeat.blogspot.com

Karen Solomon's new cookbook can it, bottle it, smoke it and other kitchen projects has lots of projects for the devoted foodie, many of them quirky and fun, like blueberry lemon syrup, pickled grapes, plum catsup, preserved lemons, little gourmet treats I would prepare on a proverbial rainy day. But chocolate hazelnut spread cannot wait for a rainy day. I am jumping right in, right now. Care to join me?

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
recipe courtesy of Karen Solomon

3 cups hazelnuts; 3/4 cup best quality unsweetened chocolate; 3 tbsp. butter; 3/4 cup sugar; 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract; 2 tbsp. flavourless vegetable oil such as canola; 1+1/2 tsp. kosher salt or to taste.

Place a metal mixing bowl in the freezer to chill. Toast nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until light golden brown, about 8 minutes. Pour them into the cold bowl and stir for 2 minutes. When they are cold enough to handle, rub the nuts to remove the outer skins. Don't worry if they don't all come off. Discard the skins and allow the nuts to cool.

In a small saucepan over medium low heat, melt the chocolate with the butter and sugar, stirring frequently, until smooth and well combined, about 3 minutes. The sugar will still be somewhat coarse. Take the pan off the heat and continue stirring for about 30 seconds. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Transfer the nuts to a food processor fitted with the metal blade and whirl for 1 minute to make a thick paste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and process again. With the machine running, stream in the oil slowly and continue to process for a full 5 minutes, until very smooth. With the machine still running, stream the chocolate mixture into the nut butter. Stop the machine a couple of times and scrape the sides of the bowl. Reprocess for a few more minutes until everything is well blended and smooth. Add salt and blend to incorporate.

The mixture is ready to eat but is better if left to rest for a day. It is best to store the spread in the fridge but you may want to remove it for an hour before eating and stir it well right before use.

You may have thought you were in Nutella heaven before, but imagine the uber-intense chocolate-hazelnut paradise that could be yours. You may not have ventured into these waters before, but it sure feels normal now.

Take a dip into these tantalizing titles:

It is damp and windy and cold outside so I made soup. A thick, sludgy minestrone is steaming up my kitchen with its vapours of stewed vegetables and the perfume of fresh thyme. I will slurp this up with a wedge of crusty foccacia and a few chunks of asiago cheese. What better way to stave off the unwelcome dampness?

Handfuls of herbs, thyme, chopped fresh oregano and fragrant chives, add the most aromatic accents to the infusion and bring the soft vegetables to life with sweet Mediterranean notes. I also found delicate, tender zucchini, robust corn, good tomatoes, pretty little potatoes and firm, white onions to include in the mix. I will continue to offer this soup up again later in the winter, cold-weather comfort I seek out again and again.

Barley! This soup features barley, a grain of infinite comfort and soul-satisfying chewy goodness. It adds some thickness to this hearty soup and, with the tender, tasty beans, turns it into a meal.

I always start a soup with a trio of aromatics which I saute in extra virgin olive oil until browned and softened, onion, carrots and celery chopped into dice. Parsnips work well as a special nice-smelling guest. This flavour base sets the tone for deep vegetable flavour which cannot be achieved by tossing the same vegetables into the broth later on. You MUST invest a few minutes early in your soup making for this essential step. It only takes 15 minutes or so to render these aromatics into meltingly lovely goodness, enough time to chop up the rest of your ingredients. I also used a chicken broth that I prepared the day before with chicken carcasses I keep frozen precisely for that rainy day when I need them. Overnight chilling in the fridge allowed for a much needed de-fatting, yielding a lean broth that was succulent and flavourful. In a pinch, no time for broth, toss a chicken carcass in with your stewing soup. You will want to defat the soup the next day before serving.

Cold Weather Minestrone Soup

1 cup dried cannellini or white beans, soaked overnight and drained; 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil; 3/4 cup chopped sweet onion; 1/2 cup diced celery; 1/2 cup diced carrots; 1/2 cup diced parsnips; 4 large garlic cloves, crushed; 2 bay leaves; 1 small zucchini, diced, about 1 cup; 1 cup diced red potatoes, with skins on; 1 cup corn kernals, fresh or frozen; 4 tomatoes, diced; 6 sage leaves, chopped; 1/2 cup pearl barley; 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano; 8 cups water; 1 chicken carcass; 1 tbsp. sugar; 2 tbsp. soy sauce; salt and pepper to taste.

In a large soup pot, warm olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, celery, carrots and parsnips. Cook, stirring, until browned and soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add water and chicken carcass. Add bay leaves, zucchini, potatoes, corn, tomatoes, sage, beans and barley. There should be enough water to cover the vegetables and chicken carcass. If not, add some more. Cook until everything is soft and soupy, about 1.5 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remember to wait until the soup is done before adding salt, as the uncooked beans will toughen if salted too early. Add chopped oregano. Add sugar and soy sauce and correct seasoning if needed. This soup tastes wonderful topped with a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

And, you now have soup! This is the chop/boil/eat school of cooking, simple, honest and keeping it real.