I’m so happy to have the veg back. I didn’t even make it to the market last week (which is why things have been quiet around here), and I think I was suffering from withdrawal. But no longer; my crisper is full and I’m ready to cook again.

This week, tops on my list is a huge pot of Ribollita. Ever since Tiina wrote about enjoying it on her recent Tuscan holiday, the thick Italian soup has been on my mind. Loaded with beans and vegetables and served with Parmesan, it’s always been a favourite meal of mine, especially during the dark, chilly days of winter. The leafy kale and knobbly carrots above will contribute to a great version, you’ll see.

The purple sprouting broccoli will likely be dinner tonight. This veg goes wonderfully with the rich flavour of anchovies, and I think I have a fillet or two in the fridge. Tossed with some pasta or couscous and a bit of cream, it will make a delicious meal. The squash of course will be enjoyed during the week; I can always think of something to do with butternuts!

Now, to explain the title of today’s post. No, the selection above wasn’t foraged from London’s parks, but bought as usual from my local farmers’ market. But this week I did obtain some foraged “veg” of sorts, and it was such an interesting experience that I wanted to share it with you.

You’ve heard of noma, yes? The reigning “best restaurant in the world”, led by head chef and co-owner René Redzepi? Well, as you may or may not have heard, Redzepi has recently published his first cookbook, published by Phaidon Press. He was in London this past week, to give a talk and book-signing at the majestic Freemason’s Hall in Covent Garden. I was lucky enough to be gifted with tickets (thanks, Andrew!) for the event, which was equal parts bizarre, impressive and inspiring.

The evening started with the distribution of snacks to the assembled audience. Before your mouth starts watering at the thought of gourmet canapés, I must say that these snacks were carrots. Raw, freshly scrubbed and somewhat misshapen carrots. Believe me, there is nothing stranger than listening to a world-class chef speak in impressive surroundings, to the sound of several hundred people munching on carrots.

Of course, there was a point to this. Redzepi is known for his localvore leanings (they were Danish carrots, you see), a stance which some might say he takes to extremes. Much of the food on the menu at noma is actually wild, foraged from the beaches, woods and marshes surrounding Copenhagen. Over the next two hours, I watched in awe as Redzepi cooked and talked through nine creative and beautiful dishes, using such ingredients as moss, two-year-old “vintage” carrots, spruce boughs and seaweeds.

Which brings us to these “goodie bags”. Everything you see above was foraged in Kent, England, by Redzepi and UK rural enterprise Forager. While I haven’t quite worked up the courage to try everything (the Sea Buckthorn berries are particularly intimidating), others are surprisingly delicious. Have you ever tried a Douglas Fir needle? They taste exactly how you’d imagine: sweet, resin-y, spicy and warm. I’m considering grinding these up and using it on some roast potatoes, or even heading out to Greenwich park and seeing what else I can come up with! At the very least, I plan to devote an hour this week to pouring over Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine.

So, what are you cooking this week? Any plans to head into your backyard and start snacking?

The week is drawing to a close and tomorrow morning, I’m off! I’ll be flying home to Canada, attending the wedding of an old friend, then spending 48 blissful hours in New York City. There’ll be no more posting for at least a week, until I get back to London and back into my regular routine.

But I’m not so cruel as to leave you with nothing while I’m gone. Several weeks ago, I was asked to contribute a Guest Curator post to Etsy‘s blog, The Storque. Given how much I adore Etsy, as well as the awesome calibre of food bloggers who’ve contributed posts before me (Sprouted Kitchen, anyone? Tartelette?) I was thrilled to be asked.

You can check out my Etsy guest curator post here, complete with my favourite finds for the kitchen, and yes- a recipe. Those savoury broccoli cakes make great party food, and are the perfect thing to serve with a cup of warming, Autumnal soup. So why not indulge in something delicious this week, and I’ll see you back here soon.

Kitchenist‘s recipes in March centered on comfort food: braised and roasted veg, traditional baked goods and even pizza. I kicked off the month with a post on Nutty, Spicy Pangrattato, which inspired one of my favourite bloggers to try it, too. I returned the favour by getting some inspiration from her site, leading to a fresh take on an old classic: Polenta Pizza.

I think my favourite recipes on the month were the indulgent, luxurious ones. Coconut-Braised Sprouts with Cannellini Beans was warming on a cold day, and Long-Cooked Broccoli with Buttermilk will undoubtedly become a house favourite around here.

In terms of sweets, it was all about chocolate cookies last month. I started with a recipe for Brown Sugar Biscuits with Toffee, Chocolate and Sea Salt, and followed up a few weeks later with some Triple Threat Chocolate Cookies.

Kitchenisms trudged right along in March, and I’m pretty happy with some of the things I shared there. Featured Etsy shops included three of a fellow blogger, and one of a talented potter. My favourite though was trampoline, if not for the fab retro goodies then for the stunning product photography.

Obviously, I dealt with non-Etsy wares, too. I asked whether you preferred white or coloured tableware, and shared the items I liked from the new Liberty of London for Target collection. I also rounded up the best-looking refrigerators around, and reviewed one of my favourite magazines.

Of the kitchens I featured, two especially stole my heart: a modern and luxurious Swedish space and the set of Sophie Dahl’s new cooking show. One is sophisticated and one rustic, but it’s tricky to say which I love more.

Kitchlit was completely ignored last month, but it’s a situation that should be rectified soon. I’ve just received a truckload (okay, a couple) of cookbooks via Amazon, and I’m looking forward to reviewing again soon.

Despite the infrequent posting, February was as tasty as any other month here at Kitchenist. I’ve been keeping up with my resolution to bake more bread, first thinking up a new kind of Banana Bread, and then getting quick and dirty with Nigella’s Lazy Loaf.

I’ve also been finding recipe inspiration in my new workplace. The caterer/traiteur where I work churns out some delicious dishes, and my Beet, J-Choke and Clementine Salad and Celeriac and Apple Soup were both born of ideas I got there.

I like to challenge myself and try new things when I can, so this month I did twice. I made my first-ever strata, a delicious number filled with red onion, kale and cheese. Even more adventurous (for me), I whipped up a batch of the most delicious ketchup ever and canned it.

Though not as many as in some months, I’m really pleased with some of my posts on Kitchenisms in February. In terms of featured spaces, I found the good stuff: a breathtaking Swiss Kitchen, the kitchen of a well-known blogger, and an arty and eclectic space from Marie Claire Maison.

I also did a couple of larger design round-ups, which I was quite pleased with. Ten Cool Kitchen Storage Ideas was an assignment for my blogging class, and Ways with Wood was my personal ode to a favourite material.

In terms of products, I had some favourites. The stunning work of UK ceramacist Virgina Graham took my breath away. I was equally chuffed to stumble across the Etsy shop Ninainvorm; Nina’s whimsical plates and teapots are perfectly covetable.

My review blog Kitchlit got a little love in February. I reviewed the UK-published The Thrifty Cookbook by Kate Colquhoun, a handy little book dedicated to reducing waste and saving money by making you a better cook. I gave it three stars, but think that for beginner cooks, it would be worth even more.

Despite a hiatus in the middle of the month, Kitchenist still saw some great recipes over the past four weeks. I started the year with a promise to myself: to bake more bread in 2010. My first foray was with Spotted Dog, a currant-studded Irish soda bread. I followed it up with a recipe for Spicy Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew, my most popular post of the month.

The middle of the month brought sad news: my 97-year-old Granny passed away, necessitating a trip home to Canada and a break from blogging. When I returned, I wrote a tribute to her alongside a recipe for Lentil Gratin. If you haven’t tried this yet, I urge you to give it a go- not a looker, but delicious nonetheless.

Sweets for the month included some Red Hot Gingernut cookies and some Mini Almond, Lemon and Semolina cakes. But to my surprise, a recent post on Leek Rarebit is attracting even more oohs and aahs- who knew so many people loved melted cheese on bread?

There were few “isms” on Kitchenisms in January, as my daily posting schedule over there is the first to suffer when things come up in my personal life. Still, I managed to feature some lovely Etsy finds, including Ten for 2010 at the beginning of the year, and two shops by the same artist later on.

I also shared two charming but different Cool Kitchens: a light and feminine space at the beginning of the month, and a bright and cheerful room when I returned home again.

January saw me at least make a start on reviewing my Christmas cookbooks at Kitchlit, though I didn’t get too much further than that. Rachel Allen’s Home Cooking was the lucky one who got in first, and I think anyone who has this tome is lucky, too. A four-star book full of delicious, easy-to-follow recipes.

Psst, you- in need of a recipe to chase away the January blues? Well, you haven’t exactly come to the right place, but I can direct you there. I’ve a second guest post up at The Beat That My Heart Skipped, the fab new UK design and lifestyle blog. This time it’s a seasonal Veggie Pot Pie with Dumplings on the menu- perfect for warming you up during these dreary days. I’d love for you to check it out and leave me a comment over there!

It’ll be a short and sweet one, anyway: I didn’t get much blogging done in December. The last month of the year brings so much festivity, stress and general hustle and bustle that anything else- blogging, exercise, sanity- can easily fall by the wayside. I did manage to post a little bit over the past four weeks, so let’s see what went down on my blogs.

Kitchenist was the most active of my blogs in December; no matter how busy you are, you’ve still got to eat!

I often fall back on soup in cold weather, and December was book-ended by them: Pistou Soup to kick the month off and a creamy Brussels sprout one just yesterday. In between was a variety of other foods in the “comfort” category, including a Squash and Kale Tart and some fascinating Root Vegetable Bread Dumplings.

I managed to find time for sweets, too (don’t I always?), sharing a variation on my favourite brownie recipe. Toward the end of the month I indulged in some festive baking with my sister, making our traditional Christmas Stollen. I contributed the Candied Peel (the secret ingredient, if I do say so myself).

I ignored Kitchenisms a bit toward the end of the month, but it started off well. My first annual Holiday Gift Guide kicked off the month, and I had a great time rounding up the best of Art, Vintage, Practical gifts, Handmade items and Edibles.

Poor Kitchlit didn’t see any action at all in December. Not to worry though; with four new cookbooks as Christmas gifts and some others lined up in wait, it’s sure to pick back up again in 2010.

Kitchenist saw some delicious recipes over the course of the month, both old favourites and new experiments.

I began with a trusty fallback of mine, Meaty But Not Really Pasta Sauce. This hearty lentil-packed dish that can be served over just about anything. I also let you know about my guest post at The Beat That My Heart Skipped, where I shared my recipe for Slow-Baked Beans with Maple Syrup. Just recently, I wrote about a favourite stir-fry of mine, Peanut Thai Noodle.

November saw me trying some new ideas on for size, too. I was inspired by Sara to make Roasted and Spiced Chickpeas and Sweet Potatoes, and tackled an Indian korma for the first time, with the help of Nigel Slater.

I didn’t abandon the baking last month, either. I posted some red, white and green Holiday Oatmeal Cookies and shared a wintertime Pumpkin Scone recipe. But the most delicious treat I made was No-Butter Apricot and Almond Cake, which defied its healthy ingredients by being moist, flavourful and downright addictive.

Kitchenisms continued to see some good postin’ action in November. On the Etsy front, I rounded up some great vintage products, including Dansk and Fiestaware. I also liked the pottery of Prince Design UK, which sells lovely handmade porcelain.

As for kitchens, I featured some nice spaces, both individually and in series. A favourite was this Mustard Modern kitchen in San Francisco, but I also bit the bullet and featured my own Kitchenist Kitchen. In decor series I enjoyed rounding up Reclaimed Style and the Blackboard trend.

In the realm of photography I found some lovely and inspiring series, including the Autumn catalogue of Toast and a Flickr ode to apple picking. My favourite by far was the work of Sharyn Cairns, whose beautiful food styling is a treat to behold.

I’m currently in the midst of my Kitchenisms Holiday Gift Guide 2009, a week-long extravaganza of cool present ideas for the holiday season. It kicked off yesterday with Art, continued today with Vintage, and will be going all week. Check it out!

I posted two cookbook reviews on Kitchlit in November. Kicking off the month was Red Velvet & Chocolate Heartache, the “healthy cakes” book full of veggie-based recipes and irritating writing. Since the recipes themselves were generally delicious (see No-Butter Apricot and Almond Cake, above) I gave this book four stars.

Halfway through the month, I reviewed Nigella Christmas to get us all in the festive mood. Not my favourite Nigella Lawson book, but a good effort, and full to bursting with holiday recipes. This one got the three-star treatment.

Just dropping in to let you all know about my guest post at The Beat That My Heart Skipped, a new UK design blog by stylist Rohini Wahi. Covering interiors, product design, travel, book reviews and food, this site is a great of source of daily inspiration. I was contacted by Food Editor Louise to contribute to the weekly food feature.

The recipe I’ve shared, Slow-Baked Beans with Maple Syrup, is perfect for Autumn: sweet, spicy and soul-warming. I’d love for you to head over and check it out- I hope you like it!