Blackberry Negroni

Blackberry season is just ending here in the woods, but I can still find a few on the bushes just off our deck. I was shooting a new restaurant in Napa recently that features a Negroni on their menu and I thought, oh!, what a lovely end-of-summer cocktail. 

A traditional Negroni is garnished with an orange twist, but since there aren’t many oranges around here these days, I garnished mine with a few blackberries…and I’ll say, it’s pretty delish!

Blackberry Negroni: Equal parts Gin, Campari and (sweet/red) Vermouth. I stirred mine in the mixing glass you see above from Umami Mart. Serve it chilled or on the rocks. Garnish with a blackberry and sip outdoors when the sun is getting low and golden!

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More warm-weather drink ideas: Nectarine Campari Soda, Strawberry-Maple Fizz, Blackberry Shrub Mocktail.

Sesame Edamame Salad

I am really excited to be this month’s featured “Guest Recipes” blogger for Anthology Magazine. I will be contributing a new seasonal vegetarian side dish each week, posting on Thursdays. Week 1 is this Sesame Edamame Salad. For the full recipe and more photos, click here to see it on the Anthology Magazine website.  Bon Appetit!

By Erin Gleeson at The Forest Feast

Scallion Pesto

This pesto uses scallions (a.k.a. green onions) instead of basil. Cooking them just a bit before you process them takes the onion-y edge off and adds flavor. I spread the pesto on toasted bread to make little crostini, but you can also toss it in pasta with roasted vegetables. Bon Appetit!

By Erin Gleeson for The Forest Feast

Heirloom Tomato and Parmesan Quiche

The heirlooms that are coming in our CSA box right now are so flavorful! I sliced them up and laid them in a quiche for a light dinner with salad. I bought a roll of pre-made pie crust, but you could certainly make your own. For a richer egg mixture, use cream instead of milk. Depending on the size of your pie dish, this make take more or less than 40 minutes to cook- just give it a jiggle in the oven to see if the egg had hardened. You can lay foil over the top of the quiche half way through cooking to keep your crust from getting too brown. Serve warm or at room temperature with salt and pepper.

Photos, Illustration and Recipe by Erin Gleeson for The Forest Feast

A week in Oaxaca, Mexico

The Forest Feast is on vacation this week! Jonathan and I are in Oaxaca for a few days for our friends’ wedding. This place is so colorful and incredible! We are staying at the Quinta Real which is an old convent that's been turned into a hotel...absolutely stunning! Today we went to the outdoor market and sampled some local fare, like chilacayota, a drink made of blended squash with corn kernels floating on top. Unusual and delicious!  Chapulines (fried spiced grasshoppers) are a popular snack around here- there are women selling them from baskets everywhere. I haven’t gotten the courage to try them yet, but hope to before I leave! Mole is big around here so for lunch we stopped in at a little stand at the mercado for enchiladas drenched in the most magnificent mole. 

For more pictures from my Mexican adventure, follow me on Instagram, @theforestfeast.

Buen Provecho!