Paulette Mitchell

I love tasting new foods and developing recipes. So, in my home, years can pass before I revisit favorite dishes.

But I do have one tradition – making Pumpkin Stew in the fall. This is my favorite recipe in my cookbook, A Beautiful Bowl of Soup. And it’s the perfect excuse for throwing a dinner party.

The stew is cooked on the stovetop. And then it is poured into a hollowed-out pumpkin, which is put into the oven for about an hour. As the soup simmers, the pumpkin cooks, too.

I transfer the stew-filled pumpkin to a large platter and encourage guests to serve themselves. What makes this unique and wonderful is scooping out a wedge of cooked pumpkin and topping it with the stew. The flavor combination is extraordinary.

Sometimes, rather than baking the stew in one large pumpkin, I make individual servings. Last year, I purchased six different squashes and prepared one for each guest. They are still talking about that dinner party! If the squashes you choose are not flat on the bottom, cut a slice to even them. And it’s a good idea to select squash of similar size, so they will bake at the same rate. Check after about 45 minutes, and bake only until the squashes are fork-tender.

Accompany the fall feast with a tossed green salad (I usually toss it with a creamy dressing), warm cornbread (served with my homemade red wine jelly), and red wine to complete the fresh palette of brilliant colors and earthy flavors.

Many thanks to those of you who came to my cookbook promotion activities in Minneapolis and to friends who have purchased signed cookbooks for holiday gifts. You can contact me through this website for signed cookbooks. Or, you can click through to Amazon from my website or purchase the book at your local bookstore.

One of my passions while traveling is visiting food markets. At the present time, my son Brett (cameraman and film editor extraordinaire) and I are co-producing films about the markets in Spain and Italy. I’ve learned that video editing is a lengthy process, which has left little time for holiday entertaining this year.

But I did have one small dinner party. The main course was Mediterranean Seafood Stew, a favorite recipe from my new cookbook, The Complete 15-Minute Gourmet: Creative Cuisine Made Fast and Fresh. This dish was inspired by my travels in the Mediterranean, where fish soups are made from the day’s catch, and each region has its own different and wonderful variation.

In case you’re wondering, my first course of the menu was Mesclun Salad with Grilled Pears, Blue Cheese, and Maple-Walnut Vinaigrette (page 214) and I followed the light meal with a truly decadent dessert, Chocolate-Cherry Bread Pudding with Sherry Cream (found on page 176 in another of my cookbooks, The Spirited Vegetarian: Over 100 Recipes Made Lively with Wine and Spirits.)

Happy New Year!

Greetings to those of you who are just discovering me and my cookbooks. I also welcome my loyal fans, who have followed my career. I love hearing from my readers and respond to all emails. So click on “Contact Paulette” to send me a message.

It’s October, 2008 and I have an exciting announcement. I invite you to take a look at my most recently published cookbook, The Complete 15-Minute Gourmet: Creative Cuisine Made Fast and Fresh.It’s arriving in bookstores around the world now.

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“Once again,my good friend Paulette shows us how delicious, good-for-you food doesn’t have to take all day.”
-Chef Emeril Lagasse

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This is the 13th cookbook I have authored, and it contains 350 recipes for both hungry families and for discriminating guests. The dishes can be prepared quickly and easily, and I guarantee they are delicious.

Luciano Pavarotti said, “One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.”

But there’s no need to spend hours preparing meals. Through my world travels, I’ve found that nearly every cuisine offers some delicious dishes that are quick to prepare. And that has been the inspiration for this book. You’ll be astonished at what’s possible. In just 15 minutes you could be feasting on traditional favorites such as Modern Mom’s Chicken Noodle Soup or on international dishes such as Soba Noodle and Steak Salad or Greek Snapper with Feta Cheese.

Bookmark my website and plan to visit often. Every Friday, I’ll post new entries, including recipes from The Complete 15-Minute Gourmetcookbook. I’ll also share my favorite tips for 15-Minute cooking at its best. And on my Travel Scrapbook page, I’ll post photos of my travels. I especially enjoy visiting food markets, and soon you’ll see one of my favorites in Venice, Italy.

This weekend, enjoy Jamaican Chicken with Black Beans, one of my favorite recipes from The Complete 15-Minute Gourmet.The inspiration is Caribbean, but it’s colorful, aromatic, and just perfect for serving your family on a cool fall evening.