Family reunion

Last weekend we drove to my cousin's farm near Dutton, Ontario, where we celebrated our annual pre-Christmas reunion. With the exception of a few university and high school students who were in the middle of midterms, everyone made it out. For those of us who live in the city, it was a wonderful chance to get out of town and breathe in the fresh air of the countryside. For all of us, it was a great opportunity to reconnect with the extended family that we don't see often enough.

The cattle were perplexed by the arrival of city slickers:

Tom and Gwen left just before this photo was taken. Here's the rest of the Baker and Woolner clans that attended last week:

I wish I had photos of the delicious food that was served at our reunion. (All of the women in my family love cooking as much as I do. There was great food and lots of it.) Instead I'm posting a recipe for a side dish that would be good at a pot luck meal or just served at home.  I didn't change this spinach sauté at all from the original recipe and it was perfect exactly the way it was. Just like my family.

Sauteed Shiitakes, Spinach and Green Onions

(from Fast, Fresh and Green by Suzie Middleton)

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

3 1/2 ounces (100 grams) shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps thinly sliced

1/3 cup green onions (scallions)

4 cups lightly packed stemmed fresh spinach leaves, washed and lightly dried

1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce

1/4 tsp sesame oil

In a medium nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, melt the butter.  Add the shiitakes and green onions and season with the salt.  Toss and stir to coat with the butter.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shiitakes are shrunken and very lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes.  (Don’t brown too much, as shiitakes tend to toughen.) 

Add the spinach and the soy sauce and stir until all of the spinach is wilted, and it’s well-combined with the mushrooms, about 1 minute.  Remove the pan from the heat, drizzle the sesame oil over the vegetables, stir and serve.