Celeriac-kohlrabi-potato-apple mash, good wine

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I get to use my ricer! YAY!  I rarely use it but for some reason I just love it. Last time I riced, I was making gnocchi, and they were so light. Tonight I am boiling all foodstuffs in the above title line, ricing them, and then stirring in butter, s & p. I think the end result will be a lovely bowl of fluffy yum. I would also like to let you know about another really delicious wine: the Zaca Mesa Z Cuvée, a blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Cinsaut. I'm drinking the '06 but have had an earlier vintage that was equally good. My sister discovered this wine, which hails from Los Olivos, CA, in Santa Barbara County, while she was living in L.A. I hadn't seen it in years but recently discovered it at Wagshal's, for you D.C. folks. Great blended red

Cooking with pumpkin

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Do y'all groove on pumpkin? I love it, in pretty much everything: bread, muffins, tarts, pasta, roasted... Oddly enough, I forgo pumpkin most often in pie as it never really seems to stand up next to goodies like pecan or blackberry or even a good apple. Anyway, I commenced pumpkin season this year with a few loaves of whole-wheat pumpkin prune bread which is always good and is devoured over here seemingly instantaneously. I'll post that recipe in a bit. It freezes well, is great for pregnant women (high in folate, iron, fiber and magnesium) if you are one or know any, or makes a lovely housewarming, hostess or "I'm thinking of you" gift.

I then, as you're probably aware, moved on to pumpkin plum muffins with pepitas, and I'm now eyeing a pumpkin agnolotti recipe. Oh My God. For whatever reason, I find agnolotti to be a superior form of pasta.  Native to the Piemonte, or Piedmont, region of Italy, agnolotti are traditionally square, about 1", and stuffed with a variety of fillings. Several years ago, T and I were in San Francisco and had the incredibly good fortune to eat at Quince. It was one of the best meals I've ever eaten, anywhere in the world; nearly perfect was it except for the fact that I was pregnant and couldn't partake of their wonderful wine list. I've made up for it since. Anyway, we had razor clam crostini and some ethereal pastas. Tom had the rabbit-lamb-other meat agnolotti, and it was one of the few times I've seen him rendered nearly speechless by a dish.

Circling back to the current recipe, it's simple as can be but I know it would be fabulous. You make a stuffing of pumpkin, Parm, and a teensy bit of sugar, lemon juice, salt and pep, stuff in wonton wrappers, boil and serve with a butter-crème fraîche sauce topped with toasted pepitas. I think you could add a little nutmeg to the filling and not be sad at all. You could also add some sage to the butter sauce and be pretty satisfied too.

I intend to work on a pumpkin cheesecake (probs using some goat cheese) for Thanksgiving and the holiday season in total, and to do a simple roast with olive oil and sage, for one. So check back in as I'll be cooking and posting these recipes over the coming weeks.