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Red Spinach. I have saved my favorite for last.

Green Spinach I know you know. But its red veined cousin is an entirely different creature. It is sweet. Almost dessert sweet. It has a honey taste with nutty spinach undertones. It’s quite remarkable.

I’m not going to sit here and try and explain its flavor. It’s too hard for me. Honey and Nuts-- those are my best descriptors. Besides tasting should be a personal experience all your own. I encourage you to have that experience.

Until this week I had never knowingly tried Red Spinach. I have noticed it used in Indian Foods, I have seen it on the menus and may even have had some as an ingredient in a curry or something. I can’t say for sure because until I ate it raw I never really gave it much thought. If you do not know it by the name Red Spinach you may know it by it’s other common names: Malabar Spinach, Ceylon Spinach, Indian Spinach, Vine Spinach, and Malabar Nightshade (Malabar is a coastal region in southwestern India).

Frilly Red Mustard is the second challenge in my trio of “red” greens. It’s a beautiful little guy. Red and frilly. It has a mild taste. Much milder than the green mustard you know so well.

In my intro blog Red Is The New Greens, I said I’d probably do a salad. Well I probably should have. Instincts are there for a reason. It’s often good to follow them.

I thought about using them raw, paired with some cold left over black-eyed peas and a bacon-vinaigrette. Or something even simpler crossed my mind. I could have tossed them with some avocado cubes and dressed it all with brown sugar and apple-cider vinegar. I have a recipe for a Warm Potato Salad with Wilted Garlicky Baby Green Spinach. One simple substitution and I’d have been home free.

But no, I wanted to show off. I wanted to impress you. In doing so I may have needlessly taken the life of a perfectly sweet little Frilly Red Mustard. Trampling over its delicate, nutty essence. Utterly destroying it’s whimsical form. It was never tough or bitter towards anyone. What right did I have?

So it’s barely a week past thanksgiving, you'd think I’d want to turn off the stove, curl up with a good book and sit by the fire. But you’d be wrong, or at least part wrong.

Now I may live in Los Angeles, and you’ve probably bought into that ridiculous rumor…something about California having no distinct seasons. But you’d be wrong.

The holidays also make me want to see friends and family! That means more cooking. And I mean cooking December style!

It may not snow here (at least at sea level). But winter in Southern California can be bright and crisp and cool: and full of inspiration for a good meal.  I crave something warm and hearty, yet healthy and flavorful. 

What better time than now than to introduce what I am going to call Sippity Suppers!