Carly has assembled a perfect transitional fall-to-winter menu that acts as antidote to the overabundance and richness of the holiday season: three wholesome, easy recipes you can make with or without the versatile Japanese pot called a donabe. All feature one of Carly's most indispensable kitchen tools, Alice's Mortar and Pestle, which she called "the most satisfying pound-it-out, let-it-out tool that, like the donabe, is as beautiful as it is useful."

To Start: Kabocha + Honeynut + Miso Squash Soup with Garlic–Chili Crunch

Creamy & naturally sweet with a bright, crunchy, spicy topping made in the mortar!
Serves: 4–6

Ingredients

For the soup

• 1 small kabocha squash (about 2–2½ lbs), seeded and cut into chunks
• 2 honeynut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1-inch piece ginger, sliced
• 4–5 cups kombu + shiitake dashi (start with 4, add more to thin)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp miso (white or yellow)
• Salt to taste
• Optional: splash of coconut milk or cream for extra richness
• Optional: cilantro for a fresh garnish

Soup Method

1. In a donabe or heavy pot, warm 2 tbsp olive oil.
2. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté on medium until soft and fragrant, and the edges of the onions begin to brown slightly, 6–8 minutes.
3. Add the squash and sauté for about 7 minutes, mixing with the aromatics.
   You can use raw OR leftover roasted squash for even deeper flavor.
4. Pour in 4 cups dashi and bring to a gentle simmer.
5. Cover and cook until squash is completely tender, about 20 minutes.
6. Turn off heat and add the miso paste.
7. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth (or transfer to a blender if needed).
8. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper. Add more broth if you prefer a thinner consistency and blend again.
9. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chili crunch and cilantro.

Garlic–Chili Crunch

• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1” knob ginger, peeled
• 1 small dried chili (like árbol or Japanese) OR 2 tsp chili flakes (red pepper flakes or gochugaru)
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 2–3 tbsp neutral oil, like avocado oil (just enough to sizzle the aromatics)
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp honey

Garlic–Chili Crunch Method

1. In the mortar, pound the garlic and ginger with a pinch of salt until it becomes a paste.
2. Add chili and sesame seeds; lightly grind to release aroma but keep some texture.
3. Heat the neutral oil in a small pan until shimmering.
4. Pour the hot oil directly over the garlic–chili mixture in the mortar — it will sizzle and bloom the aromatics.
5. Stir in honey and a pinch of sea salt.

The Main Course: One-Pot Leeky Wild Rice & Chicken Soboro Donabe

Savory ground chicken, chewy wild rice with melted leeks, and wilted greens all cooked together in the donabe. Use the same garlic–chili crunch from the soup recipe to top off your rice bowl — it’s perfect all together.

Serves: 2–3

Ingredients

Rice Ingredients

• 1/2 cup wild blend rice, rinsed
• 1¼ cups kombu + shiitake dashi (or water or broth of choice)
• 1 leek, thinly sliced
• 1 knob ginger, minced
• Pinch of salt

Rice Method

1. Add wild rice, dashi/water, and a pinch of salt to your donabe.
2. Evenly scatter minced ginger and sliced leeks on top.
3. Cover with lid and turn heat to medium-high until bubbling, then reduce to medium-low for about 40 minutes.

Chicken Soboro Ingredients

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1” piece ginger, peeled
• 1 small garlic clove, peeled
• 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tbsp white miso paste
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp sake (or extra mirin)
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Chicken Method

1. In the mortar, add garlic, ginger, and a pinch of salt. Pound until it forms a paste, then add in the ground chicken.
2. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then add soy sauce, mirin, sake, honey, and miso paste. Mix to combine.
3. Heat a skillet over medium with about 1 tbsp olive or avocado oil.
4. Cook chicken, breaking it up as it cooks, about 8 minutes.
5. Drizzle in the toasted sesame oil and mix once more.

Greens + Garnishes

• 2 cups chopped spinach, kale, or chard
• 1–2 tsp sesame oil
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Sliced scallions
• Garlic–Chili Crunch (recipe above)

Bring it all together Method

1. Uncover the donabe and gently fluff the rice, mixing in the soft leeks and ginger.
2. Spoon cooked chicken mixture on top, then add the chopped greens.
3. Cover for about 3 minutes, letting the greens wilt.
4. Uncover, mix everything together, and garnish with all the fixings — scallions, more sesame oil, furikake, or just that garlic–chili crunch!

Dessert: Tea + Honey Poached Pears with Seedy Stovetop Granola & Mascarpone Whipped Cream

A cozy but light dessert — take advantage of pears bursting with sweetness, infused with tea and vanilla, topped with a nutty, seedy crunch and a cloud of mascarpone cream.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Poached Pears

• 4 ripe but firm pears (Bosc or Anjou), peeled
• 3 cups strong brewed tea (chamomile, earl grey, or whatever you love)
• 3–4 tbsp honey
• 1 vanilla bean, split (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
• Pinch of salt

Seedy Stovetop Granola

• 2 tbsp raw skinless almonds
• 2 tbsp walnuts
• 2 tbsp pecans
• 2 tbsp buckwheat groats
• 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp flax seeds
• 2 tbsp oats
• 1–2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp olive oil
• Pinch of flaky salt

Mascarpone Whipped Cream

• ½ cup heavy cream, cold
• ¼ cup mascarpone
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1–2 tsp sugar (just a touch - adjust to taste)

Method

1. Poach the pears

1. In a high sided pan or (donabe!), combine tea, honey, vanilla bean (scrape seeds into the liquid), and a pinch of salt. Warm over medium heat.
2. Add the pears bring just to a gentle simmer - no rapid boiling. Make sure the pears are at least 3/4 of the way covered with liquid.
3. Cover and cook until the pears are fork tender but not falling apart, about 15–20 minutes depending on ripeness.
4. Remove the pears and let the liquid simmer a few extra minutes to thicken slightly. Taste and adjust honey if needed.
5. Let pears cool slightly in their syrup.

2. Make the seedy stovetop granola

1. In the mortar, lightly crush almonds, walnuts, and pecans — keep some texture.
2. Add buckwheat, sunflower seeds, chia, flax, and oats. Crush just enough to break things up. Add maple syrup and olive oil directly in the mortar and stir all together.
3. Heat a skillet over medium heat.
4. Add seed mixture and toast until fragrant and golden, about 3–4 minutes.
5. Remove from heat, add a nice pinch of flaky salt, and toss once more. Remove from pan and let cool to crisp up.

3. Mascarpone whipped cream

1. In a small bowl, whip heavy cream to soft peaks.
2. Add mascarpone, sugar, and vanilla and whip with an electric mixer (whisk attachment) to medium peaks - thick but spoonable.

Assemble

• Place pears in shallow bowls. (You can half them or leave whole.)
• Spoon some of the warm tea–honey syrup over top.
• Sprinkle with seedy granola and add a generous dollop of mascarpone cream.

Serve warm or room temp - delightful either way!