We received a lovely pumpkin from the in-laws' garden and I was puzzled about what to do with it. Fortunately, I'd gotten Mario Batali's cookbook out of the library, and I found a great solution. The idea is as simple as can be: sweet and sour and spicy. It's a dish that could be from many places in the world, and the idea is as old as can be. This will make enough for dinner tonight, and for the potluck tomorrow:
1 medium-sized pie pumpkin (about 10-12 inches in diameter), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 c. olive oil
8 small cloves garlic, minced
3-4 tsp. red pepper flakes
3/4 c. honey
3/4 c. vinegar
1 tsp. salt
3 T. water or broth
Heat the oil until shimmering. Saute the pumpkin 4-5 minutes, until well-coated. Add the garlic and red pepper and let saute a minute or two. Add the honey and vinegar and salt. Stir for a few minutes. Add water as necessary. Let simmer 10-12 minutes, until pumpkin is soft.
Serve as a side dish or with pasta.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Dad's Hungarian Goulash
My friends gave me a big jar of Paprika so I made this:
Dad's Hungarian Goulash
Ingredients
2 lb. beef, cubed (The beef can be fairly low quality because it will be slow cooked in moist heat.)
4 med. onion, coarsely chopped
3 Tablespoons paprika (regular paprika will do but hot paprika is more authentically Hungarian)
Salt & pepper to taste
Oil
Instructions
Spread a little oil on the bottom of a heavy stew pot.
Brown the beef on all sides.
Cover the bottom of the pot with the onions.
Put the cubed beef on top of the onions.
Sprinkle on the spices.
Cover and cook on low (If you cook it too hot the meat will harden.).
Stir occasionally. Don't take the lid off very often, all the sauce comes from the onions dissolving.
While the meat is cooking, cook the Spätzle, Knopfli or egg noodles.
When the meat is cooked stir in the noodles and let sit for 5 min, then serve.
Theory of the Dish
The secret is onions 2 cups or more (more is better). The liquid could be supplied by the onions alone in which event the quantity of onions should be large – three or four cups, at least – or by a broth made by simmering beef in water for a few hours. Good Hungarian paprika. 1 - 2 lbs beef floured and browned on all sides. Save the remains from the browning and add in the finely chopped onions and sauté. Add the beef and simmer until the beef is tender, even flaky. Add a teaspoon (or more of vinegar). Serve while still hot with home made Spätzle, or prepared egg noodles
Keeps well and is even better a few days later.
Spätzle
Ingredients
2-3 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
water
Instructions
Mix the eggs, flour, and salt in a mixing bowl and add the water to get the right consistency.
Allow the mixed dough to rest for twenty minutes or so before placing in the spätzle machine or slicing them from the spätzle board.
Press through the machine or slice from the board into boiling water and remove the noodles when they float to the surface.
Serve warm with sauce – even with butter and perhaps a bit of parsley or onions.
Theory of the Dish
This is a basic recipe for noodles of all kinds but spätzle is a traditional Swabian dish. For spätzle stir everything together (in a mixer of the mixer is strong enough for the mixing), add water to get the right consistency – so that it will pass through the spätzle machine or slide easily from the spätzle board.
If you make them more dumpling shaped they are called "Knopfli". Spätzle means "little sparrows". Knopfli means "little buttons".
Dad's Hungarian Goulash
Ingredients
2 lb. beef, cubed (The beef can be fairly low quality because it will be slow cooked in moist heat.)
4 med. onion, coarsely chopped
3 Tablespoons paprika (regular paprika will do but hot paprika is more authentically Hungarian)
Salt & pepper to taste
Oil
Instructions
Spread a little oil on the bottom of a heavy stew pot.
Brown the beef on all sides.
Cover the bottom of the pot with the onions.
Put the cubed beef on top of the onions.
Sprinkle on the spices.
Cover and cook on low (If you cook it too hot the meat will harden.).
Stir occasionally. Don't take the lid off very often, all the sauce comes from the onions dissolving.
While the meat is cooking, cook the Spätzle, Knopfli or egg noodles.
When the meat is cooked stir in the noodles and let sit for 5 min, then serve.
Theory of the Dish
The secret is onions 2 cups or more (more is better). The liquid could be supplied by the onions alone in which event the quantity of onions should be large – three or four cups, at least – or by a broth made by simmering beef in water for a few hours. Good Hungarian paprika. 1 - 2 lbs beef floured and browned on all sides. Save the remains from the browning and add in the finely chopped onions and sauté. Add the beef and simmer until the beef is tender, even flaky. Add a teaspoon (or more of vinegar). Serve while still hot with home made Spätzle, or prepared egg noodles
Keeps well and is even better a few days later.
Spätzle
Ingredients
2-3 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
water
Instructions
Mix the eggs, flour, and salt in a mixing bowl and add the water to get the right consistency.
Allow the mixed dough to rest for twenty minutes or so before placing in the spätzle machine or slicing them from the spätzle board.
Press through the machine or slice from the board into boiling water and remove the noodles when they float to the surface.
Serve warm with sauce – even with butter and perhaps a bit of parsley or onions.
Theory of the Dish
This is a basic recipe for noodles of all kinds but spätzle is a traditional Swabian dish. For spätzle stir everything together (in a mixer of the mixer is strong enough for the mixing), add water to get the right consistency – so that it will pass through the spätzle machine or slide easily from the spätzle board.
If you make them more dumpling shaped they are called "Knopfli". Spätzle means "little sparrows". Knopfli means "little buttons".
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Summer Squash Soup
I let my enthusiasm carry me away at the farmers market, so we have more squash than we need. Tonight I made squash soup, which is fairly simple, but tasty:
2 T. olive oil
1/2 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. cumin
2 lbs. summer squash, cut into dice
1 small onion, minced
2-3 small cloves garlic, minced
1/2 serrano or one whole (small) jalapeño pepper, chopped fine
1 small red or yellow pepper or a carrot, minced
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 T. sour cream
salt and pepper
chopped herbs (cilantro, basil, or parsley) for garnish
Sauté the onions in the oil, add the spices and cook one minute, then add the garlic and peppers and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Add the diced squash and let that cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the broth. Cover and let simmer until the squash and peppers are soft. Then purée the soup in a blender with the sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. I like this soup a little spicy, so I also put in red pepper flakes, and you could add other garnishes like crumbled feta or cooked corn.
2 T. olive oil
1/2 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. cumin
2 lbs. summer squash, cut into dice
1 small onion, minced
2-3 small cloves garlic, minced
1/2 serrano or one whole (small) jalapeño pepper, chopped fine
1 small red or yellow pepper or a carrot, minced
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 T. sour cream
salt and pepper
chopped herbs (cilantro, basil, or parsley) for garnish
Sauté the onions in the oil, add the spices and cook one minute, then add the garlic and peppers and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Add the diced squash and let that cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the broth. Cover and let simmer until the squash and peppers are soft. Then purée the soup in a blender with the sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. I like this soup a little spicy, so I also put in red pepper flakes, and you could add other garnishes like crumbled feta or cooked corn.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Chicken Satay
I love Chicken Satay! Today I tried making it following my own recipe. Recipe testing is an important step in the cook book making process. Although it is better if someone else tests the recipe. But I think I just followed the instructions, this time. It's very yummy.
Ingredients
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp paprika
3 cloves of fresh garlic, sliced
1 onion diced
4 silver dollar sized slices of ginger
1 Tbsp ginger flavored sherry
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp tamari (Soy Sauce)
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 cup uncooked rice (cooked)
vegetable oil
3/4 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
1 (15 oz) can coconut milk
salt
Instructions
Slice the chicken into bite sized pieces and put them in a ziplock bag. Add everything except the rice, oil, peanut butter, coconut milk, and salt. Marinate the chicken overnight, or for at least 2 hours.
Cook the rice.
You can put the chicken on skewers and broil it or sauté the chicken in small batches in a little bit of vegetable oil.
When all the chicken is cooked throw out the ginger and cook the rest of the marinade, garlic, and onion. Add the peanut butter, coconut milk, and salt and simmer until it is a good consistency.
Mix the cooked chicken into the gravy and serve it over the rice.
Ingredients
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp paprika
3 cloves of fresh garlic, sliced
1 onion diced
4 silver dollar sized slices of ginger
1 Tbsp ginger flavored sherry
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp tamari (Soy Sauce)
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 cup uncooked rice (cooked)
vegetable oil
3/4 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
1 (15 oz) can coconut milk
salt
Instructions
Slice the chicken into bite sized pieces and put them in a ziplock bag. Add everything except the rice, oil, peanut butter, coconut milk, and salt. Marinate the chicken overnight, or for at least 2 hours.
Cook the rice.
You can put the chicken on skewers and broil it or sauté the chicken in small batches in a little bit of vegetable oil.
When all the chicken is cooked throw out the ginger and cook the rest of the marinade, garlic, and onion. Add the peanut butter, coconut milk, and salt and simmer until it is a good consistency.
Mix the cooked chicken into the gravy and serve it over the rice.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Firnee
"Revenge is sweet" and "Revenge is a dish best served cold"
The second is a Pashtun saying.
There is a cold sweet Pashtun dessert called Firnee. So revenge is Firnee.
Ingredients
2 cups Whole Milk
1 cup Sugar
4 tablespoons Corn Starch
1 tsp. Cardamom
Pistachios
1 capful Rose water
The second is a Pashtun saying.
There is a cold sweet Pashtun dessert called Firnee. So revenge is Firnee.
Ingredients
2 cups Whole Milk
1 cup Sugar
4 tablespoons Corn Starch
1 tsp. Cardamom
Pistachios
1 capful Rose water
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Green Bean Salad
At the farmers markets, green beans appear regularly now. You don't need to do much with fresh green beans, but we've been eating a lot of them, so I thought it was time for a little something different. For this recipe, the key is to add one subtle flavor plus a dramatic one:
Steam the green beans until just tender. If you want this as a cold salad, put the beans in ice water, but the salad is also good warm or at room temperature.
Dressing:
This is just a mustard vinaigrette, but ideally, you should use nut oil. Someone gave us walnut oil as a present, and we've discovered all kinds of delicious uses for it:
1 1/2 T. olive oil
1 1/2 T. walnut oil
1 tsp. coarse mustard
1 T. vinegar (preferably sherry vinegar)
pinch of sugar
salt & pepper
Whisk the dressing until well combined. Toss with the beans.
Steam the green beans until just tender. If you want this as a cold salad, put the beans in ice water, but the salad is also good warm or at room temperature.
Dressing:
This is just a mustard vinaigrette, but ideally, you should use nut oil. Someone gave us walnut oil as a present, and we've discovered all kinds of delicious uses for it:
1 1/2 T. olive oil
1 1/2 T. walnut oil
1 tsp. coarse mustard
1 T. vinegar (preferably sherry vinegar)
pinch of sugar
salt & pepper
Whisk the dressing until well combined. Toss with the beans.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Cooking Day
I bought some bulk meats yesterday so I'm cooking today.
I bought two bulk packs of ground beef. That will go into 1lb ziplock bags in the freezer.
Tops has split chicken breasts for $.99/lb. I would prefer boneless skinless but the price was so good. I skinned and boned half of them. They are in the freezer now. The other half are simmering on the stove. I plan on making up two batches of chicken broth, with meat, that I can use with those Jamaican soup mixes I bought. The rest of the cooked chicken I will marinade and eat as cold chicken salads. (1/4 Vinegar, 2Tbsp Sugar, 1/8 c Soy Sauce, 1tsp Ginger, 1tsp Sesame Oil)
I bought two bulk packs of ground beef. That will go into 1lb ziplock bags in the freezer.
Tops has split chicken breasts for $.99/lb. I would prefer boneless skinless but the price was so good. I skinned and boned half of them. They are in the freezer now. The other half are simmering on the stove. I plan on making up two batches of chicken broth, with meat, that I can use with those Jamaican soup mixes I bought. The rest of the cooked chicken I will marinade and eat as cold chicken salads. (1/4 Vinegar, 2Tbsp Sugar, 1/8 c Soy Sauce, 1tsp Ginger, 1tsp Sesame Oil)
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