Sweet Potato Latkes and Portobello Mushroom Gravy

It's amazing that dinner ever made it from concept to reality tonight.  I had too many concepts.

Sunday tends to be a bit of a clean out the refrigerator day in preparation for the Monday Shopping Trek.  I had a lot of choices and a lot of ideas today.  I have a single pie crust left from making the pumpkin pie the other night that would have gone great on my Mom's Steak Pie.  But I needed to use brussels sprouts.  And that yam.  And those last few mushrooms.

There is chicken in the freezer - and several varieties of sausage.  A pork tenderloin...

Leafing through the latest copy of Wegmans magazine, I saw a recipe for Apple Almond Yam Cakes.  A sweet potato latke by any other name...  That set the tone for dinner.  Sweet potatoes go great with brussels sprouts, and tri-tip roasts and mushroom gravy go with everything.

A dinner was born.

The tri-tip went into the oven at 425° along side the brussels sprouts.  I halved the sprouts, put them into a casserole dish with about a half-cup of chicken stock and just let 'em cook down.  About 5 minutes before they came out of the oven I added dried cranberries and pine nuts.

While the roast was resting, I made a pan gravy using the drippings, a handful of sliced baby bella mushrooms, a splash of brandy and a carton of condensed portobello mushroom soup.  Really.  Condensed soup.  Me.

It was something new and I thought I'd give it a try.  I have to admit that the last time I used condensed soups in anything was back in the '70s when I lived at Lake Tahoe.  I used to make a stuffed chicken breast dish with a champagne mushroom sauce for crowds (we always had crowds at that house!) but over the years just stopped using them.  Since Victor just said my gravy is better, I probably will continue to stop using them.

The sweet potato latkes were good.  Nice balance of potato with apple and onion.  I used sliced almonds as the recipe stated, but will use probably use slivered almonds next time I make them for a bit more pronounced crunch.  The recipe makes a dozen large potato cakes, so be forewarned.  We'll have a couple for breakfast tomorrow and more are going into the freezer.

Apple Almond Yam Cakes

  • 1 1/4 lbs yams, peeled, coarsely grated (about 7 cups)
  • 1 medium Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, coarsely grated
  • 4 oz Chopped Onions
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp Sour Cream
  • 4 large Eggs, lightly beaten
  • Salt and ground white pepper to taste
  • 1 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil

Directions:

  1. Combine yam, apple, and onion in a large mixing bowl. Add sour cream and eggs; season to taste with salt and white pepper. Stir to combine. Slowly fold in flour. Stir in almonds. Mix well. Form yam mixture into patties by scooping up portions with ice cream scoop (about 1/2 cup) and pressing firmly with hands. Set aside.
  2. Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high, 1-2 min, not allowing oil to reach smoking point. Reduce heat to medium.
  3. Add yam patties to pan (pan should hold 5 patties). Cook, 7-8 min until edges begin to brown. Gently turn patties over. Cook 5-6 min until browned and tender. Drain on double thickness of paper towels.
  4. Repeat with remaining yam patties, heating additional vegetable oil if necessary.

Can be made a few hours ahead and reheated in a 350 degree oven for 20 min.

It was an easy dinner to put together, but I did seen to dirty an awful lot of stuff.  Fortunately, we have a great system.  When I cook, Victor cleans and when Victor cooks, Victor cleans.

It really is a great system!


Pumpkin Cupcakes

Our sister-in-law Marie's birthday was Friday.  We've reached the point where we don't really celebrate them.  A phone call, a message on Facebook... Very 21st century.

But at the same time, a bit of real-time recognition is always nice.

Pumpkin Cupcakes seemed to fit the bill, today.

If we had baked a whole cake it would have been greeted with heartfelt thanks and a demand to take half of it back home with us.  Cupcakes were the perfect idea.

I decided we needed to be seasonal.  I had a pumpkin cake recipe I hadn't made in years and lots of homemade pumpkin butter.

As I was getting ingredients together, I realized we had no white sugar in the house!  Victor had used the last of it for the peanut butter cookies.  I had put it on the shopping list - but hadn't yet gone shopping.

I had plenty of brown sugar so I decided to make a substitution.  I've baked long enough to know when ingredients can be changed out and when they can't.  I had pretty much made up this recipe in the first place, so I felt comfortable making the change.

And it worked just fine - maybe even better.  They came out with a really nice pumpkin/spice flavor.

Pumpkin Cake

Cake:

  • 2 1/4 cups cake flour
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • 3/4 cup Pumpkin Butter
  • 1/3 cup vanilla yogurt
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs

Frosting

  • 8oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 stick butter, room temperature
  • 2 cups powdered sugar (or more)
  • 1/2 cup Pumpkin Butter

Make cake:

Preheat oven to 350°. Line cupcake pans with paper holders. Sift  flour and next 5 ingredients into medium bowl. Whisk pumpkin, yogurt, honey and vanilla in small bowl to blend. Using mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix dry ingredients into butter mixture alternately with pumpkin mixture.

Fill cupcake tins about 2/3 full. Bake about 25 minutes. Cool.

Make frosting:

Beat cream cheese and butter together.  Add pumpkin butter and mix well.  Add powdered sugar and mix until creamy.  Add more sugar, as necessary, to gain desired consistency.

I used large cupcake liners and got 20 cupcakes.  Using standard liners would net 24 cupcakes.

And look what Victor just brought home from Marie's!

She made us Caramel Apples!

There is no shortage of desserts tonight at our house!


Peanut Butter Cookies

I can't imagine what it would be like to be married to someone who never cooked.  Who never ventured into the kitchen except to get ice.  It's just so outside my realm of experience.

My mom cooked the majority of meals in our house growing up, but my father definitely did his share of the cooking, too.  He was a San Francisco Fireman.  He knew his way around a kitchen and didn't fear for his masculinity if he was seen at the grocery store or cooking for his family.  His veal cutlets and dirty potatoes were legendary.  And those Sunday morning eggs fried in bacon grease.....

::sigh::

Okay, so he wasn't always the most health-conscious of cooks.  He was definitely role model, though.  A really good role model.  I learned a lot from him.

Fast-forward a few years and imagine my joy walking into the house after work and seeing Victor in the kitchen making peanut butter cookies.  It's slightly chill outside, but the minute I walk into the house I'm enveloped in warmth and the smell of  baking peanut butter wafting through the house.

My stomach started smiling before I did - and I started smiling immediately!

By choice, I do most of the cooking at home.  I really do enjoy it.  But I also love it when Victor gets into the kitchen - especially when it's unexpected... like coming home to peanut butter cookies in the oven.  No matter what sort of day it has been, all is immediately right with the world.

Yes.  It is definitely great to share the cooking chores.  Especially when there are cookies involved!

His recipe was adapted from an old, battered copy of the Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1/2  cup  chunky peanut butter
  • 1/2  cup  butter, softened
  • 1/2  cup  granulated sugar
  • 1/2  cup  packed brown sugar
  • 3/4  tsp  baking soda
  • 1/4  tsp  salt
  • 1    egg
  • 1/2  tsp  vanilla
  • 1-1/4  cups  all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup peanuts

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl beat peanut butter and butter with electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour.  Add the peanuts.   Cover and refrigerate dough about 1 hour or until easy to handle.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Shape dough in 1-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten the cookies by making crisscross marks with fork tines, dipping fork in sugar between flattening each cookie. Bake about 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer to wire racks. Cool. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.


Pork Tenderloin and Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts.  The greatest little vegetable in the whole wide world.

Really.

I loved brussels sprouts back when the only way I ever saw them was from a frozen square box.  Even over-cooked and mushy they were great.

And then one day I found them fresh.  Brussels sprouts could actually have a crunch  when cooked!  What a revelation!  My love affair deepened.  I tried them any number of different ways.  And I liked them all.

Boiled, broiled, roasted, steamed, or fried... no matter how you do 'em, I'm there.  For years, I was hooked on brussels sprouts in a mustard sauce.  Then I went into a rut with balsamic vinegar.  Lately, I've been slicing them really thin and sauteing them.

Tonight, I cut two slices of bacon into matchsticks and fried the shredded/sliced brussels sprouts with the bacon - and a pinch of salt and pepper.  They were outrageously good.

For folks who aren't huge brussels sprouts fans, slicing/shredding the sprouts turns them into a much sweeter vegetable.  They lose a lot of that bitter cabbagy taste that many dislike.

And, of course, the fresher the better...

And speaking of fresh...  Did you know that brussels sprouts grow on stalks?!?   The picture above is about half the stalk I started with. With easily 3 1/2 pounds of sprouts on a stalk, it's a bit of a commitment for two people.  I may just blanch and freeze some.

And here's what a cup of Brussels Sprouts will give you:

Only 60 calories without anything on them.  Bacon does add calories and fat.  Go figure.

Nutrient

Amount

%  RDV

Nutrient Density

vitamin K 218.80 mcg 273.5 80.9
vitamin C 96.72 mg 161.2 47.7
folate 93.60 mcg 23.4 6.9
vitamin A 1121.64 IU 22.4 6.6
manganese 0.35 mg 17.5 5.2
dietary fiber 4.06 g 16.2 4.8
potassium 494.52 mg 14.1 4.2
vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) 0.28 mg 14 4.1
tryptophan 0.04 g 12.5 3.7
vitamin B1 (thiamin) 0.17 mg 11.3 3.4
omega 3 fatty acids 0.26 g 10.8 3.2
iron 1.87 mg 10.4 3.1
phosphorus 87.36 mg 8.7 2.6
protein 3.98 g 8 2.4
magnesium 31.20 mg 7.8 2.3
vitamin B2 (riboflavin) 0.12 mg 7.1 2.1
vitamin E 1.33 mg 6.7 2
copper 0.13 mg 6.5 1.9
calcium 56.16 mg 5.6 1.7

As for the rest of dinner...

I took a small pork tenderloin and cut it into six pieces.  I dipped them in an egg and then rolled them in chopped pecans.  Into a skillet they went and I browned one side, flipped them, browned the other a bit, and then put thye skillet into a hot oven for about 10 minutes.

Perfectly cooked.

The potato was a yellow sweet potato mixed with a bit of melted butter, brown sugar, and a pinch of allspice.  Into a hot oven for about 25 minutes.

No baseball tonight.  It's a travel day to Texas.

Maybe I'll get to bed at a decent hour, tonight.  But not before the peanut butter cookies Victor made for dessert.

More on those later.....


Baseball Food

 

Giants baseball.

Words I do have to admit I'm not used to saying in late October.  But I'm saying it loud right now!  Damn, this is fun!

We had season tickets to the Giants for years - from Candlestick to Pac Bell Park and loved going out to the games.

So now we're 3000 miles away, watching on TV - seeing our former season ticket seats on the telly - and wishing we were there in person to root on the home team.

But we aren't.

So...  next best thing is to make up some San Francisco Ball Park food for dinner.

And the perfect excuse to use our new french fry/appetizer holders from our friends Kate and Lori!

The Giants are famous for their Garlic Fries.  There is not a vampire around that ballpark for miles and miles.  And miles.  And what else says San Francisco Ball Park Food like the Stinking Rose's 40 Clove Garlic Chicken Sandwich?!?  I don't know the exact ballpark recipe, but I have the restaurant's recipe, so I adjusted it for putting between bread.

The Stinking Rose 40 Clove Garlic Chicken

You heard it right. 40 cloves! But don’t let that number scare you, because they add just the right amount of zest and aroma to make this one of The Stinking Rose’s most popular dishes!

  • 1 Tbsp. Butter
  • 2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2-3 lbs. Roasting Chicken, washed and cut into pieces
  • to taste Salt and Freshly Ground White Pepper
  • 4 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary
  • 1 Cup Flour
  • 40 Cloves Garlic, Peeled
  • 1 Cup Dry White Wine
  • 4 Cups Chicken Stock
  • 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

1. Heat butter and olive oil in a deep, heavy skillet.

2. Season the chicken with salt, pepper and rosemary. Toss in flour.

3. When the pan is hot, but not smoking, add the chicken, skin side down.

4. Sauté chicken until golden brown on both sides. Remove from pan.

5. Add garlic cloves and sauté until light brown.

6. Add white wine and chicken stock. Return chicken to pan.

7. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

8. Remove chicken and keep warm, turn heat to high and reduce liquid by 66%. Remove to blender, add cream and puree sauce. Adjust seasoning and serve over chicken.

I did it slightly different...

I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into strips.  I browned them, took them out of the pan, added the garlic, then chicken broth, cooked it down, added the cream, cooked it down, added the chicken, put it on rolls.  I didn't need to add the flour and didn't add any wine, either.  It was for a sandwich.

For the fries, I bought frozen garlic fries.  Cheating to a degree, I'll admit, but we don't really care for the garlic seasoning that comes with them, so I minced garlic, sauteed it with a bit of olive oil and when the fries were done, coated them with the homemade garlic.  It wasn't nearly as gooey, sticky, and smelly as the ball park version, but they worked.

And the fry holders worked really well, too!  They are also deceptively large!  You can fit a lot of fries in one of those cups.  They're a lot of fun!

So it's minutes away from the start of game 2 of the World Series.  Last time the Giants won a World Series was 1954.  I was only a few years old and they were still in New York.  They have never won as a San Francisco team.

This is their year!

Go Giants!


Arugula Ravioli

Once upon a time, I made a lot of Italian food.  I cooked in several Italian restaurants in my youth and know my way around the regional differences pretty well.  From Milan to Syracuse, the foods are varied and wonderful and can range from three ingredients to twenty-three ingredients, all blending together perfectly. It's a culinary wonderland.

And then I married an EyeTalian.

Well...  why would one cook Italian food when one has an Italian at home to cook Italian food for one?!?  I mean...  Mrs Dineen did not raise a stupid child!

Over the years I have happily given the Italian cooking reins to Victor.  Of course, that doesn't mean that I don't cook Italian, it just means I don't cook it as often as I once did.

Tonight was one of those  nights I decided to go for it!

Arugula and Cheese ravioli were the inspiration!  I am a huge fan of cooked arugula.  I think more people probably use it as a salad green, but it is better than spinach as a side vegetable.

Tonight, I made a pretty simple meat sauce of mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and a carrot all minced together in the food processor.  I sauteed it and then added a splash of marsala (no red wine in the house?!?)  and then some ground beef.  When it was all cooked, I added a can of crushed tomatoes and a sprinkling of salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning and let it all cook down.

I sauteed a bunch of fresh arugula in a splash of olive oil and added a bit of garlic and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

That went on the plate first, then the ragu, then the ravioli, then a bit more ragu and a bit of freshly-shredded parmesan stravecchio.

It's like riding a bike...

And, since I had the dough in the 'fridge already, I baked off a loaf of bread.

The presentation was a lot of fun and the bread properly crispy on the outside and firm but light on the inside.

Yeah... like riding a bike.

And now for baseball!


Steaks on the Barbie

The Midwest has been going through some of the worst weather in recorded history, the past 24 or so hours.  Howling winds, blinding rain, flight cancellations by the hundreds.  A total mess.  Here, outside of Valley Forge, it's a warmish 73°, kinda damp, dark, and looking like it would really like  to storm a bit.

Perfect barbecue weather.

I had picked up another tenderloin and, armed with a sharp knife, cut a couple of nice steaks.

I put some teeny tiny potatoes in the oven with a bit of olive oil and garlic, pulled some peas out of the freezer, and while I grilled, Victor cooked some onions.

Steak and onions.  It is just such a great flavor combination.  I don't even care what kind of onions they are - they all turn sweet in a skillet.

And speaking of sweet, there's pumpkin pie in the fridge for later on this evening...

And thunderstorms in the forecast.

Let it storm.  We have an old egg beater to whip cream if the power goes out.

Always prepared.


Perfect Pumpkin Pie

Perfect Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie. One of my all-time favorite breakfasts. Ah... er... I mean... desserts. With whipped cream, of course.

Victor actually prefers his pie without cream. I don't get it. I am of the opinion that the pie is merely a vehicle to bring the whipped cream to the mouth.

But it's a win-win for me. I get all the whipped cream!

I've been making this particular pie for a while. Secret ingredient is a 1/4 cup of maple syrup. It really adds a subtle flavor. I like.

And the pie crust is homemade, of course. This is enough for two crusts.

Crust:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/3 cup pastry/cake flour
  • 2 sticks butter, frozen
  • pinch salt
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 cup ice water

Using a food processor, add flours, salt, and sugar. Pulse to mix.

Chop up frozen butter and add. Pulse until butter is incorporated and mixture looks grainy.

Slowly add ice water and pulse until mixed.

Turn out onto counter. Press and form mixture into two disks . Wrap in plastic and refrigerate about an hour to allow the flour to properly absorb the water and to relax the gluten.

Roll out crust and place in pie plate. Crimp edges and fill.

The filling can be made with a can of pumpkin, but it really is better with fresh.

Pumpkin Pie Filling

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree (or 1 15 oz can)
  • 1 can (12 fl. oz.) evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 425°. Beat eggs, sugar, maple syrup, and spices in large bowl. Add pumpkin amd mix well. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

Pour into pie shell. Bake at 425° F. for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F.; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Top with whipped cream before serving.

It is so easy to make and so good you may just be tempted to have some for breakfast!


Linguine con Asparagi

I know I keep saying this every week, but OMG!  This was fantastic!  It's hard to believe that week-after-week-after-week, the meals just keep getting better.

This has been one of the most wonderful culinary adventures I have ever had the pleasure to partake of.  Pastas of every imaginable style in every imaginable sauce.  This is gastronomic heaven on earth.

Tonight's feast was another simply-prepared with simple ingredients found in most any home.  Nothing exotic.  Nothing hard to find.

The beauty of most of these recipes has been just that - locally-available ingredients.  Granted, guanciale is not going to be something one finds easily, but pancetta can be used as a substitute - and that can be found almost anywhere.

The goal of this endeavor has been to recreate the recipes exactly as written.  That has not been easy, as both of us are instinctive cooks - adding a bit of this or a bit of that and making a recipe our own along the way.  It's actually difficult at times to read a recipe and know that a certain ingredient would compliment the dish - and not use it.  But...

Victor chose linguine tonight, but any pasta would work - especially a broad noodle such as papardelle or tagliatelle.

Linguine con Asperagi

Ingredients

  • Fine sea salt
  • 1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed
  • 1 large shallot, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2/3 cup heavy cream
  • 14 ounces linguine
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, cut 1½ inches of asparagus tips from stalks. Steam tips for 3 minutes, then cut in half lengthwise. Cut stalks crosswise into ¼-inch rounds.

In a medium saucepan, combine asparagus rounds, shallot and butter; cook over medium heat until butter is melted, then add 1/2 cup water, bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes.

Add cream, bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt. Transfer pan contents to a blender and purée until smooth.

Add pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente (about 3 minutes for fresh pasta). Reserving ¼ cup pasta cooking liquid, drain pasta and transfer to a large bowl.

Pour purée into a skillet; bring to a boil. Add asparagus tips, cheese and parsley; return to a boil, then add to bowl with pasta and toss to combine. Adjust seasoning and moisten with a little pasta cooking liquid, if desired.

Serve immediately.

I tasted every ingredient.  The asparagus added a fresh flavor with just the right crunch.  The cream and cheese added a richness that worked perfectly.  The linguine held the sauce perfectly.

Victor has now made 14 of the 20 pasta recipes in the magazine.  I need a plan for when he hits recipe 20.

This can't end.


Pumpkin Butter

4 pints of deliciousness!

I know that I can buy pumpkin butter at the store.  I can buy canned pumpkin at the store, too.  And canned, packaged, and/or prepared just about anything else.

But buying something pre-made is just not the same as making it myself.  Yes, it is easier to open up a jar.  To me, it's not nearly as rewarding.  There is something mystical and magical about cooking.  About blending flavors.  About taking something and making it different.  About watching eyes light up and smiles on faces as people see and try different foods.

Pumpkin.

Most people know it as something that comes out of a can that says Libby Libby Libby on the label label label. Or as a frozen Mrs Smiths pie. Or carved into a jack o'lantern on halloween.

I don't think a lot of people even know what to do with a pumpkin other than carve it or use it as a fall centerpiece on a dining table that never gets used.

It's too bad, because besides tasting great, pumpkins are actually good for you, too.  It's low-calorie, high in beta carotene, potassium, fat-free, sodium-free... And really versatile.

From soups and stews to pies and flan, salad dressings to a sauce for meatballs, sweet or savory, it can go with just about anything.

My Uncle Dick - half Irish and half-Mexican - made a Jalapeño Pumpkin Soup that was outstanding.  I made a pie last night.

And Pumpkin Butter, today.

I have to admit I had no intention of making pumpkin butter, today, but I was perusing David Lebovitz' blog and followed a link to Hedonia and that became my inspiration.  Two guys in San Francisco cooking?  Sounds like Victor and me before we moved east.

The fun guys at Hedonia got their inspiration from About.com.

The only difference was About.com called for "pumpkin pie spice" and Hedonia made his own blend.  As did I.

This is the recipe I used:

Pumpkin Butter

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups cooked and pureed pumpkin
  • 1 (1.75-ounce) package powdered pectin
  • 4-1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1/2 tsp cloves
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter

Preparation:
Place pumpkin in a heavy kettle. Stir in pectin. Place over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar, spices, and butter. Continue stirring and bring to a full rolling boil. Boil hard exactly 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir 5 minutes.

Ladle jam into 1/2 pint hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Adjust caps according to manufacture's directions. Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath. After cooling, check seals.

Yield: 6 (1/2-pint) jars.

Boil hard exactly 4 minutes.
Stir for 5 minutes.

I did get slightly more than what the recipe called for, but I probably used a bit more pumpkin. (You know me and measuring...)  It still came out great.

Love it!

**Update

Just got an email from Sean at Hedonia...  He says:

Since making this, I've learned that the USDA does not recommend home canning of pumpkin puree by any method. Pumpkin is a low-acid food, and the puree is very dense, so even pressure canning can potentially not heat the product sufficiently to kill botulism spores. This can be frozen, to great effect, however.

Lamb Chops, Pears, and Potato Risotto

When our friends Ann and Julie were in Paris a few weeks ago, Ann sent me an email describing a potato dish she had had for dinner one night... a creamy pureed potato with chunks of potato.  She raved about it!  I don't mind living vicariously through anothers culinary adventures thousands of miles away.  Really.   I was extremely only slightly jealous as she was describing the dish... I thought it sounded close enough to a potato risotto that I just made a potato risotto!  At the risk of sounding like I'm bragging (and of course, I am!)  the dish came out fantastic!

I am reasonably certain it's nothing like Ann's Parisian Potatoes (I added cheese and didn't top with almonds, for one...) but it's something that will be going into the winter rotation at our house!  Yumlicious!!!

Potato Risotto

  • 2 cups 1/4" cubed potatoes
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Saute onion in butter in small frying pan.  Add potatoes and mix well with onions.  Add about 1 cup broth and bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of broth is absorbed.  Add another half-cup and continue cooking until potatoes are tender.  Add a bit more broth as needed to keep potatoes moist.  You do not want them to dry out.

When potatoes are fairly tender, add cream and continue cooking until sauce thickens a bit.  Stir in cheese.

These were definitely a hit.  A bit of a stove-top take on scalloped potatoes.

The lamb was an impulse-buy at the grocers today.  It just looked good.

I marinated the chops in olive oil, garlic, and rosemary, and quickly browned them in a hot skillet.  I took them out and added about a half-cup of fresh apple juice and let that cook down for a minute.  I then added 1 red pear that I had peeled and cut up.

When they were hot-through, I drizzled on some balsamic vinegar and then cooked it all down to a saucy consistency.

I'm now in a fall-cooking mindset and the weather is supposed to be mid-to-high 70's most of the week.

We need another good BBQ.  Maybe Tuesday.

We have Pasta Monday tomorrow!


Fairytale Pumpkin

I decided today was the day to address the fairytale pumpkin I bought last month.

One of the great things about big ol' squash like this is they can sit around and look pretty for weeks before you have to do anything with or to them!

Fairytale pumpkins are some of the best-eating pumpkins around.

They're deeply ridged with a bright orange flesh that just screams to be roasted, pureed, and made into soups, stews, and pies!

I quartered this particular beast and placed it on two sheet pans and put them into 350° ovens.

I didn't put anything on them at all, nor did I cover them.  They roasted for about an hour and a half.

When a skewer went in and out with no problem, they were done.

I scraped the flesh into the food processor and made a lot of puree.

A LOT of puree.  Probably about 20 cups or so.  Enough for about a dozen pies.

It's all nicely portioned.  The two-cup measure is for a possible pie tonight.  The rest will go into the refrigerator and freezer.

It's a lot of pumpkin for $7.99.