Belly of the Beest

Zucchini and Corn Salad

Welcome to summer! It is officially the hottest day of the year in Chicago since 1999!  I’m never a huge fan of crazy hot weather and now that I’m 7 months pregnant 100 degree temps and 110 heat indexes make me melt and swell at the same time. I feel like Veruca Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate factory, but at least I haven’t turned blue!

While I have been complaining about the heat, the summer veggies seem to be rejoicing in it.  This salad celebrates two of the best summer vegetables: Zucchini and sweet corn! For extra protein you can add some feta cheese and pine nuts (if you can find some that aren’t too pricey!) If you don’t want to go that extra mile, no problem, it is delicious as is.

This is a nice side salad that would go well with tacos or other Mexican food. Here is the recipe!

Warm Zucchini Corn Salad

4 Servings/1 pt. ea. (about 2/3 C)

1 1/2 cups whole kernel corn, boiled and cut from the cob.
2 1/2 cups diced or shredded zucchini
2 T green onion, chopped
1 t. olive oil
1 T lime juice
1/8 t. freshly ground pepper
1/2 t. salt
4 T fresh cilantro, chopped

Toss corn, zucchini and green onions with olive oil. Pour into large skillet, and cook, stirring frequently, until zucchini is fork-tender. Remove skillet from heat, and mix in lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper.
 

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The Biscuits!

So Chicago and most of the country was hit with a crazy storm last night and it continued well into the day today. Since the snow was making it almost impossible to get around the city unless you take the trains, the restaurants where I was supposed to shoot canceled. I was disappointed, but then I had a snow day! What do I do on snow days? Sleep in, have an awesome breakfast, bake and play outside of course! These fluffy warm biscuits are the perfect food for a day like this. The baking warms up the house and they keep you from getting too hungry between rounds of shoveling!

Our backyard this morning at about 9:30.

Snow!

Nick had to walk home last night during the peak hours of the blizzard so I made him a ‘Hero’s Breakfast’ for making it home in one piece. The breakfast was scrambled eggs with spinach, onions and cheese AND a puffy pancake with apples. After such a big breakfast we had to do something to earn our next treat so we ran, more like stumbled, through the snow banks and took some pictures of the deep snow. When we got back for lunch I made Cream Biscuits! These little guys should be made at least once a month. They are so delicious and pretty easy! My only complaint is the dough was really sticky, I think next time I will add a tiny bit more flour so half the dough doesn’t end up on my hands. Anyway, here is the recipe!

Here is what you need:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 ½ tsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

¾ tsp kosher salt

1 ½ c heavy cream (divided)

parchment paper

8×8 pan

Preheat the oven to 425 and line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper that goes across the bottom and up the sides of the pan.

Then mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and slowly add the cream. The original recipe says to withhold ¼ c of the cream to use to get the dry bits on the bottom. I tried this and I deem it a stupid suggestion. Use the whole amount of cream whisk well and there won’t be dry crumbs on the bottom of the bowl and the dough won’t be so damn sticky when you turn it out onto a floured surface.

So you dump the dough on the floured counter and knead it briefly (about 30 seconds) and then plop the whole thing into the 8×8 pan. Flatten with a well-floured hand and then cut into biscuit sized pieces.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the tops are golden.

Nick said, “These biscuits remind me of the ones they serve at Sweet Maple.” I can’t think of a better compliment! They taste amazing plain, with a little jelly, or you can add some herbs or cheese if you want to get fancy. The recipe suggests the dough can handle as much as 1 cup of cheese (!) The original recipe came from The Kitchen.

Enjoy the snow Chicago! It will be around for a long time and safe travels to those trying to escape our fair city!

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Yes, yes, the World Cup was a long time ago, but I am just posting about it now. Nick, Kathy, Martin and I watched the final together and say what you will about the final itself (I think it was boring and awful) the food we ate while we watched was fantastic.

I tried to follow the loose theme of tapas since the finals pitted Spain against the Netherlands. For starters we had roasted herbed almonds and olives, stuffed cucumber and baked goat cheese with tomato sauce. For dessert we had a Dutch spice cookie. The recipes can be found if you follow the links.

I am posting this now because it seems like these dishes would be good to have on hand for a New Year’s Eve party. I particularly recommend the almonds since these can be made ahead and eaten at room temperature. Anyway, enjoy! These recipes were delicious!

Dutch Spice Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 cup sliced almonds
In large mixing bowl combine butter and vanilla with both sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Add beaten eggs and blend well. Sift the flour and all remaining dry ingredients together and beat into the butter mixture. Mix in the sliced almonds by hand, so as not to crush them. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and chill overnight.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll the cooled dough into 1/4-inch thick portions and cut with cookie cutters or shape with a special speculaasmold or other cookie mold . Bake for 10-15 minutes and store in an airtight container.

Makes 36 cookies

Click here for the cucumber recipe. But I would double the spices.

Click here for the herb roasted almonds. I had to use slivered almonds, but I think now because of the holidays you can get whole blanched almonds.

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Olive Oil Zucchini Bread

Over the summer we, like anyone with access to a garden, had way too many zucchinis. You can make the usual suspects, but after awhile I just get tired of zucchini. So this year, I shredded the zucchini and froze it. So far I have used it in soup and I have made some baked goods out of it. I wanted to mention this bread now because it is savory. Around Christmas all the recipes you see for baked goods are sweet and this is a refreshing change from all the sugar.  I think it would a great bread for Christmas morning, a brunch or for lunch with a big salad.

The original recipe was way, way too salty because it calls for olives and salt. I omitted the salt the second time around and it was fine.  Here is the recipe if you feel like having a little quick-bread this season!

Zucchini and Olive Breakfast Cake, French-Style
Makes 9×5 inch 1 loaf

1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for greasing the pan and drizzling
1/2 pound zucchini,
1 teaspoon salt
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 large eggs
1/3 cup milk
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan with olive oil. Grate the zucchini on the coarsest side of a box grater. Place the zucchini in a colander in the sink, and toss with 1 teaspoon of salt. Let drain while preparing the rest of the recipe.

In a large bowl, whisk the minced garlic with the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. In a separate, medium bowl, lightly whisk the eggs, then whisk in the milk and olive oil. Use a rubber spatula to fold the wet ingredients into the dry until barely mixed. Fold in the crumbled goat cheese and the sliced olives.

Press firmly on the zucchini in the colander, pressing out as much water as possible. Quickly fold the zucchini into the batter.

Spread the batter in the prepared loaf pan, and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Bake loaf for about 45 minutes, or until golden and a knife inserted in center comes out with a few crumbs attached.

Transfer to a rack to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Run a knife around edge to release. Turn out loaf onto rack to firm up before slicing, about 30 minutes; using a serrated knife, cut into 3/8-inch slices, then cut into halves or quarters.

Adapted from The New York Times.

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The chocolate Party was wildly successful! I will keep the writing brief and get straight to the photos and the recipes! The next theme is “green” and no food coloring is allowed! Enjoy the chocolate recipes! Oh, and these recipes are written in the voice of those who prepared them, so if you want one of the recipes to be more specific, leave a comment and it will be provided.

Whoopie Pies Gourmet | January 2003 (Beth and Nick made these)

For cakes

2 cups all-purpose flour

½  cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (generous)

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup well-shaken buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 large egg

For filling 1

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar

2 cups marshmallow cream such as Marshmallow Fluff

1 teaspoon vanilla

or

For Filling 2

7 Minute Frosting –Makes about 8 cups

1 ½ cups sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

6 large egg white

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Make cakes:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a bowl until combined.

Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a small bowl.

Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and

fluffy, about 3 minutes in a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a handheld, then add egg, beating until combined

well.

Reduce speed to low and alternately mix in flour mixture and buttermilk in batches, beginning and ending with

flour, scraping down side of bowl occasionally, and mixing until smooth.

Spoon 1/4-cup mounds of batter about 2 inches apart onto 2 buttered large baking sheets.

Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until tops are

puffed and cakes spring back when touched, 11 to 13 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack to cool

completely.

Make filling:

Beat together butter, confectioners sugar, marshmallow, and vanilla in a bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Make Filling 2

In the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a saucepan of simmering water, combine sugar, corn syrup, 1/4 cup water, and egg whites. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 minutes. Then attach bowl to a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat mixture on high speed until glossy and voluminous, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Use immediately.

Then pick two pieces that are about the same size, add a dollop of frosting to one piece and then press the second piece into the frosting. Enjoy!

Basil, Brie and Chocolate Crostini (Beth and Nick)

Ingredients: french bread

about 1/3- 1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

your favorite type of Brie

fresh basil.

When you put it all together it is sort of guess work, but we found that if you make the chocolate layer too thick, you can’t taste the other stuff.

To put them all together: toast the little slices of bread, while warm, coat with a thin layer of the chocolate, followed by a thin-ish slice of brie, finally add a couple small pieces of fresh basil. The end.

FUDGE (made by Sam Hutson)

ingredients:
light cream, 1 + 2/3 cups
butter, 1 stick
Domino sugar, 1 assload
24 oz semisweet chocolate chips
12 oz 1/2 milk chocolate/ 1/2 peanut butter chips
fire

1. combine cream + sugar in heavy saucepan
2. add fire
3. stir constantly until boiling, continue stirring 5 min.
4. remove from heat, add butter + chocolate
5. agitate until fudge present
6. scoop vigorously into fudge receptacle
7. let cool to room temp, refrigerate
8. bring to party and offer to guests
9. take most of fudge home with you
10. enjoy!

Goat Cheese Enchiladas w/ Corn and Red Mole (made by Kathy and Martin)

1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tbsp corn or olive oil
1 white onion, finely diced
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 and 1/2 cups corn kernels
1 and 1/2 cups grated Jack or Muenster
2 cups soft goat cheese (or you can substitute other cheeses for this)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt and white pepper (black will work too)
1 cup vegetable oil for frying
12 corn tortillas
Red Chile Mole (recipe below)
1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream, for topping

Cover the raisins w/ warm water and set aside (if you’re using dried peppers in the mole instead of chili powder, then you want to rehydrate those then, too). Brown the pine nuts in a medium dry skillet, then remove. Add the oil to the same skillet and cook the onion w/ the garlic over medium heat to soften, about 3 minutes, then add the corn and cook for 1 minute more. Drain the raisins and put them in a bowl w/ the pine nuts, onion-corn mixture, and 1 cup of the Jack, the goat cheese, and cilantro. Mix everything together well, and season w/ salt and a little white pepper.

Fry the tortillas, then fill them w/ the mixture and roll them up (seams all facing down) to put in the ungreased 9 x 13 pan to bake. Make the mole. WHen ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Sauce the ‘ladas and strew the remaining cheese over the top. Bake until heated through, abotu 20 minutes. Serve w/ the creme fraiche or sour cream over the tops.

Red Chile Mole

1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1 1/4 tsp EACH anise seeds, cumin, and dried Mexican oregano
2 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 tsp minced garlic
1/3 cup ground mild red chile (we use dried chilies, either pasilla or ancho, enough to equal 1/3 cup–rehydrate when rehydrating the raisins above, but before you do that SEED them by taking out all the seeds)
1 ounce Mexican chocolate, such as Ibarra, coarsely chopped
Salt
1 tsp sherry vinegar

Toast the seeds and oregano in a dry skillet, then remove to a plate as soon as they smell fragrant. Grind in a mortar or spice grinder.

Heat the oil in a 2-quart saucepan and add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 4 minute, or until it’s brown on the edges, then add the garlic and the ground spices and cook for one minute more. Remove from the heat, let the pan cool for a minute, put it in the blender with the chiles and w/ 1 1/2 cups of water (we use vegetable stock here instead and it makes it more flavorful). Blend it all up. Add the chocolate and blend it in too. Return to the stove and bring to a boil, stirring slowly but constantly so that the chile doesn’t burn. It will thicken as it cooks, so plan to add nother 1/4 cup water (or stock) or more to thin it out a little. Simmer for 10 minutes, then stir in the vinegar to bring all the flavors together. Taste and add salt if needed.

Black-Sugar-Glazed Medjool Dates with Pecorino and Walnuts (from the New York Times, made by Kathy and Martin)

2 tablespoons black sugar (dark muscovado)

1 teaspoon molasses

1/4 teaspoon cocoa powder

1 teaspoon fennel seed, toasted until fragrant and lightly crushed Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Pinch of sea salt

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar

For the dates:

6 medjool dates, cut lengthwise in half and pitted

4 ounces aged pecorino, shaved with a vegetable peeler

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

Walnut oil, for sprinkling

Lightly cracked black pepper.

1. Arrange an oven rack in the top third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. To prepare the glaze, combine 3 tablespoons water, the sugar, molasses, cocoa, fennel seed, two to three grinds of pepper and salt in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally. Add the vinegar and simmer until just thickened, about 5 minutes. Reserve until ready to use, or refrigerate for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

2. Place the date halves, cut side up, on a small baking sheet or casserole dish. Lay 6 slices of pecorino on top of each. Sprinkle the walnuts, a few drops of walnut oil and a few cracks of pepper over each date. Bake until the cheese has just started to melt, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the dates to a serving platter. Drizzle with the black-sugar glaze and serve immediately. Makes 12 date halves.

recipe for choco banana bread – (as sung by kz) She also wanted to add this: The trick with the choco banana bread is you have to be a little bananas in the brain-as to pull it off right. And it helps if you sing the below song as you mix it all togetha.

Chocolate Banana Bread (made by Chris  and Kristi) for a more precious recipe please click here and add about 1/2 c or more chocolate chips)

First you take the suga and you mix it with the flowa

Then you beat the eggs my frieeeeennnnd.

Then you mix the eggs and bananas and the batta

then you mix the choco chips my frieeennd.

put it all together and put in the oven

take it out and eat my frieeeeennnd.

(serve to friends)

Chilled Chocolate Grasshopper Recipe (Made by Chris and Kristi)

1 ounce peppermint Schnapps

1 pinch chocolate chips
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
2 drops green food coloring
2 scoops vanilla ice cream

optional milk for desired liquidity

chocolate popcorn (made by Carla)

I used fancy red kernel popcorn from the farmer’s market in Madison, because that’s what we had a lot of, and the red hulls looked nice with the dark colored chocolate, but use what ya got.  These popped up a little small, but that just makes it last longer, or harder to catch.
I didn’t measure… just used enough to cover the bottom of a big ole pasta pot (maybe a cup, cup and a half?), but recipe calls for 12 cups popped.  If you know the popped yield of your particular corn, feel free to measure (or pop small batches until you have enough) but I don’t think it matters too much unless the corn:chocolate ratio is really important to ya.  In which case I say, get a life! I used probably 3-4 oz. of unsalted butter to pop the corn, but feel free to use an air popper, corn oil, or whatever you like.  If you do use butter, be careful with the heat so it doesn’t scorch.  Make sure you add some salt to taste!

Meanwhile, combine in a small saucepan:
1/4 c. butter (4 oz)
1/4 c. corn syrup (I used light, but dark might be yummy too)
3 T. cocoa powder, heaping if you’re feeling flush (dutch process cocoa is nice- gives it a good color contrast between dark chocolate syrup and snowy corn fluff… but use what you’ve got. I used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa, because that’s all Dominick’s had other than regular ole Hershey’s last time I was baking a cake, not because I particularly care for or endorse their products.  Droste makes a mean cocoa powder…)
3 T. whole milk
generous dash of salt- sea salt, kosher, whatever you like
any add-ins- Nuts, coconut, chile powder (ancho or chipotle would be really good here, but go easy!), cinnamon, etc.- add spices before mixing with the popcorn, or in the case of nuts or coconut, fold in with the corn)

Bring this to a simmer, stirring frequently, and pour it over the popped corn. I transferred the popcorn to a bowl for this, so that I could separate the unpopped kernels at the bottom of the pan from the good ones.  Throw away the old maids, add them to your compost pile or feed them to your chickens if you have any.  They also make good slingshot ammo, especially if you’re getting low on ball bearings. Waste not, want not! Toss to combine, and spread out on cookie sheets to cool.  I left it in the bowl, but it will stick together a bit, so you’ll have to break it up. It’s popcorn, not rocket science, you’ll figure it out.

Store in an airtight container for up to a week, or throw it all at your sister’s face.  Just don’t tell her I told you too.  It’ll be our little secret.

Here’s the throwing of the popcorn

Once again, nice work! Can’t wait until the next one!

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Homemade Graham Crackers

This recipe took me a little time to figure out, but even the mess-ups were tasty. The graham crackers are delicious and I really love the sophisticated taste of the molasses! These, along with a couple other candies featured on the site, will be Christmas gifts this year. These are quick cookie/crackers to make and are fun in squares, rectangles or cut out shapes. The original recipe says to bake these little guys for 18-22 minutes, but I found that resulted in very thin, very hard,  but very delicious graham crackers. When Kathy and Martin came to the tasting it was hard to hear what people were saying if you were eating one…This was obviously unacceptable so I cut the baking time down to half and then just watched them through the oven window. When they start to get brown(er) pull them out. They are thin so they will keep baking a bit even when you pull them out of the oven. I say err on the side of under rather than over cooking these.

Now, when people do homemade versions of commercial products they are often referred to as “rustic.” For some reason this really bugs me. I don’t see why creating something on your own should be considered bad if it is not perfectly uniform. I can think of very few natural things that are uniform. Can any one out there offer examples?? Anyway, enjoy your “rustic” “outsider art” crackers, or if you must, use a ruler and keep the tiny graham cracker world in order. Last side note:  when combined with the marshmallows, they are decadent. More decadent recipes tomorrow: SENIOR MINTS! So good!

Graham Crackers

From the book Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It by Karen Solomon

Ingredients

Steps

1. In a bowl or a food processor, mix or pulse the whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder. Cut in the butter or, if using a food processor, add the butter and pulse until the dough is the consistency of coarse crumbs. Add the honey, molasses, and the ? cup sugar, and combine. Then add the milk and vanilla, bringing it all together into a stiff dough.
2. Lightly oil 2 baking sheets. On a work surface, cut the dough in half. Shape the first half into a rectangle and place in the center of a sheet of parchment paper. Lay another sheet of parchment paper over the dough. Roll, trying to keep the dough as rectangular as possible. The dough should be ¼-inch thick, and about 12 by 15 inches.
3. Lightly prick the dough all over with the tines of a fork. Sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and roll the sugar gently into the top of the dough with a floured pin. Using a knife or a fluted pastry cutter (for cute wavy edges), trim the edges of the dough rectangle to yield neat crackers (or leave them uneven if you prefer). Cut into approximately 3-inch squares. Using a spatula, carefully transfer the crackers to the prepared baking sheets, leaving a little space between them. Repeat the process with the second half of the dough.
4. Freeze the crackers for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. Bake the chilled dough for 18 to 22 minutes, until just a little browned at the edges. Cool completely and enjoy.

Notes

Variation: Add 2 teaspoons cinnamon to the 4 tablespoons sugar, and sprinkle evenly over the dough before cutting the crackers.

Storage: Store the cooled crackers in an airtight container for up to two weeks. You can also freeze the crackers for two months, allowing two hours to thaw before eating.

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Curry Butternut Squash Soup

The squash dinner party was ridiculously delicious and I have posted as many photos as I could! Thanks to Steve and Carla for hosting and providing delicious beer as usual. I missed photographing a couple dishes, but I feel like I got most of them. Everyone really did a fantastic job this time and I can’t wait until the noodle party in January…I think the drink for that one will be hilarious. I’ve posted the recipes I have or provided links as often as I could, but please send me the recipe you used for the dinner and I’ll update the post as I get them!

Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy the photos!

Squash Gnocchi and pomegranate seeds

Acorn Squash Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter Sauce

This was my dish, it came from this site, but I changed a couple things. First, I used Acorn squash instead of butternut because it isn’t as sweet. Then, I only used 1 tbsp molasses instead of  2 tbsp, again, so it isn’t so sweet.

This pie was brought by Chris W. He made it from scratch, for real.

Chris made this amazing pie and it was perfect! Spiced well and made from pumpkins! Not Libby’s pumpkins, but real ones. I was impressed and as you can see in the photo below Sam was too. He ate a whole piece in one bite.

Sam eats a piece of pie in one bite

Nick blows out candles for his 28th birthday

These little cut outs were supposed to be this, but I broke the cake apart when I tried to get it out of the pan. I’ve made cakes like this before with success, but for some reason this one didn’t turn out. But these were super cute anyway and Nick and I got to eat the left overs for a few days after the party.

Squash Gnocchi

Carla made these little  guys and people just started eating them like popcorn. Very tasty and very pretty!

Spaghetti Squash Salad

I think Bill brought this salad. It is a spaghetti squash with loads of cilantro and I’m not sure what else, but it was very refreshing and cold. It was a wonderful counter to all the warm, sage filled dishes. He also brought a Thai inspired butternut squash soup with potato croutons. Also, very tasty.

Squash Pierogi with squash dipping sauce

Chris H and Anna brought these and I hope Anna will send the recipe because they were the best pierogis I’ve had! And here’s the recipe:

DOUGH:

4 ½ cups white whole wheat flour

2 tsp salt

2 tbsp butter, melted

1 cup Greek yogurt thinned with 1 cup milk

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

2 tbsp vegetable oil

In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, yogurt/milk mixture, eggs, egg yolk, and oil. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour until well blended. Cover the bowl with a towel, and let stand for 15-20 minutes.

Separate the perogie dough into two balls. Roll out one piece at a time on a lightly floured surface until it is thin enough to work with, but not too thin so that it tears. Cut into circles using a cookie cutter, perogie cutter, or a glass. Brush a little water around the edges of the circles, and spoon some filling into the center. Fold the circles over into half-circles, and press to seal the edges. Place perogies on a cookie sheet, and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to freezer storage bags or containers.

To cook perogies: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Drop perogies in one at a time. They are done when they float to the top. Do not boil too long, or they will be soggy! Remove with a slotted spoon. Then pan fry them.

FILLING: (as told by Chris Hutson)

I took a golden hubbard squash about the size of a toddler’s head but you could use whatever kind of squash, I bet.  and I roasted it real good, I think an hour at 350°f
then I scooped it out of the skin into a big bowl  sometimes the skin came with but that turned out to be OK and I mashed it up with a large blop of yogurt because we didn’t have sour cream and an approximately 1.5″ segment of butter off a stick and i thought it needed more so I poured in a little milk but that made it too wet so i stirred in corn flour til it stiffened back up you could probably omit the last two steps if you’d like
and I also stirred in: salt, pepper, paprika, nutmeg, dry mustard, celery seed, and toasted ground up pumpkin seeds and dried parsley, sage, and tarragon

I made too much so Anna thinned some down with more sage for a sauce.

deep fried butternut squash

Chris W also brought this dish and slaved over a hot cast-iron skillet. It was kind of funny because every time he’d put one down someone would snag it so it looked like he wasn’t actually making anything. With a little salt they were perfect. Other things that were eaten that I didn’t get to photograph were impressive and it is a testament to their tastiness that they were gone before I could photo them.

Woah! Mustache!

I think Kathy and Martin brought this one. Here’s the recipe, but more importantly, Martin has a mustache! These drinks were dangerously good. Once again, nice work on the drinks. Maybe some of these photos will inspire last minute additions or substitutions in your Thanksgiving meals. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and here’s the final recipe (for now.)

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Apples

The apple dinner party was a huge success! The post will be long, so I’m going to simply post the recipes I have from people. Thanks everyone for coming! It was great and I’m really excited about the squash dinner party next month.

Baked apples stuffed with delicata squash, shallots and wild Rice

Baked apples stuffed with delicata squash, shallots and wild rice (Beth and Nick)

There isn’t really a recipe for this. But the general idea is this:

Pick apples that you like slice them in half and core them right before you are ready to bake them. But first, bake a delicata squash for 30 minutes at 350, let the squash cool and scoop out the flesh. Add this to a pan with garlic, shallots, sage, a splash of cider vinegar and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste and then let that simmer for a few minutes. Add cooked wild rice and then mix. Spoon this mix into the hallowed out apples and then bake them for about 30 minutes at 350.

Spinach garlic and apple pie

Spinach garlic and apple pie (Beth and Nick)

For the dough:
1 Tbsp dry yeast (1 envelope)
1 tsp sugar
3/4 C lukewarm water
2 3/4- 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp Salt
2 eggs
1 ½ Tbsp olive oil

for the filling:
¾ lb fresh spinach
1 C sliced green garlic, or 1 cup sliced green onions and 2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp, olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tsp lemon juice
1 egg
1 lb ricotta cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups thinly sliced white of leek
½ lb oyster mushrooms
2 Tbsp. White vermouth

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and the sugar in the lukewarm water and leave it for 10-15 minutes, until it begins to foam. Mix 2 ¾ C of flour with the salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Beat one egg lightly into the yeast mixture, and stir in the olive oil. Pour the liquid into the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until a ragged dough forms. Turn the dough out on a board lightly sprinkled with the flour and knead it until it is smooth, about 5-6 minutes. If the dough feels very moist and sticks to the board, sprinkle on a little more flour, but don’t let the dough get too dry.

Form the dough into a ball and put it into a lightly oiled bowl, turning it over once. Cover the bowl with a towel or with plastic wrap and leave the dough in a warm place to rise for about 45 minutes, or until doubled in volume.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Wash the spinach very well, remove tough stems, and chop it coarsely. Clean and slice the green garlic, or slice the green onion and finely chop the garlic.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in the large non-stick sauté pan and sauté the green garlic, or green onions and garlic, in it until limp. Add the spinach and some salt and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring often, until the spinach is completely wilted, all the excess water has cooked away, and it begins to sizzle. Remove from the heat, and toss the spinach mixture with 1-2 teaspoons of lemon juice.

Beat the egg into the ricotta cheese and stir in the Parmesan cheese, then the cooked spinach.

In another large non-stick pan, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the leeks in it until they begin to be spotted with gold. Add the oyster mushrooms and continue sautéing, stirring often, until the mushrooms are also just beginning to color. Add salt and pepper to taste, and the vermouth, and stir as the vermouth cooks away. Remove from heat.

When the dough is fully risen, punch it down and set it aside to rest for a few minutes. Then roll it out gently on a lightly floured board, to an oval about 21 by 15 inches. Very lightly oil a large cookie sheet and sprinkle it with cornmeal. Lift the oval of dough and lay it down evenly on the cookie sheet; the edges of the dough may overhang the cookie sheet, which is fine.

Spread the ricotta cheese and spinach mixture over the dough, leaving a border of about 3 inches all the way around. Spread the cooked oyster mushrooms evenly over the spinach mixture.

Pull the edges of the dough up over the filling, pleating or folding them as you like. Beat the remaining egg with a spoonful of water and brush the dough lightly with it.

Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Check after 25 minutes, and if the crust is looking very dark, cover it lightly with a sheet of foil for the remaining time. It should be glossy and golden brown.

Allow the pie to cool slightly in its pan before removing it to a board and slicing it into wedges or squares.

Serves 8-10 as a main course, more as an appetizer.

Spicy Apple Bruschetta

Spicy apple and cranberry bruschetta (adapted by Aarti from the BBC website)

For the relish:
350g/12oz Bramley apples, cored and chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 red onion, sliced
1 red chili, de-seeded and chopped (aarti added a lot more)
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 tbsp light soft brown sugar
3 tbsp cranberry sauce
For the bruschetta:
1 half baguette, thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
crumbled feta cheese
2 tbsp freshly chopped rosemary

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/ Gas 6.
   2. Make the relish: heat the vegetable oil in a medium pan, add the onion and chili, sauté for 3-4 minutes or until soft.
   3. Add the Bramleys, vinegar, sugar and cranberry sauce and cook for 5 minutes or until the apples are soft and most of the liquid has evaporated. Leave to cool.
   4. Place the slices of bread in a single layer on a baking sheet, brush with the olive oil on both sides. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden and crisp.
   5. Divide the relish between the bruschetta, top with the goats’ cheese and scatter over the rosemary.
   6. Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese begins to melt.Note: The spicy relish can be stored in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Hot Unbuttered Cider

Hot UnButtered Cider (Kathy and Martin)

7  cups  Apple cider

1/3   cup  Brown sugar, packed

4    stick cinnamon

1  teaspoon  Whole allspice

1  teaspoon  Whole cloves

1    Lemon peel, cut into strips

1 1/2  cups  Rum

Butter or margarine (we opted for apple slices instead)
Combine apple cider or apple juice and brown sugar in a large saucepan.

For spice bag, tie cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and lemon peel in a 7 inch

square of 100 percent cotton cheesecloth. Add spice bag to cider mixture.

Bring cider mixture to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

Remove and discard spice bag. Stir in rum. Pour cider mixture into mugs.

Float about 1/2 tsp butter or margarine on each (or don’t). Top each serving with

one or two thin apple slices. Makes about 10 (6-oz) servings.

Potato, apple, and Camembert timbales

Potato, apple, and Camembert timbales (Kathy and Martin)

Serves 4

You need four tall ramekins that are each 1 cup capacity. A mandoline or another hand-held slicing device is useful here.

1. Set the oven at 400 degrees. Butter the ramekins, line the bottom of each with a circle of parchment paper cut to fit it. Brush the paper with butter.

2. Peel the potatoes and rinse them. Pat them dry with paper towels. With a mandoline or chef’s knife, slice the potatoes very thinly; set aside. Core the apple. With a mandoline or a chef’s knife, slice it finely; set aside.

3. Slice the camembert in 8 long pieces. Remove the rind. Cut each slice in two.

4. Layer the bottom and sides of the ramekins with potato slices, covering the surfaces completely. Pour 1 teaspoon of butter on this layer and press the potatoes down firmly. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, a pinch of allspice, and chopped oregano. Top with a slice of apple. Add more potatoes, butter, and seasonings, then a slice of apple.

5. Put 2 pieces of cheese on top of the apple and press down again. Continue layering with potatoes, seasonings, apple, and cheese, ending with potatoes. Brush with melted butter and press down.

6. Set the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake them for about 40 minutes or until they are firm and golden.

7. Remove the ramekins from the oven and set them aside to cool for a few minutes. Run the tip of a knife around the edge of each ramekin. Using oven mitts, turn them out onto salad plates. Discard the parchment paper rounds.

appley coleslaw (Chris and Anna–they also brought a tasty apple brandy)

apples, cabbage, green onions, parsley, all chopped up

dressing -
oi, vinegar and soy sauce
with little bits of salt, pepper, red pepper, sesame seeds, sesame oil, mustard, horseradish, celery seed, and seaweed flakes

Chris Weiher Bake Shop Pie

Chris Weiher Bake Shop Pie-
Go to Jewel and ask chris to bake you a pie.

Apple and Kale Eggrolls

Spencer brought delicious little Kale and apple eggrolls, here’s what he says: “I used lemon juice, soy sauce, and a little Chinese sweet red chili sauce, kale greens, gala apples, red onions, olive oil, goat cheese, and olive oil.  And eggroll wrappers from a package.”

Apple puffs a la Kristen

Carla and Steve also contributed hard cider and a crazy good dish with smoked goose, pea shoots, apples, and magic. I think it was mostly magic.

Carla's apple goose dish

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I know eggplants are a polarizing veggie/fruit.  Nick always says they look so beautiful, but their taste doesn’t match the visual appeal. I completely disagree. I think eggplant is like tofu, if done wrong, it feels/tastes like a bland sponge, but if done right it can be a unique and robust flavor. That said,  I have lots of eggplants, both dark purple and the white and light purple ones. And this site blew my mind. I’ve never seen so many eggplant recipes! Although I didn’t use this site for my most recent eggplant adventures, I plan to use it next summer when the wave of deep purple comes back.

I know in a  previous post we were talking about salting or not salting eggplants and about eating them raw…Here is what I have found.

1. Do NOT eat eggplant raw. It feels awful in the mouth and tastes like a bitter, bitter sponge. Ewwwww.

2. Salting an eggplant, even if it is super-fresh, will prevent it from absorbing too much oil, if nothing else. I salted the eggplants for this recipe and I didn’t have to use much oil.

The recipes I used this time around were from Deborah Madison’s Local Flavors and from Vegetarian Suppers. One of them was delicious, the other was okay. The delicious one is the title of the post, the okay one was an eggplant gratin. It was tasty because we used our home-made pasta sauce, but I was expecting more from the eggplant and it didn’t deliver. Anyway, this savory “jam” is another eggplant dish that Nick actually likes. I’m beginning to think he actually likes eggplant…

Savory Eggplant “Jam” with Cumin and Coriander from Local Flavors by Deborah Madison

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

1 pound eggplant, purple or white, slender or round
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large garlic clove, pressed
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
juice of 1/2 small lemon
lemon wedges, tomato wedges, and olives, to finish

Remove wide ribbons of the eggplant skin, leaving vertical bands of skin. Slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch rounds, salt generously, and set on a plate for an hour, or longer if time allows. Rinse, then squeeze the eggplant dry in a towel. (If you’re using white eggplant, peel all of it, because the skins tend to be tough.)

Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add the eggplant and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until well browned on both sides, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic, about 1/2 cup water, the cumin, and coriander, reduce the heat, and mash the eggplant with a fork until it’s broken into a jam-like consistency. This can take 15 – 30 minutes, depending on the eggplant. Add more water as it cooks, to help break it down. You can let the excess cook off when the eggplant is finally soft. Add the cilantro and lemon juice. Taste for salt and season with pepper. Mound in a shallow bowl and serve warm or at room temperature, plain or garnished with lemon wedges, tomato wedges, and olives. Serve with crackers or pita bread.

Nick and I actually ate this while it was warm on tortilla chips. Super tasty! I made another eggplant dish tonight and some chocolate pudding. I’ll post the pudding recipe tomorrow!

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Tomato Custard Pie

Last Sunday we had our Tomato Dinner Party. I think it was the best food we have had for awhile, the photos aren’t the best because it was at night so they are a little darker than I would like. I’m afraid I’ll have to start bringing a flash with me to these parties since it is getting dark so much earlier already.

Anyway, here are the recipes and the photos from the night!

Harvest Moon

Kathy and Martin made a drink. Officially it’s an “Heirloom Tomato Mojitonico” which originated at Chicago’s own Nacional 27, which based on their website does not look like someplace Martin wants to start hanging out anytime soon.  (In any event, we  prefer Nick’s suggested appellation for the drink.)  We made it as follows:

Says the NYT: “Rim a 16-ounce glass by moistening the edge with a lime wedge, then dipping the glass into a small plate filled with equal parts salt and pepper. Into the same glass add the tomatoes, herbs and lime sections, then muddle, gently, until the mixture is equal parts juice and solids. Add ice, stir, then add the gin, and stir again. Top with the tonic water.”  So that’s just what we did.

This whole drink-making exercise was basically an excuse to make adorable garnishes.  We garnished each Moon with a spike of pickled asparagus and a toothpick-skewer featuring a green olive, a tiny pickled okra, and a home-grown currant tomato, and capped with a ground cherry.  Classy!

(This is lifted directly from an email from Martin)

The drinks were enjoyed while we all ate pita with roasted tomato butter, outlined on my previous blog entry, here. We also had classic bruschetta, and a Caprese salad, both contributions from the Weiher brothers.

For the main dish we had a simple pasta made with sauce that I had canned a couple weeks before. This was a very peppery sauce. The recipe for pasta sauce is fluid and done to taste, but the basics are this:

saute onion and garlic until the onion is soft, add some salt and some pepper and a few fresh herbs like basil, oregano, and rosemary. Then add any tomato you like (brandywine, roma, whatever) just make sure you peel and seed them. Cook all this on low heat until it cooks down to a consistency you like. Add more fresh herbs and seasonings as you go. We topped this simple dish with toasted pine nuts and shredded cheese.

For dessert with had”Wee Italian-Style Puddin’ Banditos” (from Kathy and Martin) and a Tomato Custard Pie (from me and Nick). First, the Banditos:

Banditos and Tomato Custard Pie

WEE ITALIAN-SYLE PUDDIN’ BANDITOS

5 ounces softened cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar

13 ounces mascarpone cheese
3 eggs
1 3/4 tablespoons lemon juice
Finely grated zest of 1 1/2 oranges
Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon

The original Oliveto recipe wanted us to make these in ramekins in a ban marie, but what, do we look like professional pastry chefs?  We are not professional pastry chefs.  But mostly we just don’t feel a need to own fifteen ramekins.

So.  Put like fifteen or so muffin/cupcake cups into muffin/cupcake molds.  Put a tiny cookie in the bottom of each.  (Finding an appropriately-sized cookie was a challenge.  Nilla wafers, Megan’s weapon of choice, are a little small; we wound up using some Kraš Albert biscuits to represent for Croatia; they were tasty, but slightly large, and therefore angled in the molds and gave the finished banditos a slight and not-unpleasing tilt evocative of a radio telescope.)

Then beat the cream cheese with a mixer till smooth. Add the sugar gradually; beat until blended. Add the mascarpone; beat till smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each, scraping the sides of the bowl. Add the lemon juice and the orange and lemon zests. Pour into the muffin/cupcake cups over the tiny cookies. Bake relentlessly at 325° until set, 30-40 minutes. Chill through and through.

TOMATO COMPOTE

5 1/2 cups tiny tomatoes (we used some low-acid Sungolds as well as a few of our own currant tomatoes and Sweet 100s)
3/4 cup sugar
1 lemon, peeled, sliced paper thin and chopped
1 cup sultana raisins
Additional lemon juice and sugar, to taste

Preheat the oven to 325°. Set aside 1 1/2 cups of tomatoes. Cut the remaining tomatoes in half lengthwise. Place them with their cut sides up on a wire rack over a sheet pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the sugar. Bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and continue baking until mostly dry, 1-1 1/2 hours.  (We discovered that the Sungolds took rather longer to dry out, and some of our tomatoes crisped pretty quickly.)  Place the reserved tomatoes in a blender, and blend into 1
cup of thin puree.

Bring 1 cup of water along with the remaining sugar (6 tablespoons) to a boil and add the lemon. Let simmer for 10 minutes, then add the roasted tomatoes and raisins. Cook until everything is bubbly, then add the puree and cook another few minutes, taking care not to scorch the bottom.  Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Add more sugar to taste, and, if needed, a squeeze of lemon. Spoon with extreme prejudice over each bandito.

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