Author Archives: Pumpkin Ridge Gardens

Winter Squash and Black-Eyed Peas Coconut Curry

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2 ½ lb. winter squash, cut into 3/4-inch wedges

2 Tbsp. avocado oil

1 Tbsp. garam masala

1 tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. ground black pepper

2 Tbsp. coconut oil

1 tsp. mustard seeds

1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 serrano chile, halved

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 plum tomatoes, cut into wedges

½ tsp. turmeric

1 can coconut milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine squash, oil, garam masala, 1 tsp. salt, and ½ tsp. ground pepper in a bowl. Toss to coat; arrange on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast until tender, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat coconut oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add mustard seeds. When seeds begin to pop, add onion and serrano. Cook until onion is soft and golden, about 12 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, 2-3 minutes. Stir in black-eyed peas and tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes are jammy around the edge, about 3 minutes. Stir in turmeric, then cocnut milk and adjust salt and pepper. Add roasted squash and fold to mix with curry. Cover and let simmer 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4-6. Adapted from Food and Wine March 2018

Rutabaga Cake with Brown Butter Frosting and Salted Hazelnuts

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For the cake:

  • 150g (1 cup, packed) raw peeled and grated swede (rutabega)
  • 3 eggs
  • 175g (¾ cup) sugar
  • 100g (½ cup) plain full-fat yogurt
  • 100ml (½ cup) rapeseed or vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 250g (2 ½ cups) plain (self-raising) flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon bicarb of soda (baking soda)
  • 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon salt

For the brown butter frosting:

  • 400g (3 cups) powdered icing sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3-4 tablespoons milk
  • 115g (½ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

To serve:

  • 30g (¼ cup) salted hazelnuts, chopped

Instructions

For the cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Grease and line a 9” square cake tin with parchment paper.
  2. Beat the eggs, sugar, yogurt, oil and vanilla together well. Stir in the grated swede. Sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarb of soda, nutmeg and salt and gently stir to combine.
  3. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 25-30 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the tin and then turn onto a wire rack, removing the parchment paper, to cool completely.

For the frosting

  1. Put the icing sugar, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk into a large bowl. Set aside.
  2. In a saucepan over a low heat, melt the butter and continue to heat until it turns brown and smells nutty. Pour into the bowl of powdered sugar and beat until thick and smooth, adding more milk if necessary.
  3. Top the cooled cake with the frosting and sprinkle with the chopped hazelnuts.

Orecchiete with Sausage and Sorrel

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Kosher salt and pepper

4 ounces bulk Italian sausage (chicken or pork)

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

Pinch ground nutmeg

4 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed

5 teaspoons olive oil

1/3 cup heavy cream

8 ounces (2 1/4 cups) orecchiette

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 ounce Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (1/2 cup)

1 cup sorrel leaves, sliced

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

Pulse mushrooms in food processor until finely chopped, 10 to 12 pulses. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and brown with a pinch of nutmeg, breaking into pieces. Transfer sausage to bowl and add cream; set aside. Bring 2 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 3/4 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot. While pasta cooks, return now-empty skillet to medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil, mushrooms, and pinch salt; cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 teaspoon oil, remaining garlic, 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, and ¼ teaspoon pepper; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until completely evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in sausage-cream mixture and 1/3 cup reserved cooking water and simmer 1 to 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in Pecorino until smooth. Add sauce, sorrel, and lemon juice to pasta and toss well to coat. Before serving, adjust consistency with remaining reserved cooking water as needed and season with salt and pepper. Serves 2. Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated Jan./Feb. 2014.

 

Lentil Soup with Winter Squash and Greens

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1 ½ Tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. cumin

1 c. red lentils

4 c. chicken stock

1 14 ½-oz can diced tomatoes

2 c. chopped winter squash, ½ in. cubes

4 c. chopped mixed greens

1 tsp. smoked paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add lentils and broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer 15 minutes or so, until red lentils have broken down. Add chopped winter squash, tomatoes, greens and paprika. Simmer until squash is tender, 15-20 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Makes 6 servings.

Cipollini and Carrots with Short Ribs

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4 pounds beef short ribs

About 1/2 tbsp. kosher salt

About 1/2 tbsp. pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup coarsely chopped onion

1 cup coarsely chopped carrot

1 cup coarsely chopped celery

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

2 tablespoons minced ginger

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

3 tablespoons flour

1 bottle (750 ml.) dry red wine

About 2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 cinnamon stick (2 in. long)

1 1/4 pounds small carrots, trimmed

1 1/4 pounds cipollini onions, peeled

Preheat oven to 300°. Rinse and dry short ribs. Sprinkle all over with 1/2 tbsp. each salt and pepper. Add 1 tbsp. oil and the butter to a large, deep ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown short ribs all over, about 5 minutes per batch, transferring to a bowl as done. Add chopped onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and ginger to pot and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are beginning to brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Add cumin and coriander and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring often, until golden brown. Pour wine and 2 cups broth into pot and add peppercorns and cinnamon stick; stirring constantly, bring to a boil. Return short ribs and any accumulated juices to pot. Liquid should just cover them; add a little more broth if necessary. Cover and bake until meat is very tender when pierced, 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, spread small carrots and cipollini onions in a 9- by 13-in. baking pan. Drizzle with remaining 1 tbsp. oil and mix to coat; cover with foil. Set in oven after ribs have baked about 1 1/2 hours, and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and roast until vegetables are tender when pierced and beginning to brown, about 15 minutes longer. If necessary, broil 4 to 6 in. from heat to brown a little more, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Lift ribs from cooking liquid, cover, and keep warm. Strain liquid into a wide pan, skim off fat, and boil until sauce is reduced to about 2 cups and coats the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Arrange ribs in wide, shallow bowls. Spoon carrots and cipollini onions around them and drizzle with a little sauce. Serve remaining sauce on the side. From myrecipes.com.

Chimichurri

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¾ cup parsley, large stems removed

1/3 c. mint leaves

2 Tbsp. capers, drained

1 small green garlic, white and pale green part chopped

4 Tbsp. olive oil

¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

½ Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Can be covered and stored in the fridge for a few days until needed. Makes about ¾ cup.

BAKED EGGS IN SPAGHETTI SQUASH NESTS

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1¾ cups cooked spaghetti squash

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, minced

8 eggs plus 1 egg white

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

⅛ tsp. ground black pepper

2 tbsp. chickpea flour (can also use coconut flour or another gluten-free flour)

⅓ cup Parmesan, grated

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the cooked spaghetti squash in a large mixing bowl and set aside. In a frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook until tender, about 4-6 minutes. Add the onion to the bowl with spaghetti squash noodles, along with the egg white, garlic powder, salt, pepper, flour, and cheese, and mix well. Scoop a little less than ¼ cup of the noodle mixture into each muffin tin. Using your fingers or a spoon, press the squash noodles down and around the sides of the muffin cup. This will create your nest. Place the nests into the oven and bake for 16-20 minutes, or until the top edges become golden and crispy. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees and remove the muffin tin from the oven. Crack 1 egg into each tin, taking care not to overflow the nest. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the egg whites are fully cooked and no longer transparent. (For fully cooked-through eggs, cook 2-5 minutes longer). From Lacey Baier of A Sweet Pea Chef (asweetpeachef.com)

ASIAN RADISH SALAD

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15-20 radishes, with greens

1 small shallot or onion, minced

2 Tbsp. rice vinegar or lime juice

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. fish sauce

½” knob ginger, peeled and grated

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. sugar (optional)

½ tsp. toasted sesame oil

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Soak chopped onion or shallot in vinegar or lime juice while preparing the rest of the salad. Slice radish roots and greens thinly. Whisk remaining ingredients into onion-vinegar mixture. Taste for balance and add radishes. Serve.