SIO Recipes for Week 23
Some fun projects in the mix this week–stuffed and roasted pumpkin and pumpkin pie and kimchi. Lots of quicker things too. Happy cooking!
Beet Dip with Sage and Thyme, Goat Cheese and Toasted Nuts
Barley and Vegetable Soup with Harissa
Baked and Stuffed Pumpkin
Vietnamese-style Napa Cabbage and Chicken Salad
Kimchi
Turkish Style Leeks with Carrots and Rice
Pumpkin Pie
Beet Dip with Sage and Thyme, Goat Cheese and Toasted Nuts
–adapted from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi
This brilliantly colored puree is a wonderful appetizer or snack. The original recipe calls for Za’ atar, a wonderful spice mixture which I don’t always have on hand. I do have both thyme and sage in my garden and thought the combination was a great substitute. If you have Za’ atar by all means use it—use 2 teaspoons of it instead of the sage and thyme.
Makes generous 2 cups of dip
About ½ lb cooked, trimmed beets (4-5 small-medium)
½ up Greek yogurt or plain regular yogurt
1/2 a small jalapeno (discard some or all seeds if sensitive to spice)
2 small cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon maple syrup
½ teaspoon chopped fresh or ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh or dried sage
Sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Thinly sliced chives or green onions
Toasted, chopped hazelnuts or walnuts
1-2 ounces crumble feta or fresh goat cheese
Good olive oil
Bread or crackers for dipping
Cook the beets (or bake) until tender. Peel and roughly chop. Put the beets, yogurt, hot pepper, garlic, syrup, herbs, salt and olive oil in a food processor and process until fairly smooth. I like a little bit of texture. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Put puree in a bowl and top with green onions, nuts, feta and a good drizzle of oil.
Barley and Vegetable Soup with Harissa
Serves 4, generously
I made my own harissa (the North African pepper and spice paste) the other day and it’s delicious and I’m putting it in/on everything. It enlivens this simple fall soup. I based mine on this recipe—feel free to give it a try or use a store bought one.
If you have already cooked grains on hand, use those and add them at the end. If you have pearl barley or bulgur it will cook quickly and can be cooked in the soup. If you have whole grain faro or bulgur you might want to cook it separately since they take a bit longer and your veggies might turn to mush.
Add sausage to this or any leftover meat if you’d like to make it heartier or add beans or chickpeas. Add some of this week’s kale for more color and flavor . . .
Olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 leeks, well washed, halved lengthwise and cut into ½-inch half rounds
3 carrots, scrubbed and chopped
2 potatoes, scrubbed and cut into small-ish dice
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 -2 tablespoons harissa (the spice level really varies with harissa so taste it and start slowly to make sure it doesn’t get too hot)
Salt
5 cups stock or broth of your choice (or more or less if you want soupier or stewier)
3/4 cup barley, faro or brown rice (uncooked—see headnote, or 1 ½ cups cooked grains)
Chopped fresh parsley
Good olive oil
In a large pot heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions, leeks and carrots and a few pinches of salt and sauté for about 10 minutes until softening. Add the spices and potatoes and grains (if you’re using uncooked ones) and cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Add the stock/broth (use slightly more if you have uncooked grains as they’ll absorb some of it) and harissa and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook until everything is tender. Taste and adjust with more harissa, salt, etc. Serve topped with plenty of parsley and good olive oil.
Baked and Stuffed Pumpkin Roasted
–adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Around my French Table
This is the most delicious, beautiful fall dish. It’s perfect for a regular old dinner (though it does take almost 2 hours to bake so maybe a weekend dinner) or a Thanksgiving treat. But it’s so easy and so adaptable that you should add it to your regular repertoire. It’s wonderful with cooked rice instead of bread (gets almost a risotto-like texture), additions of cooked spinach or chard, cooked sausage or ham chunks, with peas (straight from the freezer),. . .
Serves 4-6 (depending on size of pumpkin)
1 pie pumpkin, about 4 – 5 lbs (just adjust the amount of filling if your pumpkin is smaller or larger – though you don’t want to go too much larger as it takes awfully long to cook)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 lb (or slightly more) stale bread, sliced and cut into ½-inch chunks
1/3 lb cheese, such as sharp cheddar, Gruyère, Emmenthal or a combination, cut into ½ chunks or grated
2-4 garlic cloves (to taste), finely chopped
2-4 strips bacon, booked until crisp, and chopped
¼ cup snipped fresh chives or sliced scallions (green onions)
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
½ cup of cream or half and half
½ cup milk
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350F. You can using a baking sheet, a pie pan (as seen above), or a dutch oven with a diameter that’s just a tiny bit larger than your pumpkin. If you bake the pumpkin in a casserole, it will keep its shape, but might stick to the casserole, so you’ll have to serve it from the pot which is fine too.
Using a sturdy knife, cut a cap out of the top of the pumpkin. Cut a big enough cap that it’s easy to hollow out the inside. Clear away the seeds and strings from the cap and the inside of the pumpkin. Rub the inside of the pumpkin generously with salt and pepper and put it on the baking sheet, pie pan or in a pot.
In a large bowl toss the bread, cheese, garlic, bacon, and herbs together. Season with pepper—you probably have enough salt from the bacon and cheese but taste to be sure—and pack the mix into the pumpkin. The pumpkin should be well filled—you might have a little too much filling, or you might need to add to it. Stir the cream, milk and nutmeg with a bit of salt and pepper and pour it into the filled pumpkin. You don’t want the ingredients to swim in the liquid, but you do want them nicely moistened with liquid about half-way up the cavity. It’s hard to go wrong though. Better a little wetter than too dry.
Put the cap in place and bake the pumpkin for about 2 hours—check after 90 minutes—or until everything inside the pumpkin is bubbling and the flesh of the pumpkin is easily pierced with the tip of a knife. Remove the cap for the last 20 minutes or so of baking to brown the top and let any extra liquid evaporate. Transfer very carefully to a serving platter if you baked it on a sheet. Serve, scooping out plenty of pumpkin with each serving or serve it in slices.
Vietnamese-style Napa Cabbage and Chicken Salad
I know you’ve seen this one before but it’s so good I can’t help myself.
Serves 4-6
Dressing:
2 Serrano or 1 jalapeño chili, seeded (unless you like more heat) finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce or tamari
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ of a small onion (red or yellow or ½ bunch of scallions), thinly sliced
5 cups Napa cabbage, thinly sliced
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 medium carrot, grated
1/2 cup or more cilantro and/or mint, roughly chopped
In a large salad bowl mix the dressing ingredients. Let sit for a few minutes and make sure the sugar dissolves. Add the veggies and chicken, if using. Mix well, adjust seasoning and stir in cilantro or mint.
Kimchi
–slightly adapted from Tigressinapickle.com
There are entire books on this wonderful Korean condiment and it can be made with many different kinds of vegetables, spices and aromatics. Here is a fairly classic, basic version that uses the traditional napa cabbage. I sometimes halve this recipe which works great but if you’re making it, it’s worth making the whole one or close to it. It’s just a one gallon jar and it keeps well and you’ll start putting it on everything. . . .at least I do!
Kimchi-making does not have to be exact. It’s best to taste as you go. Here are the approximate ratios that I have found work best for me.
- 1 part root vegetable(s) for every 5 parts cabbage. I use carrots, but turnips, daikon, radishes and the “honorary root” kohlrabi also work well.
- for every 5 pounds of cabbage and roots I add the following:
- 1 bunch green onions/scallions – white and green parts
- 1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons dried chile pepper (korean pepper is the most common of course, but i have found aleppo pepper to be a perfect substitute. If either are hard to find for you, mix hungarian (sweet) paprika two to 1 with cayenne and you’ll approximate the level of heat.)
- 2 large cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 tablespoons grated ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/4 cup sea salt per quart of water for brine. (I use coarse sea salt, if yours is fine, it should be a scant 1/4 cup). note on water: chlorinated water can inhibit fermentation. It’s best to use spring or distilled water. Approximately 3 quarts of brine are needed for every 5 pounds of cabbage and roots.
Equipment:
- for every 5 pounds of cabbage and roots you will need a 1 gallon container (or 2 half gallons/4 quarts) for the fermentation process. I use a 1 gallon jar.
- you’ll also need a few large bowls or containers to soak the vegetables overnight.
This is the basic technique:
- clean and core cabbage, chop into approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces. Clean roots (Carrots, daikon, etc.) and slice very thin. I like to use a mandoline for this.
- make brine by combining salt and water. I make it in 1/2 gallon jars, shaking the jar until the salt dissolves.
- soak the cabbage and roots overnight in brine. Fill the containers with cabbage and roots and press down. Add some brine, cover with a plate and press down some more. add more brine as needed to submerge completely. Keep plate on top overnight and let it sit out at room temperature. After 8-12 hours drain the cabbage & roots, reserving most of the brine.
- chop up all of the aromatics and add sugar, mix together. combine this mixture with the drained cabbage and roots. If you are doing a large batch it is better to break it up into a few bowls to evenly combine.
- fill your fermentation containers with the mixture. Do not pack it too high or too tight, 3/4 full is perfect. add some of the leftover brine to cover completely. You will not need all of the brine.
- if you are using a crock with weights, place the weights on top of the mixture to submerge. If you are using glass jars, I use the plastic bag method–fill a ziploc bag with extra brine and seal it. Use this to weigh down the vegetables so they stay submerged. It’s good to check the kimchi once a day and give it a little stir with a wooden spoon to push any pieces that might have escaped to the top back in.
- ideally the fermentation container will be in a moderately warm environment, low 70′s is perfect. At that temperature it will take approximately 5-6 days to complete fermentation. I’ve definitely made batches in cooler weather and they were just fine but took a bit longer.
- taste! don’t be afraid to taste everyday! 2 or 3 days into it you will notice the bite of raw vegetable has dissipated. A day or two after, when you remove the weight, you’ll smell the sweetest, most delicious smell. then you’ll know your nearing the end of the fermentation process. It’s really up to you and your taste buds to decide on when it is ‘done’. Note: if something has gone wrong there is usually no question, your nose will know. It will smell bad. But this has never happened to me, and if you make sure your utensils, vessels and hands are clean it shouldn’t happen to you either.
- transfer to storage jars and store in the fridge for up to a year or even more. Technically speaking the fermentation process is still happening only at a much slower rate due to the lower temperature in your refrigerator.
Turkish Style Leeks with Carrots and Rice
–slightly adapted from Adam Ried from the Culinate.com collection
This is one of those clever dishes where vegetables and grains seamlessly blend and in this case a little rice goes a very long way–adding heft and texture but really not much volume. The parsley and lemon are wonderful finishes.
Serves 3-4
¼ cup good olive oil
1 onion, diced
Salt
4 carrots, well scrubbed but no need to peel and cut on the bias into thin slices
4-5 medium leeks (about 2½ pounds), white and much of the green part (just cut off the greens where it seems they get tougher and more fibrous), halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
¾ cup chicken or veggie bouillon or water
¼ cup long-grain white rice, rinsed
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon salt and turn the heat down a bit and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is very soft and fragrant, about 15 minutes. Add the carrots and cook, stirring once in a while, until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the leeks and a bit more salt and cook, stirring frequently, until they soften, about 10 minutes. Add the broth and adjust the heat to medium-high, and bring to a strong simmer. Add the rice and ½ teaspoon salt, stir to incorporate, adjust the heat to very low, cover the pan, and simmer (without stirring or lifting the cover) for 25 minutes.
Remove the cover, stir the mixture once or twice, replace the cover, and set aside off the heat for 15 minutes. Add the lemon juice and parsley and stir to mix. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt, if necessary, and pepper to taste, and serve hot or warm.
Pumpkin Pie
Pie with your own pumpkin puree is fun and delicious and you can also use butternut squash or other squashes but pumpkin is fun and classic. Pumpkin flesh can be a bit stringy so if you don’t have a food processor (in which to make the filling) you might want to mash the cooked pumpkin through a sieve for a nice smooth texture.
This is fairly classic pumpkin pie recipe, with the exception of the sour cream and optional rum.
I swear by the Chez Pim pie crust technique and recipe (nothing but butter, flour and water). Give it a try if you’d like or use your favorite recipe/technique. http://chezpim.com/bake/how-to-make-the-perfect-pie-dough
1 9-inch single crust Pie shell, chilled (not partially baked using ½ of above recipe or your favorite pie dough)
1 ¾ cups pumpkin puree
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 cup whole milk or cream
1/3 cup sour cream
or Greek yogurt (which is what I use)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons dark rum (optional)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Lightly sweetened lightly whipped cream, for topping
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F. If you have a pizza stone, put it on the rack you’re going to use and then preheat. Setting the pie pan directly on the pizza stone helps the crust bake nicely and not get soggy, especially since we’re not pre-baking the crust.
Cut the pumpkin(s) in half and remove all seeds and strings. Keep seeds to clean and roast for a snack if you’d like. Put the pumpkin cut side down on a baking sheet and bake until very tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Remove from oven, let cool and scoop out the flesh.
Roll out your pie dough and place it in a pan, making sure to gently press the dough fully into the pan. Trim the overhanging dough with a sharp knife all around leaving at least a 1-inch overhang. Flour your fingers and crimp the dough by pushing your right pointer finger into a “v” shape created with the thumb and pointer of your left hand, holding the edge of dough. Repeat around the whole pie, re-flouring your fingers as needed, to make a pretty, crimped rim. Chill pie shell in the fridge while you make the filling.
Put all of the filling ingredients in a food processor and process for 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice and pour the filling into the chilled pie shell. Alternatively whisk all the ingredients well in a bowl.
Bake for 15 minutes at 450, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue to bake for 35 to 45 minutes longer or until a knife inserted close to the center comes out clean. (If you don’t want to create a slash in your masterpiece, tap the pan gently—if the custard doesn’t jiggle, or only jiggles a teensy bit in the very center, it’s done.) Transfer the pie to a rack and cool to room temperature.
Serve the pie with lightly sweetened whipped cream