gochugang winter squash

 I used delicata squash but it'd be better with other types.

• 1 squash, sliced (or peeled and chopped if necessary).
• 1 Tbsp avocado oil
• 1 Tbsp gochugang paste

Mix together oil and paste.  Add squash to cover.  Put on baking sheet (parchment paper makes cleanup easy), cook at 425 for about 30 minutes, flipping at least once.

This would also be good with some pumpkin seeds.

Adas polo - Persian rice and lentils

 It looks like there are many ways to make this and they're all yummy.  I most closely followed the NYT version and I'd make a few changes, noted blow.  I'll definitely add this into the rotation.

Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

For the Rice

• 1 cup green lentils, rinsed
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 cup basmati rice, rinsed and drained (next time I'll use brown basmati)
  
• 1 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as cilantro, dill, mint or a combination
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt, for serving (optional)

For the Onion-date Mixture

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large yellow onions, finely diced
• 1-2 tablespoon butter
  
• 12-20 dates, pitted and diced (it called for Medjool but I used deglet noor and they were awesome)
• nuts (pistachios would be great)
  

Other versions call for a potato which sounds great.

Preparation

Bring 4 cups water to boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the lentils, cinnamon, turmeric and 1 Tbsp salt. Stir well to combine, breaking up any clumps. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer until the lentils are cooked but still have a bite, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain lentils and set aside.

 

Using the same medium saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add the rice, cooked lentils, 1 teaspoon salt and enough hot water to cover the rice by 1 inch. Cook, uncovered, until all the water is absorbed, 10 to 14 minutes. [NOTE: I need to figure out how to do this with brown basmati.  Maybe cook it alone first and then add in the lentils.]

Reduce heat to low, wrap the pot lid in a clean kitchen towel, cover the pan and let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork; taste and add salt if needed.

While the rice is cooking, prepare the onion-date mixture: In a skillet, heat 4 tablespoons oil or clarified butter until hot but not smoking. Add onions and a pinch of salt, and cook until the onions are dark golden and a little crispy, 9 to 14 minutes (or longer). Transfer onions to a bowl and return the skillet to the heat.

Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and, once hot, add the dates (and nuts) and warm them through, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir dates into the bowl with the onions.

To serve, spoon a layer of rice and lentils into a warmed serving bowl, then add a layer of onion-date mixture and sprinkle with chopped herbs. Keep alternating layers, ending with the onion-date mixture and a final sprinkling of herbs. Drizzle with more oil and top with a dollop of yogurt if you lik

quince jam cake

 This is really tasty!  I had made quince jam last fall based on some happy memories in Germany, but it gives me heartburn.  I'd worked hard on it, simmering it for hours, and I was wondering what else I could do with it.  I found this cake and I don't know where it's from but it's fun, and the quince taste really comes through.  (Edit: I did a little googling and it looks like the author is from Bulgaria.  Fun!)

• 3 eggs (at room temperature is best)
  
• 1/2-2/3 c sugar (original recipe calls for 1 cup but I always reduce it)
• 1/2 cup oil
• 3 tbsp yogurt
• 1 jar quince jam (I think 8 oz is what I used) 
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder

 Add baking soda to jam (and watch it foam up!).

Stir baking powder into sifted flour in a different bowl.  

Combine eggs and sugar in a larger bowl.  Add oil and yogurt.  Add flour mixture.  Add jam.

Bake in greased 9x13" pan at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes until done.  Let cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar. 

kuri curry

 This kuri squash curry was really good, exactly what I wanted, and next time plans are below. 

Ingredients

• 2# winter squash such as kuri or kabocha; keeping skin unless it's too tough like butternut
• small onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
  
• 1/2 bunch of chard or similar green (though spinach wasn't great) - about 6 oz.
  
• 1 Tbsp curry powder
• salt, pepper
• can of coconut milk
•  (broth)
• garbanzos or cooked tofu 
  
• brown rice (I used jasmine and it was too meh)
  

Process  

• Heat oil*, add onions and cook until translucent (about 8 minutes).
• Turn heat down a bit and add garlic, ginger, curry power, salt, and pepper.  Cook a minute or so.
• Add squash and stir it up, then add coconut milk and broth if desired.  (I thought it was too soupy with broth).  
• Cook about 20-30 minutes.
• Add garbanzos or cooked tofu to heat.  (This wasn't in the original recipe but would have been better.)
  
• Add greens and cook another 5 minutes or so to wilt (or longer if necessary with denser greens).
  

 

*Recipe called for coconut oil but that gives me heartburn so I just used what I had.

cherry cobbler

 Moving into a new refrigerator, I realized I have a bunch of frozen not super great cherries to eat up. they're fine and I ate a lot fresh when I picked them from a new friend's backyard, but they're not the best ever.  They need some doctoring.  this cherry cobbler to the rescue.  As always, cutting the sugar drastically. 

Ingredients

Fruit

• 4-6 cups pitted cherries, fresh or frozen
• 1/3-1/2 cup sugar
• 2-3 T corn starch (use 3 T if frozen cherries)
• 2 T (fresh) lemon juice
  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract 

Cobbler

• 6 T butter
• 1 cup flour
• 1/3-1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup milk

Put fruit mixture on stove top and simmer briefly, stirring.

Heat oven to 350 degrees and put butter pats into 9x13 pan.  Put pan in oven as it preheats to melt.

Combine dry cobbler ingredients, then add milk just to mix and spread over butter in pan.  Put fruit mix on top.

Bake about 40 minutes, until browned on top. 
 

apple crisp

 Yesterday I canned apples from my backyard tree and some jars didn't seal so I made this crisp to use them - and uncanned apples - up.  It's ok. The canned apples were mush-with-peels and the topping not crisp and the flour made it kind of pasty.  I cut the sugar by about 2/3 and could cut even more.  I'll give it away and make more to keep refining it.  PLenty of apples still on the tree, if the damn squirrels don't eat them all.  

Ingredients

For the topping:

• ¾ cup (95 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (99 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
•  1/4 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cubed

For the filling:

• 7 to 8 fresh apples, such as Golden Delicious or Honeycrisp - I filled a 9x13 pan halfway up with a mix of drained canned apples and chopped/sliced fresh 
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about 1 medium lemon)
• ¼ cup (32 grams) all-purpose flour
•  1/4 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• spices which can include cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg

Directions

Make the topping:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x13-inch metal or glass pan with cooking spray or butter and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Whisk together until combined. With a pastry cutter or a fork, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles pea-sized crumbs. Place in the refrigerator while you prepare the apple filling.

Make the filling:

1. Core, peel, and slice the apples into ¼ -inch to ½ -inch slices until you reach 6 cups of sliced apples, weighing 650 grams. Place in a medium-sized bowl and immediately drizzle with the lemon juice, tossing until evenly coated.
2. In a separate small bowl, mix together the flour, sugars, salt and spices (adjust to your preference). Pour dry mixture over the apples and toss to coat, mixing until evenly distributed amongst the apples.
3. Pour the apple mixture directly into the greased pan. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the apples.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the apples feel tender when pierced with a fork, and the topping is golden brown. Let the apple crisp cool for 20 minutes before serving. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream on top.

 

 

 

damson plums - canning

By the end of the season, I got a little overwhelmed with my damson plum trees (or whatever hybrid they are).  I have heaps of jam and syrup, and I even froze some.  But there was still a full 5-gallon bucket staring at me.

So I canned 'em.  I washed them, put them whole into the jars, filled with hot light syrup, and pressure canned for 10 minutes.  

Last night I popped the first one open.  I strained the juice and put the plums into a baking dish. I used my hand to feel around and remove all the pits.  Then I made the pudding cake I so liked with rhubarb (cutting back the sugar because they were canned in syrup).   

Delicious.  I think I'll drink up the rest of the juice mixed with seltzer water.  I'd cook it down to syrup but I"ve already got a fair amount of that. 

Next year I won't get many plums because we really hacked the trees all back, but they'll come back.

And I'll be ready. 

I went to a farmer's market recently where a man was selling some unrelated products but really just wanted to share the gospel of damson plums.  Nutritional powerhouses! We talked for ages about these plums.  He really likes his as fruit leather.  

How funny that I'd never even heard of these fruit as recently as three months ago, and now they're a real part of my life.