Seasonal – Page 18 – morestomach

Pumpkin Challah Chips

Published on December 9, 2013December 9, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach14 Comments

here’s the truth about disappointments:
they’re bullshit
and like most things in life,
they’re prevalent
i won’t tell you
how often i’ve been disappointed
by things, by people
because,
like i said,
it’s all bullshit
i will tell you that it all factors
down to perspective
and the adequate handling of it
some would call it avoidance
others would call it compartmentalization
i call it getting on with it

the fact is,
not everything i make in the kitchen
comes out golden
i make plenty of garbage
sometimes inedible
if i’m lucky i can revamp the dish
and salvage it somehow

over thanksgiving i baked a pumpkin challah
it came out tough,
a bit too dense for my liking
the french toast we ended making with it
came out just ok
we had more than half leftover
there had to be something
that could be done to
adequately handle it
and so,
i got on with it
sliced it up real thin
threw it in the oven
and challah chips were born
i included hummus in the pictures
because,
trust me,
just a smattering of
bread crumbs do not make
pretty pictures

i used this pumpkin challah recipe
for hummus, it’s your very typical concoction of chickpeans/garbonzo beans + tahini + lemon juice + salt & pepper + olive oil in the food processor

cauliflower + pumpkin gnocchi

Published on November 25, 2013November 24, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach17 Comments

thanksgiving,
for someone like me,
who has a naturally inclined
ungrateful heart,
was a holiday that passed like
any other day
to be sure,
i acknowledge that we get
those 2 days off
48 hours that i spend in the kitchen,
yes,
because i spend my life
with a man who loves food
regardless of the day
the month
or holiday

i am not so presumptuous
to think that this dish should
be on your thanksgiving menu,
instead,
should you find yourself
with too much leftover pumpkin puree,
or any kind of squash,
after your celebration
make this
it’s warming
it’s filling
it’s easy

here’s to wishing you and yours
a delightful thanksgiving season
may the grace of this time
be ever present

cauliflower + pumpkin gnocchi (with cilantro walnut pesto)
recipe adapted from reclaiming provincial and purple house cafe
makes 4 servings

1 cup of pumpkin puree, i use the farmer’s market brand
1/3 cup grated hard cheese, like Parmesan or Grana Padano
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour (you may need more, you may need less)
1 egg
2 tsp ground coriander seeds

to make the gnocchi, mix the pumpkin puree with the cheese, egg and ground coriander seeds. with a dough whisk (or a fork, or your hands), mix in flour, 1/4 cup at a time until dough comings together, pulls from the sides of bowl. on the counter kneed the dough until it’s smooth and not tacky.

divide dough int 4, roll out into thin ropes. cut into little pieces. i used this method.

cook the gnocchi in salted boiling water and then saute in olive oil. you’ll know when it’s done when the gnocchi rises up in the water.

roast up the cauliflower however you like it. i kept it simple: cut the cauliflower into little florets, put on cookie sheet and throw in preheated 350F oven for about 20-30 minutes. no seasoning

for the cilantro walnut pesto:

olive oil – about 1/2 cup
1-2 cloves of garlic
bunch cilantro
handful of toasted walnuts

heat up the olive oil with the garlic in a sauce pan, watch it carefully, don’t let the garlic burn.
in a food processor add the cilantro, with stems, with the walnuts and olive oil & garlic. process until desired consistency. season with salt & pepper. if the mixture is too thick, like a paste, add a bit of water to loosen.

serve all this together in one glorious Pile.

butternut squash & pearl barley risotto

Published on October 28, 2013October 25, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach18 Comments

if you were to ask me what my
favorite thing about autumn was
i’d be hard pressed to come up with
an answer
i would respond with more than
one answer
because despite my dislike for
the chill,
for the need for layers,
for the fading light starting at 4pm
there is still plenty to like
about autumn

for one,
the sunsets seem prettier,
the horizon has an urgency to it,
like it’s beseeching you to stop & look at it
for another,
hand-yarned neck adornments
i lucked out this year,
nuria knitted me THREE scarves,
of which i will eventually blog about

then there’s the food
(it always gets back to that, doesn’t it?)
the crock pot can come out of hiding
soups & stews are on the weekly menu
most days the dwelling is warmed
by the hardworking stove and oven

while our csa is dwindling down
we’ve been stockpiling our stash of squash
i tried delicata squash recently
the abundance of them is a wonder now
we’ll tire of them soon enough
as the season progresses
but in the meantime,
like all good things
some coaxing and attention is required
for this dish
not only from the squash
but from the pearl barley as well

butternut squash & pearl barley risotto
adapted from martha stewart living, april 2013
*note: i used already cooked squash which i had roasted when i made the autumn harvest soup. if using raw squash, you want to add it earlier in the process of cooking the barley, maybe 15 minutes in? make sure the cubes are uniform in size so they cook at the same time. it’s tricky, because you want the squash to soften and the barley to be cooked through at the same time, it’s all about timing.

5 cups chicken broth (or, 3 cubes of homemade bouillon cubes + 3-4 cups of water)
2 TBL olive oil
1 cup pearl barley, rinsed and drained
1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves torn into large pieces (about 6 cups)
half a good sized butternut squash, already roasted and cubed
half an onion, diced
2 cloves garlic minced
grated fresh Parmesan cheese, to top

heat up broth in a saucepan, keep warm

heat oil in a pot over medium heat. add barley and stir to coat until toasted. at this point, i removed the barley from the pan. return empty pan to fire, heat up a bit more oil and saute the onions and garlic. when fragrant, add in the barley again, then add in about 2 ladles-worth of broth. simmer, stirring constantly until broth has been absorbed.

do this continuously, until there’s about 2 ladles worth of broth left. add in the kale and squash, stirring in the remaining broth.

serve hot or at room temp, topped with grated parmasen cheese

other winter squash dishes:
morestomach – autumn harvest soup
real simple – coconut rice with winter squash
the kitchn – creamy butternut squash orzotto with toasted pecans
my recipes – thai butternut soup

autumn harvest soup

Published on October 17, 2013October 16, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach20 Comments

maybe you know this about me,
you probably don’t,
but i like simple recipes
recipes that come together quickly
that uses up regular pantry items
random things that can be thrown in
haphazardly
and most likely not make much sense
except that they’re organic
about to die or rot
and were purchased on a whim
you may have also noticed that
i have the same general technique
when making a pot of soup
doing up a stir fry
it has a lot to do with time constraints
energy levels
and most importantly,
for me,
the routine of chopping/dicing/mashing/cooking
that allows me to either ignore things
or watch netflix on the ipad that
is perched on the precious counter space
it’s a wonder i haven’t chopped
a finger off
or burned the house down

this soup came together because
we had a butternut squash lounging
purchased some 2+ weeks prior
there were also those sad looking potatoes
that needed to be used up
and of course, the last few scraggly
carrots from the 5lb bag i like
to buy a few times a month
the weather is cool enough now that
soup is not a crazy option
i threw in miso for a nice umami kick
i did not add any salt
it all just ended up being perfectly
seasoned
plus, simplicity as its best

Autumn Harvest Soup

mirepoix:
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TBL olive oil
1/4 cup honey
2 generous tsp miso

veggies:
2 medium sized potatoes, scrubbed and dice
half a good sized butternut squash, cubed

soup base:
2 homemade bouillon cubes
3 cups water
(alternatively, 3-4 cups of low-sodium stock, veggie or chicken)

in a pot, sweat the mirepoix veggies in olive oil, starting with the onions until translucent. add in the carrots and then the garlic. the timing is flexible, you can either go for a pale coloring or a deeper caramelized flavor, it’s to your preference, anywhere from 5-15 minutes. deglaze the pot with honey. i guessed on the amount, it’s basically how ever much came out of the bottle. you don’t want it sweet but you still do want some flavor. mix with veggies until shiny and coated, then add in the miso. again, this is based on taste preference. i used a mild flavored miso. miso can be salty so at your discretion season accordingly.

throw in the bouillon cubes and water (or stock). again, depending on how salty the stock or bouillon cubes are, adjust liquid and seasoning accordingly.

bring to a boil and then lower heat to simmer.

at this point, add in the potatoes and squash cubes. allow to simmer gently until all veggies are tender.

either using a handheld blender or vitamix, puree the soup to preferred consistency. i don’t like it too smooth, it comes out as baby food to me, so i leave in some chunks for texture. adjust season and add more liquid (water or stock) if you want a thinner soup.

garnish with roasted squash seeds for added crunch and texture.

other soups to enjoy:
angry asian creations – butternut squash braised in coconut milk
angry asian creations – curried lentil soup
angry asian creations – cambodian chicken & rice soup
my recipes – thai butternut soup
wandering chopsticks – canh tan o (vietnamese chrysanthemum greens soup)
olives for dinner – easy & fragrant coconut soup

green tomato & mint chutney

Published on July 29, 2013July 31, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach14 Comments

it’d be an apt description to say that
i’m a Pragmatic Person
capable of viewing varying perspectives
down to earth
realistic
sensible
i pay bills every month
my grocery lists are documented based on
the locations of the ingredients in the store –
for efficiency.
i forgo the cute heels
for the more utilitarian flats
when going to the mall

but the thing is,
it’s all a farce
i’m really a friggin mess
i daydream,
my head is usually in the clouds
sometimes i make up stories
and i say them out loud,
the more far fetched the more likely
i’ll share it with ~~people~~ dw
i never allocate time or funds for
dry cleaning
and yet my closet is riddled with
chiffon, silks, and other lovely frocks
that shrink within 5 feet of a washer/dryer.
i spend chunks of my day
wondering why i can’t be a hobbit
living in the Shire,
reading under a tree by day
and drinking ale at night

and so with a practical mind
last Saturday i went to the market
to pick up our CSA stash
i mentally prepared the week’s meals,
calculating portions,
pantry availability,
that kind of thing
and then i saw green tomatoes,
the first of the season
and everything was forgotten
i nixed the beets that would’ve been two meals,
what with the ruby orbs AND leafy tops

by itself, it’s not an impractical purchase
green tomatoes are Summer,
and as such, should be sampled at least once
but we were in the midst of a heat wave
and i don’t know about you,
turning on the stove to dodge oil splatters
to fry up these little beasts is
So Impractical

but i didn’t want them languishing on the counter,
eventually to rot,
or worse,
attracting those blasted fruit flies.
into a pot they went,
with skins,
simmered with mint
and this
and that
and then this chutney was born

beyond spreading it on toast, maybe,
or at best, on pork tenderloin,
(like how we did for dinner the other night)
i’m not sure what else we could do with
this condiment
practical and impractical indeed!

Green Tomato + Mint Chutney
note: if i ever make this again, which let’s face it, i will when it appears again next summer, during a heatwave i’m sure, i would cut back to just one cup of sugar. it was just a smidge too sweet for my liking.

ingredients:
1 ¼ lb green tomatoes (washed & chopped)
1 jalapeno sliced, deseeded
½ cup herbs such as mint (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 inch piece ginger (chopped)
½ cup apple cider vinegar
2 TBL soy sauce
2 cups organic sugar

method:
in a food processor add the tomatoes, jalapeno, mint, &
ginger.

pulse until desired consistency.

pour mixture into sauce pan and add remaining ingredients.

simmer on gentle boil until it’s reduced, about 45 minutes.

yields: 1 pint/ 16oz / 2 cups