Pear Chutney
Last fall, Javis’s mom gave me a huge bag of green pears and I made a pear chutney out of some of them. I put the chutney in small canning jars and kept them in the freezer. Pear chutney is delicious with grilled meat or tofu, or try it with cauliflower curry.
Pear Chutney
makes about 1-1/2 cups
adapted from Moosewood Cookbook
1-1/2 pounds green pears
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup cider vinegar
cayenne to taste
1. Peel, core and coarsely chop the pears. Place them in a medium sized saucepan with remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil then lower heat to a simmer.
2. Simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes or until everything is very soft. Cool then transfer to a jar with a lid and chill. Alternately put the chutney in small canning jars, leaving about 1/2 inch space at the top and freeze for up to 6 months.
Cauliflower Curry
When I have a craving for Indian food, I pull out my Moosewood Cookbook and make this curry. There are a lot of ingredients and you can go a little crazy with the condiments, but it is well worth it. You begin by grinding a fragrant curry paste with toasted seeds and nuts, spices coconut, garlic and ginger.
Here are all my seeds, nuts, spices, ginger and garlic happily waiting in the food processor to be ground up into a delicious savory curry paste.
The drink shown with the curry is a Green Apple Fizz. I also like to serve the curry with homemade pear chutney, but store bought chutney is just as good.
To toast seeds: place seeds, one type at a time (different seeds toast at different rates) in a small dry saucepan (no oil) over medium heat. Toast seeds, stirring and/or shaking intermittently, being careful not to scorch the seeds, until they are light brown and fragrant. Cumin seeds will darken a bit more than sesame seeds.
Cauliflower Curry
from Moosewood Cookbook
6-8 servings
2 medium potatoes, cut into small chunks
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
3 medium cloves garlic, peeled
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
1/2 cup lightly toasted peanuts
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice
2 tablespoons toasted cumin seeds
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup water (more, as needed)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 large cauliflower, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3-4 tablespoons lemon juice
Condiments – any assortment:
chopped cilantro
thinly sliced oranges and/or lemons
sliced cucumbers and/or tomatoes
thinly sliced bell pepper, assorted colors
toasted nuts and/or coconut
raisins
chutney
1. Boil potatoes until just tender. Drain and set aside.
2. Place next 11 ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree until fairly homogenous. Add extra water, as needed, to form a soft workable paste.
3. Heat oil in a large, deep pot and add onion and salt. Saute for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add cauliflower and carrot and mix well. Cover and cook about 10 minutes, then add the paste. Mix well. Cook, covered over low heat until the cauliflower is tender, stirring every few minutes. Add more water if necessary, to prevent sticking.
4. Add the cooked potatoes, chickpeas and lemon juice and cook a few more minutes. Taste and adjust salt if needed. Serve hot with rice and condiments.
Green Apple Fizz
We’re having a bit of a heat wave in Portland this weekend. When things get hot, the best thing for me to do is to relax on the back deck with something cool to sip on.
The Green Apple Fizz is a simple drink to whip up in a jiffy when I want a fruity cocktail in a hurry, or if unexpected (and thirsty!) guests drop by.
Green Apple Fizz
serves 1
1 jigger green apple vodka (I used Smirnoff, but use your favorite brand)
1-2 lemon wedges (how to cut lemon wedges)
4 ounces green tea ginger ale or regular ginger ale
ice cubes
Pour apple vodka into a short glass. Squeeze lemon wedge(s) into the glass to release the juice and drop the lemon wedge into the glass. Add ginger ale and give the drink a quick stir. Add ice cubes and enjoy!
Blackberry Chiffon Pie
This is one of my favorite pies. It’s light and airy, fruity and just the right amount of sweetness. If you’re looking for something to do with all those blackberries you picked, this is the perfect thing to make!
I’ve also made this pie with strawberries instead of blackberries with excellent results. Raspberries would work great too.
Blackberry Chiffon Pie
8 servings
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
2-1/2 cups fresh blackberries, lightly rinsed and dried on paper towels
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
2/3 cup water
2 egg whites (I use Just Whites)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 heavy whipping cream
1 prepared Graham Cracker Crust
whipped cream (optional)
1. In a mixing bowl, crush blackberries with a potato masher, pastry blender or a fork to measure 1-1/4 cups crushed berries. Do not use a food processor or blender to crush the berries. Stir in 1/4 cup sugar and the lemon juice. Set aside.
2. In a small saucepan stir together 1/4 cup sugar and the gelatin. Stir in the water. Cook and stir over low heat until the sugar and gelatin dissolve. Remove from heat and cool.
3. Stir the cooled gelatin mixture into the blackberry mixture. Chill to the consistency of corn syrup, stirring occasionally (about 1 hour). Remove from the refrigerator (gelatin mixture will continue to set).
4. If you are using Just Whites, follow the package instructions for the equivalent of two egg whites. Immediately beat the egg whites with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form (tips curl). Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight).
5. When gelatin berry mixture is partially set, the consistency of unbeaten egg whites, fold in the stiff beaten egg whites.
6. Beat the heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form. Fold whipped cream into the blackberry mixture. Chill until the mixture mounds when spooned (about 1 hour). Pile mixture into a prepared graham cracker crust.
7. Chill pie for 8 hours or until firm. Serve with additional whipped cream, if desired.
Graham Cracker Pie Crust
Graham Cracker Pie Crust
from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/4 cups finely crushed graham crackers (about 7-1/2 large crackers, ground in a blender)
1. Melt the butter.
2. Stir in the sugar and crushed graham crackers. Toss to mix.
3. Spread mixture into a 9-inch pie pan. Press onto bottom and sides to form a firm, even pie crust.
4. Bake in a 375F oven for 4-5 minutes or until the edge is lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack before filling.
Blackberry Crumb Pie
Last weekend Gabe and I went berry picking at Baggenstos Farm in Sherwood. It was a perfect day for picking berries – partly cloudy and cool in the morning. When we got there we loaded up a little wagon with boxes and headed out to the berry patch.
We walked down to the blackberry vines – I mean – blackberry heaven! Imagine rows and rows of blackberry vines taller than you are and loaded with plump, ripe blackberries. And did I mention at Baggenstos Farm their vines are thornless? Wow, this was going to be easy!
The smell of freshly picked blackberries is intoxicating. And so is the smell of a freshly baked blackberry crumb pie…
Blackberry Crumb Pie
adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman
8 servings
5 cups blackberries, picked over, rinsed quickly and lightly dried on paper towels
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch or 3 tablespoons instant tapioca
Pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon freshly minced lemon zest
1 recipe single pie crust, prepared and lined in a pie pan
1 recipe Crumb Topping
Preheat the oven to 450F. Very gently toss the blackberries with the sugar, cornstarch or tapioca, salt and spices. Stir in the lemon juice and zest. Pile berries into the prepared pie crust. Sprinkle the prepared crumb topping evenly over the berries. Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the 450F oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350F and bake another 40 minutes until the berries are bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Cool on a rack before serving warm or at room temperature.
Crumb Topping
This is a delicious crumb topping that comes together very quickly. Use this to bake on top of your favorite pie or sprinkle on top of sweetened fruit and bake for a quick dessert.
Crumb Topping
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
makes about 2.5 cups – enough to top a 9″ pie or top about 5 cups of fruit
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, ginger or cinnamon
1/4 cup butter or margarine, cold
Combine all ingredients except butter in a medium sized bowl. Cut butter or margarine into small chunks and combine with crumb mixture. Cut in butter or margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Jen’s Taco Salad
My friend Jen from Santa Cruz made this delicious taco salad for me a number of years ago. We’ve been close friends since high school and have been through a lot together. Everytime I make this I think of her 🙂 Thanks Jen!!
There are a lot of options here. Use Smart Ground for vegetarian. Omit cheese to make it vegan.
It looks like there are a lot of steps/ingredients, but it really comes together very quickly. If you have extra taco filling, it’s great in…guess what??…tacos!!! And also good in burritos, quesadillas, scrambled eggs…be creative!
Hungry yet?
Ingredients:
Taco Filling:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1-12 ounce package Smart Ground (regular or Mexican flavor), or 12-ounces ground beef
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup frozen corn kernels
Salt to taste
Salad Assembly:
Tortilla chips (can use baked tortilla chips), slightly crushed into bite-sized pieces
Salad greens
3 tomatoes, chopped, about 3 cups
A sweet salad dressing, such as French or Marie’s Raspberry Vinaigrette
1-1/2 cups shredded cheese
Salsa
1. In a medium sized skillet, heat extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat. When hot, add onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until it starts getting soft.
2. Add chopped red and green bell pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes til slightly softened.
3. Add Smart Ground or ground beef and stir to combine. Add cumin, chili powder and oregano and cook either until Smart Ground is warmed through or until ground beef is cooked.
4. Add black beans and corn and cook until corn is heated through. Set aside.
5. On dinner plates or large salad bowls, place a single serving of crushed tortilla chips, about 3/4 cup or as much as is desired. Measurements of ingredients used to assemble the salad below are estimates, use your best judgement.
6. Place about 1/2-3/4 cup of warm taco filling mixture on top of the crushed tortilla chips.
7. Place about 3/4 cup of salad greens on top of taco filling mixture. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of chopped tomato on salad greens.
8. Drizzle desired amount of salad dressing over the salad.
9. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of shredded cheese on top. Spoon desired amount of salsa on top.
My kids love salad if it’s taco salad! Makes enough for at least 6 very hungry people.
Dreamy Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting
Last week I made the dreamiest cupcakes ever! Moist vanilla cake with melt-in-your-mouth chocolate frosting.
I love baby cupcakes because they are so adorable and because I always tell myself I’ll just eat one baby one and then I’ll be done. But they are so tiny and delicious, I always end up eating more!
I was experimenting with vanilla cake and chocolate frosting because my older son’s birthday is coming up and I’m baking a cake for his party.
I found a great vanilla cake recipe on Kitchen Simplicity that was very moist and had a nice crumb. Then Savory Sweet Life told me that you could whip chocolate ganache into frosting. Oh. Wow. That sounded incredibly chocolately and oooh so bad. I had to try it.
The chocolate frosting is like pure whipped chocolate melting in your mouth. You should make these; your family and friends will thank you.
Dreamy Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting
makes about one tray regular sized cupcakes plus one tray mini cupcakes
Cake
adapted from Kitchen Simplicity
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 egg yolks, room temperature
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sour milk (1 tablespoon vinegar with milk added to 1 cup) or buttermilk, room temperature
3 teaspoons vanilla or other flavoring (almond is nice)
6 egg whites, room temperature
1. Cream butter and sugar (it will be crumbly). Add egg yolks, one at a time (it’s ok if they both fall in the bowl together by accident :)).
2. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking soda. Add alternately with buttermilk to the butter mixture in three additions, beginning and ending with flour. Mix in vanilla and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whip egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 egg whites into cake batter to loosen. Fold in remaining egg whites gently until no white streaks remain.
4. Pour into cupcake tins with liners and bake at350 F 17-10 minutes for regular sized cupcakes or 10-12 minutes for mini cupcakes; or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
6. Cool for 5 minutes. Then remove cupcakes to a cooling rack to cool before frosting.
Chocolate Frosting
adapted from Savory Sweet Life
12 ounces good quality dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 cup heavy cream
1. Place chocolate pieces in a large mixing bowl. Heat cream on medium high until it comes to a boil.
2. Remove cream from heat and immediately pour cream over chocolate.
3. Stir until completely mixed and glossy.
4. Allow the mixture to cool. I put it in the refrigerator to cool for about 20 minutes. It’s good if it’s slightly cold before whipping it.
5. Whip cool mixture until it is the texture of frosting. This can be spread or piped onto the cupcakes after they’ve cooled.
Pumpkin Seed and Green Chile Posole
Warm and hearty, posole makes a great dinner on a cold winter night. The savory combination of slightly smoky and spicy flavors is delicious!
This recipe was in this February’s edition of Sunset magazine and I could not resist making it. Onions, chiles, garlic and tomatillos are roasted first to bring out a smokey flavor and then pureed to make the posole base. I think this may be the first time I’ve ever eaten posole. It’s usually made with pork but I did not miss the meat at all. This can be a vegan dish if you omit the cotija cheese garnish. Posole tastes even better the next day!
Creamy pumpkin seed and green chile posole
from: Sunset Magazine
Serves 8
1 large yellow onion, cut into wedges
3 large poblano chiles (I could not find fresh poblanos so I substituted Anaheim chiles instead)
1 serrano chile (serranos are spicy and I wanted my kids to eat this so I left it out)
1-1/2 pounds tomatillos, papery husks removed and rinsed (I did not know how to pick a tomatillos so here is interesting article on how to pick tomatillos ripe)
4 unpeeled garlic cloves
2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded (I could not find dried anchos so I substituted dried pasilla chiles)
About 1 cup salted, roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas), divided
2 cans (29 oz. each) white hominy, rinsed and drained
5 to 6 cups vegetable broth
About 5 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano, divided (I used regular oregano)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large zucchini, cut into large dice
Accompaniments: corn tortillas, chopped cilantro, thinly sliced green onions and crumbled cotija cheese
1. Preheat broiler with oven rack about 3 inches from heat. Place yellow onion, poblanos, serrano, tomatillos and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil, turning, until vegetables are browned to blackened all over, 15 to 30 minutes, moving them to a bowl as they get browned. Let cool.
2. Toast ancho chiles in a large pot over medium heat until fragrant, pressing down with tongs and turning occasionally, about 3 minutes. Turn off heat.
3. Peel and seed poblanos and serrano. Peel garlic. Whirl serrano, garlic, onion, tomatillos and any juices and 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds in a food processor until very smooth. Pour into the pot with the anchos (they’ll fall apart as they cook). Coarsely chop poblanos and add to pot (I accidentally pureed the poblanos with the rest of the vegetables from the oven and this was fine too).
4. Stir in hominy, 5 cups broth, 2 teaspoons oregano and the cumin. Cover, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until cumin flavor is mellow, about 45 minutes. Discard any large pieces of ancho chile.
5. Stir zucchini into posole and simmer just until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in more broth if you like a thinner soup.
6. Ladle posole into bowls and serve with remaining pumpkin seeds and oregano and other accompaniments to taste.