Autumn Pumpkin Soup

A cold, gray, and rainy day spent outside at my son's soccer tournement requires something hearty and warm for dinner...and in a hurry thank you very much. 

Thank goodness for a few pantry staples and pancetta to get dinner on the table in a hurry! 

Autumn Pumpkin Soup

1 large shallot, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

4 oz pancetta (or bacon), diced

1 15 oz can puréed pumpkin 

2 cups low sodium chicken broth

3/4 c. Whole milk ricotta (you can use part skim, but the flavor won't be as naturally sweet)

Salt and pepper to taste 

In a soup pot, over medium heat,  sauté the pancetta until crisp, remove and set aside. 

Sauté the diced shallot in about 2 tbsp of the rendered pancetta fat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes. Add the pumpkin and the chicken broth, and simmer for 5-10 minutes. 

Stir in the ricotta until fully combined. Season wth salt and pepper to taste. 

If you desire a smoother consistency purée with a hand held for an immersion blender. 

Serve with the crispy pancetta bits and garlic bread. 

Bon appetite! 

K 

Autumn Butternut Squash Lasagna

Ah yes! Leaves are changing, sun has a golden glow, and everyone's front porches are laden with mums of all colors and pumpkins. All of that and the chilly mornings mean it's time to dust off the squash recipes ...and this one is my favorite. It isn't too complicated, I promise. If you can make a simple bechamel (white) sauce then you are in for a treat! 

BUTTERNUT SQUASH LASAGNA 

Ingredients 

BUTTERNUT SQUASH PURÉE

1 1/2 lbs of butternut squash cubed

8-16 oz Whole Milk Ricotta

1 tbsp Olive Oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Toss the butternut squash with 1 tbsp olive oil and roasted at 350F until tender (about 30-40 minutes)

OR you can go the easy way and buy frozen butternut squash and steam it in the microwave ----I won't judge you. And honestly I have made it both ways and they are pretty close. follow the instructions on the bag and cook til tender. 

Now, in a food processor or with an immersion blender, purée the squash and cheese together and add salt and pepper. Set aside.

Bechamel Sauce

1/4 c butter

1/4 c. Flour

3 1/2 c. Milk

1/4-1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1/2 tsp nutmeg  (or more- I use fresh and have a heavy hand with it in this dish)

salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan over medium heat melt the butter. Once melted, whisk in the flour until a thick paste is formed and cook for a few minutes. 

Next, whisk in the milk in gradual by thirds until all the milk is added and the mixture is smooth. Summer over medium heat for about 5-10 minutes until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Whisk in the optional Parmesan cheese. (I have made it with and without and it works great either way. It isn't required but why not guild the lily a bit) Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste.

Building your Lasagna! 

Ingredients

16 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 box lasagna noodles cooked (you can also use the no boil noodles)

2 tbsp fresh minced sage 

Preheat your oven to 350F

Lightly spray or butter a 13" x 9" pan

In the bottom of the pan spread about 1/2-3/4 cup of the white sauce. Next place a single layer of noodles to cover, then 1/2 of the butternut squash purée, topped with 1/3 of the shredded mozzarella, then a layer of the bechamel (about a third of what is remaining) sprinkled with about half the sage. Repeat - noodles, squash, cheese, bechamel. Top with final layer of noodles and top with the remaining bechamel, sprinkle with mozzarella and sage, and bake for 45 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. 

Let sit for 20-30 minutes for easier slicing and enjoy with a green salad topped with a lemony vinaigrette. 

Hope you enjoy!! 

K

 

Oven Baked Eggplant Parmigiana

I love eggplant and we scored a pretty decent crop of it from our garden this summer. Only problem is despite the many yummy was to eat it my son absolutely refused to touch it. Not as babganoush, not as Imam Bayildi (the recipe I will have to share once the weather cools off some more), not diced in our Thai red curry. So....how to I find a way to get this picky eater to love eggplant and not break the caloric bank by frying it to delicious crispiness? I know! I will cover it with tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella cheese and tell him it is chicken, if he asks. ;)

BAKED EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA

2 cups panko bread crumbs

3 tbsp olive oil

2 eggs, beaten with a tablespoon of water (egg wash)

1/2 cup flour

2 cups Marinara sauce (homemade or from a jar- I dont judge)

2 medium eggplants, peeled and sliced about 1/4 inch thick or so

1/2 -1 lbs sliced or shredded mozzarella cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350F

In a large frying pan heat the olive oil  over medium heat. Add the panko crumbs, salt and pepper, and toast until the bread crumbs are golden brown.

Next, prepare three shallow bowls for dredging the eggplant, first in flour, then the egg wash, and finally the toasted panko bread crumbs. Dredge the eggplant in the flour, egg, then panko and place on a baking sheet lined with a silpat or with foil (for easy cleanup). 

Once all of your eggplant is coated, top with marinare sacue and cheese. 

Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or so unitl the eggplant is cooked thru and the cheese is melted and golden. 

Serve with a green salad and a side of angel hair pasta or on a sub roll for a hearty sandwich. 

Hope you enjoy!

K

Easy Ramen

Been absent from my blog for a while....not because I havent had time but I have been trying a few new recipes and while some have been great (and i promise to blog them soon) some were only ok and need more time to perfect. This recipe for ramen though is so easy and so comforting I cant wait to share it with you. 

I have been under the weather the last few days so soup has been on the menu- matzo ball soup or "Jewish Penincillin" , Enchilada Soup (which was awesome and i promise to blog that next), and now ramen, which I have had a love affair with since I was a kid. 

So let's get to it!

Easy Ramen

1 packet high quality ramen noodle, the flavor is your choice but i like shiso

1 cooked chicken breast sliced

1 handful baby soinach or baby bok choy (sliced thinly)

1-2 green onions thinly sliced

1 egg

Follow the instructions on the ramen packet. Once the noodles are cooked, remove to a bowl and turn the broth down to a simmer and gently poach and egg (or two if you are feeling especially hungry) for 3 minutes. Layer the meat and veg over the noodles, top with the poached egg and laddle the broth over the enitre thing. I like a little hint of spice so i like to add chili garlic (found in the Asian food section of most supermarkets).

See? Easy! It is also extremely flexible. feel free to clean out the fridge with this recipe bu adding any vegetables or leftover meats you have. I have used grilled steak, leftover ham sauteed with a bit of hoisin sauce, or poached shrimp. Be creative and have fun or go simple with just noodles, and egg and a slice of american cheese for a creamy consistency!

Bon appetite!

K

 

Old Fashioned Apple Fritters

First week of school is in the books. The week started off hot as Hades - 90 degrees and and 90% humidity. But I guess someone told Mother Nature that is was September and today was gray, rainy, and chilly (at least this morning while I sat in the pouring rain at my son's 8 am soccer game- Ugh!)

So after a few errands, a nice lunch out with the family, and a nap (totally justified by the early weekend wake up) I decided that we were going to have breakfast for dinner and use up some of the 30+ pounds of apples we picked last week. 

So just a quick story about these apple fritters ...

When I was a teenage my grandmother from Denmark came to America to visit for an extended stay. Now she and my mom had gone apple picking and brought home a ridiculously large number of apples....no one can eat that many apples out of hand and my mom does NOT  like to bake...at all (though she does at Christmas, but that's another post). So what to do with all these apples? 

Well, we owned (and I still have) a Pillsbury cookbook from the early '60s and in it is a variation on savory corn fritters that uses apples. It requires no rolling of dough, no waiting for yeast to rise and gives you the crunchy exterior of a fried doughnut with the ease (and similar texture) of a pancake. We were sold and they came out so well we made them nearly everyday for something like 3 weeks until all the apples were gone. I have such great memories of my grandmother and I peeling apples in my mother's kitchen. Well today while making a cup of tea this afternoon, my favorite tea from my favorite tea shoppe in Copenhagen (A.C. Perch if your ever find yourself there. It's all very old fashioned with loads of different teas, old brass scales, and a smell that takes me right back to my childhood), I decided to relieve a little bit of family history in my favorite way, through food. 

This is my take on that vintage recipe. They are super easy and I hope you enjoy them! 

Old Fashioned Apple Fritters

3 c. All purpose flour 

5 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

4 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp ground cinnamon 

1/2 tbsp ground nutmeg

1 cup milk

4 eggs

3 cups diced apples

Neutral oil for frying

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and sift.

 Combine the eggs and milk and mix until combined. Add the wet to the dry ingredients, mix well. Now add the diced apples 

Heat oil in a deep pan to 375F and carefully drop soup spoons full of the batter into the oil and fry until gold on each side (about 2-3 min per side). Remove to a plate lined with paper towel to drain and top with a simple glaze of powders sugar and cold water or top with loads of powders sugar and serve warm. 

Bon appetite everyone! 

Xx

K

Perfect Greek Diner Potatoes

Hip hip hooray! It's the first day of school and unlike last year, when I locked myself out of the house and took it easy, today I was a busy beaver. So after running around most of the day (figuratively of course, because mama doesn't run unless I am being chased...by someone with a weapon!) I am home and back in my happy place- the kitchen. 

Now, enough about me, let's get to these potatoes. I know what you are thinking. "Potatoes? Not very exciting." But here you would be wrong, well right and wrong. Potatoes are not what usually get my culinary juices flowing but these take me back to the a couple of wonderful trips to Greece and the Greek diners of my youth. They are so lovely- soft and tender on the inside and just a bit crisp in the outside. Add to that the fact they they are dead simple to make and you have side dish heaven! 

Perfect Greek Diner Potatoes

3 lbs Yukon gold Potatoes, sliced in wedges

4 cloves garlic, smashed

Heavy pinch of Kosher Salt

1/4 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Juice of 1 lemon

Water

Preheat oven to 450F

Slice potatoes into wedges and add to an oven proof baking dish, no need to be neat here. Just make sure they aren't too crowded. 

Next, take out your aggression on 4 cloves of garlic and smash. Remove skins and add to the potatoes.

Drizzle the Olive oil over the top (feel free to use more- I usually do)

Add the salt and lemon juice, and then add just enough water to almost cover the potatoes, but not quite. 

Place potatoes in the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes, tossing lightly half way through.

The potatoes will have the most amazing soft, almost confited texture, with a few crispy bits. Yum!!

Serve  with your favorite roasted or grilled meat, chicken or fish. We like it with Greek marinated chicken or Mahi Mahi, or pork souvlaki. The leftovers are great for homefries or in frittatas. 

Hope you live this simple dish as much as we do! 

K

Apple Almond Clafoutis

Ah...it's finally September, though if you check the weather here in Northern Virginia it is still summertime- hazy hot and humid! Regardless of the temperatures though apples have come into season and my kids and I headed out early to our favorite local area farm (Homestead Farms in Poolesville, VA- which you should definitely check out if you are ever in the DC area and looking for great pick your own produce, feed goats, and pat some of the friendliest golden retrievers you have ever met!) to beat the heat and the inevitable crowds to pick apples and get in that autumn/back to school frame of mind. 

Tempted by all that sweet crunchy fruit we exercised some restraint and walked away with only 35 lbs of apples! Hahaha, we should be good to go on apple for at least a few months now. 

So many things to make with apples and the recipes are everywhere but I was in the mood for a little something different, but of course not too complicateed or fussy. So....what to make? 

Ah ha! Clafoutis! Yes, I know this custard like pancake is usually made with cherries or other soft summer fruits, but I think this version will satisfy all those early fall cravings for apples, almonds and cinnamon. I also wanted to bump up the protein a bit and try a gluten free version (for my friend's daughter) and so I experimented with some almond flour I had leftover from a lemon polenta cake  and came up with this! I hope you enjoy!

Apple Almond Clafoutis 

(adapted from "The Joy of Cooking" by I. Rombauer

4 eggs

3/4 c. sugar

3/4 c. whole milk (or heavy cream, if you are feeling naughty)

3/4 c. almond flour

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tbsp rum (optional)

2 apples, peeled, and diced 

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp butter (for the pan)

recipe note- you can use all purpose flour in place of almond flour if you prefer. I would then add 1/4 sliced almonds to the top of the clafoutis prior to baking.

Preheat oven to 350F

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs until frothy. Whisk in sugar until dissolved. Whisk in milk or cream and then add the almond flour, vanilla, rum, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside. 

Peel and dice the apples and sprinkle with cinnamon (I use a heavy hand with the cinnamon because I do love apples with cinnamon!)

Butter a shallow round baking dish (I used a medium cast iron pan). Sprinkle the apples all over the bottom of the pan. Pour the batter over apples and bake at 350F for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the clafoutis.

Let rest about 20 minutes before serving

Serve with a few strips of salty bacon for a hearty breakfast or a dust with powdered sugar and serve with a dollop of whipped cream!

Hope you enjoy...my kids devoured it! 

 

K