One of the most tastiest and most photographed breads out there is the sourdough. What's not to love about this tangy loaf that's perfect just with butter or as the base of a sandwich? Now home bakers are taking it on, trying to create the perfect bread. All you need is a good starter and a lot of time.
Claire Saffritz, a contributing editor to Bon Appetit Magazine, wrote this interesting article, and how to for yesterday's New York Times Food section. Sourdough is one of the hardest and possible the most difficult of breads. As she states "It's not just flour, water and yeast but time and temperature too." Regular bread making, using an oven, is time consuming, but making sourdough is days consuming. Carve out three days for the whole process. She recommends starting on Friday for fresh from the oven loaves on Sunday. You're also going to need a lot of equipment, from a glass mixing bowl to an Instant read thermometer.Then there's the fancier stuff such as bannetons, bread proofing baskets. a serrated knife and a large Dutch oven. Unlike other breads , sourdough requires parchment paper too. Then there are the ingredients - a mature starter (get it online or from friends and family), white bread flour along with whole grain rye or spelt flour.Then there's rice flour for dusting. Luckily, Stop & Shop and WHole Foods carry the flours - although you can buy all of them on line.
After all this , then there is the process. It's feeding or refreshing your starter on Day One, then letting it sit out at room temperature. A second feeding is needed once the starter doubles in size. Day Two requires mixing the dough and letting it rest, otherwise known as the autolyse process. This will take anywhere from thirty minutes to a couple of hours. The next step is the floater test. Drop a small spoonful into a bowl of room temperature water.It's ready when it floats (along with a dome of sudsy bubbles appearing on the starter's surface. If it sinks, let it sit for another thirty minutes. If it's ready then combine the dough and starter. Use your one hand to mix the dough while the other rotates the bowl. assess the dough and then add salt. It's then mixing and performing what's known as the windowpane test in which some of the dough is stretched and rolled out. It should be membrane thin with light shining through it. Then there's more prep, folding and pre-shaping the dough. The shaping baskets are then prepared with a dusting of white and rice flours combined. The sourdough is then proofed, first outside the fridge and then inside it overnight. Day Three is the actual baking day It's baking it in a Dutch oven at a fiery 500 degrees F. Prepping the dough requires dusting it with flour and gashing it with a knife or razor blade. Halfway through the temp is dropped to 450 F. The result is a crusty, tasty loaf with a tender crumb.
Perfection takes a lot of work. Creating a flawless work is not just a lot of work but time. If you have it, do it. Make that Instagrammable loaf of bread.
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Getting Burned By Cookbooks
Every cook and baker dreams of having their own cookbook.It's a dream come true to not only share your recipes but also make potloads of money. Yet there is a dark side to this - one that gets many an experienced chef burned - and burned good.
Cookbook author of Indianish, Priya Krishna wrote about this little known problem in today's New York Times Food section. It sounds like a good idea and with any publishing offer - is beyond exciting. Having a published book , especially a cookbook, is the gateway to everything from spots on local morning news shows to YouTube channels. It often means getting picked up from a larger publishing house and huge royalties. However that can be far from the truth. One example is Dallas food blogger, Urvashi Pitri, wrote the popular Indian Instant Pot Cookbook which sold a whopping 100,000 copies.Yet she received no advance for it and was asked to develop fifty recipes in a three month period. To add insult to injury - she had to pay for all the ingredients - some pricey - out her own pocket. Her payment for all of this? Only $15,000 in the two years of its' publication. Bonuses were only given out if book sales reached a certain number. There was one huge plus, however, The book's popularity enabled her to sign a two book, six figure deal with publishing giant Houghton-Mifflin. Some , like Lauren McDuffle, author of the blog Harvest & Honey was approached by London based quantum publishing to write a spice cookbook. Sounds prestigious enough - save for one catch - no royalties. There was only a modest fee.
It seems that these publishing houses prey on, lesser known chefs, food bloggers and reviewers. The Philadelphia chef, Kiki Aranita had Page Street Publishing offer her a meager $8,000 to write a cookbook on Hawaiian food with royalties of ten percent on the first 25,000 copies. People of color may be more vulnerable, she states,because some ethnic cuisines may be too out of the mainstream. However something similar happened to Baltimore cookbook author, Alison Robicelli when Reedy Press asked her to write a book about standout restaurants from Washington DC to Baltimore. There was no pay up front or budget for traveling and dining. All that would come out of her pocket. There was also no payment - only royalties. Some chefs are turning to self publishing which is easy to do. Nick Kokonis , an owner of the Alinea Group in Chicago wrote The Aviary Cocktail Book about his one restaurant's drinks. It was a lavish publishing cost of $630,000 but the return was 3.2 million. A much cheaper alternative is Amazon Self Publishing and Nook. As for formatting you can go to Google Docs and use their recipe template, which also includes for photos. Another alternative is to self publish shorter cookbooks with fewer recipes under a collaborative started by editor in chief , Kevin Pang, of online food publication The Takeout. writers will earn seven to five dollars a book.
These cookbook publishing tales are true horror stories. The best and easiest route is self publishing. It means total control and the chance to have a successful food writing career.
Cookbook author of Indianish, Priya Krishna wrote about this little known problem in today's New York Times Food section. It sounds like a good idea and with any publishing offer - is beyond exciting. Having a published book , especially a cookbook, is the gateway to everything from spots on local morning news shows to YouTube channels. It often means getting picked up from a larger publishing house and huge royalties. However that can be far from the truth. One example is Dallas food blogger, Urvashi Pitri, wrote the popular Indian Instant Pot Cookbook which sold a whopping 100,000 copies.Yet she received no advance for it and was asked to develop fifty recipes in a three month period. To add insult to injury - she had to pay for all the ingredients - some pricey - out her own pocket. Her payment for all of this? Only $15,000 in the two years of its' publication. Bonuses were only given out if book sales reached a certain number. There was one huge plus, however, The book's popularity enabled her to sign a two book, six figure deal with publishing giant Houghton-Mifflin. Some , like Lauren McDuffle, author of the blog Harvest & Honey was approached by London based quantum publishing to write a spice cookbook. Sounds prestigious enough - save for one catch - no royalties. There was only a modest fee.
It seems that these publishing houses prey on, lesser known chefs, food bloggers and reviewers. The Philadelphia chef, Kiki Aranita had Page Street Publishing offer her a meager $8,000 to write a cookbook on Hawaiian food with royalties of ten percent on the first 25,000 copies. People of color may be more vulnerable, she states,because some ethnic cuisines may be too out of the mainstream. However something similar happened to Baltimore cookbook author, Alison Robicelli when Reedy Press asked her to write a book about standout restaurants from Washington DC to Baltimore. There was no pay up front or budget for traveling and dining. All that would come out of her pocket. There was also no payment - only royalties. Some chefs are turning to self publishing which is easy to do. Nick Kokonis , an owner of the Alinea Group in Chicago wrote The Aviary Cocktail Book about his one restaurant's drinks. It was a lavish publishing cost of $630,000 but the return was 3.2 million. A much cheaper alternative is Amazon Self Publishing and Nook. As for formatting you can go to Google Docs and use their recipe template, which also includes for photos. Another alternative is to self publish shorter cookbooks with fewer recipes under a collaborative started by editor in chief , Kevin Pang, of online food publication The Takeout. writers will earn seven to five dollars a book.
These cookbook publishing tales are true horror stories. The best and easiest route is self publishing. It means total control and the chance to have a successful food writing career.
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
The Other Fall Bounties
Yes, it's the fall and with it comes the two most well known harvests - pumpkins and apples. Yet the season also comes with other bounties. Farms and even home gardens are now graced with squash,Brussels sprouts and a host of others. They're not only full of goodness but can be made into a variety of different recipes.
Pumpkins may be the stars of this month yet there are other squashes who are not only pretty to look at but delicious to eat. Butternut and acorn squashes should also be the stars of the dinner table. Butternut squash is great blended into tasty vegan soups. One of its' finer aspects is that its' flavor marries well with others. Pair it with onion and the two play off each other , giving dishes a sweet, unami vibe. Try them as part of a pan dinner with chicken or as a vegan pan roast . Acorn squash is another supporting player that should have top billing. It can be stuffed in a variety of different way for satisfying vegan main meals.Add grains such a quinoa and rice along with any kind of bean protein such as chickpea or kidney beans. Acorn squash can also be good just on its' own with melted butter filling the center. It's also the perfect side for any kind of poultry and can be a welcome change at the holiday table.
Greens also are big this season. Brussels sprouts are just coming into harvest. These can be a little labor intensive to prepare if you've bought the stalks. They do require a lot of rinsing and soaking to get rid of the sandy soil they're grown in. However the end result is a tasty one. You can boil or steam them for five to ten minutes and then drench them with a sauce of melted butter and Parmesan cheese, Piedmontese style. For a fun family treat, turn them into chips. This requires peeling them like mini cabbages, dousing them with olive oil , sea salt and pepper , and then a quick roast in the oven. An easier version is crisping them up in your air fryer for quicker results. Another versatile veggie is the cauliflower. This alabaster beauty is excellent as the basis of a creamy soup, which, again, can be made vegan by blending it with vegetable stock and almond milk. Round out the flavor with butter and garlic. Of course , nothing beats batter dipped fried cauliflower , which can be easy cooked in an air fryer. It's good as an appetizer at tail gate parties or as a fun side. Cauliflower also makes an excellent crust for pizza too!
There are other October bounties besides pumpkins and apples. Take advantage of them and create delicious harvest recipes. You'll have a bounty of good recipes and food.
Pumpkins may be the stars of this month yet there are other squashes who are not only pretty to look at but delicious to eat. Butternut and acorn squashes should also be the stars of the dinner table. Butternut squash is great blended into tasty vegan soups. One of its' finer aspects is that its' flavor marries well with others. Pair it with onion and the two play off each other , giving dishes a sweet, unami vibe. Try them as part of a pan dinner with chicken or as a vegan pan roast . Acorn squash is another supporting player that should have top billing. It can be stuffed in a variety of different way for satisfying vegan main meals.Add grains such a quinoa and rice along with any kind of bean protein such as chickpea or kidney beans. Acorn squash can also be good just on its' own with melted butter filling the center. It's also the perfect side for any kind of poultry and can be a welcome change at the holiday table.
Greens also are big this season. Brussels sprouts are just coming into harvest. These can be a little labor intensive to prepare if you've bought the stalks. They do require a lot of rinsing and soaking to get rid of the sandy soil they're grown in. However the end result is a tasty one. You can boil or steam them for five to ten minutes and then drench them with a sauce of melted butter and Parmesan cheese, Piedmontese style. For a fun family treat, turn them into chips. This requires peeling them like mini cabbages, dousing them with olive oil , sea salt and pepper , and then a quick roast in the oven. An easier version is crisping them up in your air fryer for quicker results. Another versatile veggie is the cauliflower. This alabaster beauty is excellent as the basis of a creamy soup, which, again, can be made vegan by blending it with vegetable stock and almond milk. Round out the flavor with butter and garlic. Of course , nothing beats batter dipped fried cauliflower , which can be easy cooked in an air fryer. It's good as an appetizer at tail gate parties or as a fun side. Cauliflower also makes an excellent crust for pizza too!
There are other October bounties besides pumpkins and apples. Take advantage of them and create delicious harvest recipes. You'll have a bounty of good recipes and food.
Monday, September 30, 2019
Your Pie Guide
Fall is definitely the time for pies. Yet pie isn't just pie anymore. It's crostatas, tarts and tarltets too, Anything fruit or custard filled goes these days and what you make of them is up to you. Pies could be for the week, save the fancier stuff for the weekend. They're all good.
Pie is more or less the most basic. You can bake a crust and fill it with anything or have the crust cook with the filling which is the better choice. Basic pie dough hasn't really changed since the 1500's when royal pie lover , Elizabeth I made cherry and apple pie popular. It's a mix of flour, ice water salt and shortening. This last is always the subject of controversy. Should you use straight out lard or vegetable shortening? Some home bakers insist on butter. Go with Crisco, which is basically solidified soy bean oil. It has produced flaky crusts for generations. You can go with coconut or even vegetable oil but you will not have a tender, melt in your mouth crust. Another option is bought pie crusts which simply can be popped in the freezer when you need them. Can you use pie crust for crostata? I suppose you could but keep in mind that actual recipe does have sugar and butter in it. You may have to decrease the amount of sugar used in the pie filling. Now can the pie crust do triple duty for tarts and tartlets? No. Tarts and their little ones have a crust that requires egg yolks, sugar and vanilla along with butter. As for handheld pies, the best option is a simple pie crust. This is the sturdiest and won't open, causing a filling spill out.
Since this is the time for apples, then make an apple pie. What are the best for filling? A good bet is Granny Smith. These bright green, tart tasting gems make the best filling and are not overly sweet.it also has a firm flesh which holds up well in baking. It also won't get mushy either. Another sturdy pome is the Winesap.It's a tart and spicy taste with solid white flesh. Can you use the same apples in crostatas? Not really. These open faced pastries require smaller sized apples like Galas but you could use the bigger ones if you're in a pinch. As for tarts, use the same as for the pies. Tarts are another intense bake so a good sturdy fleshed fruit is required. As for the extras, yes use the cinnamon but also have freshly ground nutmeg too. It adds more oomph to the pie. There's also brown sugar and lemon juice , the last added as a preservative. The crostata has a slightly different recipe. Some call for the addition of flour, usually a quarter of a cup. Also orange zest is used to give it some zing. As for the tarts, you can use the same filling recipe for the pie.
It's apple pie, crostata, tart and tartlet season. Make whichever appeals to you.Any one is great on a cool fall day, whether to make or to eat.
Pie is more or less the most basic. You can bake a crust and fill it with anything or have the crust cook with the filling which is the better choice. Basic pie dough hasn't really changed since the 1500's when royal pie lover , Elizabeth I made cherry and apple pie popular. It's a mix of flour, ice water salt and shortening. This last is always the subject of controversy. Should you use straight out lard or vegetable shortening? Some home bakers insist on butter. Go with Crisco, which is basically solidified soy bean oil. It has produced flaky crusts for generations. You can go with coconut or even vegetable oil but you will not have a tender, melt in your mouth crust. Another option is bought pie crusts which simply can be popped in the freezer when you need them. Can you use pie crust for crostata? I suppose you could but keep in mind that actual recipe does have sugar and butter in it. You may have to decrease the amount of sugar used in the pie filling. Now can the pie crust do triple duty for tarts and tartlets? No. Tarts and their little ones have a crust that requires egg yolks, sugar and vanilla along with butter. As for handheld pies, the best option is a simple pie crust. This is the sturdiest and won't open, causing a filling spill out.
Since this is the time for apples, then make an apple pie. What are the best for filling? A good bet is Granny Smith. These bright green, tart tasting gems make the best filling and are not overly sweet.it also has a firm flesh which holds up well in baking. It also won't get mushy either. Another sturdy pome is the Winesap.It's a tart and spicy taste with solid white flesh. Can you use the same apples in crostatas? Not really. These open faced pastries require smaller sized apples like Galas but you could use the bigger ones if you're in a pinch. As for tarts, use the same as for the pies. Tarts are another intense bake so a good sturdy fleshed fruit is required. As for the extras, yes use the cinnamon but also have freshly ground nutmeg too. It adds more oomph to the pie. There's also brown sugar and lemon juice , the last added as a preservative. The crostata has a slightly different recipe. Some call for the addition of flour, usually a quarter of a cup. Also orange zest is used to give it some zing. As for the tarts, you can use the same filling recipe for the pie.
It's apple pie, crostata, tart and tartlet season. Make whichever appeals to you.Any one is great on a cool fall day, whether to make or to eat.
Saturday, September 28, 2019
A Vegan Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah is the period of reflection in the Hebrew calendar. For those thinking about their impact on the world and its' future, this may be a good time to ponder how your diet affects the planet.. Going vegan can be considered a mitsvah, a good deed stemming from religious duty. Will you miss the traditional brisket? Not really. There are plenty of good meatless recipes for the holiday.
As any one will tell you there is nothing like a brisket.It 's usually the star of the holiday table and a substantial one at that. Luckily Beyond Beef, the closest vegan thing to actual ground beef has come out with Beyond Meat. These are crumbles that can be molded into a loaf.What's the binder? A water soaked loaf of bread. You could make it as a regular meat loaf and then slice it. For a more symbolic meal mold the "meat" into the traditional fish head symbolizing prosperity and fruitfulness. Use almonds for the scales and olives for the eyes.This brings up the traditional fish dish. Some more progressive home chefs may want to think about serving a seaweed salad. Seaweed, itself, could symbolize abundance and life - considering it does sustain in times of famine.Another idea is filling individual acorn squash with the Beyond Meat crumbles mixed with pomegranates and chickpeas for more meatiness and sweetness. For a more savory vibe, nix the pomegranates and add a drizzle of tahini sauce to each squash.
What about sides in a Rosh Hashanah vegetarian dinner? You could try concia, fried zucchini coins taken from the Roman Jews. These are marinated first in a mixture of vinegar, garlic, and mint , then set to soak for two hours to overnight. They're then fried in a light neutral oil. Use extra virgin light olive oil for the best results. Another flavorful side is braised leeks with thyme and pomegranate. The leeks are baked side by side with thyme sprigs tucked between the stalks. A sauce of olive oil, dry white wine and pomegranate syrups is drizzled over the whole dish and then baked for forty-five minutes. Keep in mind that leeks come from sandy soil so make sure that they're are soaked in salty water to draw out the grit. It may take a few rinses to get them completely dirt free. A fun dish that will definitely have family and friends talking is mock chopped liver. It's a mix of walnuts and button mushrooms to get that dark liver color, and it's zinged up with onions, balsamic vinegar and garlic. Serve on fancy crackers or even challah bread.As for the dessert, a traditional honey cake that uses applesauce as a binder for eggs.
Have a thoughtful Rosh Hashanah dinner by going vegan. It's a small but important gesture to save the planet. It's also a chance to enjoy vegetarian food with family and friends.
As any one will tell you there is nothing like a brisket.It 's usually the star of the holiday table and a substantial one at that. Luckily Beyond Beef, the closest vegan thing to actual ground beef has come out with Beyond Meat. These are crumbles that can be molded into a loaf.What's the binder? A water soaked loaf of bread. You could make it as a regular meat loaf and then slice it. For a more symbolic meal mold the "meat" into the traditional fish head symbolizing prosperity and fruitfulness. Use almonds for the scales and olives for the eyes.This brings up the traditional fish dish. Some more progressive home chefs may want to think about serving a seaweed salad. Seaweed, itself, could symbolize abundance and life - considering it does sustain in times of famine.Another idea is filling individual acorn squash with the Beyond Meat crumbles mixed with pomegranates and chickpeas for more meatiness and sweetness. For a more savory vibe, nix the pomegranates and add a drizzle of tahini sauce to each squash.
What about sides in a Rosh Hashanah vegetarian dinner? You could try concia, fried zucchini coins taken from the Roman Jews. These are marinated first in a mixture of vinegar, garlic, and mint , then set to soak for two hours to overnight. They're then fried in a light neutral oil. Use extra virgin light olive oil for the best results. Another flavorful side is braised leeks with thyme and pomegranate. The leeks are baked side by side with thyme sprigs tucked between the stalks. A sauce of olive oil, dry white wine and pomegranate syrups is drizzled over the whole dish and then baked for forty-five minutes. Keep in mind that leeks come from sandy soil so make sure that they're are soaked in salty water to draw out the grit. It may take a few rinses to get them completely dirt free. A fun dish that will definitely have family and friends talking is mock chopped liver. It's a mix of walnuts and button mushrooms to get that dark liver color, and it's zinged up with onions, balsamic vinegar and garlic. Serve on fancy crackers or even challah bread.As for the dessert, a traditional honey cake that uses applesauce as a binder for eggs.
Have a thoughtful Rosh Hashanah dinner by going vegan. It's a small but important gesture to save the planet. It's also a chance to enjoy vegetarian food with family and friends.
Friday, September 27, 2019
A Slew Of Recipes
The New York Times Food section this week was a veritable recipe book, chock full of good ideas and food combos. It's worth looking into, especially since it caters to carnivores, herbivores and everyone in between. You''re sure to find something that will appeal to you and your family.
One of the best articles in the issue comes from Emily Weinstein, Her vacation - a lakeside house with a limited kitchen, inspired her to create a fast and easy cuisine. It starts with what she deems "power" ingredients like sausage which come already spiced and ready to cook. Her recipe combines them with mild Cubanelle peppers and tomatoes, The three are broiled with some olive oil, shallots and garlic. I can see this as the perfect week night dinner, served with rice or polenta. There is also her linguine and clam sauce, simply made with baby clams, white wine or vermouth and spiked with red pepper flakes. Egg lovers will love J. Kenji Lopez-Alt's Weeknight Cooking article on boiling the perfect egg. The chef even had ninety-seven (!) volunteers come to his restaurant , Wursthall to test variously made hard boiled eggs. Steamed eggs are really the best and can be used in a variety of dishes. Of course there is egg salad, perfect for weekend lunches and deviled eggs for parties. You can also coarsely chop them for a different kind of vinaigrette - perfect for a salad Nicoise. Quartered ones are great as decorations with beans or veggies. Soft boiled eggs are great topping on braised veggies or beans.
Vegans will like Julia Moskin's "Vegetarian Lessons For The Ominvore Cook." She also garnered tips from such vegan cooks such as Raque Pelzel, author of the new cookbook, Unami Bomb and Rich Landau, chef of the famed Philadelphia Vedge. Chef Pelzel recommends adding unami to it all to give flavor. Try smokey paprika, usually towards the end of cooking according to Israeli cookbook author, Adeena Sussman whose book Sababa is all about Israeli inspired food. The recipe Ms. Moskin offers is savory Thai noodles with Brussels sprouts. It's Thai rice noodles combined with the sprouts , popular right now along with mung bean sprouts and roasted peanuts. A sauce that's both sweet and spicy , made with brown sugar and red pepper flakes tops it, Another vegan weeknight dinner is spiced seared eggplant with pearl couscous. It's a hearty combo of eggplant and diced tomatoes. Melissa Clark deals with lunchbox dilemmas. What do you give the kids? An interesting lunch created from the dinner the night before. She takes inspiration from fellow mom, Allison, who uses the night before meal for the lunchbox treats the next day. Ms Clark has a tasty ragu of chicken with fennel and bacon for supper, she bakes that into empanadas the next day for a lunch break delight.
Go to The Times Food section online. Try any of these recipes for a tasty weeknight or weekend meal. Any one of them makes for a delicious meal.
One of the best articles in the issue comes from Emily Weinstein, Her vacation - a lakeside house with a limited kitchen, inspired her to create a fast and easy cuisine. It starts with what she deems "power" ingredients like sausage which come already spiced and ready to cook. Her recipe combines them with mild Cubanelle peppers and tomatoes, The three are broiled with some olive oil, shallots and garlic. I can see this as the perfect week night dinner, served with rice or polenta. There is also her linguine and clam sauce, simply made with baby clams, white wine or vermouth and spiked with red pepper flakes. Egg lovers will love J. Kenji Lopez-Alt's Weeknight Cooking article on boiling the perfect egg. The chef even had ninety-seven (!) volunteers come to his restaurant , Wursthall to test variously made hard boiled eggs. Steamed eggs are really the best and can be used in a variety of dishes. Of course there is egg salad, perfect for weekend lunches and deviled eggs for parties. You can also coarsely chop them for a different kind of vinaigrette - perfect for a salad Nicoise. Quartered ones are great as decorations with beans or veggies. Soft boiled eggs are great topping on braised veggies or beans.
Vegans will like Julia Moskin's "Vegetarian Lessons For The Ominvore Cook." She also garnered tips from such vegan cooks such as Raque Pelzel, author of the new cookbook, Unami Bomb and Rich Landau, chef of the famed Philadelphia Vedge. Chef Pelzel recommends adding unami to it all to give flavor. Try smokey paprika, usually towards the end of cooking according to Israeli cookbook author, Adeena Sussman whose book Sababa is all about Israeli inspired food. The recipe Ms. Moskin offers is savory Thai noodles with Brussels sprouts. It's Thai rice noodles combined with the sprouts , popular right now along with mung bean sprouts and roasted peanuts. A sauce that's both sweet and spicy , made with brown sugar and red pepper flakes tops it, Another vegan weeknight dinner is spiced seared eggplant with pearl couscous. It's a hearty combo of eggplant and diced tomatoes. Melissa Clark deals with lunchbox dilemmas. What do you give the kids? An interesting lunch created from the dinner the night before. She takes inspiration from fellow mom, Allison, who uses the night before meal for the lunchbox treats the next day. Ms Clark has a tasty ragu of chicken with fennel and bacon for supper, she bakes that into empanadas the next day for a lunch break delight.
Go to The Times Food section online. Try any of these recipes for a tasty weeknight or weekend meal. Any one of them makes for a delicious meal.
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Pumpkin Time!!!
Pumpkins are everywhere as we edge into fall.They are one of the most versatile veggies, going from savory to sweet recipes with ease. It pays to have a few recipes centering around them in your fall cooking arsenal.
I thought I had enough recipes regarding Cucurbita pepo, the Latin name for pumpkin. Obviously not.
I received this :
I thought I had enough recipes regarding Cucurbita pepo, the Latin name for pumpkin. Obviously not.
I received this :
This is one of those mini cookbooks that every grocery check out has The publisher is Publications International Limited or PILThey have been producing specialized cookbooks for forty years.They're fun books to give as gifts like their kits and game brain series or buy if you're looking for more cookie or crock pot recipes. It seems my crew like my family's squash soup recipe so much that they want me to make more. There is a wide variety for only forty-seven recipes. One of the pluses is that it's no nonsense. It's just recipes with a surprise section on maple syrup recipes as well. No cute or folksy tips or asides that usually riddle cookbooks. There should be a disclaimer however about the difference between pumpkin pie filling and pumpkin puree. The first is laden with sugar and pumpkin pie spices such as clove and cinnamon. It's only used in baking and puddings. The second is just pure pumpkin, perfect actually for sweet and savory recipes, although it's mostly used for the last.
There are a lot of interesting recipes that I didn't know about. One is a pumpkin polenta one which is like a pumpkin soup thickened with the famed corn meal.It's spiced with smoky paprika and mace and finished with the addition of fontina cheese.Of course there are soup recipes.One is a fiery blend of chipotle chili powder and black pepper. Three quarter cup of apple cider gives it sweetness. I definitely will make this , and serve with with tortilla chips. There is also a curried ginger pumpkin soup that's got a sweet heat vibe thanks to a dash of curry and a chopped Golden Delicious apple added in.The sweet recipes abound. A fun dessert would be the Maple Walnut Crescent Cobbler, made super easy with those frozen crescent rolls. Of course there are pumpkin pie recipes, one with maple the other with a pecan quinoa crust.Forget the Halloween candy. There is a pumpkin seed brittle I know I'll make. Those pumpkin cinnamon buns on the cover look waaaayyyy too tempting. It's in their breakfast section. It's the same as a regular bun recipe but the dough has pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices . A less fattening alternative is Spiced Pumpkin Banana Smoothie.
There will be a lot of pumpkin and maple in my future thanks to the mini cookbook Pumpkin! There are so many recipes I want to make and you'll see them in the upcoming weeks. It will be pumpkin fest!!!
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