Tuesday, December 29, 2009

butternut squash soup

I don't find the internet an appropriate forum to share details about my personal life, and that's not what this blog was intended to be. It's about food: what I make, what you make, what we like to eat, etc. But the way we eat is contextual to the rest of our lives, clearly, and I (and my family) have had a truly painful and overwhelming past two weeks: great loss, great love.

So if you know me, you'll know why I have been away for a while. If you don't know me, I find that I don't need you to know why I've been away.

I'll just say that ...

The world spins on, we go on, and we must eat. So let's eat well, dammit.

Soup has seemed the most comforting, palatable option. Modest and homey. On Christmas Eve, we made a butternut squash soup. Thick puree, incredibly filling, sweet and savory, oh yes. This will be made again. Soon.

Wishing you all a very happy new year,

Mary



Butternut Squash Soup (serves 4)

1 Large butternut squash, quartered lengthwise, seeds removed
1 Apple (I used a Fuji), peeled and diced
1 Medium sweet onion, diced
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
Olive oil
Butter (optional, but recommended)
Salt
Pepper
Nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400.
Place squash in roasting pan and drizzle liberally with olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper. Roast until tender when pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes. Scoop out the meat of the squash with a large spoon and discard the skin.

Meanwhile, heat 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil with one tbsp butter (alternately you can use a little more oil) in a large pan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the diced onion and season with salt and pepper. Sautee until caramelized, about 15 minutes. Remove onion from pan and set aside.

In the same pan, heat another tablespoon of olive oil, then add the diced apple. Season with salt, pepper, and a scant 1/4 tsp of nutmeg. Cook until softened, then set aside.

In a large pot, combine scooped squash, onion, apple, thyme, and rosemary. Stir to combine, then just cover with water. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then remove from heat.

You can puree the soup either with an immersion blender or a regular blender. If you use a regular standing blender, puree in batches (only fill the blender about half full), and only cover it LIGHTLY to allow the steam to escape--otherwise you with have a major soup volcano on your hands.

Check for seasoning. If you have seasoned every layer of the ingredients, you should have a well-seasoned soup, and it should need very little adjusting at this stage.

Serve garnished with fresh cracked pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.


Friday, December 11, 2009

my kind of cake. OR yes, please add some beer to that

Rich, buttery, chocolaty, not too sweet, and, wait ... what's that flavor, is that ... is that Guinness?

Oh yeah.

Chocolate Guinness Cake is from Nigella Lawson's book Feast, and it may be the best chocolate dessert ever. It's incredibly simple to make, but does require some "special equipment": a 9 inch springform pan (the kind with the clamp on the outside and a removable base), and parchment paper. Both of these items should be easy to find at any home goods store, or maybe even a well-stocked grocery. DO NOT try to make this without a springform pan. It is a very moist, heavy cake, and you will have a hell of a time getting it out of a regular cake pan in one piece.

The thing about baking (for those who think they can't do it), is that you have to really follow the recipe. It's an exact science. So don't try for any substitutions here (no yogurt for sour cream, no Budweiser for Guinness) or you won't get a tasty result.

Also, when baking, the end result will only be as good as the ingredients you put into it. So don't be chinsy: spend a few extra dollars and go for a good Dutch cocoa powder. Droste (in a red box) is GREAT if you can find it. And always use REAL vanilla extract, not the imitation stuff.

Ok, enough baking philosophy. Without further ado, here is Nigella's amazing recipe, with a few, hopefully helpful sidenotes from me.




Chocolate Guinness Cake
From "Feast" by Nigella Lawson

Ingredients
Cake
1 cup Guinness stout (not the whole can)
1 stick unsalted butter, sliced
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups granulated sugar (superfine, if possible)
¾ cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking soda

Icing
8 ounce cream cheese
1 cup confectioners' sugar
½ cup heavy cream

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line bottom with parchment paper.

Pour Guinness into a large saucepan, add butter and heat until melted. Whisk in cocoa powder and sugar. In a small bowl, beat sour cream with eggs and vanilla and then pour into brown, buttery, beery mixture and finally whisk in flour and baking soda.

Pour cake batter into greased and lined pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour (Check at 45 minutes for doneness, poking a skewer in center.[Mary: if it comes out clean, it's done]). Leave to cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack, as it is quite a damp cake.

When cake is cold, gently peel off parchment paper and transfer to a platter or cake stand. [Mary: Always wait to frost a cake until it has cooled, or you will melt your icing.]

Place cream cheese and confectioners' sugar in a mixing bowl, and whip with an electric beater, until smooth (You may also do this with a food processor.).

Add cream and beat again until you have a spreadable consistency.

Ice top of cake, starting at middle and fanning out, so that it resembles the frothy top of the famous pint.

Yields about 12 slices.

Happy Holidays, everyone!


Thursday, December 3, 2009

pantry raid




There is something old-fashioned sounding about a pantry. Although I like the idea: A closet around the corner from the kitchen, perhaps down a few cool stone steps. You slide open a heavy wood door, and click on a single, bare bulb with a pull chain. Surrounded by the bounteous options (grains! beans! root veggies!), you select the ingredients you need, and return to the kitchen to make dinner.

This is all part of my farmhouse food fantasy.

The reality is that in the city we are lucky to have a single cabinet to devote to food storage. So, what to buy? Cup o' Noodles are certainly fast and stack nicely, but offer limited dining options: noodles in a cup. Whereas, if you bought soba noodles, vegetable stock, teriyaki sauce, etc, you could not only make a fast meal far more wholesome and flavorful than your Cup o' Noodles, you would also have meal possibilities beyond what you just made.

Keeping a small stash of staple ingredients on hand allows more flexibility and creativity. Then a fast meal doesn't have to be a pop tart or a frozen dinner, it can be a smoothie and a piece of cinnamon toast, or sesame noodles with sautéed spinach (both of which can be made in less than 10 minutes).

Here’s a list of foods that I like to keep on hand, that help me eat well even when I have very little time.

Grains
Quinoa-- A little, round grain with a light nutty flavor, it is a complete protein! I‘ll sometimes make a big pot at the beginning of the week, and use it like I would rice.
Amaranth
Oats
Soba noodles (buckwheat noodles)
Brown rice pasta--More wholesome than regular pasta, but a better texture than the whole wheat kind, I think. Try Tinkyada brand, it doesn’t get mushy.
A delicious dark rye bread.

Oils
Safflower--High heat safe, I use this for most of my cooking.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil--I use mostly for dressings or to dress pasta.
Coconut Oil--very good for you.

Sweeteners
Cane Sugar--for baking.
Maple Syrup
Honey
Agave Nectar--low glycemic index sweetener.

Vinegars
Apple cider--Great in dressings, cooking.
Balsamic

Sauces
Pesto--I have some stored in the freezer made from a bumper crop of basil this past summer.
Teriyaki
Hot Sauce--I like Melinda’s Organic.
Soy Sauce
Hummus (not really a sauce I guess, but great to have on hand.)

A good selection of spices

Sea salt and fresh pepper

Canned Goods
Beans and diced tomatoes.

Frozen
Berries (for smoothies), spinach, and corn.

Dairy
Milk--I usually keep almond or rice milk around.
Good eggs--Try some from your local farmers market. You won‘t believe the difference in the flavor between a farm fresh egg and even the organic eggs available in your supermarket. Really.
Some kind of delicious cheese--right now it’s a lovely aged gouda.
Yogurt--great as a condiment, too. I like both a thick, Greek yogurt, and this lighter coconut milk kind.

Produce

Not really a pantry item, I suppose, but I usually keep on hand garlic and onions, sweet potatoes, and a dark, leafy green, like kale.
Fruit wise: lemons, apples, and bananas.


Keeping wholesome pantry staples on hand provides you with an unlimited number of variations, before you even venture into buying fish, meat, and fresh produce.

Think of just the breakfast options available: Rye toast topped with aged gouda and a fried egg. A homemade muesli. Yogurt with almonds and maple syrup. Scrambled eggs with pesto and tomatoes. Yes!

Give yourself a generous gift for the holidays and stock your pantry with whole foods. You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes in how well you eat.