Butternut Beet Soup - Fall Recipe

A cold rainy day is a perfect day for soup made with butternut squash, carrot and sweet potato.  The starchy vegetables become a velvety puree and the coconut milk adds a rich depth. 

This time I didn't have sweet potatoes, but I did have beets. The sweet earthy flavor of the beets didn't change the flavor much but the color is redder. 

What color would say that is?  Persimmon?  I downloaded the Sherwin Williams paint sample color matching ap and it suggests Gladiola, Coral bells, Ardent coral or Heart throb.  While I don't want butternut beet soup as a wall hue, I enjoyed it as a vibrant colored soup. 

Add a dollop of yogurt, lime, cilantro, sriracha sauce to balance the sweet rustic flavors of the soup and you've got a meal.  (A slice of fresh baked wheat bread is an excellent side.  Never turn down fresh bread.)

Butternut Beet Soup

3 medium beets

4 medium carrots

1 medium butternut squash
5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 can unsweetened coconut milk (14 oz)
2 onions, chopped
10 cloves garlic, peeled
4 oz fresh gingers, peeled
2 bay leaves

2 limes
2 cups fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon sriracha (Thailand chili vinegar hot sauce)
1/2 cup plain yogurt (I use Greek) 

1. Start by cleaning and pealing your carrots, beets and squash and chopping them into sections less than four inches long. They just need to fit in the pot, don't worry about how big they are, you will puree them after they are cooked.
    
2. In a large pot over medium heat add the carrots, squash, beets, broth, coconut milk and bay leaves. Cover and allow it to come to a boil.
    
3. Mean while, sauté the onion with a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Mince the garlic and ginger. When the onions are translucent add the garlic and ginger. Sauté for an additional minute then add the onion mixture to the pot of stewing vegetables. When the soup pot starts to boil reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer covered for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Stir occasionally.
    
4. While the soup is simmering make the lime cilantro yogurt sauce. In your food processor add the juice from the two limes, yogurt, cilantro and sriracha. Puree until smooth. Pour into a small serving bowl and refrigerate until you are ready to serve the soup.
    
5. When the veggies are soft you are ready to puree the soup. First remove the bay leaves. Then use an immersion blender to puree the mixture. If you don't have an immersion blender, puree the soup in batches through a blender or food processor. 


6. To serve the soup pour into bowls and top with a dollop of the yogurt sauce. You can even make a design if you want.  I made a smilely face in my first bowl and then figured why not something more discriptive like a beet?  No special tools needed.  I used a spoon and a chopstick. 

Bread Stuffing with Sausage, Pecans and Dried Apricots - Recipe

Since it is Thanksgiving week it's a good time to share one of my favorite turkey sides, stuffing.  I've been told it is stuffing when it is stuffed into a bird and dressing when it is baked separately.  I personally like both.  The stuffing has more turkey flavor and is evenly moist, but I also love the crunchy top of the dressing. You can do either or both.  I vote for both.

Since I am pregnant, although still in the first trimester for two more weeks, I am not going to worry about how much I'm eating.  Plus since I can't drink I won't be getting any calories from wine, beer or cocktails.  I'm a little sad about that. Not the lack of calories, rather sitting around while sipping on something late into the night around the dinner table is part of family tradition.  I am trying to look on the bright side by thinking "well now I can eat those calories instead." Writing that statement seems funny.  I am not going to think about it too hard. 

My families traditional stuffing recipe is a simple sage with onions and celery affair.  It's absolutely delicious, but it is definitely a side dish and is only enhanced by gravy and cranberry sauce.  This Sausage, Pecan and Dried Apricots stuffing can be a meal unto it self.  Gravy would just cover up the subtle sweet apricots and earthy pecan flavor.  This is the stuffing you want if you aren't doing a million recipes and you want a stand out. 

This stuffing recipe comes from my favorite cookbook: Cooks Illustrated New Best Recipe and in the notes it mentions that, "The stuffing can be cooked inside the holiday bird if you prefer; just reduce stock to 1 cup. Stuff a 12 to 15-pound turkey with 6 cups of stuffing. Then add an additional 1/2 cup of chicken stock to the remaining stuffing and bake it separately in an 8-inch pan."

For the base of stuffing, I like a combination of wheat and white for bread crumbs.  Start by making stale bread crumbs. Then, you can do this either the fast more effort way or the lazy long way.  

Lazy long way: First cut the bread into 1/2-inch slices, and lay them in a single layer on baking sheets or cooling racks, b and leaving them out overnight. The next day, cut the slices into 1/2-inch cubes and allow them to dry for another night.

Fast but more effort way: If you are in a hurry, rush the process by drying the slices in a 225-degree oven until brittle but not brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Then cut them into cubes and proceed.

Bread Stuffing with Sausage, Pecans and Dried Apricots

1 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from the casings and crumbled
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (you will also use the sausage grease, so you made need less depending)
1 large onion, chopped
4 medium ribs celery, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried sage or (1 1/2 teaspoon of the fresh herb)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or (1 1/2 teaspoon of the fresh herb)
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram or (1 1/2 teaspoon of the fresh herb)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped fine
2 cups pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
1 cup dried apricots, cut into thin strips
1 teaspoon salt
12 cups dried bread crumbs (from about 24-36 slices of bread)
1 cup homemade turkey or chicken stock
3 large eggs, slightly beaten 

1. Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Pour the grease off that remains and measure it.  (Don't scrape the pan you want the fat to be clear.  Then measure the grease and add enough butter to bring it up to six tablespoons.  That sausage fat will add great flavor.  Waste not, want not!  That's the Thanksgiving way.  I doubt the Pilgrims or the Indians ever threw meat fat away. 
    
2. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until soft and translucent, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the herbs and pepper, and cook for another minute. Transfer to the bowl with the sausage; add the parsley, pecans, apricots and salt, and mix to combine. Add the bread cubes to the bowl. 
    
3. Whisk the stock and the eggs together in a small bowl. Pour the mixture over the bread cubes. Gently toss to distribute the ingredients evenly. Stuff the bird or bake the dressing, covered with foil, at 400° F until hot throughout, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the foil; continue to bake until a golden brown crust forms on the stuffing, about 15 minutes longer. 

This is such a good recipe you don't have to save it for just Thanksgiving.  Anytime you are craving a fall comfort food make this dish. 

What's in your favorite holiday stuffing?

Pan Roasted Beets, Peaches and Goat Cheese Salad with a Citrus Pecan Dressing - Recipe

With the 95 plus degree days we been having, a summer salad is one of the main things on our menu.  Plus it is quick, which is important now that most of my cooking happens in 10 minute increments while holding a baby.  

Pan Roasted Beets, Peaches and Goat Cheese Salad is one of my favorites and a great way to show case beets.  Their simple earthy flavor and bold cranberry color make an unexpected and beautiful combination with tart peaches and creamy goat cheese.  This is an excellent lunch or make smaller portions for an appetizer.  

My recipe was inspired by a similar dish I ordered at Lucrezia Cafe after a visit to the Chesterton European Market in north west Indiana.  If you ever find yourself in the neighborhood you should go to the Saturday market and then eat at Lucrezia's.  It's one of the things I miss most about living in Valparaiso.

Roasted Beets, Peaches and Goat Cheese Salad

2 ripe peaches
4 beets
2 oz goat cheese

2 tablespoons toasted pecans
1 tablespoon lemon or orange juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch of salt

Serves 2

1. Peel and slice the beets into half inch thick coins.  Then over medium heat cook them until fork tender in a dash of olive oil; about 15-20 minutes. Arrange the beets onto plates.  A light colored plate is a must to show off the beautiful colors of this salad.
    
2. For the dressing in a small bowl whisk to combine the citrus juice, olive oil and pinch of salt.  Then drizzle over the beets.  The color of the beets will bleed into the dressing.
    
3. Cut the peaches into wedges place on top of the beets.
    
4. Dab goat cheese onto each peach. I wouldn't blame you if you used more than 1 oz of goat cheese per person.
    
5. Sprinkle the toasted pecans over top.  Serve chilled or at room temperature and enjoy!

Cottage Cheese and Fresh Fruit - Healthy Vegetarian Breakfast

I've been looking for a healthy and quick breakfast; something with protein that will get me through until lunch.  Cottage cheese with fresh fruit has been a tasty answer.  I've been eating about a half cup low-fat cottage cheese with a Clementine orange, strawberries or some of the frozen berries we put up last summer.

I let you in on another fantastic way to eat cottage cheese, mix it with salsa and eat it with tortilla chips.  I know it sounds strange, but it's surprisingly yummy.  Maybe I'll have to make that another post. 

As a kid I couldn't stand cottage cheese.  I'm not sure what's changed, but recently I've been craving it.  I still don't like yogurt.  Right now it is just a substitute for sour cream.  How do you eat cottage cheese or yogurt? 

If you are looking for a quick snack or breakfast you should give cottage cheese and fruit a try.  I'm not even sure you need a recipe for this one.  But here you go just to drive home how easy and quick this is:

Cottage Cheese and Fruit

1/2 cup low-fat organic cottage cheese

1 Clementine orange

1/4 cup fresh strawberries

 Top cottage cheese with fruit and enjoy. 

Check out how healthy this quick breakfast is:

Canning Pizza Sauce and Tomato Sauce - Recipe

We make pizza about once a week.  Normally I make my pizza sauce each time by sauteing onions and garlic, adding diced tomatoes and then sprinkling in the spices and cooking for 30 minutes.  All the while getting splatters of red sauce all over my stove and counters.  No more!  My goal was to can a pizza sauce that I could use straight out of the jar.

Behold my canned pizza sauce:

I bought a bushel of tomatoes at the farmer's market. A bushel of tomatoes is about 50 pounds!  I could barely lift it.  Actually, I couldn't lift it.  The guy who sold it to me had to hoist it up and then I could carry it to my open trunk.  Once I got home I transferred half of the tomatoes to a five gallon bucket so I could bring them into the house.  My excuses are I just had a baby... a couple months ago and that this photo doesn't do it justice.  That's a lot of tomatoes.

If you want a bushel of tomatoes stop by your local farmer's market or farm stand and ask the sellers if they will sell you a bushel of seconds or canners.  At my farmer's market I have to pay in advance for a bushel and then pick it up the next week.  Or I have to get their really early in the morning to just walk up and buy a basket.  Maybe once the season peaks it will be better.  Hopefully next year I'll have my at least part of the lawn turned into garden and I'll be canning my own.  

I use two pieces of equipment that make it easier to sauce: an immersion blender and a food mill.  They come in very handy so that I don't have to blanch the tomatoes or strain them.  

Here's how I made pizza sauce.  First I cleaned and took the stem off all the tomatoes that still had that part.  Then I cut out the top where the tomato attached to the stem and quartered it.  

What makes this more than just tomato sauce is the addition of Italian spices, onions and garlic.  I sauteed the garlic and onions until the onions were glassy.  Then I threw in as many tomatoes as I could and simmered for twenty minutes.  There is no need to add water the tomatoes will break down and become juicy quickly.  It was important to stir frequently to keep things cooking evenly.  

I wish I had a big pot for this step, but I had to settle for batching them in my two 8-quart pots.  Until I started canning I thought I would never need anything bigger than the 8-quart!  I'll have to keep a look out at garage sales and Good Will to see if I can find a huge pot for canning things like tomato and apple sauce.  It would also come in handy for making stock.

In the photo above you can see the quartered tomatoes waiting their turn in the pot.  I am pretty sure at this stage there were still uncut tomatoes waiting in the sink as well, but I had run out of containers to hold them.  After they simmered for 20 minutes, I took out the bay leaves and used the immersion blender to make a lovely tomato pulp.  If you don't have an immersion blender you could also batch in a blender or food processor.  Or I guess you could just run it through the food mill and you would just have to crank longer.  

Then I poured the pureed tomatoes into a food mill.  This was a most excellent gift from my mother!  She got it at an antique mall.  There are lots of kinds you can purchase like these on Amazon.  Before I had this I used my hands to press the liquid through a colander   

You can also see, in the picture above, the shelves my handy husband built for us to keep the jars of bulk food.  Hooray for not having to dig through the deep pantry shelves anymore! 

After smooshing all the tomato puree through the food mill, the seeds and skins were be left behind and I had a rather thick juice that goes back onto the stove.  I simmered it for most of the evening, stirring every so often to prevent burning. 

I should have reduced the volume by half.  I thought it was thick enough when I had reduced the volume by about one third, but it wasn't.  I should have kept going.  So I'm not calling what I made pizza sauce.  It will now be used for lasagna and spaghetti sauce.  I'll have to make some more and get it thick enough for pizza sauce.  It's no good when the sauce runs off the pizza.  

Then while the sauce was still hot I ladled it into jars and boiled it in the water bath canner for 35 minutes.  

I used about 45 lbs of tomatoes and came up with 18.5 pints of sauce.  A pint is about the perfect amount for two of our pizzas which is why I didn't do quarts.  I like not having to keep leftover sauce in the fridge where it could potentially go bad.  If I had reduced the sauce as much as I should have I would have yielded 14 pints.  

I am convinced this is a good recipe if I actually followed it.  I plan to put up another three bushels of tomatoes.  About 100 pounds as pizza sauce, 25 pounds as enchilada sauce and 25 as sun-dried tomatoes.  And if I can find more tomatoes I'll make some canned tomato soup.  And I'll probably still be buying tomatoes this winter for things like lentil soup and curry!  Crazy how much tomato we eat.  

Canned Pizza Sauce Recipe

 Yields 14 pints or 7 quarts

45-50 lbs of tomatoes (1 bushel)

6 cups onion, chopped

12 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup olive oil

4 tablespoons oregano

6 bay leaves

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons salt (optional)

1 jalapeno, minced (optional)

Bottled lemon juice

1. Sterilize the jars by boiling in the water-bath canner for 10 minutes and pouring boiling water over the lids, keep them upside down on a clean towel until ready to use.  
2. Clean and wash tomatoes.  Remove the top part where the tomato attaches to the stem and then quarter.  Set aside.  
3. Sautee the onions and garlic in a huge pot with the olive oil until the onions are glassy.  Add the quartered tomatoes, oregano, bay, pepper, honey, salt and jalapeno.  Simmer for twenty minutes.  
4. Remove the bay leaves and puree the tomatoes either with a stick blender in the pot or batching in a blender or food processor.  
5. Strain the pureed tomatoes through a food mill or colander to remove seeds and peels.
6. Cook the pulp on the stove uncovered, over medium-high heat stirring frequently until the volume is reduced by half.  You should have about 7 quarts.  
7. Add one tablespoon of lemon juice per pint or two tablespoons of lemon juice per quart then fill each jar leaving 1/2 inch head space.  Put on the cap and screw band.
8. Process in a water-bath canner for 35 minutes for pints and 40 minutes for quarts.

Open this sauce and pour directly on pizza crust and top with your favorite toppings and bake!  Might I suggest: spinach apple feta pizza, egg ramp goat cheese pizza or any of the other ideas here.  

Enjoy! Let me know if you give this recipe a whorl in the comments.  

Fish Tawa Fry

मराठीमध्ये वाचण्यासाठी इथे क्लिक करा

Since the time we started bringing Tilapia fillets, I have always grilled them. I am fish lover and its been a while since i had fish curry. Since i am trying to not eat too much coconut, I didnt want to make our traditional fish curry so I came up with this one. Turned out awesome. Reminded me of my favourite fish curry from Nandini restaurant in Bangalore that i use to have frequently around 10 years back.


Ingredients
500gm Fish
1 Big Onion
2 Tomatoes
1 Spoon Tamarind
1/2 Spoon Black Pepper
1 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
1/2 Spoon Jeera Powder
1/4 Spoon Coriander Powder
1/4 Spoon Garam Masala
1/4 Spoon Turmeric Powder
4-5 Garlic cloves
1 Spoon Ginger
Coriander Leaves

Method

• Marinate the fish with 1/4 Spoon Red Chili Powder, Coriander Powder and Salt.
• In mixie, add tamarind, onion and black pepper leaving 6-7 aside. Grind to fine paste. Keep aside.
• Heat oil in tawa and add in fish pieces. Let them cook for a minute.
• Flip the fishes and cook for another minute. Take out of the tawa and keep aside.
• In same oil add in onion paste and saute it till the raw smell from it goes away and you can only smell pepper in it.
• In mean time grind tomatoes, garlic, ginger in mixer and make paste.
• Add tomato paste, jeera powder, garam masala, turmeric powder, remaining black pepper and salt to onion and cook for 5 minutes with constant stirring.
• Add in fish and lightly mix everything together. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Sprinkle finely chopped coriander leaves and serve.

Notes
I used cleaned boneless Tilapia fillets each cut into four pieces but you can use any fish in any form but boneless has its own fun :)