Thai Red Curry with Shrimp and Kabocha Squash

Squash is such a perfect Fall food.  I LOVE butternut and acorn squash, and figured if I like those, I should branch out and explore other squash varieties.  I've been seeing some recipes with kabocha squash floating around various blogs for awhile, but decided to turn to a great cookbook for my first experience with it.  

Kabocha pairs amazingly well with Thai red curry, and the shrimp complements the two really nicely.  In all honesty, I thought the peas were kind of a weird inclusion in the recipe.  If you like them, use them, but I think I'm going to leave them out next time.

(adapted from Asian Vegetables by Sara Deseran)

1 small kabocha squash (about 2 pounds)

1 14 oz can light coconut milk

2 tbsp Thai red curry paste 

2 tsp sugar

3 tbsp fish sauce

1 cup chicken broth

2 lemongrass stalks, bottom 8" only, cut into 2" lengths

8 oz flat rice noodles 

1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup frozen peas (or not...)

4 roma tomatoes, quartered lengthwise

Cut the squash in quarters using a sturdy knife or cleaver.  Scoop out the seeds and cut off the peel.  Cut into 1" cubes

Heat the coconut milk and curry paste in a large saucepan over medium-high, stirring well for about 3 minutes.

Turn the heat to low.  Add the sugar, fish sauce, chicken broth, lemongrass, and squash. Stir well, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork.

While that is cooking, prepare the noodles according to package directions.

When the squash is tender, stir in the noodles, shrimp, peas, and tomatoes and cook for a few minutes, until heated through.

White Bean-Chicken Chili with Tomatillos

Our pantry is FULL.  We went on a few too many shopping trips to ethnic grocery stores so I am now fully stocked on a TON of spices, all kinds of dried grains and legumes, and noodles from several different international cuisines.  My challenge for this week is to use up as much of that stuff as possible to make room for fun new finds.  One of the ingredients I had to choose from was a partially-full bag of dried white beans.  With those in mind, I perused the rest of the kitchen to see what I could come up with.

I also happened to have a produce drawer full of tomatillos and and jalapenos, and two chicken breasts in the freezer.  I had seen a few recipes for white bean chili over the past couple days, and decided to try coming up with my own version.  I defrosted the chicken, and cooked up some white beans (but canned would work fine too).  It's a pretty healthy recipe, as long as you stay away from excessive amounts of cheese or sour cream as garnish!

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

10 medium tomatillos, husks removed, rinsed, and chopped

3 jalapenos, stems removed and chopped

1 tsp salt

pepper

1 1/2 tsp cumin

2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" cubes

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

3 cups cooked white beans, drained

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 cup frozen corn

In a dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. 

Add the onion and garlic, and cook for several minutes, until the onions are soft.

Stir in the jalapenos and tomatillos and cook, stirring, for a minute or two.

Add the cubed chicken, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, and cumin and stir well.

Stir in the broth and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. (The chicken should no longer be pink on the outside).

Stir in the beans and tomato paste, turn the heat down slightly, and simmer partially covered for about 20 minutes.  

Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Just before serving, stir in the frozen corn and let it heat through.

Serve with sour cream or a sprinkling of grated cheese.

The Sweet 100!

A few weeks ago, I posted the omnivore's 100. Well, today when browsing cakespy.com, I found the Sweet 100! Just like the other 100 list, you just bold what you've eaten.

What's your score?

1. Red Velvet Cake
   
2. Princess Torte
   
3. Whoopie Pie
   
4. Apple Pie either topped or baked with sharp cheddar
   
5. Beignet
   
6. Baklava
   
7. Black and white cookie
   
8. Seven Layer Bar (also known as the Magic Bar or Hello Dolly bars)
   
9. Fried Fruit pie (sometimes called hand pies)
   
10. Kringle
    
11. Just-fried (still hot) doughnut
    
12. Scone with clotted cream
    
13. Betty, Grunt, Slump, Buckle or Pandowdy
    
14. Halvah
    
15. Macarons
    
16. Banana pudding with nilla wafers
    
17. Bubble tea (with tapioca "pearls")
    
18. Dixie Cup
    
19. Rice Krispie treats
    
20. Alfajores
    
21. Blondies
    
22. Croquembouche
    
23. Girl Scout cookies
    
24. Moon cake
    
25. Candy Apple
    
26. Baked Alaska
    
27. Brooklyn Egg Cream
    
28. Nanaimo bar
    
29. Baba au rhum
    
30. King Cake
    
31. Sachertorte
    
32. Pavlova
    
33. Tres Leches Cake 
    
34. Trifle
    
35. Shoofly Pie
    
36. Key Lime Pie (made with real key lime)
    
37. Panna Cotta
    
38. New York Cheesecake
    
39. Napoleon / mille-fueille
    
40. Russian Tea Cake / Mexican Wedding Cake
    
41. Anzac biscuits
    
42. Pizzelle
    
43. Kolache
    
44. Buckeyes
    
45. Malasadas
    
46. Moon Pie
    
47. Dutch baby
    
48. Boston Cream Pie
    
49. Homemade chocolate chip cookies
    
50. Pralines
    
51. Gooey butter cake
    
52. Rusks
    
53. Daifuku
    
54. Green tea cake or cookies
    
55. Cupcakes from a cupcake shop
    
56. Crème brûlée
    
57. Some sort of deep fried fair food (twinkie, candy bar, cupcake)
    
58. Yellow cake with chocolate frosting
    
59. Jelly Roll
    
60. Pop Tarts
    
61. Charlotte Russe
    
62. An "upside down" dessert (Pineapple upside down cake or Tarte Tatin)
    
63. Hummingbird Cake
    
64. Jell-O from a mold
    
65. Black forest cake
    
66. Mock Apple Pie (Ritz Cracker Pie)
    
67. Kulfi
    
68. Linzer torte
    
69. Churro
    
70. Stollen
    
71. Angel Food Cake
    
72. Mincemeat pie
    
73. Concha
    
74. Opera Cake
    
75. Sfogliatelle / Lobster tail
    
76. Pain au chocolat
    
77. A piece of Gingerbread House
    
78. Cassata
    
79. Cannoli
    
80. Rainbow cookies
    
81. Religieuse
    
82. Petits fours
    
83. Chocolate Souffle
    
84. Bienenstich (Bee Sting Cake)
    
85. Rugelach
    
86. Hamenstashen
    
87. Homemade marshmallows
    
88. Rigo Janci
    
89. Pie or cake made with candy bar flavors (Snickers pie, Reeses pie, etc)
    
90. Divinity
    
91. Coke or Cola cake
    
92. Gateau Basque
    
93. S'mores
    
94. Figgy Pudding
    
95. Bananas foster or other flaming dessert
    
96. Joe Froggers
    
97. Sables
    
98. Millionaire's Shortbread
    
99. Animal crackers
    
100. Basbousa
     

64/100 - I need to get going on eating some dessert!

Apple Spice Bars with Caramel Glaze

I just discovered tonight there is an apple tree in the yard.  It was a very fortunate discovery, because about halfway through the recipe, I realized it called for an apple, which I didn't have.  But the tree, it turns out, has REALLY good apples.  They are small, but perfectly sweet, tart, and crisp all at the same time.

I only meant to eat one of these for dessert but I ended up eating...a lot more than that.  If you are looking for a great Fall recipe, but want a break from pumpkin, this is the recipe for you!

(from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan)

Bars - 

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp dark rum

1 baking apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped

1/2 cup raisins

Glaze - 

2 1/2 tbsp heavy cream

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

2 1/2 tbsp butter

1 tsp light corn syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 F

Place parchment paper in the bottom of a 13 x 9 pan, then butter the parchment and pan.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low.

Add the brown sugar and whisk until well blended.

Remove from heat and whisk in the eggs, one at a time.

Then, whisk in the applesauce, vanilla, and rum, mixing until smooth.

Fold in the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula, then gently stir in the apple and raisins.

Pour into the pan, and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Put the pan on a wire rack and make the glaze.

In a small saucepan, whisk togeter the cream, sugar, butter, and corn syrup.

Put over medium heat and boil for about five minutes, whisking constantly.

Remove from heat, add vanilla, and stir well.

Turn the bars out onto a rack, remove the paper, and invert onto another rack so they are right side up.

Put the parchment under the rack to catch drips, and spread the glaze evenly over the bars.

Penne with Bell Peppers, Capers, and Anchovies

I had no idea how many farms around here grew bell peppers until I noticed them EVERYWHERE on my long bike ride last Saturday.  Seeing all those red peppers at their peak (and still on the plant!) gave me a strong urge to cook with them.  This recipe is great for this time of year - comforting but not too rich, and since I adore capers, I loved it!  Don't let the inclusion of anchovies deter you - they just add another layer of flavor but you don't really taste them.

(adapted from The Glorious Soups and Stews of Italy by Domenica Marchetti)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 small red onion, finely chopped
3 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into thin (1/4-inch) slices
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin (1/4-inch) slices
1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste
4 imported Italian anchovy fillets in olive oil, chopped
1 tablespoon capers, drained and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley
13.25 oz whole wheat penne
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

In a large skillet on medium heat, add the oil and garlic. 

Stir in the onion and cook for 5 minutes, until the onion is shiny and softened. 

Add the sliced peppers and cook, stirring frequently, over medium to medium-high heat for 10 minutes. 

Add the paprika and salt. 

Cover the pan and reduce heat to medium-low, simmering gently for about 15 minutes or until the peppers are tender but not mushy. 

Uncover and stir occasionally to prevent the peppers from sticking to the pan. 

Add the anchovies and capers, stirring to combine well. 

Increase the heat to medium-high and add the vinegar. 

Cook for another minute or two, then remove from the heat and add the parsley. 

Reheat on low when the pasta is almost cooked.

Meanwhile, in a large pot over medium-high heat, bring salted water to a boil. 

Add the penne and cook according to package directions, taking care not to overcook it. 

Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking water, and return the pasta to the pot.

Spoon about three-quarters of the sauce into the pasta and toss well to combine. 

Add a tablespoon or two of cooking water, if necessary, to loosen the sauce. 

Divide the pasta among four shallow bowls and spoon a little of the remaining sauce over each portion. 

Sprinkle with cheese, if desired. 

Serve hot.

Indian-Spiced Roasted Potatoes

I bought some mustard oil a few months ago when I started doing lots of Indian cooking, but somehow I never got around to using it.  My husband found this recipe and we both LOVED it.

This is a great side dish to serve with Indian food, when you want a change from rice.  I made them really spicy with lots of cayenne but you could definitely leave it out entirely if you wish.

(adapted from Vegetarian Resource Center)

1 lb small red potatoes, quartered
2 tbsp mustard oil (or vegetable oil)
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoons ground asafoetida
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons amchur (ground dried mango)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Lime wedges and fresh mint to garnish

Preheat oven to 400 F
Heat mustard oil in a skillet over high heat then add cumin seeds and ground asafoetida (there will be splatters!)
Add potatoes and cook stirring for about 2 minutes, or until they change color and begin to look opaque but not translucent.
Lower heat and add the rest of the spices stirring well until blended together.
Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are brown and tender.
Great served with cucumber-mint raita!

Roasted Broccoli

  Roasting must be the best thing that ever happened to vegetables.  It transforms even frequently despised vegetables into tender morsels replete with flavor far beyond what they ever had when they were raw.

  

  I didn't know broccoli could be so good (and I even enjoy raw broccoli).  I just tossed it with some grapeseed oil (olive oil would be great too), salt, and pepper, and sprinkled it with lemon juice as soon as it came out of the oven.  And, as you can see in the picture, it makes a nice accompaniment to macaroni and cheese.

(adapted from Eating Well)

4 cups broccoli florets
2 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
Juice of half a lemon

Preheat oven to 450°F.
Toss broccoli with oil, salt and pepper.
Place on a large baking sheet (not air-insulated) and roast until the broccoli is tender and blackened on the bottom, 10 to 12 minutes.
Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve immediately