Table Talk
Pumpkin
Part of the fun of eating seasonally is looking forward to foods and flavors that are associated with a particular time of year. In the summer, we eat gazbacho, for instance, not because we can't make it in winter, but because it is a perfect taste on a hot day. Such is the case with pumpkin. When leaves start falling and the nights are cold, it's pumpkin time. Canned pumpkin is available year round, of course, but it's really a flavor for autumn. And by then, I am hungry for it. Inevitably, I buy a large can of pureed pumpkin to indulge my craving and after making my favorite pumpkin cookies, my craving is satisfied...and I'm left with several cups of pumpkin sitting in my refrigerator, waiting to spoil and be tossed. It's the same at Thanksgiving. One pie, half of a large can of pumpkin. This year, I was determined to use it all. Instead of regular cornbread, last night I made pumpkin cornbread to eat with our chili blanco. And this morning, I made pumpkin waffles. Both were big hits with the fam. In case you need a way to use the rest of your pumpkin, try one of these:
Pumpkin Cornbread
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup pumpkin puree
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter -- melted
1 tablespoon molasses
1/2 cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 400. Grease 9" x 9" pan. Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl. Mix together pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs, molasses and buttermilk. Add dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake about 20 minutes, or until top is golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm.
Pumpkin Waffles
1 c buttermilk
1/2 c. pureed pumpkin
1 egg
2 T. melted butter
1 c. unbleached flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
Preheat waffle iron. Combine wet ingredients in large measure cup. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Carefully add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, whisking to combine. If the batter is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of milk. Spray hot waffle iron lightly with cooking spray. Pour in batter, close and cook about 3 minutes, or according to your waffle iron directions.
Recipes by Barb McKay
Nov 30, 2009 in
In the Test Kitchen
Cioppino, Garlic Rubbed Toasts and a Glass of Wine
Tonight I found myself alone unexpectedly. Dilemma dilemma. Call a friend? Go to the movies? Horn in on someone else's plans? Or stay in, enjoying a quiet house, watching something on DVR and eating leftovers? No great options, it seems, when the thought of another evening of chit chat is just too much to face and the typical choices in the refrigerator are cold chicken and hummus. But this night, there are options that will transform a dull evening into something else entirely. Cioppino, a seafood stew filled with pieces of king crab, sea scallops, rock fish, shrimp, fennel & tomatoes; French bread slices, toasted and rubbed with fresh garlic and drizzled with olive oil; and a lovely glass of Spanish red wine. Oh, and Masterpiece Theater on DVR. That'll work.
This is the original recipe. I made changes based on what I had on hand-- a fennel bulb, 1 c. vermouth, 1/2 c. red wine, and served it with garlic rubbed croutons. Feel free to do the same. I also froze half of this base, to use at a later date, and added seafood to the remaining broth. It's really hard to go wrong.
Cioppino
Serving Size : 8
4 large garlic cloves -- minced
2 medium onions -- finely chopped
1 Turkish bay leaf or 1/2 California bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried oregano -- crumbled
1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 green bell pepper -- cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
1 can whole tomatoes -- (28- to 32-oz) drained, reserving juice, and chopped
1 cup bottled clam juice
1 cup chicken broth
1 king crab leg -- (1-lb) thawed if frozen
18 small hard-shelled clams (1 1/2 lb) such as littlenecks -- (2-inch) scrubbed
1 pound skinless red snapper or halibut fillets -- cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 pound large shrimp (16 to 20) -- shelled (tails and bottom segment of shells left intact) and deveined
3/4 pound sea scallops -- tough muscle removed from side of each if necessary
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
Cook garlic, onions, bay leaf, oregano, and red pepper flakes with salt and pepper in oil in an 8-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and boil until reduced by about half, 5 to 6 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juice, clam juice, and broth and simmer, covered, 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
While stew is simmering, hack crab leg through shell into 2- to 3-inch pieces with a large heavy knife. Add crab pieces and clams to stew and simmer, covered, until clams just open, 5 to 10 minutes, checking every minute after 5 minutes and transferring opened clams to a bowl with tongs or a slotted spoon. (Discard any unopened clams after 10 minutes.) Lightly season fish fillets, shrimp, and scallops with salt and add to stew, then simmer, covered, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf, then return clams to pot and gently stir in parsley and basil.
Serve cioppino immediately in large soup bowls.
"Gourmet March 2002"
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 390 Calories; 12g Fat (31.1% calories from fat); 48g Protein; 11g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 185mg Cholesterol; 1343mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 6 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 2 Fat.
NOTES : Garnish: shredded fresh basil leaves and small whole leaves
Accompaniment: focaccia or sourdough bread
• The stew — without seafood — can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, uncovered, then chill, covered. Bring to a simmer before adding seafood.
Mussels with Fennel and Cream
Moules and frites, or mussels and fries, are a favorite of ours. I think we first ate them in Paris years ago, and fell in love with the whole process of prying open the shell, extracting the small mussel, dipping bread in the broth and eating piles of salty fries. What's great about cooking mussels at home is that it is really easy-- preparing a sauce/broth, cleaning the mussels, adding the mussels to the broth and steaming. In 5 or 10 minutes, they're ready. Over the years, I've eaten many a mussel, in many different preparations. I was particularly taken with one with jalapenos and tequila for awhile. And then I stumbled across this recipe a few weeks ago. It combines fresh fennel, wine and cream and is unbelievably delicious. I suddenly can't imagine wanting to eat them any other way. But that's a topic for the next blog. Try this. Truly mussel heaven.
Mussels with Cream, Fennel, and White Wine
Serving Size : 4
1/4 cup butter -- (1/2 stick)
1 cup chopped fresh fennel bulb
2 shallots -- chopped
4 garlic cloves -- chopped
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1/2 cup whipping cream
3 pounds mussels -- scrubbed, debearded
Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped fennel, shallots, garlic and fennel seeds. Sauté until fennel is tender, about 5 minutes. Add wine and cream and boil until liquid thickens, about 10 minutes. Add mussels. Cover and cook until mussels open, about 5 minutes. Divide mussels among 6 shallow bowls (discard any mussels that do not open). Ladle broth over and serve.
Source:
"Bon Appétit | December 2001"
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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 569 Calories; 30g Fat (53.8% calories from fat); 42g Protein; 16g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 167mg Cholesterol; 1109mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 6 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 4 1/2 Fat.
NOTES : Idea: add bleu cheese to sauce
