Since November I had a couple of squashes sitting on my kitchen counter. The butternut squash sat in the corner and pretty much looked as though it could have sat there for a few more months before showing any signs of degradation. The kabocha squash, on the other hand, lost its beautiful greenish-orange hue and turned into an unappetizing color. But, it too fared well for how long it sat around doing nothing.
Now, the butternut squash has a mildly sweet taste to it and traditionally I just halve it, scoop its seeds out and bake it up with a drizzling of olive oil and brown sugar. With the kabocha squash I wanted to simulate deep frying, but since the rind cured to a very hard texture, I couldn't slice it with the knives I had on hand. In fact, I couldn't remove the stem at all before baking. Instead, I stabbed it repeatedly with a chef knife to hasten its baking time.
I ended up tossing the roasted flesh of both squashes into a slow cooker and cooked it into a nice winter soup. There is still something amiss in the flavor, but the smooth, soupy texture is there.
Ingredients
One kabocha squash, roasted (seeds, strings and rind removed)
One butternut squash, roasted (seeds, strings and rind removed)
1 quart organic chicken broth
random spices: ground lemongrass powder, garlic powder, thyme, paprika
sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
1. On a rimmed baking sheet, scoop out seeds and place halves of a butternut squash cut-side down and drizzle lightly with olive oil. On a second rimmed baking sheet, halve or stab a kabocha squash. Bake both at 400 degrees for an hour. Let cool before handling. Scoop out the flesh from both squashes and put into the bowl of a slow cooker.
2. To the slow cooker: add chicken broth, spices, salt and black pepper. Cook for 8 hours on low. Blend together with an immersion blender. Serve hot.
3. If it is too thick, thin the soup with more broth.
Makes 3 quarts.
Simple Israeli Couscous Salad
This is essentially the same as the Peruvian Quinoa Salad recipe, except it uses a box of Israeli couscous (from Trader Joe's) instead. This dish can be served warm or cold. The processed grain does come from Israel, according to Wikipedia. It is hard wheat flour that has been shaped into tiny balls or pearls and toasted in the oven.
Ingredients
Serves 4.
1 1/2 c Israeli couscous
14.5 oz organic tomatoes, diced
1 3/4 c organic chicken broth or water
2 organic bell peppers, diced
1 tbsp olive oil or unsalted butter
sea salt, to taste
Directions
1. In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil on medium-high heat and toast the couscous until it is lightly browned. This step can be skipped. It merely adds some color to the otherwise creamy white couscous.
2. Add water or broth to the couscous and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 15 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed.
3. Add tomatoes and their juice, if any, and the bell peppers. Stir to combine. Remove from heat and serve warm.
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| Israeli couscous salad |
Ingredients
Serves 4.
1 1/2 c Israeli couscous
14.5 oz organic tomatoes, diced
1 3/4 c organic chicken broth or water
2 organic bell peppers, diced
1 tbsp olive oil or unsalted butter
sea salt, to taste
Directions
1. In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil on medium-high heat and toast the couscous until it is lightly browned. This step can be skipped. It merely adds some color to the otherwise creamy white couscous.
2. Add water or broth to the couscous and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 15 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed.
3. Add tomatoes and their juice, if any, and the bell peppers. Stir to combine. Remove from heat and serve warm.
Stovetop Apple Sauce
This recipe tastes better after the spice and flavors have had time to mellow in the fridge before canning. When I first tasted the batch after using the immersion blender, it tasted sour to me even though I only used the juice of half a lemon. I made this sauce at the same time I was making apple butter because the slow cooker was filled to the brim already with apples for the apple butter.
Red rome apples were used since I was unable to get winesap apples from the Portland Nursery during their apple tasting event last October. The only similarities between the two varieties of apples are that they are dark red in color and are a firm and not sweet tasting apple. The dark red color doesn't have an impact on either of these recipes since the skin is removed and discarded.
For medium-sized apples, one pound of apples with make approximately one pint of sauce (or butter).
Ingredients
at least 2 lbs of peeled, cored, sliced apples (any variety)
1 c. filtered water
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
juice of 1/2 a large lemon
Directions
1. In a lidded pot, add all the ingredients and cook on medium heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to pureé the sauce so that no large chunks remain.
3. Store in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to use. Or, can using hot sterilized jars and lids. Process in a water bath for 20 minutes.
Red rome apples were used since I was unable to get winesap apples from the Portland Nursery during their apple tasting event last October. The only similarities between the two varieties of apples are that they are dark red in color and are a firm and not sweet tasting apple. The dark red color doesn't have an impact on either of these recipes since the skin is removed and discarded.
For medium-sized apples, one pound of apples with make approximately one pint of sauce (or butter).
Ingredients
at least 2 lbs of peeled, cored, sliced apples (any variety)
1 c. filtered water
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
juice of 1/2 a large lemon
Directions
1. In a lidded pot, add all the ingredients and cook on medium heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to pureé the sauce so that no large chunks remain.
3. Store in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to use. Or, can using hot sterilized jars and lids. Process in a water bath for 20 minutes.
Coconut Mochi Cake
This is not the dessert for anyone trying to cut back on sugar. Even though I reduced the sugar, it still tastes rather sweet. It's the perfect rainy day treat to nibble on with a hot cup of tea.
Ingredients
1 lb sweet rice flour (1 box of Mochiko)
1 3/4 c. organic granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 (14 oz) cans unsweetened light coconut milk
5 large eggs
1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
1. In a large bowl, whisk together rice flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
2. In another large bowl, whisk together eggs, coconut milk, unsalted butter, and vanilla extract.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until a smooth batter forms.
4. Pour batter into an ungreased 13" x 9" baking dish.
5. Bake for 1.5 hours. Let cool for 1.5 hours before cutting into squares and serving.
Source: Gourmet Magazine, May 2005
Ingredients
1 lb sweet rice flour (1 box of Mochiko)
1 3/4 c. organic granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 (14 oz) cans unsweetened light coconut milk
5 large eggs
1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
1. In a large bowl, whisk together rice flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
2. In another large bowl, whisk together eggs, coconut milk, unsalted butter, and vanilla extract.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until a smooth batter forms.
4. Pour batter into an ungreased 13" x 9" baking dish.
5. Bake for 1.5 hours. Let cool for 1.5 hours before cutting into squares and serving.
Source: Gourmet Magazine, May 2005
Kitchen Notes: Hard Apple Cider
A month after I started fermenting a batch, I thought I should write up the recipe.. you know, in case I get the urge to make more. I didn't actually start with a recipe; just a process. Despite Washington state being a leading producer of apples in the US, procuring fresh pressed apple cider is not cheap. For raw, unpasteurized cider, it costed $4/half gallon locally procured.
Timeline
Nov 3 - procured equipment (1 gallon glass jug w/ cap, fermentation lock)
Nov 7 - added yeast to fresh sweet cider
Nov 16 - added 1/8 tsp pectin enzyme (for liquid clarity)
Dec 1 - CO2 has stopped and the water in the fermentation lock has leveled out
Dec 14 - a lot of sediment at the bottom
Batch 1 Ingredients
1 gallon fresh pressed apple cider (raw, unpastuerized)
1/2 packet champagne yeast
I used the potassium metabisulfite powder (also known as a Campden tablet) to sterilize the gallon-size glass jug, as well as the liquid funnel, fermentation lock, stopper, etc. Wikipedia says that you can also use this stuff to neutralize tear gas. I didn't add any directly to the cider to kill off the wild yeast. I'll just have to wait and see what happens to the end product.
After two weeks at an average kitchen temp of 62 degrees F, the batch stopped producing CO2. At the moment, all I need to do is transfer the fermented liquid to clean containers and then maybe let that sit for another three months.
This process is a result of looking at the recipes at Imbibe Magazine. Nearly every site says to pasteurize the cider with heat (not to let it boil) or use a Campden tablet. I did not do this step. There's a chance that the wild yeast will make the cider taste better, or worse. I want to see what impact the wild yeast has on it. Besides, I have another gallon of raw sweet cider in the freezer if I were to make a second batch.
2013-12-14, have not touched the cider. It's still in the fermenting container. Has a much lighter, blonde color after the pectin enzyme was added. And, definitely does not smell like sweet cider anymore. Smells alcoholic.
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| 2013-11-08, day 2 fermentation going strong |
Timeline
Nov 3 - procured equipment (1 gallon glass jug w/ cap, fermentation lock)
Nov 7 - added yeast to fresh sweet cider
Nov 16 - added 1/8 tsp pectin enzyme (for liquid clarity)
Dec 1 - CO2 has stopped and the water in the fermentation lock has leveled out
Dec 14 - a lot of sediment at the bottom
Batch 1 Ingredients
1 gallon fresh pressed apple cider (raw, unpastuerized)
1/2 packet champagne yeast
I used the potassium metabisulfite powder (also known as a Campden tablet) to sterilize the gallon-size glass jug, as well as the liquid funnel, fermentation lock, stopper, etc. Wikipedia says that you can also use this stuff to neutralize tear gas. I didn't add any directly to the cider to kill off the wild yeast. I'll just have to wait and see what happens to the end product.
After two weeks at an average kitchen temp of 62 degrees F, the batch stopped producing CO2. At the moment, all I need to do is transfer the fermented liquid to clean containers and then maybe let that sit for another three months.
This process is a result of looking at the recipes at Imbibe Magazine. Nearly every site says to pasteurize the cider with heat (not to let it boil) or use a Campden tablet. I did not do this step. There's a chance that the wild yeast will make the cider taste better, or worse. I want to see what impact the wild yeast has on it. Besides, I have another gallon of raw sweet cider in the freezer if I were to make a second batch.
2013-12-14, have not touched the cider. It's still in the fermenting container. Has a much lighter, blonde color after the pectin enzyme was added. And, definitely does not smell like sweet cider anymore. Smells alcoholic.
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