Pumpkin Chiffon
Pumpkin Chiffon
I have been making this for a long time and really love it. From a technical foodie standpoint it’s not really a chiffon, but that is what my Mom called it so I will leave it as Pumpkin Chiffon. It’s really a sort of pumpkin pie without the crust. Super easy to make and quite tasty. I make it in a casserole dish but you could also make it in individual ramekins. We had it in my squash class last night and everybody liked it a lot. You could use canned or fresh cooked pumpkin or butternut squash. I sometimes serve it with gingersnaps and whipped cream. It is a lovely Fall dessert.
Pumpkin Chiffon
½ c. applesauce
1 c. cooked or canned pumpkin or squash
¾ c. brown sugar
1 t. cinnamon
½ t. salt
½ t. nutmeg
1/8 t. cloves
4 eggs, well beaten
1 c. light cream or evaporated milk
Stir together first seven ingredients. Beat in eggs and stir in milk. Place mixture in 1 ½ quart casserole and bake in a 350-degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Serve alone or with cookies. Serves 6-8.
Sweet Potato “Gnocchi”
Sweet Potato “Gnocchi”
I made my classic gnocchi with potatoes and gnocchi made with beets for a birthday dinner with friends the other night. I also made gnocchi with sweet potatoes. They went well with the other gnocchi and the rest of the menu. I was using small sweet potatoes that were pretty pale once I cooked them so I added some turmeric to the dough to bring up the color a bit. That would certainly be optional. The turmeric added some flavor, but it really made the sweet potato gnocchi look great on the serving platter.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi
1 c. mashed, cooked sweet potatoes
1/2 c. mashed, cooked russet potatoes
2 eggs
1 t. salt
1 t. turmeric, optional
2 c. flour or more
Get a pot of water boiling. In mixing bowl combine the sweet potatoes with the eggs and seasonings. Add about 1 1/2 cups of the flour and stir until a soft dough forms. Continue adding flour, a little at a time, until the dough can be handled without sticking to your hands but is still soft. Take about 1/4 of the dough at a time and roll into a rope, about 15 inches long, on a floured work surface. Cut dough into 1/2 thick pieces. Place pieces in a pot of boiling water and after a few minutes the gnocchi will float to the top. Cook them for several minutes after they have risen to the top of the pot. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain. If you aren’t going to use them right away drizzle with a little oil to prevent sticking or toss with butter. You can also run a little cold water over them instead. Repeat with the remaining dough.
A Trio of Gnocchi
Classic Gnocchi
Classic Gnocchi
When I was a kid my mother made dumplings or spaetzle. That was part of my Eastern European heritage. I was much older before I tasted gnocchi for the first time. Similar to dumplings, gnocchi are Italian in origin. Made with cooked potatoes, flour and eggs when done right, gnocchi are quite light and tender. I wish I could remember where I got this recipe. I have a hand written copy of it- but it isn’t my handwriting. This is the version I have been making forever. The original recipe calls for steaming the potatoes, but I will admit to baking them or using leftover boiled potatoes. I sometimes use red skinned or Yukon Gold, too, with nice results. All methods produced a product I was happy with. Here is the recipe I use for gnocchi. Hope you give them a try.
Slicing the dough
Cook until they float
Tossed finished gnocchi with oil or butter to prevent sticking
Classic Gnocchi
4 small russet potatoes, 22-24 oz. total, peeled, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
1 egg
2 T. whipping cream
1 1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. nutmeg
1 1/2 c. (about) flour
Steam potatoes over boiling water until tender, about 12 minutes. Place in bowl and mash or put potatoes through a ricer. Place in bowl and cool about 10 minutes. Add egg, cream, salt and nutmeg and mix well. Stir in flour and combine until slightly sticky dough forms. Add more flour a tablespoon at a time if the mixture is too moist. Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface and divide into 6 equal portions. Roll out 1 piece into a rope about 20-inches long by 3/4 inch. Cut dough into 3/4 -inch pieces and roll each piece over the tines of a fork or over a wire whisk to make grooves in them. Arrange finished gnocchi in a single layer on a floured baking sheet and repeat the process with the remaining dough. Boil the gnocchi in well-salted boiling water, about 1/3 at a time. Boil for 4-5 minutes. They will come to the surface and be tender. Check after 4 minutes. Serve with butter and Parmesan cheese or with marinara sauce. Serves 6.
Autumn Tomato Salad
Autumn Tomato Salad
It’s always kind of sad to say goodbye to fresh tomato season. There should be another month until frost hits our area and I am trying to eat as many fresh tomatoes as I can between now and then. I have been getting heirloom tomatoes from my friend Carl at Blue Pike Farm. I needed a salad for a dinner with friends and decided to make this simple but tasty tomato salad. That’s the thing about fresh tomatoes. You really don’t need to do much with them. Heck, I’m happy with some fresh slices and a sprinkle of salt. For this salad I started with slices of fresh tomatoes. I had a bottle of this amazing olive oil so I added a drizzle of it to the tomatoes along with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, too. I also added a few basil leaves and some freshly ground sea salt. I wanted a crunch element and decided to add toasted pumpkin seeds. You can buy them already toasted or just toast them yourself.* I sprinkled them over the tomato salad and it added just the texture I was looking for.
The olive oil I used
*To toast pumpkin seeds place a layer of pumpkin seeds in a dry skillet and cook them, over medium heat, until they start to brown a little. Toss or stir often. Be careful not to burn them. The seeds will jump a little in the pan. That’s normal. Once seeds have toasted remove them from the heat and let them cool down.
Beet “Gnocchi”
Beet Gnocchi
Gnocchi are wonderful little dumplings made with potatoes in the dough. I love them and make them often. I wanted to shake things up a little and made a version with cooked beets. The color came out so vibrant. The flavor of the beet is somewhat muted in this little dumpling. For serving I combined the beet version with traditional gnocchi and some made from sweet potatoes. They were the perfect thing to serve with a mutton stew. Pretty, too. I do a very rustic version- just slice dough off into 1/2 -inch thick pieces and boil them up. These could be made ahead and frozen, too.
Beet Gnocchi
2 small russet potatoes, 11-12 oz. total, peeled, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
2 medium/small beets, roasted, skin on, cooled
1 egg
1/4 c. whipping cream
1 1/4 t. salt
¼ t. dill weed
1 1/2 c. (about) flour
Steam potatoes over boiling water until tender, about 12 minutes. Place in bowl and mash or put potatoes through a ricer. Place in bowl and cool about 10 minutes. Remove skins from cooled beets and dice. Place beets in a food processor or blender. Add the cream and process until smooth. Combine with potatoes, egg, salt and dill and mix well. Stir in flour and combine until slightly sticky dough forms. Add more flour a tablespoon at a time if the mixture is too moist. Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface and divide into 6 equal portions. Roll out 1 piece into a rope about 20-inches long by 3/4 inch. Cut dough into 3/4 -inch pieces and arrange finished gnocchi in a single layer on a floured baking sheet and repeat the process with the remaining dough. Boil the gnocchi in well-salted boiling water, about 1/3 at a time. Boil for 4-5 minutes. They will come to the surface and be tender. Check after 4 minutes. Serve with butter and Parmesan cheese or with your favorite sauce. Serves 6.
A Trio of Gnocchi
Bean and Bacon Salad
Bean and Bacon Salad
I got some locally grown green beans and wax beans recently. I wanted to use some of them for a salad, but not the traditional bean salad. I know how much I enjoy frying a little bacon and tossing in some beans so I used that as inspiration for this dish. I added a little sweet pepper, too. It was really simple and tasted so good. Here is what I did.
Bean and Bacon Salad
3-4 c. cooked beans- green, wax or mixed, cut into 1-inch pieces
4-5 slices bacon, cooked, cooled and crumbled
1 sweet pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 c. minced sweet onion, optional
1/2 c. cider vinegar
1/4 c. oil- I used olive oil
1/4 c. sugar- or to taste
2 T. fresh chopped parsely
1 t. thyme
salt and pepper to taste
dash of hot sauce
Combine beans with bacon and onion, if adding, and set aside. Combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour over the beans and toss to coat evenly. Cover and chill 30 minutes or longer before serving. Serves 5-6.
Blueberry Syrup and Blueberry Pancakes
Blueberry Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup
I love blueberries and enjoy them in all sorts of dishes. For breakfast I can’t think of a better dish than blueberry pancakes with fresh made blueberry syrup. We made these in class the other night and everyone enjoyed them. The pancakes were light and very fluffy. The secret is not to over mix them. The batter was stirred until just mixed. The syrup is pretty simple. Just three ingredients blueberries, sugar and a little water. We served it warm over the pancakes.
Blueberry Pancakes
2 c. biscuit mix*
1 c. milk
2 eggs
1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
Combine mix, milk and eggs until just blended. Fold in berries. Pour batter by scant 1/4 cups in lightly greased griddle or skillet over moderate heat. Turn when pancakes are dry around the edges. Cook until golden brown. Makes about 13.
* Like Bisquick or Jiffy Mix or home made- recipe follows
Biscuit Mix
8 c. flour
1 c. powdered milk
1 c. powdered buttermilk (or 1 more cup powdered milk)
1/4 c. baking powder
1 T. salt
1 1/2 c. shortening*
Combine dry ingredients and cut in shortening until well mixed. Store in tightly covered container. Makes 10 cups.
* You can substitute coconut oil or butter for the shortening- but mix will have to be kept cool. Refrigerate if using butter and use withing 3 months.
Blueberry Syrup
4 c. blueberries
1 c. water
1½ c. sugar
In saucepan heat berries and water to a boil and boil 2 minutes. Crush berries with a potato masher as they cook. Add sugar and cook for 10- 15 minutes on medium heat until mixture thickens. Process syrup with an immersion blender or in a blender until smooth. Cool, then refrigerate. Keeps a couple of weeks. Makes about 3½ cups.
Market Day
I will be at the Blue Pike Farm market today from 4-7 pm. Last week I got the most beautiful tomatoes ever. Seriously, natural works of art. Tasty, too. I will have fresh baked pumpkin bread, zucchini bread, chocolate beet cake and so much more. Stop in and say hello. Blue Pike Farm is located at 900 E. 72 Street, just 1/2 mile south of the Shoreway.
Zucchini Potato Pancakes
Zucchini Potato Pancakes
I really like putting potatoes and zucchini together in this dish. They work so well together to produce a pancake that is crispy on the outside and tender inside. I’ve made this dish with just potatoes and with just zucchini- and I like them. For some reason the pairing up really works well, though. We made this dish is class last night and everyone liked it a lot. Rather than make a bunch of smaller pancakes we did them as a sort of large pancake. Worked out really nicely.
Zucchini Potato Pancakes
4 medium potatoes, I used red skinned
2 medium zucchini
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 T. flour
¼ t. baking powder
1 t. salt or to taste
Pepper to taste
2 T. grated onion, I used dried chopped onion
½ c. oil
Peel *and grate potatoes. Place them in cold water and set aside. Trim zucchini and grate coarsely. Place in large bowl. Drain potatoes and squeeze dry. Place between towels to get out excess moisture and place in bowl with the zucchini. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the oil and stir to combine. Heat oil in a skillet. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of the potato batter into the skillet. Cook several minutes per side or until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels and serve. Serves 6-8.
* Peeling is really optional. I chose not to and I think they worked out fine. Personal choice.
Corn and Zucchini Saute
Corn and Zucchini Saute
For those of you looking for another way to use some of those zucchini this dish is really fun and easy. The flavors of the zucchini, corn and peppers work really well together and makes a tasty side dish in just a few minutes.
Quick Corn and Zucchini Sauté
2 sweet peppers, seeded and cut into strips
2 medium zucchini, sliced
Oil
2 c. corn kernels cut from cobs, about 4 ears
1 t. garlic salt*
½ t. Italian seasoning
In oil cook peppers and zucchini until crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook 4 more minutes, or until heated through. Serves 6-8.
*Feel free to use 1 teaspoon of salt and some fresh garlic, I often do.
