Pumpkin & Coconut Rice Pudding

When you've got pumpkin to burn....

I've been looking for ways to decrease my grocery bills, then looked at the freezer and pantry.  My, there's a lot more stuff in there than usual!  I bought quite a bit of coconut milk and shredded coconut when Sprouts was having a Coconut-themed sale.  Then there was my guilty stock-up of healthy grains and beans when I was eating too much junk.  And of course the quart-plus of pumpkin purée from my "harvest".  There will still be enough for a pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving.

I went back and forth debating what kind of rice to use.  Many of the recipes I found use brown rice, as it holds up well against the pumpkin and has a better nutritional profile.  I decided to go with Calrose, or sushi rice, for its medium grain and softer taste.  This was going to be breakfast.  Also, I had the right amount left.

1 C rice of your choice
*1 13.5 oz can light coconut milk
water as needed
1 C pumpkin purée
*1/3 C unsweetened coconut flakes
*1 tsp cinnamon
*1/4 tsp nutmeg
*1/4 tsp cloves
dash of salt
1/4 C brown sugar
*2 Tb maple syrup (or more brown sugar)

1.  In a medium saucepan, stir together rice, coconut milk, 1 C water, and a dash of salt.  Bring to a boil, then simmer until rice is cooked and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

2.  Stir in pumpkin, spices, and sugars.  Return to a simmer and add more water if pudding appears dry.  At some point, I started adding milk, but that's because I have a lot of it at the moment.  This recipe is plenty creamy without dairy.  Taste, and add more syrup if not sweet enough.

3.  Just before serving, stir in coconut.  Serve hot in bowls or chilled in ramekins for dessert.  Garnish with more coconut flakes.

Serves 5 to 6 as breakfast, 8 as dessert

Difficulty rating  π

Sprouted Apple Seeds

I cut into an apple one day to find that most of the seeds had sprouted.  The fruit was fine, not spoiled at all.  The seeds had simply decided to germinate.  How long was that apple in the fridge, anyway?

It made me wonder where baby apples come from, so I looked it up.  As soon as I saw the part about apple trees growing 30 feet tall, any thoughts of planting my sprouts ended.  I can't reach half of my lemons.  Not planting a giant tree during a drought.

So, why did it happen?  Apple seeds must "winter over" below 40º before they can sprout.  Most produce suppliers keep their apples refrigerated so they won't spoil, and I refrigerate mine because I buy a bunch at once and get through them eventually.  Apples can keep for months in cool conditions if they are unblemished.  At some point, the apples were removed from refrigeration and allowed to warm up to room temperature for at least two weeks.  At this point, the seeds thought winter was over and germinated.

It is safe to eat an apple in this state if it is not otherwise rotten.  We probably eat a lot of sprouted apples in our lives but don't know it because we eat to just outside the core and toss.

Anyway, I thought this was an unusual piece of fruit trivia to pass along.

Maple & Bacon Cinnamon Rolls

Um, Shanah Tova?  You know I don't keep kosher.  This post just has unfortunate timing.

I bought a new jar of yeast for this one.  And I cut out the recipe from the L.A. Times.  Recipes like this are one of the reasons I still get a printed paper.  I would have missed this one entirely if I only subscribed online, mainly because their site design is better suited to a phone app than my laptop.  It took me a day to figure out the navigation.  It's also a matter of archiving.  Sure, I have this blog as a recipe index, but I can't look up any of these recipes if my ISP goes down.  Recipe cards are always there, generations later.

If you check out the link, you'll see the nutritional information.  A quick comparison will also show that I have trimmed nearly half the fat out of my version, most of it in butter.  And yes, I did reduce the amount of bacon for the same reason, but the flavor comes through.  I also cut back because you're more likely to buy a one-pound package than ask the meat counter for 1-1/2.  I just could not, in good conscience, bake a 500-plus-calorie cinnamon roll.  So this is probably 400-plus.  I tried.  Also remember that it's your whole meal, with hopefully a piece of fruit on the side.

Maple syrup is really expensive.  I've always used the flavored corn syrup that passes itself off as maple, so I didn't know.  It also goes bad if you don't use it in a reasonable amount of time and requires refrigeration once opened.  Now I need to come up with other uses for it.  Lots of pancakes and waffles in my future.  The kicker is that there's so much brown sugar, you can't even taste the pure mapleness.  Save yourself ten bucks and use a good-quality, corn syrup-based pancake syrup instead.

Oh, and the original recipe had 14 steps.  I followed them, but realized halfway through how pointless some of them were and am simplifying things a lot.  I'm also dividing the ingredients list, instead of making you try to figure out if you've used all the listed tablespoons of something.

I cheated on the icing and added maple and bacon fat to the cream cheese icing we have at work.  This is only because I baked them off with my first bake of the day and didn't have time to make the icing during my shift.  The recipe is a valid one, and I feel confident endorsing it by the ingredients list.

Dough
1 package (2-1/2 tsp) yeast
1/4 C sugar
4 Tb (1/4 C, half a stick) unsalted butter
*1 C milk
3-4 C flour
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
oil for bowl

1.  Microwave milk, butter, and sugar for 45 seconds, until about 100º F.  Butter does not need to melt. Stir in yeast and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.

2.  In stand mixer with paddle, stir together salt and 1 C flour.  Add milk mixture and beat into a batter, about 2 minutes.  Add egg and another cup of flour and beat again.  If dough still looks too soft to knead, add another half cup of flour.

3.  Pour out dough onto liberally floured board and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.  The egg in the dough will make it sticky even when it has absorbed enough flour, so try to add as little as possible. You shouldn't hit the 4 cup allowance.  Form dough into a ball and turn over in a lightly oiled bowl to coat all sides.  Place in a warm place to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Filling
1 lb thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/4" pieces
3/4 C light brown sugar
*2 Tb cinnamon
1 Tb butter, melted
1 Tb maple syrup

1.  While dough is rising, prepare filling.  Cook bacon in a large skillet until crispy, about 15 minutes, and drain on a paper towel.  Reserve 1 Tb of the rendered bacon fat for later stages of the recipe.

2.  Stir together brown sugar and cinnamon.  In a separate bowl, combine melted butter and syrup.

3.  Punch down dough and let rest for 10 minutes.  Roll out on a large, lightly floured board into a 12" by 18" rectangle.  With a brush, coat entire surface with butter/syrup mixture.  Sprinkle all but a 1" strip of the long side with cinnamon sugar, then sprinkle bacon on top of the sugar.

4.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.  Spray lightly with cooking spray.  Starting on the long side with sugar (bottom in the photo), roll up dough into a log.  Cut log into 12 pieces with a very sharp knife, roughly 1-1/2" apiece.  Those bacon pieces are tough.  Place cut-side down on baking sheet, about half an inch apart.  At this point, you can cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge overnight, or go directly to the next section.

Toppings

1 egg, beaten with 1 Tb syrup
1/4 C cream cheese
1/2 C powdered sugar, sifted
1 Tb bacon grease
2 Tb syrup
milk as needed

1.  Place baking sheet in a warm place until rolls have proofed to the point where they just barely touch each other, about 30 to 45 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375º.

2.  Brush egg-and-syrup wash over rolls.  This will give them the dark golden color and add some of that maple flavor.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until puffed and golden.

3.  While rolls are baking, cream together cream cheese and powdered sugar.  Melt bacon grease until fluid but not boiling.  Add grease and 2 Tb syrup to glaze and beat until smooth.  If too thick to drizzle off a spoon, add some milk a bit at a time.

4.  Remove rolls from oven when done.  Slide parchment with rolls still on it onto a cooling rack.  Allow them to cool for a few minutes before drizzling with glaze, then let the glaze harden a few more minutes before serving.

Makes 12 (and yes, I'm aware there are 14 in the photo.  I was watching TV at the time and lost count of my cuts.)

Difficulty rating  :-0

Dutch Pumpkin and Apple Pie

The last two pumpkins in the pantry started to go soft.  I was going to make a pie once the pumpkin tamales and danish were gone.  This just bumped up the project a few days.

The main reason this is a Dutch crumb pie is because I had a store-bought crust in the freezer and didn't want to make a top crust.  It never matches the bottom, so I'd really have to make a two-crust pie from scratch.  Didn't feel like it.  Since I usually put oatmeal in my crumb topping, this pie now qualifies as breakfast.  Oatmeal, apples, pumpkin, and just barely enough sugar to make it sweet.  Ok, and everything in the crust and crumb that make this fattening.

After cooking up half a dozen pumpkins over the past month, I realized that a significant amount of what I consider to be "pumpkin" aroma is actually the cloves.  So there's a lot of ground cloves in this.  I also finally realized that these fruits have basically the same anatomy as melons, and peeled using the melon method.  Worked just fine, but it was slightly harder to remove the seeds when cut across the equator than through the stem.

I went all crazy with the cutting gadgets.  Since I was going to use the apple corer/slicer for the apples, I wanted the pumpkin to be sliced just as pretty.  There's a thing called a Wonder Slicer that you can set to various thicknesses for perfect slices.  I can't find a left-handed one in stores.  I know they make them, because we have one at work, but the brand I've linked you to is very expensive and I don't feel like paying that much for a gadget when I have another one that does the same thing.  I've never used the cheaper brand on Amazon, so I won't endorse it.  Instead, I got out the mandoline.  Slightly more dangerous, but not as dangerous as me using a right-handed knife.  That's how I ended up in the E/R last year holding part of my thumb together.  Very important to use the correct knife for your dexterity.

I've also been flavoring the roasted seeds from each pumpkin in a different way.  The first batch, I did my standard chili flavor from the posted recipe.  Later on, I did some with cumin.  They're ok.  These last two, I put a lot of dried sage on them.  They're so outstanding, I think I'm going to make my own stuffing this year instead of buying it, just to put them in as the nut.  That is, if there's any left by November.

For pie
Crust for one-crust pie
1 small pie pumpkin (about 2 lbs)
2 Granny Smith apples
1 Tb lemon juice
1/2 C brown sugar
2 Tb flour
*1 tsp cinnamon
*1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp salt
*1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 Tb butter

For Crumb
1/4 C flour
1/3 C instant oatmeal
1/4 C brown sugar
*1/2 tsp cinnamon
*1/8 tsp cloves
1/4 C shortening, chilled

1. Peel pumpkin and remove seeds.  Core apples.  Slice both fruits thinly (botanically, pumpkin is a fruit) and cut into bite-sized pieces.  Toss with lemon juice to keep apples from browning and to heighten the fresh flavor.

2.  Separately, combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and nutmeg.  Preheat oven to 375º.

3.  Place pie crust on a rimmed baking sheet.  You may also want to line the sheet with foil, in case something drops on it or the juices overflow.  Distribute half of the filling around the bottom of the pie crust.  Sprinkle with half of the sugar mixture, then dot with 1 Tb of the butter.  Repeat with other half of filling, sugar, and butter.  Yes, the pie will be mounded up and almost overflowing the crust.  The fruits are also largely water and will bake down considerably.

4.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, until filling is clearly cooking and the sugar is starting to bubble in the juices.  While that's happening, mix the crumb topping.  Stir together all the dry ingredients, then cut in shortening until it forms a pasty crumb.  Put it back in the fridge until needed.

5.  Remove pie from oven and cover with crumb.  Use all of it.  Just keep sticking it back on.  Return pie to oven and bake until everything is bubbly together and the crumb is nicely browned, another 20-30 minutes.  It will be easier to slice if you wait until it has completely cooled, or even the next day after it has been refrigerated.

Serves 6 to 8

Difficulty rating  :)

Chickpea Salad

Still on a quest for a healthy accompaniment to ground beef, in this case sloppy joes.  After trying this salad, I would have to say it's a good side dish for practically anything.  Drop some boneless, skinless chicken in it and you have a meal.

I got out the garlic press for this one.  I don't do it often because it's such a pain to clean and usually involves getting out a pin to push out bits from the holes.  It is also very wasteful.  I got barely half of the garlic through the press.  The rest was a smashed mess that I ended up throwing out because I couldn't even mince it neatly.  And I don't think it even saved me any time.  From now on, I'll mince by hand.  Not sure why I'm even keeping the press.

1/2 C dry garbanzo beans or 1 15 oz can
2 C Italian parsley leaves, about half a bunch
*juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 C)
*1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
2 Tb olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1.  If using dry garbanzo beans, start soaking the night before.  Two hours before, drain water and refill pot.  Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cook for about 1-1/2 hours.  Drain.  If using canned, just drain and rinse.

2.  In a bowl, toss together beans and parsley leaves.  Separately, combine lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt, and pepper into a dressing.  Pour over salad and toss to coat.  Chill.  Toss again before serving.

3.  If you feel it's a bit bland, add a bit of parmesan or feta cheese on top, or mix in something like diced tomatoes or mandarin oranges.  Feel free to play with the salad.

Difficulty rating  π

Teriyaki Sauce

So I went to go get the teriyaki sauce for a stir-fry in the works, and didn't have any.  Whoops.  I did have a brand-new bottle of soy sauce, fresh ginger for the stir-fry, and I always have fresh garlic around.  Fine, whatever, I'll do it the hard way.

Most teriyaki recipes call for mirin, a rice wine similar to sake.  I didn't happen to have either mirin or sake.  I could have run to the market for some, but then I could have bought the teriyaki and this post wouldn't exist.  I also would have come back to a cold, half-cooked, slimy stir-fry and rice I had forgotten to turn off.  You can substitute cream sherry or forgo the alcohol altogether and just add a bit more sugar.  That's the direction I'm going.

This recipe is for the thick kind of teriyaki that you use as a glaze.  For a marinade-only version, omit corn starch and only do step 2 (use the water).

*1 Tb corn starch
1/4 C water
1/2 C soy sauce
1 tsp grated fresh ginger (about 1" root)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 C brown sugar or *honey, plus more to taste

1.  Start soaking the corn starch in the water.

2.  In a small pan, heat remaining ingredients until sugar is dissolved and spices are aromatic.  You do not need to boil the sauce.  Taste and add more sugar if necessary, more soy if it's too sweet.

3.  Stir in cornstarch slurry and work into sauce.  Continue to heat over medium and stir so the sugar doesn't scorch until mixture thickens and becomes glossy.  Use immediately or store up to one week.

Makes about 1 cup

Difficulty rating  π

Veal and Eggplant Parmigiana

There was more of the veal cube steak on sale at the market, but only half a pound.  To make this a full meal for four, I added one eggplant to be the other half of the "meat".  The end result was a beautifully stacked, relatively balanced meal.  For the sake of this recipe, I'll allow twice the meat to make the eggplant slices come out even.  Each serving ended up with one slice with veal and one without.  Since our baker quit, I've been baking five days a week.  My metabolism has gone up from the insane amount of lifting and running around, so I can get away with dishes like this.  Enjoying it while I can.

I had to buy breadcrumbs.  Never thought I'd do that again, but I only had one slice of bread left and this was the easy option.  Unseasoned panko crumbs give a lot of crunch and you can flavor them however you like.  I bought the smaller canister.  It will not take me another four years to go through this one.

This was about the time I was expecting to pop open a quart jar of homemade marinara.  Brad has put out a total of two edible tomatoes, with several starting to rot before ripening.  Cherry is ready to beat the pants off him as soon as her half-dozen green tomatoes ripen.  Combined, their output wouldn't fill a half-pint jar, much less a quart.  The poor quart jars appear to be destined for stock and homemade beverages.  Ooh, but Artie has started to grow again!  I noticed the sprout a couple of weeks ago, and it was probably at least a week old then.  I don't check the spot often, because that's crazy.  Of course, I keep checking the pumpkins daily for new buds, but that's because I can hand-pollinate if any females bloom.

This recipe is based largely upon Table for Two's eggplant parmesan and this Food Network offering of veal parmigiana.  Both had wonderful techniques for developing both tenderness and crunch.  And then I messed with it.

1 large eggplant
vegetable oil as needed (not olive oil)
1-1/2 C panko bread crumbs
*1/2 C grated parmesan cheese, divided
*1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 egg
1/4 C flour
1 lb veal cube steak
2 C marinara, doctored up as much as you want
1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
*fresh basil for garnish

1.  Preheat oven to 425º.  Slice the eggplant into 8 thick slices.  Lightly smear bottom of an 8" x 12" casserole with oil, then arrange slices in it so you're sure everything is going to fit later on, then flip over the slices so you have a bit of oil on both sides.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, until about half-cooked, then place to the side to cool slightly.  Reduce oven to 350º.

2.  While the eggplant is cooking and cooling, prepare the dredge and skillet: Stir together bread crumbs,  1/4 C parmesan, and Italian seasoning in a pie plate.  In another pie plate, beat together egg and 2 Tb water.  On a third pie plate, scatter flour.  Cut the cube steaks so you have 8 pieces.  Those can go in the flour now and wait their turn.  For the skillet, choose a 10" and pour in just enough oil to barely coat the bottom.  Eggplant will absorb as much oil as you give it.  Preheat skillet over medium until water pops on the oil.

3.  Turn several eggplant slices over in egg, then in crumbs, to coat.  Add as many to the skillet as fit comfortably and fry until coating is lightly browned and crispy, about 5 minutes.  Turn and fry other side, then return the slices to the casserole and go at it again with the rest of them and a little more oil.

4.  Cover each cooked slice of eggplant with about 2 Tb of pasta sauce.  Then sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese over all.  Heat up some more oil in the skillet.

5.  Take the flour-coated pieces of veal and dip them in the egg.  Coat with breadcrumbs and place in skillet.  These only need to cook for one minute on each side, less if they look like they're almost done. Don't worry if they're still a bit raw in the middle, because this whole thing is going in the oven.  Place each slice of cooked veal on top of a slice of eggplant.

6.  Spoon more pasta sauce over veal, about another 2 Tb per piece.  Scatter mozzarella over pieces and sprinkle top with any remaining breadcrumbs.  Bake for 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and everything is heated through.  This should be enough time to make the pasta for it.  For a browned top, place under broiler for 2 minutes.  Allow to rest 5 minutes before trying to transfer it from the casserole to a plate.  Serve with spaghetti and a few bits of fresh basil as garnish, two slices to a serving.

Difficulty rating  :)

Gourmet to Go

So I bought fresh food to go in my new fridge, and then my schedule got rearranged and I wasn't going to be having dinner at home for a while.  As tempting as take-out was, I really needed to cook what I had bought before it went bad.  The most expensive part of grocery shopping is what you let go to waste.

After breakfast one morning, I started to make dinner.  I made poached salmon with a lemon cream sauce over barley and steamed broccoli.  Then I packed it up in containers and took one of them with me to work.  Far more nutritious than the drive-thru, even using the heavy cream.  (I had most of a pint left over from the tea party that would soon go bad, and had some form of cream sauce on my entrée for over a week to use it up.)

One thing to remember when you do something like this is how you're going to reheat the meal.  Microwaves are the usual, but a toaster oven can work, depending on what you have.  Reheating by either method will also cook your food more.  With something delicate like fish or steak, you have to undercook it slightly in anticipation of this.  My salmon was almost raw in the middle when I packed it, but perfectly cooked and flaky once it was hot.

You can also see that I attempted something resembling an attractive plating.  I mashed it all together at some point during the meal, but there was barley on the bottom, the veggie arranged neatly, and a properly sliced piece of salmon on top, lightly coated with the sauce.  Leftovers don't have to look like leftovers.

Yes, it's a bit of work, but no more than I would have put into it in the afternoon.  I was just doing it at 9am.  Packing a meal just transfers the cooking time to a more convenient hour.  It saves money, is generally more nutritious, and has fewer calories than anything you pick up.

Mashed Pumpkin

After trimming off the dead vines, the last two pumpkin plants went bonkers and filled the planter.  Unfortunately, all of their female flowers keep dying before blooming or fail to pollinate.  I won't give up hope until the vines die, but it looks like my pumpkin season is over just as Bradley and Cherry finally start to put out tomatoes.  That is so backward.  Oh well, time to start cooking up the rest of the pumpkins.

You can treat pumpkins similar to butternut squash in recipes, as I did here with a mashed pumpkin.  It's a way to serve up pumpkin as a fall treat, perhaps as a replacement for yams at Thanksgiving.  And the nutrition makes you feel less guilty about adding butter and sugar.

1 small sugar pie pumpkin (about 3 lbs)
salt
2 Tb butter
1/4 C brown sugar (or less, to taste)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
2 Tb milk

1.  Chop up pumpkin and scoop out middles.  Save seeds for roasting and discard strings.

2.  Place pieces in a large pot and fill with 1" of water.  You can even put the pumpkin in a steamer basket.  Salt the water lightly and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, cover pot, and steam until pumpkin is fully cooked, about half an hour.  Remove pumpkin and allow to cool slightly.

3.  Once you can handle the pieces, either pare off the skin or scoop out the flesh, whichever you think you're better at.  Place in a bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher.  You can use an electric beater, but it's going to make a mess.  Drain off any pooled liquid and add remaining ingredients.  Beat thoroughly and serve hot, maybe garnished with cinnamon.

Difficulty rating  :)

Veal Scallopini

I picked up some veal cube steak in the discount bin.  I don't usually buy veal, but this was a good deal and already prepped.  I wouldn't have to pound it before cooking.  Then I had to find something to do with it.  After a long and exhaustive google search of about three minutes, I chose this recipe.  His portions are larger than what I normally serve, as this recipe will reflect.

Dave (of the link) did this as a one-pan meal.  That's how I tend to work, too, but I don't usually do it this fast.  Because of veal's short cooking time, you're really hopping throughout this process.  I highly recommend cutting everything before you ever turn on the heat.  This is like one of those recipes they do on TV cooking shows, where everything is pre-portioned and they make it in five minutes.  You think it's all for show and assume it's really going to take you at least half an hour.  Nope, maybe ten minutes.  Plus, you're probably making pasta and/or vegetable side dishes at the same time, so everything is hot together.  I started boiling the water for the pasta when I turned on the pan for the mushrooms, then got the beans simmering just as the mushrooms were done.  It felt like I was in a restaurant kitchen, it was so fast.  I had wanted to take pictures throughout the process, but there was no time to grab the camera.  Please, please, read this recipe thoroughly before starting and commit as much of it to memory as possible.

Note that the white wine doesn't have a star next to it.  I am finally out of Papa Smurf's white wine and had to buy some.  I still have some red, but the end is in sight.  It is so much easier to open a wine you have just bought than one that has been stored in questionable surroundings.

2 C mushrooms, chopped
2 Tb olive oil
1/4 C butter
1 lb veal cube steak or pounded veal scallops
*2 cloves garlic, diced
1 large shallot, diced
1 Tb Dijon mustard
1 C chicken stock
1/2 C white wine
*1/2 C heavy cream
2 Tb fresh tarragon, chopped (or 2 tsp dried)
salt and pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 200º, to keep veal warm while making sauce.

2.  In a 10" skillet, cook mushrooms in olive oil over medium.  Lightly salt and pepper while cooking.  They are done when they have stopped giving up moisture, and will not cook any more when you add them to the sauce.  Transfer to a holding bowl.

3.  Crank up heat in skillet and add butter.  When melted, add veal.  Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Turn after one minute and cook for a minute on other side.  It's ok if they are not completely cooked, because they are going to spend the next few minutes in the oven keeping warm.  That will finish them.  It's better that they are undercooked than tough.  Transfer veal to a heatproof plate and place in oven.

4.  Add shallots and garlic to the hot pan and cook for about 30 seconds, leaving the heat on high.  Deglaze pan with the wine, then add the chicken stock.  Everything should be boiling.  Reduce the sauce by 1/2.

5.  Add the mushrooms back into the pan.  Stir in the mustard, tarragon, and cream.  Reduce again to whatever consistency you like in your sauce.  Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary.

6.  Remove veal from oven and plate as desired.  Spoon sauce over veal and serve.

Difficulty rating :)