Chickpea and Pumpkin Curry

Pie pumpkins were on sale, so I decided to make this as my undefined "squash" meal on the calendar.  Also, I canned chickpeas and one siphoned badly.  It did seal, but I didn't like the idea of storing it with an inch of beans above the liquid, so it went in as the protein.

I think I've hit the break-even point on the pressure canner, if you don't count the three cases of pint jars I've bought this year.  If not, it's pretty close.  Next year will likely recoup those jars and the lids.  I didn't realize how fast it would happen.  It's mostly in the meat, but everything I've put in jars this year except the beef bone broth has been cheaper than buying the generic brand.

You'll notice there's no curry powder in this dish.  I went for half savory, half sweet flavors, and omitted all heat except the cumin seed.  There was still plenty of flavor, which is really what curry is.  The dish refers to a stew in a gravy that is spiced.  Curry powder, turmeric, etc are used because they are prevalent in Indian curries.  I'm calling this an American curry.

1 pie pumpkin (2-3 lbs) or butternut squash
2 Tb olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
*1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp coriander seed
*1/2 tsp ground sumac
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
*1 Tb date syrup or molasses
1 can coconut milk (lite is ok)
*4 oz spinach, either fresh or thawed
*1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1.  Preheat oven to 375º and line a baking sheet with parchment for easy cleaning.  Cut squash in half and remove stem and seeds.  Place cut-side down on baking sheet and roast until the flesh separates from the skin, about 30-40 minutes.  You don't need to cook it completely.  This is just making it easier to peel and dice.  Allow pumpkin to cool until you can handle it and peel off skin.  Cut into 1" chunks and set aside.  All this can be done as a do-ahead, even frozen and defrosted.

2.  This whole thing comes together quickly at this point, so start your rice first, if using.  If desired, lightly grind cumin and coriander seeds in a grinder or mortar and pestle.  I really like the aroma of freshly ground coriander.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium.  Add onion, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, sumac, cinnamon, and salt.  Once the onion is softened and everything is fragrant, stir in the date syrup.

3.  Add the coconut milk, spinach, pumpkin, and chickpeas.  Wait until the coconut melts before deciding if you need to add water.  Stir everything together and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes, to finish cooking the spinach and pumpkin.

4.  Taste and adjust spices.  Adjust sauce with water or vegetable broth if needed.  Serve hot as a stew or over rice.

Difficulty rating  π

Cod Risotto with Artichokes

I haven't done a risotto in ages.  Frozen cod was on sale, so I bought it without knowing what I was going to do.  This evolved later, and kept evolving while I was in the grocery store.  That doesn't happen much anymore with my meal planning.  It was kind of nice.

There was a lot of variation in the recipes I researched.  The vegetables were different in all of them, and the sauces ranged from a tomato base to lemon to pesto.  I ended up striking out on my own.  Pretty much all agreed that the fish should be cooked separately for a better presentation.  I was going to stir it in with the vegetables for the last 10 minutes.

As long as I was getting another pan dirty, I decided to cook the lemon slices in it first.  They didn't get as caramelized as I had hoped, but that probably had more to do with me being hungry and not waiting long enough.  They did flavor the margarine when I added the fish afterwards.

1 Tb olive oil
*1 leek or 4 green onions, sliced
*2 ribs celery, diced
*1 tsp dill weed
*1 tsp tarragon
1/2 tsp salt
1 C risotto
1/2 C white wine (or broth)
3-4 C vegetable broth
1 large carrot, diced
*4 oz frozen artichokes, defrosted and quartered
1 Tb margarine
4 cod fillets
*1 lemon, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
*grated parmesan for topping

1.  In a small saucepan, bring broth to a simmer and keep over low heat.

2.  In a large pot, heat oil over medium.  Add onions, celery, dill, tarragon, and salt and cook until onion is tender, about 5 minutes.  Add risotto and toast for 2 minutes.

3.  Add wine (or 1/2 C broth) and allow the rice to absorb it.  Most of the alcohol will also cook off.  Begin ladling in 1/2 C broth at a time, stirring it into the rice and allowing most of it to absorb before adding again.  It's going to take about 5 minutes per ladle.

4.  When you have stirred in 2 C of broth, add the carrot and artichokes.  They will cool down the mixture, so give it a few minutes before adding more broth.

5.  Somewhere between 3 and 4 cups, the rice will be cooked and creamy.  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.  Remove from heat while you prepare the fish.

6.  In a large skillet, melt margarine over medium-high.  If desired, place lemon slices in skillet and cook 5 minutes on each side to caramelize.  This can overlap with the end of the risotto.  I moved my cooked slices to sit on the rice while I made the fish.

7.  Place filets in skillet and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until outside is crispy and middle is opaque, about 6 minutes per side depending on thickness.

8.  Spoon risotto into plates or bowls.  Top with cod and a slice or two of lemon.  Sprinkle with parmesan, if desired.  Serve hot.

Difficulty rating  :)

New Kitchen Gadget

I didn't really need another kitchen toy, but there were some really good sales everywhere to counter October's Amazon Prime Days.  I'm calling it an early Chanukah present to myself.

I bought a 7 qt Crockpot.  I love my little 1.5 qt, but a lot of the things I try to put in it are too big.  I was going to ask for a bigger one for a holiday gift, until Target ran a brand sale of 20-25% off.  I considered the 4.5 qt, which was only $20 that week and came in a couple of fun colors.  Then I realized that I would eventually get the big one and skipped right to it.  $32 on sale, plus I had a $5 coupon from getting a flu shot.

As you can see from the box, you can cook a whole chicken dinner in it.  At some point, I probably will, or maybe an 8-10 lb turkey.  I'm already planning to use it for the brisket.  Ooh, I bet a leg of lamb would fit.  Also, large batches of broth for canning and pots of soup that I don't want to leave on the burner for hours.  The insert comes out, to take along to pot lucks.  As you can tell, I've thought about this a lot.

I put it back in the box, and I'm going to try not to use it until Chrismukah.  If I need it to cook for a party, then it will come out earlier.  It's amazing that I've gone from being scared of leaving the little one alone to this.  I'm also not scared of the pressure canner anymore.  It's nice to be able to trust basic technologies that have been around for decades.

Mediterranean-Style Pizza

Ok, so I get that Italian food is Mediterranean.  It just isn't the way Americans make it.  This one is closer to how Italians would have made pizza before tomato sauce was a thing.

I've been watching a lot of historical food channels lately, and it's pretty impressive how many ingredients we take for granted are native to the Americas.  The most famous export to the rest of the world is probably the tomato.  I didn't realize that most beans are American.  Nearly all edible nightshades and about half of the gourds were unkown to ancient civilaztions on other continents.  Then there's corn and quinoa.  Corn may not be as pervasive across the other continents, but it probably makes up a significant portion of Americans by weight.

That said, my tomatoes finally ripened after I stopped planning recipes with tomatoes in them, so I chopped up a couple to put on these pizzas with everything else.  The artichokes were a box I bought on clearance in case my home-grown wasn't enough for a full year.  They were, so I defrosted half of them and sliced them up.

I forgot to buy a red onion, then realized that my pesto is onion-based and went out to pick basil instead.  It needed a trim anyway.  If you're using a traditional basil pesto, slice up a red onion to give this a little flavor contrast.

For the crust you can use store-bought, naan, a pizza crust dough - which I do not appear to have as a stand-alone; I'll fix that next time I make pizza - or an overnight pizza crust recipe.  I made whole wheat naan.

1 large or 4 personal-sized pizza crusts
cornmeal to dust the pan
*1/2 C pesto
2 C mozzarella cheese
*2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, sliced
*4 oz frozen artichoke hearts, quartered
*2 Roma or Campari tomatoes, diced
*8-12 Kalamata olives, halved
*handful of basil leaves, optional

1.  Preheat oven to 350º.  Scatter cornmeal generously on one or two baking sheets or a pizza stone, if using.

2.  Lay the crust or crusts on the baking sheets.  Spread with the pesto, then sprinkle evenly with the cheese.  I like to have a clean outer rim, but there's nothing in pizza theory that says you can't spread everything all the way to the edge.

3.  Scatter the toppings on top of the cheese, trying to get a little in each slice.  If the dough recipe requires it, allow the pizza to rise for the appropriate amount of time.

4.  Bake the pizzas according to the dough recipe.  None of the toppings have to be cooked to a specific temperature.  It will probably be around 20 minutes.

5.  Once done, allow pizzas to rest 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.  I know, it's hard, but the dough and cheese really should finish their cooking process before you eat any.  I burned the roof of my mouth a little.

Difficulty rating  π for store-bought crust, :) for homemade

Canning Dried Beans

I took off two weeks for the High Holy Days and had time for some projects.  One of them was painting the kitchen ceiling, which I've been putting off for at least two years.  As long as I was going to be on a ladder in the breakfast nook for a couple of hours, I decided to multi-task and put something in the canner.

Side note, doing one home improvement project always leads to something else.  While I was up there, I decided to fix the kitchen recessed-ceiling lighting.  That's when I found out that Papa Smurf had installed a home-made light strip, and you can't change the bulbs.  When one goes out, that's it, and more than half have blown.  I've been ignoring this for 13 years.  I generally use the side lights instead of the ceiling because of it.  Now, I need to get an electrician out to install an outlet where the hot wires are so I can put in lighting that's easier to maintain, like a strand of fairy lights.  Seriously, that's all it would take.

As usual, I'm using the NCHFP procedures for pressure canning.  I'm doing the full soak method, since that's how I always make my beans.  There's nothing wrong with quick soak if you only have a couple hours of lead time.

I did two kinds of beans this time, black and pinto, a pound of each.  Mainly, I didn't realize I was out of canned pintos for the enchiladas and figured if I was cooking some, I might as well cook the whole pound.  I've never made a whole bag of beans at once.  Wow, it's a lot.

I couldn't find how many jars a pound would fill, since recipes are for a full canner load, and just decided to make four of each.  You can always put less than a full jar of beans and fill the rest with water.  Beans will soak up the water regardless.  If I'm using canned beans, I want them on the mushy side.  For firm, I cook them from dry.  Turns out, that's how many pint jars a pound fills with a generous 1" headspace before adding the water.

Beans are processed for the same amount of time as meat, which I found interesting since they're par-cooked before they go in the jars.  It's a density issue, so that's what is considered safe.

They all sealed.  I wasn't expecting that, especially after a couple siphoned.  I think it's the first pressure canning load I've done without a fail.  So I had to cook up pintos for the enchiladas after all.  Some people will open a jar right away, but I spent four hours on this project, and I wasn't going to do that.

I have one can of chickpeas left, then I'll do those.  They get their own load since I'm going to make more than a pound.  I can go through those much faster than the other beans.  No idea where I'm going to store them.  The pressure-canning shelf is full.  I'm keeping home canned away from store bought in case of failed seals or other contamination.  Just because I've never had that happen doesn't mean it won't ever.

Beef and Bean Enchiladas Verde

There was a sale, so I canned up chuck roast and pork butt.  Same process as the ugly chicken.  It fell the same week that I was planning to make enchiladas.  I knew I could make them with a jar that failed to seal.  It's just pressure cooked meat.  The canning part is to make them shelf-stable, but you can use them as shredded whatever the minute they come out.  The kitchen started smelling like meat as soon as the canner started boiling, so I was pretty sure I'd be able to use something.  And as long as the canner was out and I was out of canned pintos and black beans, they happened the next day.

This was a really long way to go to use up the last jar of tomatillo salsa.  I'm not planning to make any more just yet, since it took a whole year to finish the last batch.  I don't make Mexican as often anymore, now that I've added more international cuisines to my repetoire.

If you're opening cans and jars of ingredients, enchiladas aren't as hard as they seem.  It's setting up the assembly line that takes a few minutes.  And then you have a do-ahead that can be frozen for later or put in the fridge before work and baked when you come home.

*2 C salsa verde or tomatillo salsa
8 6" corn tortillas
*2 C shredded cooked beef
1 15 oz can pintos, drained
1-1/2 C mozzarella cheese
1 2.25 oz can sliced black olives

1.  Preheat oven to 375º while you put the enchiladas together.

2.  Pour 1 C of the salsa in the bottom of a 9"x13" casserole.  Warm the tortillas in the microwave for 20 seconds to soften them.

3.  To assemble, place a tortilla or two on the salsa.  Place 2 Tb each of beef and beans down the middle, then carefully roll up the enchilada and place, seam side down, in the dish.  Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

4.  I always sprinkle any remaining filling on top and around the enchiladas.  Then, pour remaining salsa on top.  Scatter cheese on the tortillas, then drained olives.  Cover casserole with foil.  Up to this point, you can refrigerate or freeze as a do-ahead.

5.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes or so to toast the cheese.  Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.

Difficulty rating  π

Tuna Chef's Salad

Ok, this isn't a chef's salad in the traditional sense, but I couldn't figure out what to call it.  It isn't Niçoise, though that was an inspiration.  This Mediterranean-ish main dish salad came together with pantry items and a quick vinaigrette.  Plus two sad little cherry tomatoes from the garden.  Eventually, my tomatoes will ripen.  Someday.

I pulled out one of the kale.  It was damaged a couple of months ago and was sprouting leaves in all kinds of crazy directions.  It was also smaller than the other two and not likely to recover from whatever raccoon trauma was inflicted.  And I seriously don't need any more kale.  I've stopped freezing it.  Any extras are going to be given to my boss for her smoothies.  I used whatever was left on the stalk and the ends of the cabbage from the steaks as my greens.

This was the first time I opened a pressure-canned jar.  This kind of dish is why I made the asparagus.  The terror that I might be poisoning myself was real, but everything went fine.  It tasted the same as the jar I had that failed to seal, exactly like commercially bought canned asparagus.

I've never bought canned lima beans before.  They live in the canned vegetable section, not with the canned beans, so I don't think about them.  We would have them from frozen when I was growing up, but I don't remember the last time I had those.  I definitely like them and will start stocking a can or two.  If you really hate them, sub in green beans.

*4 C salad greens of choice
*2 cans tuna, drained
*1 can asparagus, drained
*16-ish pitted kalamata olives
*1 can sliced beets, drained
1 can lima beans, drained
1 dry pint cherry tomatoes
*1/2 C crumbled feta cheese
1/4 C olive oil
*2 Tb white wine vinegar
*1/2 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper

1.  Whisk together oil, vinegar, tarragon, salt, and pepper.  Set dressing aside while you assemble the salad.

2.  Arrange greens in serving bowl or on individual plates.

3.  In little sections, arrange tuna, asparagus, olives, beets, tomatoes, and lima beans.  Try to mix up the colors to make it more eye-catching.

4.  Drizzle dressing on the salad, then top with feta.

Difficulty rating  π