Squash, Chickpea and Red Lentil Stew

From EatingWell:  February/March 2006

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup dried chickpeas
• 2 1/2 pounds kabocha squash, (see Note) or butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cup red lentils
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron, (see Note)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/2 cup chopped roasted unsalted peanuts
• 1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped 
•  
• Preparation
• 1. Soak chickpeas in enough cold water to cover them by 2 inches for 6 hours or overnight. (Alternatively, use the quick-soak method: Place beans in a large pot with enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and let stand for 1 hour.) Drain when ready to use.
  2. Combine the soaked chickpeas, squash, carrots, onion, lentils, broth, tomato paste, ginger, cumin, salt, saffron and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker.
  3. Put on the lid and cook on low until the chickpeas are tender and the lentils have begun to break down, 5 to 6 1/2 hours.
  4. Stir in lime juice. Serve sprinkled with peanuts and cilantro.

Nutmeg Maple Butter Cookies

Adapted, just a smidge, from the late great Gourmet Magazine

and discovered at the smitten kitchen

 
1 cup (2 sticks or 226 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (118 ml) maple syrup (Grade B is ideal here, but the original recipe suggested that Grade A with a few drops of maple extract would also work)
1 large egg yolk
3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (because it packs more tightly)
1 1/4 teaspoon flaky salt or 1 teaspoon table salt
Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. With mixer running, add yolk and slowly drizzle in maple syrup. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, nutmeg and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix until just combined. The dough will be in loose clumps. Gather them together into a tight packet with a large piece of plastic wrap and chill dough for at least two hours (and up to four days) until firm.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a few baking sheets with parchment paper. I like to roll out a quarter to half the dough at a time, leaving the rest in the fridge. On a floured counter, roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness and cut into desired shapes.
(I started with conservative circles, moved into ridged circles, then maple leaves and then, after reading a fascinating article about the acorn harvest this year, got forrest-ed away with acorns and oak leaves that a reader sent me a few years ago. Not that you asked any of this.)
Arrange cookies on baking sheets and bake for 8 to 11 minutes each, or until lightly golden at the edges. Transfer to racks to cool. Cookies keep in airtight containers for a week, or in the freezer until their dance number is up.

Please, no pictures.

Because I made these things and then promptly ate them because they were some of the most delicious things I ever ate/it was late and the lighting was bad...there are no photos but I promise these are recipes worth repeating.  Since I'm moving out of the LR house soon I decided I should really focus my energy on eating as much of the food I've accumulated over the last year as possible...or at least the last couple of weeks.

Recipe #1: Schizo-enchiladas (or the Mediterranean meets the Southwest, probably a little more p.c.)

8 corn tortillas (El Milagro, yummm)
1 ear of corn, cut off of cob
1 can chick peas
handful of cilantro
salsa
leftover sweet potato, red bell pepper hash from breakfast (a little vegetable oil heated in a pan with garlic, one of those itty bitty onions..., sweet potato, red bell pepper, and some fresh sage)
1 can artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed, chopped

Warm tortillas (I covered mine in a pyrex dish with a little water and stuck them in the oven, best method I've found yet).  Throw corn in unoiled cast-iron, roast for a couple of minutes. Get bored, add artichoke hearts about a minute after adding corn. Throw in sweet potato hash and chick peas. Generously sprinkle cilantro onto sizzling skillet. Let skillet sizzle for awhile.

Spoon a little salsa into the bottom of the enchilada dish (I used a 9" pyrex baking dish with a lid). Start rolling enchiladas. Smoosh into pan. Cover enchiladas with salsa, more cilantro and Valentina. Bake, covered, for 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees F.

Recipe #2:
Someone talked to me for awhile today about Fantastic China, a Chinese restaraunt in LR they couldn't believe I'd missed...which got me jonesing for some Asian sensations.

1 1/4 cup Trader Joe's Harvest Grains (could use any grain, I'm just trying to get rid of it)
1 cup coconut milk (not from a can but from a carton)
1 can of bamboo shoots
1 ear of corn, cut off cob
2 zucchini, chopped into bite-able chunks
a few cloves of garlic
1 block of tofu, firm, drained, chopped into chunks
sesame oil
soy sauce
cilantro

Throw a little oil and garlic in a saucepan. Let sizzle. Add coconut milk. Bring to boil. Add grains. Bring back to boil, reduce to simmer, cover for 10 min.

In another pan, heat more oil, throw in more chopped garlic along with zucchini, bamboo shoots, and corn (I poured a little of the bamboo shoot liquid in the pan to keep things happy). Throw in some soy sauce and a handful of chopped cilantro. Let simmer for awhile.

In yet another pan, heat a little more oil, throw in cubed tofu, toss with a little soy sauce and cilantro. Heat for about 5 minutes.

Throw everything in a bowl. Enjoy. Didn't even need to add Sriracha! (Not because it was spicy but because it was delicious on its own.)

Banana Crisps

I'm calling these crisps because when you think "banana chips" you think of the super sweet (and delicious)---but packed with extra sugars--snacks you find in the bulk bins. These are way too easy to make and so wonderful. Took them up to the top of Pinnacle Saturday morning to enjoy them!


To make:
Slice banana(s) into really thin slices. I tried to get them as thin as I could but it depends on the texture you desire. Arrange on a parchment-covered baking sheet, can be as close to one another without touching. 

Spray with lemon juice. Bake for 1hr to 1hr 45min. Let cool for awhile before moving to a different container (I let mine dry overnight just because it was most convenient and that worked really well).

And since I never posted pictures of my bagels:

Heavenly.

Delicious bagels

These bagels are just about the best I've had (even better than those we got in NY where they can get away with selling any bagel as "the best New York bagels). Perfectly soft and moist on the inside, with the hard glossy outside making for the best bite!

My bagels didn't necessarily rise to ideal height, I think I may have over molded them during the tossing process.

Maybe this tip left by a reviewer on the recipe could help: "I let the yeast rest with the salt and sugar in the hot water for a few moments before adding it to the other dry ingredients - years of making dough has taught me this is the way I get them to rise better."

Ingredients

• 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar

Directions

1. In large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour and yeast. Mix water, 3 tablespoons sugar and salt together, and add to the dry ingredients. Beat with a mixer for half a minute at a low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl clean. Beat at a higher speed for 3 minutes. Then, by hand, mix in enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough.
2. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Cover, let rest for 15 minutes.
3. Cut into 12 portions, shape into smooth balls. Poke a hole in the center with your finger, and gently enlarge the hole while working the bagel into a uniform shape. Cover, let rise 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, start a gallon of water boiling. Put 1 tablespoon of sugar in it, mix it around a bit. Reduce to simmering.
5. When the bagels are ready, put 4 or 5 bagels into the water, and cook 7 minutes, turning once. Drain them. Place on a greased baking sheet, and bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven, eat hot or cold.
6. Broiling option: For a glossier surface, place raised bagels on an ungreased baking sheet prior to boiling them. Broil them five inches from heat for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes on each side. Then put them into the hot water to be boiled as above. Note: do not bake broiled bagels as long as non-broiled ones, 25 minutes should be long enough.

These yield about 7-9 large bagels, and 12 or more smaller bagels.

I added toppings: cinnamon and cloves, granola and brown sugar, poppyseed, jalapeno, there are so many options!

(the granola and brown sugar was DELICIOUS)

Do not fear these! They're so simple!

And Mom/Laura, we'll make them in a few days!

Squash infused vodka

I read about a cocktail using pumpkin infused vodka - a winter csa.  It looked tasty.  The vodka should be ready in two weeks!  In the meantime I'm looking for ginger syrup.

http://www.designspongeonline.com/2011/03/behind-the-bar-morris-kitchens-winter-csa.html

Spaghetti with Lemon and Olive Oil [Spaghetti al Limone]

I found this on smitten kitchen this morning and think I will try it for supper tonite.  Empty larder.  Parsley in the garden.  Hoping I have lemons.  Probably skipping the cream.
Rach it should be cheap, too!

This is one of those recipes that are almost better off without one — every ingredient can be adjusted to taste and the technique is just tossing everything about. I consulted a bunch of recipes but ended up being lured in by Cook’s Illustrated’s January 2011 version, as it had so much less heavy cream and olive oil than the others and the threat of bathing suits was a mere 48 hours away! But, I ended up not using the recipe as more than an outline; I didn’t think shallots belonged in the dish, I wanted more lemon juice and I didn’t care for their resting technique — the cheese just glued itself to the pot and not the noodles when I did this — the “toss, toss, toss!” method I used in last year’s Cacio e Pepe does a better, quicker job.
1 pound spaghetti or linguine
Salt
3 lemons
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil , plus additional for serving
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 ounce finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup), plus additional for serving
Ground black pepper
Small handful fresh basil or arugula (what I used, deliciously, in a pinch) leaves, shredded
Cook linguine or spaghetti in well-salted water to your al dente tastes in a large, wide-bottomed pot. (You’ll have fewer dishes to wash if you use this pot to assemble the dish as well.)
While pasta is cooking, zest lemons until you have a little shy of a tablespoon of zest. Juice lemons — you’ll have anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 cup lemon juice.
Drain pasta, reserving 1 1/2 cups of pasta cooking water. Dry out your pot, then boil the olive oil, cream, zest and 1 cup of the reserved pasta water together for two minutes over high heat. Return pasta to pot and stir until coated. Add the cheese and 1/4 cup lemon juice and toss, toss, toss everything together. Add more pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, if you’d like your dish a little looser. Quickly taste a strand of pasta and see if you want to add the remaining lemon juice (we did). Stir in basil or arugula and season generously with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately, drizzling individual portions with a bit of extra olive oil and sprinkling with extra Parmesan. cheese.

Butter Cookies

For years when we wanted to use cookie cutters, this was the cookie.  The recipe is found in Master Recipes by Stephen Schmidt.

Ingredients:

1stick of butter

1/2 cup of sugar

2 large egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups of unbleached flour

Place butter, sugar, egg yolks and vanilla in a mixing bowl.  Beat til smooth and creamy and beginning to lighten.  Sprinkle flour on top and continue to blend.  

To roll for cutting:  

Chill dough briefly.  Then roll on a slightly floured surface 3/16 of an inch.  Place cookies on a lightly greased baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for 11-15 minutes.

If you want to just make round cookies:

Pinch off pieces of dough and roll into a ball in your hands.  Place the balls on the prepared cookie sheet.  Lightly butter the bottom of a drinking glass and dip in sugar.  Flatten the dough into disks with the sugar coated glass bottom.