Words

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien

Friday, October 30, 2015

Just Punkin' Around

Well folks, tomorrow being Halloween I suspect that those of you who participate in the annual candy overload fest will have already carved your pumpkins and put your decorations out. Me, I'm doing mine tonight. We popped over to a local pumpkin patch last week and found our pumpkins - we got five (one for Laura and myself, one for Josh, one for Ewan, one for Rosie and one to turn into a pie). I've seen some pretty creative carvings via the internet - here's my personal favorite...

Simple yet effective.
 One of the questions that always arises when it's time to carve pumpkins is - what can I do with the guts? I always separate the seeds and then roast them with a sprinkle of salt and a drizzle of olive oil - but the squishy guts always gets binned. Being a person who loathes waste, I always wondered what I could do with the squishy bits instead of just chucking them.

Well, the other day I was wandering around on the Instructables website looking for recipes for homemade liqueurs - sloe gin and suchlike. What I found was an amazing-looking recipe for a pumpkin liqueur using the pumpkin guts. Put simply it just involves separating the seeds out, placing the squishy stuff into a bowl and microwaving to extract more of the moisture, putting in a blender and whizzing until smooth, then simmering the resulting juice over a low/medium heat with appropriate spices added (cinnamon, clove etc.), reducing the mixture by half, then when it's cooled,  adding vodka and water. Here's the link to the full instructions...

http://www.instructables.com/id/Pumpkin-Liqueur/

And here's the full gen on how to juice the pumpkin innards.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Juicing-a-Pumpkin/


What could be interesting is trying with one of the different coloured varieties of pumpkin and seeing what that does to the coulour and taste.


And of course, here's a recipe for that fabulous pie we love so much.

For a 20cm tart tin

For the pastry:

170g plain flour
Pinch of salt
100g cold butter
2tbsp caster sugar
1 egg yolk

For the pie filling:

1 small culinary pumpkin or medium butternut squash
145g maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves (or 5 cloves, ground)
3 tbsp golden rum (optional)
2 large eggs, beaten
150ml evaporated milk

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Cut pumpkin or squash in half or quarters depending on the size, and scoop out the seeds and fibres inside. Place skin-side up in a roasting dish with a couple of tablespoons of water. Roast for about half an hour, until tender.


2. Keeping the oven on, take the pumpkin out and leave to cool slightly, then peel off the skin, and scoop the flesh into a food processor. Whizz until smooth, then put into a fine sieve or piece of muslin suspended over a bowl and drain for at least an hour.

3. Meanwhile, make your pastry. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl, stir in the salt, then grate in the butter. Rub in using your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs, then stir through the sugar. Mix the egg yolk with 2 tbsp iced water, and sprinkle half over the mixture, then stir together with a knife until it comes together in a paste – add a little more liquid if necessary.

4. Bring the mixture together with your fingertips, and then roll out on a floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin. Use it to line a 20cm tart tin. Cover with clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.

5. Line the pastry case with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Put in the oven for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and beans, and bake for another 5-10 minutes until the base is pale golden. Remove from the oven. Turn the oven down to 180C.

6. Meanwhile, put 250g pumpkin purée in a large bowl, discarding the excess liquid, and stir in the maple syrup, rum if using, and spices. Taste for sweetness, then mix in the eggs. Gradually stir in the evaporated milk until you have a thick, creamy consistency – you may not need it all. Pour into the pastry case.

7. Bake for about 40 minutes, checking from half an hour onwards, until the filling is set, but still slightly wobbly in the centre. Allow to cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before serving.




Happy Halloween!


Name This Food: Keen-wah!

Well, folks, it had to happen eventually.

Remember last time on Name This Food! when I asked you what this was?



Well, silly me, I had clean forgotten that I'd already asked you about this particular foodstuff before, albeit with a different picture.



See, it comes in all different colours. It's Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium),a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the true grass family. As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds.

Here's the link to the previous article....


And here's a recipe for...

ROASTED CHICKEN BREAST AND SWEET POTATOES WITH QUINOA

ingredients

2 chicken breasts split (bone-in, skin off or on, either one works)
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in large dice
1 package quinoa (about 1 cup)
2-4 tablespoons fresh basil
1/4 large red onion, diced VERY small
salt & pepper
1/2 cup olive oil, to use in 3 places
3 tablespoons mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
optional: handful of dried cranberries or raisins
optional: handful of toasted almonds
instructions

Preheat oven to 400. Coat chicken with olive oil then sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Do the same for the sweet potatoes. Put them on one large baking sheet or two medium size sheets. Bake for 35 minutes, until chicken is golden on outside and juices run clear. Flip potatoes halfway through; they’re done when the edges look brown and the inside is soft. When the chicken is cooked, let it sit for another 5 minutes before cutting into bite-size pieces (whatever that is for your brood.)

While the chicken and sweet potatoes are in the oven, prepare the quinoa. 

Then make the mustard sauce. It’s mostly mustard and the main job is to add flavor. If your family doesn’t like mustard definitely don’t add it. But do put in some flavor element that’s usually a hit; for example, if your crew enjoys curry, that would be a delicious way to go (use coconut milk and curry powder). I use a 2-cup glass measuring cup with a spout so I can pour it out easily. Into the cup, mix mustard, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, diced onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper.

Put everything together into a big serving bowl: sweet potatoes, chicken, quinoa, mustard sauce. Mix gently and top with any combination of fresh basil, cranberries, toasted almond slivers, olive oil and salt and pepper.

 
Source: Foodlets.com

And how about some ALMOND CRANBERRY QUINOA COOKIES? Just in time for the holiday season!

Makes about 2 dozen

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup slivered unsalted almonds

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, both sugars, and honey in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and extracts; beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time. Stir in quinoa, oats, cranberries, and almonds. Spoon dough in 2-tablespoon portions onto prepared sheets, spacing 1" apart.
Bake cookies until golden, 12-15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool. DO AHEAD: Store cooled cookies airtight at room temperature for 1 day, or freeze for up to 1 month.



So... what's next?




NAME THIS FOOD!

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Baked Apple Cider Donut Holes | Feastie

Baked Apple Cider Donut Holes | Feastie

Chocolate Peanut Butter M&M Balls





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