What to Cook this Week

Where I live, it was just 108 degrees last week and now it’s 68. Crazy. And very much welcome, I might add. So, it’s official: Fall is here! And as you may know, Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the transition (albeit a fast one this time) from the heat of summer, to the cool, crisp evenings and mornings of Autumn. I especially love the way the light changes. I just noticed this the other day, while I was out for my daily walk. Where the light is harsher and brighter in summer, ambient light becomes warmer and richer and more golden in Fall. The sky is just different. Clouds are different. It’s an amazing transition.

With the shorter days now, Fall is the time to start making stews and nourishing broths for soup, for casseroles, braising vegetables and meat, and of course baking!

At some point, despite all the recipes on the internet, we can sometimes find ourselves fresh out of ideas. So I’m here to help. “What to Cook this Week” is a new feature, meant to provide you (and me) with a few ideas for things to put on the menu this week.

I look to what’s currently in season to help inspire me. This time of year it’s not hard to come up with the usual fall-themed ingredients: apples, artichokes, broccoli rabe, Brussels sprouts, grapes, kale, parsnips, pears, pomegranates, pumpkins, rutabagas and winter squash, to name a few.

Today I want to cover apples and I have 2 recipes for you to consider.

Apples are good so many different ways. They can be, and usually are, made into something sweet (like the apple oven cake that I simply love), but they can also be used in savory dishes, like alongside a pork loin. In fact, fruit is often used with pork. I’ve seen apricots, as well as berries, used. Fruit tends to offset the gaminess of the meat a bit. If you’ve never had this combination and think it might be weird, try it anyway. You might be pleasantly surprised.  Here is a recipe I usually make this time of year.

Pork Loin with Apples, Prunes and Mustard Cream Sauce

Ingredients:
1 (4-lb) boneless pork loin roast
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Granny Smith apples
1 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup packed dried pitted prunes, quartered
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp coarse-grain mustard
1/2 cup dry white wine

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F.
Heat oil in an oven-safe heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot, then brown the pork on all sides, 6-8 min per side. Transfer skillet to oven and roast the pork until the thermometer inserted diagonally at least 2 inches into the meat registers 150F, about 40-50 minutes.

While pork roasts, peel, quarter and core apples, then cut into 1/4 inch thick wedges. Add a little butter to a pan and cook onion over moderate hear, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3-5 minutes. Add apples, prunes, broth and water and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally until apples are tender and prunes have plumped up and softened, 10-12 minutes. Stir in cream and mustard and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and keep sauce warm, partially covered. Transfer pork to a cutting board, cover with foil, and let stand 10 minutes. Add wine to skillet, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 2-3 minutes. Stir pan juices into cream sauce along with remaining 3/4 tsp salt and 3/4 tsp pepper and heat sauce over moderate heat, stirring, until hot.

Serve the pork and sauce alongside potatoes, ideally mashed, but you could also roast them if you wish, and tender green beans or roasted broccoli. Serve with one of the following wines: Dry Riesling (not a sweet one, a dry one), Viognier, Malbec, Grenache or Nero d/Avola.

Now for something else with apples. Next time you head to Costco, or buy a ton of apples at the farmer’s market because they simply looked so good, make applesauce. This is a super-healthy version, without sugar, and honestly 100% better than anything store-bought.

Applesauce makes a great snack, and if you have a baby or toddler to feed, you’ve gotta try this sometime. It’s soooo easy! And what’s nice is you can control the spices that go in. Let’s say you want to add the complexity of pumpkin pie spice, or any of those spices individually, like maybe just the cinnamon and nutmeg, you can do that. Experiment each time you make it until you dial the spices in just the way you like ‘em.

Cinnamon Applesauce

Ingredients:
4 pounds tart apples, cored, peeled (optional) and sliced
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup water

Place everything into a slow cooker bowl and stir. Cook on low for 6 hours.

For a smooth applesauce, place in a blender or food processor and, in batches, puree until smooth.

That’s it for this week. I hope you make the pork and applesauce and feel free to leave a comment below with the results, or how you changed it up, if you did, and what you thought.

Curried Chicken Salad

Summer is the perfect time for lighter foods when it’s hot and we don’t want to turn on the oven. And chicken salads are ideal. They are also easy to prepare.

I’ve been making this salad for several years and I never tire of it because I really like the flavor combination of spicy and sweet. I came across the recipe this morning and am thinking about making it again this weekend since the weather remains hot and muggy where I live. There’s something cooling about this salad even though it has some spice from the chutney and curry. The spice is minimal, though, and is really just there to add flavor, not heat.

The salad's great served on a bed of Boston or Bibb lettuce. You could even use the lettuce leaves to sort of scoop up the salad with.

There is no substitute for the wine. If you leave it out it really does affect the taste, even though it’s only 1/3 of a cup. Trust me, I’ve tried. For the mayo, you can use a dairy-free variety if you’re lactose intolerant. I like Vegenaise from Follow Your Heart. I think it’s one of the best-tasting, healthy, dairy-free and eggless mayos out there. They make a variety of mayos to choose from. I usually get mine at the health food store where you’ll see a larger selection, but I’ve even seen 1-2 varieties at the regular supermarket.

Here’s the recipe.

Curried Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

6 chicken breasts (depending on the size, you may need only 4)

1 1/2 cup good quality mayonnaise 

1/3 cup white wine

1/4 cup mango chutney

2-3 Tbsp. curry powder

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup chopped celery (finely diced)

1/4 cup chopped scallions

1/4 cup raisins

a little grated fresh ginger

Instructions:

Roast the chicken breasts in a 350 degree F oven for 35-40 minutes. While those are cooking, puree the mayo through the salt in a food processor until smooth. This will be your sauce. 

Combine the celery through ginger in a bowl. When the chicken breasts are cool enough to handle, cut them into bite-sized chunks. Add the sauce, toss, and chill for a few hours.

When you’re ready to eat the salad, add 1 cup of warm, salted toasted cashews, if you like. Pecans also work nicely.

Enjoy for lunch on a hot day!

Cornbread Stuffed Squash

Turkey isn't the only thing great for stuffing. So are squashes. I recently came across a recipe for squash stuffed with cornbread and it sounded good, so I tried it last night. Just the thing for a cool evening.

In fact, the stuffing was so good, I could have eaten it just by itself. The combination of the onion, celery, sage and pecans with the cornbread worked well and it was really delicious.

Roasted Winter Squash with Cornbread Stuffing

1 small to medium winter squash (acorn, butternut, or pumpkin), about 1 1/4 lbs.

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup dried cranberries (I omitted these)

Kabocha Pumpkin

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped celery

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1/2 cup reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth

3 Tbsp. chopped pecans

1 1/2 cups cooked and crumbled cornbread
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400F.

Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds and brush cut sides with olive oil. Place cut sides down on a baking sheet lined with foil. Roast 25 minutes or until tender.

Soak dried fruit in hot water 10 min. Drain and discard liquid. Set aside.

Heat remaining oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, celery, sage and garlic; saute 5 minutes. Combine drained fruit, onion mixture, broth (start with 1/4 cup and see if more is needed), pecans, cornbread, parsley, salt and pepper.

Place cornbread mixture into each squash half. return squash to oven and bake about 20 min, until stuffing is thoroughly heated and golden brown on top.

Serves 2.

Recipe by Brian Morris, courtesy of relishmag.com.

Roasted Squash and Quinoa

Butternut squash

Yeah - Fall is here! My favorite time of year.

The weather has cooled off, the light changes and casts a warmer glow in the late afternoons, the trees are dropping their leaves and new ingredients come into season.

Warm, comforting foods like baked apples, pumpkin bread, fruit pies and hearty soups and stews fill the kitchen with their wonderful aromas.

It's also the best time of year to eat squashes. They are especially good roasted and last year I created this dish, roasted squashes over quinoa, a fantastic, high protein grain.

Roasted Squash over Quinoa

Two kinds of squash: I like butternut and kabocha
Sweet potatoes
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Garlic cloves
Freshly chopped rosemary
Red onions
Oil and butter
Balsamic vinegar
Quinoa
Vegetable broth

Cut squashes and sweet potatoes into a large dice and place into a bowl. Sprinkle on some olive oil, salt, pepper, a few chopped garlic cloves and fresh chopped rosemary. Line a cookie sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil and lay the squash on it in one even layer, roasting it for about an hour at 375F degrees. Turn the squash once or twice during that time so that it browns on two sides.

While that's roasting, sauté a large red onion in a small amount of oil and butter. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add a Tbsp of balsamic vinegar. Continue cooking until the vinegar is reduced and syrupy (about 30 minutes). 

Quinoa

Cook the quinoa according to package directions, using vegetable broth instead of water. When it's done, serve the roasted vegetables over the quinoa.

They are excellent together. The nuttiness of the quinoa goes perfectly with the roasted vegetables, rosemary, and onions with balsamic.

Just perfect for Fall.

Foeniculi, foenicula...or is it funiculi, funicula?

Do you remember that song, "Funiculi, Funicula"? I remember it from my childhood and I vaguely recall my mother singing it. It had happy lyrics with a sing-songy melody. I thought the tune was about fennel, but research reveals it's actually about an Italian cable car. What does this have to do with fennel? Apparently nothing. Except that the Latin for fennel is foeniculum vulgare, which sounds similar. Confused? Never mind.

Actually, fennel is a plant species in the genus Foeniculum. It is a hardy perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves, indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean. But it has become widely naturalized in many parts of the world, especially on dry soils near the sea coast and on riverbanks. Fennel is a highly aromatic and flavorful herb with both medicinal and culinary uses. 

Medicinal Uses

Fennel is widely employed as a carminative, both in humans and in veterinary medicine (e.g., dogs), to treat flatulence.  It is often made into a tea to help soothe the digestive system. I love fennel tea for when I'm feeling queasy.

In the Indian subcontinent, fennel seeds are said to improve eyesight. Ancient Romans regarded fennel as the herb of sight.

Fennel may be an effective diuretic and a potential drug for treatment of hypertension.

Syrup prepared from fennel juice was formerly given for chronic cough. As an antispasmotic, fennel acts on the smooth muscle of the respiratory passages as well as the stomach and intestines; this is the reason that fennel preparations are used to relieve bronchial spasms. Since it relaxes bronchial passages, allowing them to open wider, it is sometimes included in asthma, bronchitis, and cough formulas.

Culinary Uses

The bulb, foliage and seeds of the fennel plant are widely used in many of the culinary traditions of the world. The small flowers of wild fennel are the most potent form, and also the most expensive. Dried fennel seed is an aromatic, anise-flavored spice. The leaves are delicately flavored and similar in shape to those of dill, and thus make a lovely garnish. The bulb is a crisp vegetable that can be sauteed, stewed, braised, grilled or eaten raw.

Though fennel is available year-round, it’s at its best from fall to early spring and is usually considered a winter crop. So right now is the best time to eat this vegetable.

If you haven't been brave enough to try fennel because it looks weird and you didn't know what to do with it, give it a try.

Wash the whole thing and cut off the stalks and leaves. What you now have left is the bulb, which tastes delicious roasted, and despite what some recipes say, needs some cooking first. Simply popping the raw fennel into the oven just doesn't cut it in my opinion, so I boil a pot of water and drop in a fennel bulb that’s been quartered, cooking it for about 10-15 minutes to soften it up. With a slotted spoon I then remove the fennel from the water and dry it off with a kitchen towel. Then I place it in a small baking dish brushed with a little olive oil, sprinkle on a bit of salt, pepper and a generous helping of grated Parmesan cheese, and roast it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, until the cheese just turns golden brown. It’s a delicious side dish to roasted chicken or sauteed fish.

I use fennel seeds (that I buy as an herb in the spice section of the market) as a crust for meat, especially pork tenderloin. In fact, my favorite way to prepare pork is to take a few sprigs of fresh rosemary from my herb garden, finely chop the leaves along with a tablespoon of fennel seeds, add kosher salt and pepper and blend all these on a cutting board where I then roll the tenderloin in the mixture until completely covered. The pork goes into a sauté pan and gets browned on the stovetop for a few minutes on each side. Then I pop the saute pan in a 350 degree oven and roast it for about 45 minutes. Easy and unbelievably tasty. The herbs and salt create a lovely crust for the pork and provide assertive flavor. You could do this with beef or lamb as well.

Fennel is also delicious with a mild, white fish and a nice way to marry these together is to use the feathery fronds. Place some chopped leaves under a fish fillet on a piece of aluminum foil, add a pat of butter, salt and pepper, and wrap up. Either bake in the oven or place on a medium grill until done (a thin enough piece of fish shouldn't take but 10-12 minutes). Steaming in this way allows a subtle fennel flavor to infuse the fish. Serve roasted fennel and mashed potatoes alongside it.

My mother has a delicious recipe where she quarters the bulb, cooks it in a little vegetable broth in a sauce pan on the stove top, and then makes a sauce for it out of Boursin cheese and cubed ham. If the sauce needs thickening, she adds a little corn starch to the broth. Once the fennel is mostly cooked, she pours the mixture into a baking dish and pops it into the oven for about 10 minutes. This would make a lovely lunch with a mixed green salad.

Fennel has been calling my name at the farmer’s market lately and I could no longer resist, so I picked one up for myself this weekend. I might try something new with it. I found a recipe for roasting it with olive oil and balsamic vinegar that sounded interesting. If the warm weather we've been having continues, I might chop it up raw and make a salad with it.  Or when I find that recipe from my mother, I'll make that. 

There is so much you can do with fennel. If you're getting bored with the same old vegetables you normally eat, be adventurous and try it.

Pumpkins

Though we often associate pumpkins with Halloween, they are not just for carving into scary faces. Pumpkins offer loads of vitamins and nutrients, are low carb and high in fiber, and their seeds are considered anti-inflammatory. So this is just the right time of year to fill up on them both.

The large variety we carve are usually jack-o-lantern pumpkins which don't make for good eating because they tend to be too watery. There are other varieties that are far better to cook with, such as the Sugar Pumpkin and the Cinderella Pumpkin. The reason for that is that their flesh is denser and richer making them ideal for baking and roasting.

When selecting your pumpkin, you want one that is heavy for its size, weighing about 2-5 pounds. Anything larger is harder to handle and cut, and is usually less tasty. The little ones are loaded with flavor, and that's what we're after!

Despite its size, one way to avoid a watery result is to roast your pumpkin. In fact, if it's small enough, you can roast the thing whole, no joke. Just make a few slits in it with your knife and pop the thing whole in the oven. What relief, because it is far easier to take apart a pumpkin that's been roasted than to cut one up that's raw. For more information on how to prep and roast, click here.

I get a monthly email newsletter from a local chain called Sprouts, in which this recipe was listed last month. I just made it for dinner this evening and it was a tasty side for my roasted chicken. It calls for a unique combination of spices that are usually found in sweet recipes, but it's actually a savory dish.

The recipe calls for cutting up a raw pumpkin, so I advise buying a small one to make life easier. I actually cut mine in half and roasted it a bit first, making removing the flesh from the skin a bit easier, but you don't have to.

Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Mash

1 stick unsalted butter

3 shallots, peeled and sliced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
3 inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
2 cinnamon sticks
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
5 sprigs fresh thyme, stems removed, finely chopped
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch cubes
2 pound pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2 inch cubes
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups milk (cow, soy, rice or almond)
pinch nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
chives, finely chopped

In a deep pot on medium heat, melt the butter. Add the shallots, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, sugar, thyme, and cook stirring, until  the sugar melts, about 3 minutes. Throw in the sweet potatoes, pumpkin, stock, and milk and bring them to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook until the potatoes and pumpkin yield to your fork, about 30-40 minutes.

Drain the pumpkin and sweet potato, saving 1 cup of the liquid. Throw away the ginger and cinnamon. In a large bowl, mash the sweet potato/pumpkin. Add nutmeg and salt. Taste. Season more, if necessary. Splash in a bit of the cooking liquid and stir, for an even texture. Before serving, sprinkle with the chives.

Serves 6.

NOTE: I cut the recipe quantities in half and it looks like I will have enough leftovers for 2 more meals (as a side dish), so unless you have an army to feed, or you want to freeze some for another time (which isn't a bad idea), I would advise making 1/2 the recipe. The seeds I removed and washed, and tomorrow night I will sprinkle them with a little olive oil and salt and roast them for a few minutes until they just turn a bit golden. They will be the perfect snack for the office the next day.

Recipe courtesy of the glutenfreegirl.com food blog, adapted from The Soul of a New Cuisine.

A Change of Season

Fall is here! Well, almost. The calendar says we've got a few weeks to go, but the change is already in the air. The mornings are crisp and a little overcast now, and the dew hangs on the plants heavier than just a few weeks ago. The days are getting shorter and it's cooler in the evenings. Some nights I need a blanket as I relax on the sofa after dinner.

This is my favorite time of year. The best part is not only the cooler weather which I love so much more than the heat of summer, but the colors are amazing: gold, red, orange, brown. And the food! Ah, the food - something else to look forward to.

As I plan my menu now, the impending season conjures up thoughts of roasting vegetables and meats, incorporating seasonal fall foods like squashes and pumpkins, baking with apples, cranberries and walnuts, and using warming spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg. I start to think about hearty soups and stews that provide warmth and comfort. It's a great time of year.

Last night, to kick off fall (albeit early), I made Balsamic Roasted Onions and Potatoes. Truly heaven. I can't tell you how I wished I would have found this a long time ago. So incredibly good. The potatoes are joined with red onions, instead of yellow or white ones, for a touch of sweetness, then coated in butter, and sprinkled with chopped fresh rosemary from the garden and a few garlic cloves. The "secret" ingredient is balsamic vinegar, which I would have never thought to add. It is reduced so that the consistency is more like syrup, then the whole lot is roasted in the oven until the onions and potatoes are crisp and carmelized. Fantastic. I couldn't get enough of 'em. Here's the recipe.

Balsamic Roasted Onions and Potatoes

3 1/2 lbs. medium-sized waxy potatoes, peeled and quartered lengthwise

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

olive oil

2-3 Tbsp. butter

a bunch of fresh rosemary,  leaves picked and chopped fine

a lot of garlic, as many cloves as you like, peeled, left whole, or if large, sliced in half

5 medium red onions, peeled and quartered
1 1/2 cups cheap balsamic vinegar

Preheat your oven to 400 F. Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 8 minutes, then drain. Pour into an ovenproof pan a bit of olive oil and add the butter, rosemary and garlic.  Add the potatoes and toss them in all the flavors. Add the onions and all the balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes on the burner to reduce the balsamic vinegar a little. Place the pan on the top shelf of your oven and cook for about 50 minutes until the potatoes and onions are dark, sticky and crispy, tossing the onions and potatoes halfway through.

Serve with any roasted meat or chicken, or alongside other roasted veggies. Serves 6.