Tricks for Treats

Markets are still a color riot so as darkness descends and chill invades, we can still make our plates look hot. There's no theme here, just some easy ways to preserve or present the last colors of the year.

Tomato sauce

This is how I saved a mess of late paste tomatoes a friend brought from her garden: simple, herb filled tomato sauce for a pop up pasta dinner. It doesn't need a lot of tending while it cooks and only needs to cook about an hour. When it cooled, I put it in jars instead of plastic--this is one of 2. It's been in the fridge a week now doing fine. In plastic it could stay in the freezer for months.

  You can adjust this recipe to whatever you have. it's based on the tomatoes I was given.

  Makes 2 overflowing cups (about 17 oz)

10 paste tomatoes (these are the cylindrical ones), chopped

1 med/lg onion, peeled and diced

3 lg garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp Aleppo or chipotle chili powder (or other gently hot chili powder)

1 tsp dried sage or a handful of fresh sage leaves, chopped

1/2 tsp dried rosemary or 1 short stem rosemary leaves off the stem

1 tbsp fresh basil leaves chopped or 1 tsp dried basil

1 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

1/2 c decent olive oil (and maybe a tad more)

1 tbsp red wine

Salt and freshly ground black pepper (lots of it)

In a medium heavy gauge pot on medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add onions, oregano, chili and a few grinds of the peppermill. Sauté 3-4 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent. Add tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, basil and salt. Stir to blend. Cover the pot and cook 20-25 minutes, checking and stirring every so often to be sure it isn't drying out or getting stuck on the bottom. Add olive oil if you need to. Stir in the parsley and red wine. Cover the pot and continue cooking another 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add oil if needed; you are making sauce!

   If you have an immersion blender put it in the pot and make a smooth sauce. If you don't put the pot contents into a processor or blender and create a smooth sauce. Return to the pot. Taste and adjust salt and other seasonings. The sauce may be watery at this point, so put it on low heat, covered for another 10 minutes to thicken. Cool before putting in containers. Or use right away!

  Never be afraid to put more olive oil in. You can't really overdo it here.

Braised Red Cabbage

This recipe comes from the How To Fix a Leek...book and before that from the north of Italy. No surprise it's the perfect pal of pork in any form, the favorite meat there. You could actually use this as a base for a full meal choucroute variation by adding potatoes, apples, Canadian style bacon, bits of ham and sausages. Or you can just enjoy its vibrant color on an autumn vegetable platter. This is a very homey, comforting dish that is simple to prepare so don't pass up a red cabbage in the market. It's got powerful antioxidants, hard to find Vitamin K and calms gastric ulcers. The fresh apple cider makes this very now.

serves 6

2 tbsp olive oil & 1 tbsp butter 
1 lg onion, chopped 
3 garlic cloves, peeled & crushed 
1½ lbs red cabbage, quartered 
1 tsp caraway seed
½ cup vegetable or chicken broth
½ cup fresh apple cider
3 tbsp balsamic or red wine vinegar
Cut cabbage lengthwise into thin strips. Heat oil and butter over medium heat in a large heavy gauge casserole or skillet. Add onion and garlic. Sauté until onion begins to caramelize, about 8 minutes. Add caraway, and 30 seconds later cabbage. Toss until cabbage wilts. Add broth and cider, cover and simmer on low heat 20 minutes. Add vinegar, blend, cover and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes, or until cabbage is thoroughly tender. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve hot.

Persimmon, Pomegranate and Arugula Salad

I threw fresh dates and black olives into this for vivid color, texture and taste contrast. It's a perfect side for pasta with the tomato sauce above, roast chicken, a gratin or any autumn meal. It's festive and very nutritious to boot. Also, as I've said before, I've discovered arugula, a bitter in the food chain, works wonders getting my blocked sinus open.

serves 4
4 handfuls arugula, washed and dry
1 Fuyu (the hard round one) persimmon, peeled, halved and sliced thin lengthwise
1/2 c pomegranate arils (about half a large)
6 pitted dates, chopped
1 sm red onion, peeled, halved and sliced into very thin half rings
6-8 pitted Kalamata olives
6-8 walnuts or pecans, toasted and broken into pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the dressing:
 The basic olive oil/balsamic vinegar blend: 1 part vinegar to 3-4 pts best olive oil

Starting with the arugula as your base, put all the salad ingredients into your serving bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Dress lightly just before serving.

Corn, Tomatillo and Red Pepper Chowder

Serves 6

2 tbsp butter or ghee
1 lg onion, peeled and diced
1 pasilla pepper, roasted, skinned and diced
1 Serrano or other hot chili, seeded and diced
1 tbsp dried sage
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground chipotle
1 tsp cracked or freshly ground black pepper
3 cups corn kernels (can be 4-5 fresh ears, frozen or canned corn)
3 celery stalks, cleaned and diced
2 cups water
3 medium potatoes (any color), peeled and cubed
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp. diced pimento (roasted red pepper)
2 cups vegetable broth
2 tomatillos, peeled and coarsely chopped
12 oz. evaporated milk (not sweetened)\4 oz heavy cream
For garnish: chopped fresh chives, chopped fresh cilantro, shredded jack or cheddar cheese, toasted pumpkin seeds

If you are using fresh corn on the cob, cut the corn off the cobs and put the cobs into a pot with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer while you make the chowder.

Melt butter in a medium soup pot or casserole. Add onions, pasilla and chili peppers, sage and oregano. Sauté over medium heat until onions are golden brown, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in coriander, chipotle, black pepper and celery. Continue to sauté 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Puree one cup of corn with 1 tbsp vegetable broth and add to the pot, stirring to blend. Add potatoes, salt and the rest of the vegetable broth. Blend ingredients, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add 2 cups corn kernels, pimentos and tomatillos. If you have boiled corncobs in water, remove the cobs and pour the corn-flavored water into the soup. If you didn’t do this, simply add two cups of water. Continue to simmer covered on medium low heat for 5-8 minutes. (You don’t have to be exact.) Taste for salt and adjust to preference. Stir in evaporated milk and heavy cream. Cook over medium low heat uncovered until the soup is warmed thoroughly. Do not bring to a boil once the milk and cream have been included. Stir once to blend all flavors.
Ladle into large soup bowls and garnish with any or all of the ingredients listed above.
 
Cranberry Walnut Chutney

I post this every year because it's worth repeating. The raisins, walnuts and orange make this a standout version of cranberry "sauce." It also makes a great holiday or hostess gift. And cranberries are a gift because they have magic medicinal power. They have dietary fiber and Vitamin C and uniquely potent anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer phytonutrients. Cranberries may also strengthen the immune system against colds and flu.
This recipe fills 5-6 4 oz jam jars.

1 lb cranberries, cleaned 

1 c dark raisins or currants 

1½ c turbinado (raw) or granulated sugar

1 c water

1 tbsp orange peel

1/3 c orange juice

1 c toasted walnut pieces

¼ tsp ground cloves 

½ tsp ground allspice

Combine cranberries and water in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until the cranberries burst. Add sugar, raisins, spices, orange peel and juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until mixture is as thick as jam, about 10 minutes. Stir in the nuts. Remove from heat. If serving soon, refrigerate covered in a serving bowl. If saving, ladle into hot sterilized jam jars, seal and put in a water bath for 10-15 minutes depending on size of the jar.