Good bye February

It's a short month so here in short are a few ways to kiss it good bye with ingredients that belong to the moment: winter squash, potatoes, chickpeas, apples and bananas. They'll soon be gone too as we move into spring greens and the solstice of March. So send them off in style with a sweet finale.

But first a word about butter. I've been asked why I always state unsalted butter especially in baking recipes. It's because salted butter contains lots of water thanks to the salt and that water will weaken your baking batters. Unsalted butter is solid butter.

Ottoman chickpea pilaf with gold leaf

not my photo

This is from my wide world chickpea recipe collection. History has it the Ottoman emperors served this dazzling with solid gold balls the size of the chickpeas. Today we can go to an Indian food emporium and get gold leaf for the same effect. You can simply put it in a glittery bowl or ignore the glitter and just enjoy a very healthy hearty dish.

Serves 4

1 cup drained cook chickpeas
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 med white onion, diced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika or ground Aleppo pepper
1 full cup long grain rice, rinsed and drained (Basmati works well here)
2 1/2 c chicken or vegetable broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste

Put the chickpeas in a bowl with the cumin and Aleppo pepper and roll them around to coat them.
In a heavy gauge casserole or pan with a lid, over med heat melt the butter and oil, stir in the onion and sauté  5-7 minutes until it's soft. Lower the heat if necessary so you don't burn it.  Add the rice, chickpeas and broth. Add salt and pepper to your taste. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to low/simmer, partly cover the pot and simmer 10 minutes or until almost all the water has been absorbed.

Turn off the heat, cover the pan with a clean dry dish towel and put the lid tightly on top to seal the pan closed. Let the rice steam this way 10 minutes. Remove the lid, towel and fluff up the rice with a fork before serving. To serve you can add pieces of the edible gold leaf.

Winter Squash and Potato Gratin

I've still got gratins to go after that large posting in January. This is probably the lightest of them so a good way to ease out.
serves 4

1 large butternut squash peeled, seeded, and cut into 1½" chunks
1 acorn squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1½" chunks
Salt
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thickly sliced

3 tbsp unsalted butter

½ tsp dried rosemary leaves

8 cloves garlic, chopped

1 sm red onion, sliced into thin rings
Freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp ground cardamom
1 c whole milk
2 c grated Gruyère

½ tsp paprika
 

Preheat oven to 400°. Put the cut squashes into a large pot, cover with salted water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, until squash are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain well, pressing out any excess water.

Meanwhile, melt 2 tbsp butter in a med skillet over med heat. Add potatoes and sauté over low heat 5 min to soften. Lightly salt.  Remove from the skillet and arrange on the bottom of a medium, deep baking dish. Sprinkle with rosemary. Melt the other tbsp. butter in the skillet over med/low heat.  Add the onion slices and sauté 3-5 min until they’re soft. Put them on top of the potatoes along with any butter left in the skillet.
 

Put squash in a large bowl and mash coarsely with a potato masher. Add the garlic, cardamom, salt and pepper to taste and blend. Arrange the mashed squash evenly on top of the potatoes and onions. Pour milk evenly over top and sprinkle evenly with cheese. Sprinkle the paprika on top.

Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Butternut squash noodles in cream sauce with mushrooms and leeks

For the gluten-free and calorie counters, noodles of squash. I found them in the supermarket and decided to give them a go as a spaghetti substitute. Cream sauce seemed the best dressing, partly because it's hospitable to those classy winter vegetables: leeks and mushrooms.  The final product was a very tasty vegetarian dish!
serves 4

1 package (12-16 oz) butternut squash noodles
3 tbsp olive oil
1 sm/med leek, cleaned and sliced into thin rings, halved
8 shiitake or cremoni mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thin
3 tbsp pine nuts
1 sm red onion, sliced into thin rings, halved
1 heaping tsp ground sage
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste
1/2 c flat leaf parsley, finely chopped as optional garnish

for the cream sauce:
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp all purpose unbleached flour
1 1/2  c half n half, at room temperature or heated to make this easier
1/2 c grated or shredded mozzarella cheese
pinch ground nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves

Bring a large pot of water to boil for the squash noodles.
While waiting for a pot to boil, put olive oil in a med skillet and heat over med heat. Add leeks, onions an pine nuts. Stir to coat with the oil and sauté 2 min. Add mushrooms, rosemary, sage, and red pepper flakes and continue to sauté over low heat, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks.

Boil the noodles 4-5 minutes. Put them in your serving boil a bit wet and pour the skillet contents over  them. Salt and pepper everything to your taste. Cover while you make the sauce.

In a heavy bottom pot, melt the butter on med/low heat. Stir or whisk in the flour (shake it through a strainer to avoid clumps), use low heat and stirring constantly cook  to a bubbly paste, about 2 minutes. Gradually stir or whisk in the half n half, stirring away. Bring the sauce to a boil. Add the nutmeg and cloves and cook another 2 minutes, carefully not to brown it, just thicken it. Add cheese and remove from heat. Stir to melt the cheese and pour over the hot noodles with veggies. Garnish optionally with parsley.

Fennel and Orzo Salad

This is an old favorite, still simple and satisfying and especially helpful to our bodies because of the citrus. I didn't include it earlier with the other colorful fruity winter salads because I had so many new ones. It's extra special about  above the others as great kid stuff.

Serves 4-6 depending on how much you like it.

2 fennel bulbs, cleaned and chopped, greens too

1 2/3 cups orzo (about ½ lb)

3 seedless mandarins, or clementines, peeled and pulled apart

1 lemon

½ lime

16-20 pitted prunes, coarsely chopped

3-4 tbsp olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

salt to your taste

Put a few of the fennel fronts aside to chop for garnish.

 Cook the orzo according to package instructions, until just al dente.

 Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a small skillet and sauté the chopped fennel 4-5 minutes. Midway, add the garlic and blend.  Pour the contents of the skillet into a salad bowl. Add the mandarins and prunes and blend.

Remove the zest from half the lemon and dice it. Add to the salad. Juice the lemon and lime, mix and add to the salad.

Drain the orzo. Salt to your taste. Add to the salad

Stir to blend everything.

 Chop the reserved fennel fronds and top the salad.

Refrigerate an hour before serving.

Apple Mousse
This is an old French recipe I've had in the clip file for decades. It's from the late Madeleine Kamman who introduced French home cooking to America and it's been included in many recipe collections. In essence it's gussied up applesauce which means it's a cinch to make, is kid friendly and serves the gluten-free folks. It's not as easy as pie; it's easier. My addition is the candied ginger. Madeleine Kamman used candied (glacé) oranges.
serves 4-6
 3lb McIntosh apples (about 8 lg)
1/2 c water
1/2 c sugar (granulated or turbinado)
1/2 lemon, rind only, grated
pinch of salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter
sm cinnamon stick (or break a larger one in half)
3 tbsp Calvados or apple brandy (if you don't have it use cognac or hard cider)
1 c heavy cream
candied ginger slices

Peel, core and slice the apples. Put them into a large heavy saucepan. Add the water, sugar, lemon rind and salt. Cover tightly, bring to a boil, then lower heat and cook until the apples are soft. Check and stire once or twice to prevent sticking. Add the butter and cinnamon stick. Continue to cook over low heat or simmer, this time uncovered until the mixture is very thick like a paste. Cool, then chill overnight or at least 4 hours.

To serve: stir in the Calvados or equivalent. Whip the cream until it is thick but not stiff in peaks. Fold it into the chilled applesauce and chill again at least 30 minutes.  Arrange the candied ginger slices on top.

Gone Bananas Cake

not my photo

Tiz the time of year many folks go bananas so here you go. It is not banana bread. This is a bonanza filled with soul warming toasted pecans, coconut and dates. It's such a winner in my bakery we often  put it in regular cake pans, iced it and used it for weddings and birthdays. My recipe is so stained I can hardly read it, a sign of much it was used. This version is the original no icing bundt cake so it's simpler.
This fills a 10" (lg) bundt pan which means it can serve up to 10.
It also freezes.

1 c pecan halves
1 c chopped fresh pitted dates
1 c shredded coconut
2 1/2 c all purpose unbleached flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp grouind cardamom
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 lg ripe bananas
1 stick (4 oz/1/2 c) unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c sugar (granulated or turbinado)
2 extra lg eggs
1/4 c buttermilk

Position oven rack to lower third of the oven. Preheat to 375º. Butter and lightly flour a 10" bundt pan.
(If you use a cake pan be careful o bake it longer to get the center cooked.)

Toast the pecans for 5 minutes while the oven is heating.
In a med bowl, combine the pecans, dates and 1 tbsp flour. Stir to coat.
In another bowl, mash the bananas by hand or mixer. You need to have 1 3/4 c.

In a large mixer or mixing bowl, cream the butter til it's fluffy. Add vanilla and sugar and beat to blend for 1 min. One at a time add the eggs, beating as you go.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and spices. With the mixer on lowest speed, add half of this mixture to the butter/sugar mixture. Then pour in the buttermilk, and finally the rest of the dry mix. Scrap the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to incorporate everything. Add the mashed bananas and beat just enough to blend them in. Fold in the coconut, dates and pecans, distributing them evenly in the batter. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and shake the pan to distribute it. Level the top with a spatula. Bake at 375º 60-70 min until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool in the pan 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely, Transfer to a serving plate. You can serve this as is or you can "ice'" it with very thick Greek yogurt into which you blend 2 tbsp confectioner's (powdered) sugar. You can also dribble cream cheese frosting all over it.

Danish Cardamom Coffee Cake
Treats don't get more buttery and yummy than this traditional coffee cake. It warms the heart and lifts the spirit. It also freezes quite well and makes a lovely hostess gift or potluck contribution.
Makes 1 large loaf

1/2 lb unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 c granulated sugar
1 c currants (soak them in rosewater if you can for 5 minutes otherwise in orange juice)
1 lemon, rind only, finely grated
1 orange, rind only, finely grated
1 tbsp ground cardamom
1 tsp vanilla (give it the best you've got)
2 c unbleached all purpose white flour
2 tsp baking powder
6 extra large eggs
2 tbsp granulated white sugar
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp grouind ginger

Preheat oven to 350º.  Butter a large loaf pan.
In a mixer bowl, cream the butter and sugar til light and fluffy. One by one add the eggs beating as you go. Add vanilla, lemon and orange rinds and blend in.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and cardamom. Quickly put this into the west ingredients mixing only enough to blend. Do not over mix/beat. Scoop the batter in the buttered pan, distribute it evenly and level the top.

In a small bowl combine 2 tbsp sugar with the nutmeg and ginger. Sprinkle this over the top of the loaf. Bake in the center of the oven 1 hour or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool at least 10 minutes. Use a small spatula around the edges to loosen before removing it from the pan. Invert it, catch it and turn it upright on your serving plate or wire rack to cool further.

NOTE: I hope this carries you into March. I am taking a short break and will be bake in 10 days lean and green in time for St. Patrick's Day and Spring Solstice.