Hot Potato

Potatoes, the Incas gift to humanity worth more than all the gold Christopher Columbus never found, have been humanity's saving grace (think: Irish famine) and have become humanity's go-to comfort food. They're coming out of the ground now in copious quantities, in heirloom colors-- purple, red, yellow, and white, Yukon Gold being a hybrid-- and in various shapes and sizes from the delightful "babies" you can roast and munch to the large bakers, usually known as Russets or Idahos. Years ago one Maine farmer devoted himself to research and grew about 16 different kinds. There's a starch and waxiness difference among them, meaning some potatoes are best boiled, others mashed, some roasted or baked, some fried. Here are a few easy, tasty ways to welcome soul warming hot potatoes back to the table. Dress them up, wolf them down.     

Baby Potatoes

These minis are usually sold in bags but you can pick market bins and pull them out too. Round or oval, they average an inch in size.  I like to use varied colors for the eye catching effect. 
   These are the easiest way to get potatoes on the table and maybe the most fun way to eat them.  All you have to do is spread them on a baking sheet, then sprinkle on olive oil and salt (just enough to get the heat into the potatoes not to drown them). For variety you can toss in a few peeled garlic cloves and/or a pinch of dried rosemary for flavor. Roast/bake them in a preheated 425º oven 12-15 minutes until the skin is very crisp and the potato very soft.  (Test with a toothpick or small paring knife.)  Taste and adjust salt. 
   Now you and kids can just munch on these as they are, put them on the dinner plate with steak instead of frites, garnish a frittata or omelet, or you can fancy them up for a party by putting out a display of dips: zhoug, pesto, onion, tsatsiki, red pepper, aioli. 
 
Green bean and mashed potato cake

This is an Italian recipe. It looks elegant but it's very easy, goes with everything and is perfect for children. I have posted it before but this one's a keeper to use over and again. 

Serves 4 –6
1¼ lbs potatoes, ideally 3 the same size
1 lb green beans

1 tsp ground thyme
100g parmesan cheese, grated
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and black pepper
¼ tsp ground nutmeg  

1 tbsp olive oil
Fine breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350º. Scrub, but don’t peel, the potatoes. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil,  reduce heat to simmer and cook until tender. Drain and cool. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a rapid boil. Add the beans and thyme and cook about 8-10 minutes or until the beans are starting to feel soft but remain firm. Drain well and chop into small, rough pieces. You can use a scissors as well as a knife.

Once the potatoes are cool, peel and mash them. Mix the mash with the cooked beans, cheese, eggs, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Oil the cake tin, using more olive oil if you need to, then dust it with fine breadcrumbs. Scrape the mixture in, level out the top, sprinkle with more breadcrumbs and zigzag the top with a drizzle of olive oil. Bake 50-60 minutes, until the cake is slightly puffed up and golden on top.

 Let it cool 20 minutes before running a blade around the edge and then turning it out on to a plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 Melt in your mouth potatoes 

This recipe alone has caused at least two other people to buy the book it was in, a voyage through the kitchens of the Caucuses and Stans. The butter braised potatoes are immensely flavorful, comforting and simple to make. The original recipe was actually called "melting potatoes." 
 

serves 4

3 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp olive oil

2 med onions, sliced into thin rings

1 1/4 lbs small(1-1 1/4" wide) waxy potatoes*, cut into 1/2" thick disks

3 garlic cloves, sliced into very thin strips

salt to your taste

1 tsp freshly ground/cracked black pepper

1/4 c chopped dill fronds

 *Yukon golds are waxy potatoes.

Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan over low heat. Add onions and cook slowly until they are soft and golden, maybe 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and garlic. Carefully blend them into the onions so they glisten from the buttery oil. Season with salt and cover tightly (a lid or tin foil). Reduce heat to lowest simmer and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks.  Add the black pepper and dill and serve immediately. 

   Potato tart

 not my photo

This pretty presentation, sometimes known as potatoes Anna, is in the book How to Fix a Leek ...because I couldn't find a better way to show off what potatoes can do. It works best with boiling potatoes that have at least medium starch, like Kennebec, Pontiac red, Green Mountain.
 serves 4

 4 med/lg round red skin potatoes, peeled
 5 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 tsp paprika 
1/4 tsp dried rosemary leaves 
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
handful fresh chives, finely chopped

Slice potatoes into very thin disks. In a 7 1/2" (small) frying pan, melt 1 1/2 tbsp butter and paprika over medium heat. Start layering potatoes around the bottom, overlapping each one slightly, and keep going to make concentric circles that overlap slightly too. Before you start another layer, season the one you've just finished with salt, pepper, rosemary and pinches of butter (aka butter bits). On the final layer spread small bits of butter. 
   Cover the potatoes entirely with a heavy weight. A pot full of water works just fine.  Cook over med/low (don't burn anything) heat, 10 minutes. And while they cook heat up the broiler.  Take the weight off the potatoes and put the uncovered pan in the broiler  5-7 minutes until the top's light brown. Immediately invert onto a plate to serve. Sprinkle the chopped chives on top.  (It looks special if you put a wreath of herbs like dill and flat leaf parsley around it.)         

Double baked potatoes with cauliflower 
Here's how to gussy up the basic baked potato. Remember a baking potato is the large ovoid one, usually the Russet or Idaho. 
   serves 4      

4 large baking potatoes

1 teaspoon olive oil

 Kosher salt

1 small head of cauliflower, cut into florets

3 cups milk

2 bay leaves

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

12 cup grated cheddar      

     

Preheat oven to 450º.

Scrub potatoes under running water; dry them, and rub the skin of each with the oil and a little salt. Pierce the skin of each in three or four places with the tines of a fork.

Place the potatoes in the oven, and roast for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the potatoes, until they offer no resistance when a knife is inserted in their centers.

While the potatoes are baking, put the cauliflower into a saucepan set over medium-high heat, and add the milk and bay leaves. Heat until almost boiling, then reduce flame to low, and simmer until tender, approximately 20 minutes.

When the potatoes are done, remove them from the oven, slice them open down the middle and use a spoon to scrape out their flesh into a bowl. Add the butter, the cauliflower, a healthy splash of the milk, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mash to combine. Spoon the mixture back into the empty jackets, place on a baking sheet and shower with cheese. Return to the oven for 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and golden.
  
Double baked potatoes with chicken
  This makes potatoes a meal in themselves. Just add salad.  
serves 6

 
6 baking potatoes
6 tbsp unsalted butter
2 lg chicken breasts, boiled, skinned, boned and minced (you can use 6 thighs if you prefer darker meat)
6 oz fresh button mushrooms, washed and dry, chopped
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley leaves, minced
1 c half'n'half or low fat yogurt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp celery seed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste
1/2 tsp dried rosemary leaves

2 tbsp pimiento, diced
1 c fresh or frozen green peas
4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into six pieces
1 c low fat plain yogurt

Bake the potatoes until they are soft enough to eat. Cool. Butter an 8 or 9" square baking dish. Slice a thin piece off one narrow end of each potato so they stand upright and place them in the buttered baking pan. Now cut 1 1/2" off the top of each potato and carefully scoop out the insides, leaving a shell 1/2" thick.
Heat oven to 450º.

Put the potato insides into a large mixing bowl. Add the chicken, mushrooms, parsley, nutmeg, celery seed, rosemary, pimiento, salt and pepper. Stir to blend adding the half'n'half as you go to make a smooth, creamy paste. Fill and pack each standing potato with this mixture. Put a small pat of butter on top of each one. Bake at 450º 15-20 minutes.
While they bake, steam the peas in salted water until just tender. Drain.

To serve: spoon some yogurt over each potato, then some peas and perhaps a little more chopped parsley.
                            
Darjeeling Aloo Dum  

This recipe from my Himalayan collection makes a beloved snack, breakfast, side dish. Everybody has their own recipe so mine is a compendium.

Serves 4-6

2 lb boiling potatoes (waxy ones like Yukon gold don’t work well)

5 lg garlic cloves, smashed and minced

2” fresh ginger root, peeled and grated

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp cumin seed

1/4 tsp yellow mustard seed

¼ tsp ground turmeric

1 sm green chili, diced

optional (if you like hot potatoes!)1/2 tsp chili powder

½ cup chopped tomatoes

salt to your taste

fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped

Scrub the potatoes and put them in a large pot. Cover with water, add a pinch of salt, bring to a boil over high heat. Lower heat to medium, partly cover the pot and gently boil until the potatoes are tender but not mushy. This may take 20-25 minutes depending on size of potatoes. Drain and refresh under cold water. Drain well. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces.

Try to mash the garlic and ginger together into a paste.  (You can now buy a tube of this paste at Trader Joe’s.)

In a large sauté pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium flame. Add the cumin and mustard seeds and fry 30-60 seconds until they begin to “jump.” Stir in the garlic/ginger paste. Sauté 30 seconds until it’s aromatic. Stir in the tomatoes, then the turmeric, chili and salt. Once this mix is boiling, add the potatoes and 2 tbsp water. Carefully stir to coat the potatoes with the sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan and cook 3-5 minutes until everything is thoroughly heated.  Garnish with chopped cilantro to serve.

 NOTE: I have more recipes including mashed potato/salami cakes, carrot potato cake and potato curry. I'm saving them for midwinter to brighten the blahs.

      

 

Old Salt

Last week, The Atlantic featured a story rightly discrediting the pink salt fad. Evidently many of us fall for its pink color...and branding. Although it's marketed as Himalayan Pink Salt, it's actually mined in Pakistan but its commercial handlers assiduously avoid mentioning that.  Additionally despite all the bogus wellness claims to which many are now susceptible, it's just essentially rock salt, same as any other rock salt- - just more pink. Which doesn't mean a thing. 

I've been exposed to Himalayan salt for two decades, seeing it all the time in Kathmandu's buzzing Assan spice market. I actually keep three chunks in the pantry: one white, one pink and one black. The black has a nasty sulfurous odor and is rarely used except for a taste effect similar to asafoetida. There are no rightful claims to be made for pink over white, so no Himalayan resident would try --or believe someone who did.

This sad story of marketing manipulation reminds us how little we know about how important salt is. All we hear is it's bad for you...or that it's pretty in pink.   For starters, salt is probably the most vital, must- have nutrient for the human body. You won't live long without it.  For this reason, wars have been fought, ethnicities cleansed and locations mapped. Did you know British towns ending in "wich" (eg. Sandwich, Norwich, Ipswich...) means they're atop salt deposits?  For this reason too, salt was often used as money, especially to pay soldiers defending or attacking for it. Thus the expression: to be worth your salt. And thus the word: salary (sal for salt).  

So salt requires respect. I learned the hard way when I fell for the marketing manipulating us all to abandon the usual blue paper canister from Morton's and buy nothing but sexy sea salt: what's fancifuflly marketed as grey salt, fleur de sel, Irish sea salt, sea flakes, et alia. It's all raked from edges of the tidal ocean and you can even today from the air see the now defunct flats of San Francisco Bay.

Sea salt has larger particles than Salt Lake salt so it looks prettier. I went for it. Not long after, I started having decreased energy then other problems thyroid related. Which led to my Eureka!: sea salt is not "iodized" and the super necessary nutrient in salt is iodide.  (Iodide is the vital core of iodine.) This is why Himalayan people who lived for centuries on that pink--and white and black--rock salt developed goiters. It wasn't until early in this 21st C that Nepal required salt to be iodized. So I raced out to buy that good ole' blue paper canister of iodized salt. Now I mix it up with my fancy sea salts and the Himalayan pink salt somebody gave me and I'm physically fine. The easiest way to do this is to use it copiously in the water for boiling pasta.        

Lack of iodide is also true for what's called "kosher salt." This is in essence coarse crystal salt used in butchering to pull water, blood and other liquids out of slaughtered animals. It's large crystals make it ideal for preserving and pickling. Rely on it to eat and you will suffer the ravages of iodide deficiency.

 But there's some happy news about kosher and other salt. Because any salt magnetizes water and other liquid like blood, it's a great cooking medium.  If you don't have a grill but want your hamburger or steak or lamb chop to taste as if it's been on open fire, just cover the bottom of a cast iron frying pan or any frying pan actually with a layer of salt. Heat it up, then put then meat on it.  Immediately that hot salt will draw out the meat's juices letting the meat cook in them just as it would on an open fire. It is for this same reason that roasting vegetables requires not just a splash of olive oil to conduct the heat into them but a sprinkle of salt to bring the water out so they crisp up.Soaking up water is why salt is the magical ingredient in fermentation and what makes it a preservative. 

Salt's magical ability to magnetize water is why it's urgent to eat salty foods during summer when you sweat. It helps your body retain water. It's also urgent to eat salty foods at high altitudes when you're forced to drink a lot of water; otherwise you'll be constantly peeing that water out. I did that until I ate half a bag of extra salty potato chips which stabilized my body.

And one more thing. I and other experienced cooks always use only unsalted butter, especially in baking, because salted butter has retained some water which it will release into your baked good, ruining it.  So  I advise to buy the best quality unsalted butter for everything. You can add salt when you slather it on your bagel.

Please accept this wisdom with a grain of salt.                   

           

More warming up to winter recipes for late October

As chill creeps in and summer veggies fade from the market, here are a few more nourishing and easy recipe suggestions to fire up your soul and kitchen. They feature vegetables at high tide and lowest of the season prices at your farmers' market right now         

Potato pumpkin frittata

This one's for vegetarians and everyone who needs a good brunch, lunchbox, potluck or buffet recipe right now.  Easy on the budget, easy on time, easy to please.

Serves 4
 

1 white onion, peeled and sliced into thin rings
1 large potato (just under 1 lb)
1¼ lb sugar (pie) pumpkin or butternut squash
¼ c olive oil
1 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped, or 1 tsp dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 extra large eggs

unsalted butter

¼ c grated cheese (Parmesan, Asiago, Gruyere, Jack—your choice)

Peel the pumpkin or squash and cut it into thin rings or half rings or failing that, strips.This is the hardest part.  Peel then slice the potato into thin disks.          

        

In a medium frying pan with a lid, heat olive oil and sauté onion for 2 minutes. Add the potato and pumpkin, stirring until each slice is glistening with oil. Cover the pan, lower the heat to simmer and cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally-- if sticking occurs, add a little water -- until the vegetables are very soft.  Add sage, salt and pepper and cook uncovered another minute. Scrape the pan contents into a bowl.

Heat oven to 375º.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with salt and pepper. Melt enough butter to fully cover the bottom of the pan you cooked the potatoes in. Pour the vegetables pack into the pan and pour the eggs in with them. Stir until the eggs begin to coagulate. Cook the frittata over      low heat about 10 minutes. As the edges start to set, use a spatula to ease them away from the pan sides back into the frittata. Once the frittata is almost entirely set and still has a wobbly top, toss on the grated cheese. Remove from stove top and plunge into the oven for 3-5 minutes, until cheese melts and egg top is firm.  

Cut in wedges to serve, warm or at room temperature.

Pork fillets with creamy leek sauce

This British recipe is from Nigel Slater who many people admire for  fast, easy finesse with getting food on the table. You can also do this with chicken breasts. 
serves 4

4  3 oz pork fillets           

1 egg 

 ½ c breadcrumbs or panko    

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 med leeks, split lengthwise, cleaned, then cut in half again then diced   

4   tbsp butter

5 tbsp olive oil                                   

3-4 gherkins, chopped into thick disks   

½ c heavy cream

2 tsp capers plus 1 tsp  brine

Using a rolling pin or a cutlet bat, thin the pork fillets to 1/4" or less.

Break an egg into a shallow bowl, scatter the breadcrumbs thickly on a plate at least as large as the pork fillets and season them with salt and pepper to your taste.

In a small or medium frying pan, melt the butter with 2 tbsp olive oil  on low heat. Add the diced leeks and sauté on low heat 5 minutes, stirring regularly until they're soft. Do not try to brown or color them. 

Stir in the chopped gherkins, then slowly add the cream, capers and brine.   

 

Dip each flattened pork fillet first into the egg, then

into the seasoned bread crumbs, pressing firmly so the crumbs stick to them. In a large shallow frying pan, melt 2 tbsp butter with 3 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Then arrange the coated pork in a single layer in the hot pan. Let the meat cook 3-4 minutes until the crumbs below are golden, then using tongs turn each one over and cook the other side 3-4 minutes. Arrange them on a serving platter and top with the leek sauce.

 

Tuscan kale chickpea soup

not my photo

This is from my 100 ways to use a can of chickpeas collection. It's a beloved chilly weather favorite in Italy, perfect for vegetarians.. 

Serves 4-6

 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp fennel seeds

1-2 tsp chili flakes

3-4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tbsp grated ginger

1 c chopped tomatoes (fresh or boxed)

Zest of ½ lemon

2 c cooked/canned chickpeas (rinsed and drained)

1 1/4 lbs kale, shredded

1/4 c orzo pasta (or other small pasta shape)

4 c vegetable/chicken broth

Salt and black pepper

 To serve

Extra lemon zest

Extra virgin olive oil

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add fennel seeds, chili flakes, garlic and ginger. Cook gently a few minutes until fragrant. Add chopped tomatoes and lemon zest and continue to cook until tomatoes have softened, about 5 minutes. Add chickpeas, kale and orzo, stirring to blend. Pour in the broth. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce the heat to simmer. Cover and cook until the kale and orzo are soft, 8-10 minutes. Check for seasoning, adding salt and black pepper to taste.

Saffron chicken with carrots 

Here's Halloween black and orange of Halloween on a plate. This Persian recipe is visually stunning, hearty and nourishing  .
serves 4 

8 chicken thighs, bone in skin on
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
6 tbsp unsalted butter
 1 1/2 c hot chicken broth  
1 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 lbs orange carrots, sliced into thin disks or matchsticks
3 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp saffron threads,crushed and steeped in 2 tbsp hot water 
 1/4 c orange juice
12 pitted prunes

Rinse and dry the chicken.  Sprinkle on both sides with salt and pepper.  In a large skillet, melt 4 tbsp butter over medium heat. Brown the chicken on both sides. This will take about 25 minutes to do it right. Don't wash the skillet.
   Transfer the chicken to a med/lg lidded pot and pour the hot broth over it. Cover the pot and cook on med/low heat 10 minutes.     
   Add remaining 2 tbsp butter to the skillet you browned the chicken in. Sauté the onion over med heat until soft and translucent, 5-6 minutes. Add carrots  and honey and stir to coat the carrots in it. Cook stirring frequently 5 minutes.  Transfer the  skillet contents to the chicken pot.  Pour in the saffron. Cover the pot, reduce heat to simmer and cook 20 minutes. Add orange juice and prunes  and cook another 15 minutes until prunes are plump. Taste for salt and adjust.         
Autumn greens pie

This is my recent company's coming for lunch invention based on decades of making Greek spinach pie.  I like to make jellyrolls out of the phyllo/fillo and filling because the final product is prettier and easier to handle. Now that you can buy "country fillo" which is to say thicker sheets than the very fragile and frustrating traditional ones, it's a cinch. You can use any greens you get (spinach, mustard, dandelion, radish, turnip and cauliflower leaves) and vary the cheeses as well to still get the same final effect, but I confess someone who ate this version said three times: "Did I tell you it was very very delicious."  
 serves 8 

1 bunch Tuscan/lacinto/dark kale (this is the deep dark thin green leaf with no curls)   
1 bunch chard (any version), minus stems
1 bunch beet greens (i made borscht out of the beets)
1 lg handful arugula
1 bunch fresh dill, stems removed
1 med/lg yellow onion, peeled and quartered
2 garlic cloves, peeled 
 handful fresh mint leaves, chopped or 1 tsp dried mint
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp dried oregano leaves
6 oz cheeses (I used about 4 oz ricotta salata and 2 parmesan; you can use feta, asiago, pecorino) 
2 tbsp good quality olive oil (plus more later)
3 eggs  (you can lightly beat them in a small bowl)
Salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper
5 sheets thick fillo (packaged as "country fillo")
1/2 c olive oil  
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 
1/2 tsp paprika  

 Heat oven to 350º.
Wash and carefully dry the greens. Remove stems. (It will be hard with the kale so just try to strip the green off the stem.) Using a food processor or large chopper (which will make this whole thing very very easy), in batches, finely chop the greens, onion, garlic, dill, mint, oregano and cheeses (mix up the ingredients in each batch).  Put everything into a large bowl as you go. When everything's in it, stir in the olive oil, then the eggs (I sometimes do not bother pre-beating them and just crack them in and beat away.)                    Blend everything well. Season with salt and pepper. The mixture should not be runny but seemingly dry.

Get out a baking sheet, lightly brush the bottom with olive oil. Lay one fillo sheet on the oiled pan. Brush the entire sheet with olive oil. Lay the second sheet on top of the first as exactly as you can and brush it with olive oil. Repeat this two more times. Now evenly spread the greens mixture over the sheets leaving just under a 1" border on each side. Top this with the last sheet of fillo and brush it with olive oil. 

To make the jellyroll, fold in the long sides over the top fillo sheet and brush with with oil so they stick down. Now  go to one of the shorter ends. Making sure you keep the sides tucked in, slowly roll as tightly as you can, stopping after each turn to oil the fillo on top. When you're finished be sure the open end is well sealed with olive oil and faced down on the baking sheet. Brush the top with olive oil, then sprinkle the nutmeg and paprika on top.  Bake at 375º  35- 40 minutes until the fillo is golden and the filling starts to bubble out. Cool at least five minutes before slicing to serve.      

Warm up foods for the chill of October

Now's the time to bring the gorgeous Fall colors to the table. Also time to crank up the stove for heartwarming food. Farmers' markets are flooded with meats as critters fatten, and with produce as summer nightshades fade while winter squashes, potatoes, apples and pears roll in.  I like to save winter squashes and root vegetables for later when pickings get slim to concentrate right now on colorful season crossing recipes that ease the way to winter.  Here are a few old favorites.  Soul satisfying potato recipes to combat the chill coming in another post all by themselves.               
Beef stew in a pumpkin

   not my photo/can't find mine

There are many forms of beef stew, the French being the most famous, but this Greek version with baby onions and optionally raisins, seems best suited to being served in a pumpkin bowl because it's seasoned with familiar pumpkin spices. You can do it in one large pumpkin for the table, or in a small pumpkin for each individual serving. 
serves 6-8
  
3 lbs stew beef 
 Freshly ground black pepper 
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 c unsalted butter
2 1/2 lbs small onions (pearl, cippoline, whatever), peeled
6 oz tomato paste
1/3 c red wine  
 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
 1 tbsp brown sugar
 2 garlic cloves, minced
salt to your taste
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp whole cloves
1 sm cinnamon stick
Optional:1/4 c white raisins 
 2-3 tbsp olive oil
Chopped fresh flat leaf parsley for garnish

  Season the beef with freshly ground black pepper and ground cumin. In a large lidded skillet, over med/low heat melt the butter. Add beef and stir to coat with butter. Don't try to deeply brown it.   Arrange the onions over the beef. In a small bowl blend together the tomato paste, wine, vinegar, sugar, salt to your taste and garlic. Pour this over the meat. Insert the bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cloves.  Optionally add the raisins. Raise heat to bring the liquid to a boil, then immediately lower it to low and cover the pan. Simmer 90 minutes without stirring. 

After the meat has cooked about 75 minutes, heat oven to 375º.  Cut the top of the pumpkin/s and scoop out the pith and seeds.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Brush the interior flesh with olive oil. Place on a heavy baking sheet/s. Fill with the hot beef stew and bake at 375º 45  minutes or until pumpkin is soft (not too soft to collapse) and meat is tender.  Sprinkle chopped parsley around the top for color and serve.    

Caramelized onion and bacon pie

There are many versions of onion pie from Provencal's pizza like pissaladiere to Alsace's flammekuche and Greece's kremitopitha (onion pie). I concocted my own last week when I noticed onions I'd purchased earlier in summer were starting to look sad. This is however a moment when onions are cheap at farmers' markets, so a good time to make this. 
    I decided to use packaged fillo/phyllo instead of bothering to make a yeast pizza dough and it worked out easily and deliciously.  It works for brunch, lunch or a light supper beside a huge mixed salad. I think it's best served warm.
serves 4

 6-7 lg onions, peeled and sliced into thin disks  
1/2 c good quality olive oil (you may not need it all)
1 tsp balsamic vinegar 
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 oz pancetta, slab bacon or similar
2 tbsp Parmesan or asiago cheese finely grated
5 sheets country style (slightly thicker sheets) fillo/phyllo
1 tsp ground nutmeg

Generously over the bottom of a large flat, lidded sauté or frying pan with olive oil. Warm it up over medium heat.  Add the onions, stir to coat them with the oil, cook on medium heat 1 min, then reduce heat to low, cover the pan and slow cook the onions about 40 minutes until they are golden and caramelized. Stir in the vinegar, salt and pepper. 

While the onions slow cook,  fry the pancetta or bite size cubes of slab bacon on medium heat until uniformly brown, about five minutes. Do not cook them to the crisp burnt point as they are going to cook more in the pie. Remove the meat from any fat in the pan and drain on paper towels.

 Heat oven to 350º.

Lightly oil the bottom of an 8" pie plate. Unwrap the fillo sheets and fold four of them in half. Lay one in the oiled pie plate . Lightly brush the exposed side with olive oil. Lay a second sheet in the opposite direction and lightly brush the top with olive oil. (The sides are going to overhang the pan, which is going to come in handy.)  Place the third sheet at a 45º angle that covers one of the bare spots and lightly brush the top with olive oil. Add the fourth sheet over the opposite side to cover the bottom of the plate completely. Lightly brush the top with olive oil.  Now lay one whole sheet into the pan and lightly brush with olive oil.  

Lay the onions in the nest of dough and spread evenly around. Add the cooked bacon and gently blend it into the onions. Sprinkle the cheese evenly around the top. Now fold the overhanging sheets over the top of the pie, brushing each with olive oil as you go. You may have an open center, which is okay. No worries. Sprinkle the nutmeg evenly across the dough. Bake at 350º 20-25 minutes until the dough is evenly browned. 

Slide the pie onto a serving plate and cut in wedges to serve.   

Chicken with quince and cider 

not my photo alas

This is an old fashioned British recipe used to celebrate the arrival of Persian quince in the market.  It's also a different, uniquely autumn way to enjoy whole roast chicken.                   
serves 4
1 med  whole chicken, best quality
3 garlic cloves 
1/2 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
2-3 tbsp unsalted butter
2  med/lg quince, seeded and quartered
2 c apple cider
  
Heat oven to 400º.
Trim excess fat and skin from the chicken.  
Peel, then slice the garlic into thinnest slivers. Insert them under the chicken skin in intervals as regular as you can make. Rub the chicken with the lemon, squeezing it as you go so the juice gets on the skin. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and the paprika. 
  
 In a large heavy gauge casserole, melt the butter (enough to heavily coat the bottom) . Insert the chicken and lightly brown it all over, turning with tongs every 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and stuff it with all the quince you can fit in.  Return it to the casserole surrounded by whatever quince you couldn't fit inside. Pour the cider in.  Bring the cider to a bubbly simmer.   Cover the casserole and put it in the oven. Roast 1 hour at 400º.  Now remove the chicken from that casserole and put it on something flat and ovenproof and return to the oven to crisp the skin.  

While that happens, put the casserole juices in the same pot on the oven and cook over medium heat to reduce to a syrupy gravy you can serve with the roasted chicken.
   Mushroom leek risotto with Brussels sprouts  

not my photo

Fall is mushroom hunting season and this recipe, from my book Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking, which honors other seasonal sensations, leeks and Brussels sprouts, is an elegant and tasty way to enjoy them. Without grated cheese at the end and the use of flavorful olive oil instead of butter, it becomes a vegan dish.

Serves 4

¼ cup olive oil

3 lg. garlic cloves, peeled and minced

8 Brussels sprouts, washed and quartered, put in the lemon juice until ready to use

1 lg. leek, washed and diced

24 baby Shitake mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed and coarsely chopped

2 tbsp. sunflower seeds

1 tsp. celery seed

1 tsp. dried thyme leaves

1 tsp. dried oregano leaves

1 tbsp. dried sage

1 tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. ground coriander

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. cracked black pepper

1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes or ground cayenne if you like it spicy

juice of 1 lemon

2 tsp. butter

1 ½ cups Arborio rice

1 qt. mushroom broth (it comes in a box at the supermarket)

2- 2 ½  cups vegetable broth or boiling water

¼ cup dry white wine

A small wedge of Parmesan cheese to grate for garnish

One lemon cut in wedges for garnish

½ cup chopped flat leaf Italian parsley for garnish

Bring the mushroom and vegetable broth or water to a boil in a large saucepan and keep it simmering as you work.  You can combine the broths, no problem.

Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium or small sauté pan. Toss in the mushroom caps and stems with a pinch of the sage and the sunflower seeds and brown to glistening. Turn off the heat. Stir in a pinch of salt.

In a medium or large heavy gauge casserole or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic, black pepper, celery seed, thyme, cumin, coriander, oregano and ½ the sage and stir to blend, flavoring the oil. Add the leeks and stir-fry until they are soft and translucent, five minutes at most. Add the rice, half the Brussels sprouts and all red pepper flakes or cayenne. Stir to coat the rice and sprouts with all the flavors in the pan. Add more olive oil if necessary to keep the rice from sticking and continue stirring until the rice is hot, maybe three minutes.

Pour in the wine, stirring vigorously. Pour in one cup of the hot broth, and continue stirring vigorously to be sure it gets under the rice and sprouts.

As the liquid gets absorbed but you still see a little left, add more broth, one cup at a time, continually stirring. After the third cup, toss in the remaining Brussels sprouts. After the fifth cup add the lemon juice and remaining sage. Add the mushrooms and sunflower seeds by turning the entire contents of the sauté pan into the risotto. Continue stirring.

Add the salt with the sixth cup.  As the liquid evaporates, taste to see if the rice is soft and creamy yet and if the seasonings are to your taste. Adjust seasonings, especially salt, pepper and sage.  If more liquid is needed to finish the rice to a creamy texture, add another ½ cup of broth or water, still stirring.  Cook until the liquid has evaporated and turn off the heat. The rice should have an earthy color and soft consistency.  The cooking time to get here is around 45 minutes.

Let the risotto sit on the stove and steam to a finish for a few minutes.  Serve garnished with freshly grated Parmesan or any dry and salty cheese, lemon wedges and chopped fresh flat leaf Italian parsley.

Lamb with chickpeas, chestnuts and prunes 

This recipe comes from Azerbaijan where it's known as piti and treasured as the country's most beloved dish. The names derives from the Turkish word "bitdi"  meaning "end of festivities"  so it's celebratory.  Can't say whether it's soup or stew because everybody   has their own idea and own recipe. Sometimes the broth gets served as the soup first course, with the dried stew as the main dish. It's all usually accompanied by flatbread. This is just one version but the common trick to all of them is long, slow cooking. In Azerbaijan that's done in clay pots.
serves 6

1 c dried chickpeas
1 c dried chestnuts   
2 1/2 lb  boneless lamb, cut into chunks 
1 qt veg or beef broth or water
1 lg onion, peeled
10 pitted prunes   
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp ground cumin
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

 Overnight, soak the chickpeas and chestnuts, separately, in cold water.  
Heat the oven to  325º.    
In a large heavy gauge casserole, combine the lamb, soaked chickpeas, soaked chestnuts and onion. Add 1 qt broth or water.  Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes skimming off any froth that arises.   Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Bake at 325º 2 1/2 hours. Remove from oven to add the prunes, turmeric and cumin. Return the covered casserole to the oven and continue cooking another 30 minutes.  Remove from oven, remove cover and season now with salt and pepper. If you have ground sumac and like the flavor, stir some in. 
If you decide to serve the broth separately, salt the stew before serving and garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley or cilantro.

Cabbage stuffed cabbage  
This French recipe known as "chou farci Aristide" is a unique stuffed cabbage version in that individual leaves aren't rolled and stuffed.

not my photo

What happens here is the presentation looks like a whole cabbage and when it's cut turns out to be stuffed with cabbage--not meat or rice. A lovely vegetarian dish of subtle flavor. It takes a little finesse      but nothing very complicated or time consuming.  You have the option of serving it with a tomato sauce. 
   Serves 4
 1 1/2 lb round green cabbage
 6 tbsp unsalted butter
 1 med yellow onion, peeled and minced
 1 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
 3 tbsp herbed bread crumbs
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp dried tarragon leaves
pinch of ground nutmeg 
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to your taste

Remove any rough or dirty outer leaves, then pick off five perfect leaves from the cabbage and set them aside. Slice, then chop the rest of the cabbage except for the core. In a heavy casserole melt the butter over medium heat (don't burn or brown it),then add the cabbage, stirring to coat it in the butter.    Over low heat cook the cabbage uncovered, stirring occasionally, 30 min or until it's very soft. Add the onion  and parsley to it. Continue to simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat to cool.  When it has cooled, add breadcrumbs, eggs, nutmeg and tarragon, salt and pepper. Mix well.  

Fill a large wide pot with more than enough water to over the cabbage, add a tbsp of salt and set it to boil. Cover a bowl close to the original size of the cabbage with a clean mesh or cotton cloth, preferably plain white, larger than it so the edges hang over.  Arrange those perfect cabbage leaves in the bowl, overlapping especially at the bottom and close to it to form a large cup tightly closed at the bottom. Spoon the cooked cabbage mixture in to the bowl. Now pull the overhanging cloth up around it and tie its ends as tightly as you can. You are trying to form a ball of cabbage leaves inside.  Drop this cloth ball into the boiling water. Reduce heat to lowest simmer and cook cabbage 1 hour. If you can turn it on the half hour so much the better. 

Unwrap the cabbage ball, drain it in a colander   and put it in a serving bowl. Now optionally cover with tomato sauce. Otherwise coat with a little melted butter. Cut in quarters with a sharp knife to serve.