In Season Recipes

Yesterday was a day to unclutter.  Today was a day to experiment in the kitchen.  Here's what I came up with...

Emulsify in food processor:

500 grams raw pumpkin, squeeze water out with cheese cloth

teaspoon cinnamon (or so)

teaspoon of grated ginger (or so)

1/2 teaspoon of grated nutmeg (or so)

Blend in 250 grams Mascarpone cheese

Blend in 3 beaten eggs

Pour into chestnut flour pie crust:

250 grams chestnut flour, 3/4 tsp. Salt, 1/2 tsp baking powder

200 grams salted butter

1/3 cup of ice water

cut together with pastry knives.

Roll on counter top dusted freely with chestnut floured (unmarred surface such as formica, marble or tight wood board)…..used floured wooden roller.

The pastry has the consistency of graham cracker crust…crumbly….not elastic (no gluten).  Pack it tight into the pan.

Baked the crust for about 10 min. before to add the pumpkin mixture.

Cooked this at 200 c. (392 F.) for 20 minutes.  It think it best to cut back the temperature to 175 c. after 10 minutes or so and then cook slower for another 30 minutes.

When we tasted this, we both agreed less eggs, more pumpkin.  It had the consistency of a quiche.  I read to bake the pumpkin before to puree.  I think that I’ll try that they next time and use 1000 grams of pumpkin instead of 500 grams.  I read online that there is a lot of water in raw pumpkin and that makes it less tight when it bakes.

The chestnut flour gives it a sweet nutty taste that goes well with the pumpkin. It is like a graham cracker crust...not flaky.  Since my guests for Thanksgiving have gluten allergy and carb restrictions, I’ll keep tweaking this one.

I googled some information about some of the ingredients.  It is not a low calorie dish, but it has redeeming qualities.  No gluten for one.  I’ll keep working at this because the taste is intriguing.

Nutrition values may be something someone else here on the boards can address.  I Googled a couple of web sites to see what I could learn about it…

http://www.caloriegallery.com/foods/calories-in-cinque-stelle-gelmini-mascarpone-cheese.htm

http://www.chestnutsonline.com/unnut.htm

My husband made the traditional bread with chestnut flour mixed with water and salt, pine nuts, raisins, rosemary and olive oil drizzled on top…baked for about 30 minutes.  Our neighbor is enjoying some now.

The house smells great!!!

Best wishes to all as always,

Buon giorno ladies!  

Oh the weather outside is frightful....damp, cold, cloudy.  I went out with my camera to take a picture of the orange trees and the branch held up with a board for the weight of the fruit....but my camera won't focus.  Hope that I can get this fixed.  My DH has a good camera.  I'll try again later to get the picture.

About Turkey day....my friend and I are emailing back an forth about recipes for stuffing, etc.  She just sent a NY Times article and I think we've found our recipe.  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/dining/18appe.html?_r=1&emc=eta1  Hope that this works for you.  There are three recipes--one sounds better than the other-- but I like this one: "Barley tossed with roasted shitake mushrooms, chive butter, hazelnuts and lemon to zip it up."  This fits well with the UCSF article too I notice.  So healthy does NOT mean the same as tasteless

What is amusing is that last night for dinner I made boneless, skinless breast of chicken simmered in olive oil, white wine, rosemary, sage, thyme (my dried herbs from the balcony summer garden) and.....simple white mushrooms.  I received her email this morning.  We do think on the same wave link.    

We're moving turkey day to the 27th.  She arrives the 26th but her husband can't make it until the following day.  Another of our friends arrives on the 23rd.  So we're making the 27th official day for us.  And I promised too that he can create in the kitchen.  That's what Thanksgiving is about after all. Friends and family getting together in real time.  Not such a small gift.  Virtual time has it's limitations although I've very grateful for video calls.  

I'm still experimenting in the kitchen.  Yesterday I made the ravioli with pumpkin--a small batch.  We'll eat it today.  I baked the pumpkin remembering what Ivorymom (Meg) said about the taste.  She was right...it was yummy.  Then I put it in the blender and added some roasted hazelnuts ... just to try.  That's all there is inside the pasta...nothing more.  Since it was an experiment I didn't want to waste too many ingredients if it doesn't come out.

DH came home from his archery competition to find my surprise--he looked at the pasta and nodded in the affirmative. I'm gaining confidence from that nod. We'll eat it today for lunch. It's been a long time since I've hand-rolled pasta on the table I can tell you.  I halved the recipe, made the mound of flour and added the eggs that found their way over the top of the mound and onto the board before I could put the bowl back on the table.  I reached with the other hand--couldn't move fast enough--to blend it all together.  It was a little harder to knead and roll out than I remembered too.  That was 30+ years ago though.  Do you think that might have something to do with it? However, I remind myself that it was good exercise for the arms and upper body and I hope for the palate.

I'm thinking now that it was selfish of me to make the pasta myself when the lady at the pasta shop wants the business.  So next time, I buy the sheets!

Best wishes to all as always,

Marilyn 

Lunch Update:  We just finished lunch.  The good news is that I can find fresh pasta everywhere here.  The bad news is that my homemade ravioli pasta was too dense. 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=44404&id=1281469808&l=12791e04dd 

Good afternoon all! 

 I thought I'd try another way to post the pics.  If it doesn't work, I'll go back to square one.

We had our turkey yesterday and celebrated my BD too.  My friends arrived at the airport in the afternoon of the 26th--too much running around to enjoy a turkey dinner.  So we had pork on the rotisserie and roasted potatoes....followed by the pumpkin bread....which we finished.  

Yesterday, H & A brought the wine from a local shop here and fresh cranberries from Germany (they are hard to find in Italy).  They made a mixture of the cranberries with fresh ginger and maple syrup.  Outstanding.

 I bought the free-range turkey (6.25 kilograms=13.7 lbs.) from the butcher along with some sausage.  It cost a small fortune but it was worth it.  I decided not to stuff it.  We wanted a gluten free meal.  Instead I just put rosemary, thyme and sage in the cavity and nothing else.  It cooked for 3.5 hrs at about 350 F.   

DH made brown rice and then passed it in a pan with the sausage and chestnuts cooked in white wine and a little bit of brandy.

We sliced sweet potatoes and cooked them on the grill outside...served with a drizzle of olive oil.

I made turkey gravy. 

For desert I separated the cherries (the ones I froze from the summer) from the juice that was a marinade of brandy and sugar over night-- boiled the juice to make a syrup.  I melted dark chocolate.  Put the cherries in a small dish, poured the melted dark chocolate over them, and drizzled the syrup over that.  

We spent five hours at the table--eating, laughing, telling stories.  This combined with an email and photo from my children who were enjoying the holiday together in Texas....well gifts don't come better than that for me.

Leftovers tonight......

Best wishes to all as always,

Marilyn 

Good afternoon all....

Leftovers.....are in season!  

Turkey warmed in gravy.

Turkey sandwiches with mayo.

Turkey pureed with gravy and some cream then made into patties, breaded and grilled or baked.

Turkey in salad with cheese and olives.

Mashed potatoes mixed with corn into patties and grilled. 

But my favorite invention was the Native American cranberry sauce as a dressing for a salad of spinach, radicchio, young cheese (asiago) drizzled olive oil and a sprinkle of red wine vinegar.

We stopped at the fish store after DH got his flu shot.  I bought six oysters....I was in the mood for oyster stew and DH doesn't eat it.  I told the shop owner my recipe .... he nodded with a smile and said he'd try it.  I must admit at this point that I never shucked an oyster before.  I always bought them in a small container with their juice at the grocery store...Atlantic ocean...and made with can milk.  This was a tradition between my mother and me to enjoy that stew together with hard oyster crackers.  We'd look for them whenever there was an R in the month.  Well, they don't sell them like that here.  These come from just below France in the Mediterranean.  My DH told me that it was illegal to sell unless within three days of catch.  I was a little intimidated but so glad that I bought them.  There isn't any canned milk here either so I used cooking cream and some milk.  Instead of hard crackers I used the crust of italian bread.  

I wished that my mom was here to share it....so I called her to tell her about it.  

Best wishes to all as always,

Marilyn 

Guests are coming at the end of the month so I'm trying to get a few things done before they arrive.  I made sauerkraut today...it should be ready for New Years to eat with pork and mashed potatoes.  I kept some aside, added shredded raw carrots, raisins, some mayo, red wine vinegar.  We'll have that in the next couple of days.

Yesterday I sliced up the last pumpkin, baked it, removed the skin (so easy after baking), then pureed.  While the oven was hot I roasted the seeds and some hazelnuts.  I'm ready to get serious about making ravioli, pies, and more pumpkin bread.  This time I'll buy a sheet of pasta to make the ravioli rather than be disappointed again.  

I checked the nutrition of the sauerkraut and found many good things for the body.  Maybe the salt is a little too much though.  I really like this resource for nutrition facts. You can click onto the subtext to find complimentary foods.  That's as easy as it can get!  

http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2614/2 

Lindasa -- did you make the cranberry recipe?  

Best wishes to all as always,

Marilyn 

Linda--I think that the best part about a recipe is that it is ever a creation!  -- the best part about local ingredients is that many recipes I notice are similar....it's the local ingredients that add other dimensions and character to the meal.  

About the sauerkraut....I make enough for a couple of meals.  It's very easy to make--simply google 'how to....".   The taste is worth it.  I learned too that this is one of the oldest foods.  It was the food that sustained the Chinese who built the Great Wall 4000 years ago!  Now that is old world!

abbracci tutti,

Marilyn 

Hi Carollynn79,

Oooops, it seems from your comment that I wasn't clear about my recipe.  It wasn't sauerkraut that I used with the carrots--it was a wedge of raw cabbage. The recipe is a modified cole slaw--or hybrid raw carrot salad--depending how you look at it.  But anything is possible....your idea sounds like it might have an asian flavor...give it a try.....I will too when its' ready.  

You're fortunate to know how to can well.  I need to re-school myself on canning.  It's been a long time and I never was very good at it. Last year half of my pesto didn't seal well....now I'm intimidated to try again.

I know what you mean about a mild flavor.  The first time I made it I found the same mild flavor.  I like it to be a little more flavored too.  So I add some homemade red wine vinegar (without preservatives) while it ferments--not too much, just a splash.  

Normally I cook pork and apples in the sauerkraut and add a little black pepper.  OK now my mouth is watering!   

Let us know how it goes...

Marilyn 

Hi Carollynn 79,

How fortunate for you to live with so much nature around you.  

I was interested to read your post that certain variety of cabbage are better than others for sauerkraut.  Mine is moving along slower than last year's.  It was more dense and I needed to add water.  I'm not hopeful for this batch that I made.

To answer you question about the vinegar, my husband made it.  He started the bottles with the 'mother' 15 years ago and adds wine every year...always wine without preservatives.  I found a link for you http://www.naturemoms.com/homemade-vinegar.html  

Apples are a good choice for vinegar too.  I remember reading somewhere that apple vinegar helps to decrease cholesterol.   So do black beans and the recipe for this soup that the ladies shared here is soooo good.

Hope you find this helpful.

Marilyn 

Hi Ivorymom/Meg...sorry that the link doesn't work.  It was the easiest way I could think to put the pics up.  I tried to use photobucket but it takes forever to do more than one or two pics.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=47242&id=1281469808&l=9ba39ba342 

Maybe this will work...I tried again when I noticed it didn't look the same as the other...operator error I suppose. 

I second your motion for a bountiful 2010!   For now I'm nursing a nasty cold and nothing sounds appetizing....except maybe oranges. More later ....