Acorn Squash, Sweet Potatoes, and Pork Roast

Today we had a meal that took advantage of the wonderful autumn produce that we found in the grocery store. You can see the pork roast in the lower part of the plate, the sweet potato/cranberry casserole on the right, and the stuffed acorn squash on top. The flavor combinations worked well together in spite of the missing green vegetable and salad.

Pork and Apple Compote

The pork roast cooked slowly in the oven separately while I prepared the other dishes. 

For the Apple Compote, I used gala and tentation apples because I already had some. Granny Smith or Rome apples would work just as well. I peeled and cored the apples, then cut them into small cubes. Since only three people were eating, I used three apples, juice of one lemon, 1/4 cup of sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. I cooked the ingredients in a saucepan over low heat for about 30 minutes. The compote was done when the apples were nice and tender. I poured the apple compote over the meat to serve as shown in the picture above on the right.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

I used the following ingredients:

• 3 acorn squash, halved and seeded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 
  

First I cleaned the seeds and spread them out on a foil-lined baking sheet. I put them in the oven and heated them for about 20 minutes at 250 degrees F to toast them. When they became brown, I removed them and set them aside to cool.

1. I then preheated the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. I filled a baking pan with about 1/2 inch of water and placed the squash halves in the pans with the cut sides down. I baked the squash for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tender.
3. While the squash baked, I heated the oil in a skillet over medium heat. I put the onions and celery in the skillet, and cooked until tender. Then I stirred in the sausage and thyme.I stirred until everything was evenly brown.
4. When the squash was tended I removed it from the oven. I then carefully scraped the pulp from the rinds to keep the rinds intact. I set the rinds aside. 
5. I placed the pulp in a bowl, and mashed it with a potato masher. I then mixed in the cooked sausage mixture, egg, bread crumbs, raisins, and pecans. When thoroughly mixed, I scooped the mixture into the reserved rinds and set the stuffed squash in baking dishes.
6. I baked them for about 25 minutes in the 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven, until they were thoroughly heated. The picture above shows the finished product. Beside the stuffed squash are the roasted pumpkin seeds.

Sweet Potato and Cranberry

The sweet potatoes and cranberries were fabulous in the grocery store, so I wanted a recipe to use them both. I found a great recipe using the following ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• 1 1/2 cups granola cereal
• 
  
• I peeled the sweet potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes. In a large saucepan, I covered the sweet potatoes with water; and brought it to a boil. I then reduced the heat, and covered and simmered the sweet potatoes for about 30 minutes or until they were tender. I drained and cooled them. 
• 
  
• In a bowl, I combined cranberries, sugar, orange juice and salt. I greased an 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish and but half of the cranberry mixture on the bottom of the dish. I then made a layer on top using half of the sweet potatoes. I added another layer of the cranberry mixture and another layer of sweet potatoes. I dotted the top with butter and covered and baked the it at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until the cranberries were tender. I uncovered the mixture and sprinkled granola on top. I returned the uncovered dish to the oven for 10 minutes to toast the granola.

Everyone enjoyed this meal, and I suggest that you try it. If you do, let me know what you think of it!

Sweets from South Asia

I found these wonderful goodies at an Indian Grocery Store, and immediately knew that I would take them to my meeting the next day. The proprietors of the store were incredibly nice and advised me about the kinds of pastries that they most liked and why. I must agree that these are luscious sugary treats with tones of cashews and pistachios. They are incredibly calorie-rich...but worth every single one!!







The diamond-shaped goodies are called Kaju Katli. Kaju means cashew, and basically these delicious morsels are just cashew, sugar and water. Recipes for these can be found at http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/lowfat-desserts/kaju-katli.html, http://www.indobase.com/recipes/details/kaju-katli.php, and http://veganyumyum.com/2008/10/kaju-katli/.  Sometimes cardamon is added. They seem like they could be quite easy to make.


The yellow delights are called Kesar Peda. They seem a bit more difficult to make because they involve heating milk. The ingredients are milk, pistachio, cardamon, saffron, and butter. These are my favorites! Instructions for making them can be found at http://veganyumyum.com/2008/10/kaju-katli/ and http://www.foodista.com/recipe/YJBMR7HC/kesar-peda.

The rolls are called Pista Rolls. The ingredients for the outer covering are almonds, cashews, sugar, cardamon, nutmeg, and saffron. The centers are made with pistachio, sugar, and cardamon. A recipe can be found at http://niyasworld.blogspot.com/2008/12/almond-pista-roll.html. You can see the pistachio filling below.

Apple Muffins with a Twist

I wanted to make something interesting during apple season and I came upon the perfect recipe at the blog http://cannelle-vanille.blogspot.com/2010/09/apple-gruyere-and-sage-muffins-and.html. I suggest that you visit this site for a visual delight. Aran Goyoaga, the author is a mom, photographer, and cook. Her photography is soft and elegant, with gorgeous props and backgrounds!

I modified the recipe a bit, but the combination of the apple sweetness, gruyere earthiness, and the "piney" sage taste was a great blend. I am partial to the taste of rice flour, and the gruyere is a cheese that blends well with other flavors and does well during baking. The topping that you see on the top of my loaf in the photograph is melted, shredded gruyere.

The recipe makes 6 muffins and a small loaf or 2 small loaves. To make them you will need

1 cup (150 grams) superfine brown rice flour
1/2 cup (75 grams) millet flour
2 Tbs (30 grams) potato starch (flour)
2 Tbs (20 grams) tapioca starch (flour)
1/3 cup (70 grams) cane sugar
1 tsp (8 grams) baking powder
1/2 tsp (3 grams) baking soda
1/2 tsp (5 grams) salt
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 Tbs fresh sage, finely chopped
1 cup (55 grams) shredded Gruyere
1 egg
1 cup (250 ml) buttermilk
1/4 cup (55 ml) olive oil
2 apples, peeled and small diced
Extra shredded Gruyere for topping

In a large bowl, whisk together the first 11 ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk and olive oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until combined. Fold in the diced apples.

Scoop batter into muffin tins or loaf pans. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes for the muffins and 40 minutes for the loaf.

This is a closer view of my results.

From the Dolomites to Sicily

Crab, artichokes, and mild cheese...a match made in heaven. I discovered this combination at http://ediblearia.com. The blogger describes the ingredients, but only vaguely describes how to make this dish. That's probably because he is quite an experienced cook. Personally, I am still learning...so I struggled with his instructions. In spite of my struggle, the final product was soothing to my palate and my soul. It almost seemed like comfort food, because of the creamy sauce and the delicate blend of flavors.

Artichokes were mentioned in Greek and Roman literature as early as 77 A.D., and seem to have originated in Sicily. Sicily is also well known for seafood, such as crab and the squid ink that was used to make the pasta black. Asiago Cheese was made in the Dolomite Mountain Region of Northern Italy as early as 1000 years ago.

I will try to explain how I made this dish...but some of it was guesswork. I was really lucky that it worked!
The ingredients were

• crab meat,
• artichoke hearts,
• veloute sauce,
• shallots,
• white wine,
• cream,
• seafood stock,
• salt and pepper,
• Asiago cheese, and
• flat-leaf parsley.

I first made the Veloute sauce by making a roux with flour and water. I then added seafood stock and continued heating the Veloute sauce until it was the thickness I wanted. I then added the other ingredients and continuously stirred the mixture over heat until thoroughly heated and the crab was fully cooked. In the meantime, I prepared the black pasta. I served it immediately with fresh bread.

Peaches Galore!

I wanted something simple and elegant to do with the peaches I bought last weekend. I found a wonderful recipe called "Peaches in Lemon, Rosemary, and Vanilla Sauce" at http://www.lucullian.delights.com.

The recipe can be made quickly, and the flavors of lemon, rosemary, and vanilla combine well with the peach flavor. The sauce is poured over the peaches warm, so it slightly scalds the peach slices.

I love peaches, and I found these peaches addictive. I also found the photographs at Lucullian.Delights addictive.  I hope you will go to the site and journey through the photographs with as much pleasure as I did!

An interesting source of information, legends, and history of peaches can be found at http://www.justfoodnow.com/2010/06/01/just-peachy-all-about-peaches/. This site and many other information sources mention that peach seeds have cyanogenic glycosides in them. These molecules decompose into sugar molecules and hydrogen cyanide gas. Although this sounds ominous, peaches are in the rose family and many members of the rose family contain these chemicals. We don't really eat peach seeds, and the quantity of the molecules is not large enough to harm you unless you eat many seeds. Almonds, which are related to peaches, also contain chemicals that form hydrogen cyanide. On a lighter note...peaches are quite healthy to eat. This site also has many delectable-sounding recipes. 

Autumn Bounty: Apples, Squash, and Peaches

When I visited my grocery store today, a lady greeted me in the produce department with samples of two different varieties of apples. What a delight!!

One variety was Honey Crisp, like the ones shown to the left. They are sweet and crisp, leaving an incredibly fresh feeling in my mouth.

The other variety, Tentation, was a relatively new variety from France. They were first developed in the 1990s. The Tentation Apples in my grocery store were grown in New Zealand. Tentations have a slightly more subtle, but equally enchanting sweet taste without the intense crispiness of the Honey Crisp. Tentation apples are shown below on the right.

I also bought Granny Smith and Gala apples. Granny Smith apples originated in Sydney Australia in 1868 when Maria "Granny" Smith propagated a seedling thought to have been a hybrid of the European Wild Apple, Malus sylvestris, and the domestic apple, Malus domestica. They are among the most popular apples for both cooking and eating. They have a crisp texture and somewhat tart taste. They do not brown as quickly as most other apples.

For more information about foods that complement Granny Smith Apples go to http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/products/fruits/granny-smith-apple/ and for information about how Granny Smith originated the variety go to http://www.ryde.nsw.gov.au/ryde/msherwood.htm. The picture on the left below shows Granny Smith Apples.

Gala apples originated in New Zealand, in the 1920s when J.H. Kidd crossed one of his own apple varieties with a golden delicious apple. They are fairly small apples with a sweet taste, and are excellent apples for eating raw as a snack. However, they do not survive cooking very well, so they are not considered the best cooking apples. Almonds and cheeses complement Gala Apples.

The picture on the left contains most of the apple varieties mentioned in this post. The apple in the front, left position of the basket is a Gala Apple. The basket also contains Granny Smiths, Honey Crisp, and Tentation Apples.

Epidemiological studies link eating apples with decreased risk of some cancers, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and asthma. Apples and particularly apple peels have potent antioxidant activity and cholesterol-lowering effects.


Storing apples does not seem to decrease their content of chemicals that are favorable to human health. However, juice made from fresh apples was shown to have 10% of the antioxidant activity of the fresh apple. For more information about this, go to http://www.nutritionj.com/content/3/1/5.

Additional information about apples, including their history, nutrition, legends, and varieties can be found at The University of Illinois website http://urbanext.illinois.edu/apples.

Peaches were also wonderful buys at the grocery store this week, so I bought some. A picture of them is shown to the right. Don't you just love the taste of peaches? I just wish they weren't so messy. I am looking for recipes so that I can use them, and a future post will feature them.

Peaches originated in China and found their way to Persia and the Mediterranean region by about 2000 BCE. Chinese legends describe peaches as the food of the immortals because eating them was thought to confer longevity on people. For more information about this go to http://chinesefoodlover.wordpress.com/category/chinese-cuisine-history/.

Squash is another delight of this early Autumn season. I also bought some unusual squash at the grocery store, and will be blogging about them in the future. The picture on the left shows "Eight-Ball Squash." The produce grocer said that they are like a summer squash. I have never tasted them, but their uncanny resemblance to an eight-ball made me want to try them. I will let you know about their flavor.

The picture below the eight-balls shows acorn squash. Acorn squash are pretty common, but usually they don't look like these. I will try them also, and let

you know if they taste different from regular acorn squash.

Let me know if you have any interesting squash varieties that you have tried.

Jicama Slaw

So once I had my jicama, what should I do with it? I decided to make slaw with it...which turned out to be a great decision. I was able to enjoy the raw taste of the jicama mingled with the flavors of carrot, cilantro, vinegar, and lime juice. There were other flavors also, but the "oomph" came from these flavors.

For this recipe, I used

• 1 large jicama, peeled and finely shredded
• 1/2 Napa cabbage, finely shredded
• 2 carrots, finely shredded
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves

I first mixed the shredded jicama, cabbage, and carrots together in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, I whisked together the lime juice, vinegar, chili powder, honey, and oil, then added salt and pepper to taste. 

I then poured the contents of the medium bowl over the contents of the large bowl. I added the cilantro and made sure everything was thoroughly mixed. I then let it stand at room temperature before serving (this should be a minimum of 15 minutes).

This is a wonderful recipe for summers in Texas when it gets incredibly hot because there is no cooking involved. The ingredients blend to become a tart and refreshing energy booster. This dish is perfect for a quick "pick-me-up" by the pool or on a picnic. The ingredients are relatively tolerant of heat and tend to stay fresh on the journey to the picnic site.