butternut squash spread with tahini

I made this spread with a squash that I’ve had leftover since the spring CSA ended.  The squash smells wonderful while it’s roasting in the oven as the chunks caramelize in the cinnamon and olive oil.  Try to resist eating a few chunks before making the spread!

The spread is sweet and wonderful with warm bread, chips, or crackers.  Refrigerate any leftover spread, but it tastes best when you allow it to reach room temperature again before serving…and for the love of pita, make your own chips!  

butternut squash spread with tahini (from “Jerusalem:  a cookbook“)

one large butternut squash, peeled, seeds an pulp removed, and cut into chunks (approximately 7 cups of chunks)

5 Tbsp tahini paste

1/2 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt

1/2 tsp salt

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp black and white sesame seeds

2 Tbsp pure maple syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Roast the squash:  line a large baking sheet with parchment (or you may use a large rectangle baking dish).  Place the chunks of squash in a single layer in your baking dish.  Drizzle olive oil over squash.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and salt.  Place in oven and bake until tender, approximately 60-70 minutes, stirring squash once during baking to allow for even roasting.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Place squash in a food processor.  Add yogurt, garlic, and tahini paste.  Pulse until combined and smooth (it’s okay if it’s a bit chunky).  Spread on a serving plate and drizzle with maple syrup.  Top with sesame seeds.

Pancake Tuesday

Happy Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day.

I thought I’d share a past post for my all time favorite oatmeal pancake recipe.  Strawberries aren’t in season right now, so I’ll be changing it up a little for dinner tonight.  Our daughter leaves tomorrow for a class trip to Quebec City where she’ll be traveling without us for the first time ever (and turning 16 during the trip-can’t believe it!).

I think this calls for chocolate chips!

Enjoy!

happy new year!

Did you make any resolutions?

I’m not a fan of resolutions, just like I’m not a fan of big New Years Eve parties.  There’s something about the forced sentiment doesn’t appeal to me.  All the expectation and build-up and if it doesn’t measure up, the letdown hits even harder.

Photo Friday (with explanation)

 

 

An unusual photo Friday post for me, but appropriate since the Orioles are playing game 5 in their series against the Yankees this evening.  My husband is a self described “longsuffering fan”.  He attended this “Thanks Brooks” day when he was 10 years old.  The left photo is a print of a commemorative painting by Normal Rockwell created especially for the event.  On the right is a photo of the official program.  Both are framed behind glass, so I apologize for the reflections.

Snacks + Downton Abbey

The best takeaway from working at the farm this season (besides the amazing fruit and vegetables, obviously) is the friendships I’ve formed.  I’ve met some wonderfully interesting people who, aside from this common desire to eat locally and organically, may have never crossed my path.  The sharing of our stories have filled up countless hours of weighing and packing:

-an internet disc jockey

-a private school Spanish teacher who sports dreadlocks in the summer and is planning to make the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage next summer

-a rock climber

When I casually mentioned that I had been tossing about the idea of re-watching seasons 1 & 2 of “Downton Abbey” before season 3 starts in January, several of these lovely friends expressed interest in watching along.  One had seen only season 1, two friends hadn’t watched at all.

Oh!  This was going to be good, I thought…

We’ve been meeting on Tuesday evenings and, after an initial 20 minutes of chatting and drink pouring, we take our places on the sofa and partake of some good old British debauchery, wit, romance, and, of course, the Dowager Countess.

Snacks must be non-crunchy and never drippy.  Easy to balance on a cocktail plate and be eaten with dignity.

The date truffle recipe, although I have seen several recipes similar around the internet, belongs  entirely to Sprouted Kitchen.  I was so grateful to be able to use the remainder of the dates leftover from from this recipe.

The roasted chickpeas have a bit of a bite to them due to the cayenne pepper.  Make sure you don’t skip rubbing the skins off the chickpeas or they won’t crisp up in the oven.

I apologize for the quality of a few of the photos…they were taken with my phone.

date truffles with almonds

20 medjool dates, halved and pitted

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup creamy almond butter

1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup almonds, toasted and chopped well

Put dates and vanilla in a food processor and pulse until a chunky paste.  Add almond butter and pulse a few more times.  Add cocoa powder, coconut, salt, and cinnamon and pulse again.  Mixture should be crumbly,but should stick together if pressed between thumb and finger.  If it seems too wet, add more coconut.  If too dry, add more almond butter or water one teaspoon at a time.

Roll a heaping Tablespoon of the mixture between your palms until you form a ball.  Do this with the rest of the mixture (should yield about 15-18).

Place toasted almonds on a plate and roll each ball in them, pressing down slightly to get them to stick.  Place truffles in the refrigerator at least an hour before serving.

spicy curry chickpeas

one 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp fresh grated ginger

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place chickpeas on paper towels or a dish towel and gently rub each one to remove the outer skin.  This will take about 10-15 minutes, but as I said it’s necessary in order for them to crisp in the oven.

In a large bowl, stir together olive oil, curry, thyme, cayenne pepper, and ginger.  Add the chickpeas and fold gently to coat.  Spread chickpeas on rimmed cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake until light brown and crispy, about 45 minutes.  Turn them occasionally to cook evenly.

Remove from oven and sprinkle immediately with sea salt.

 

nectarine and lavender honey yogurt pops

 

There is a rumor floating around the internet that summer is over.  People are posting photos of the leaves turning where they live and Halloween costumes and candy are already in the stores.

Happy Independence Day!

I’ve been on the eastern shore celebrating Independence Day with family, so no recipe this week.

I hope everyone had a fun, safe holiday.

This is how we celebrate July 4th on the Chesapeake Bay…

oatmeal pancakes with roasted strawberries

I had been in a bit of a breakfast rut when strawberry season came into full swing  in the mid-Atlantic region.  Due to the mild winter (I’m guessing), the berries were ready to pick around the middle of May and, boy….were they ready!

My oldest daughter and I gathered our supplies in preparation for a morning of serious strawberry picking and canning.  When I first started writing “Fiercely Fresh”, I posted about this process and what has become an annual tradition dating back to my childhood.  Preferring the taste of cooked jam over the freezer method, a long afternoon is set aside for hulling, stirring, and ladling hot preserves into freshly scrubbed Mason jars.

We set about picking berries on a humid, overcast day.  The berries were plentiful and in little less than an hour, we picked over 50 pounds before heading back home.  36 jars of jam were made and I froze two cookie sheets of berries for future enjoyment.  Of course, this happened…Back to breakfast…

Slow roasting strawberries gives them an indescribably rich flavor.  It takes a little time, but it’s a put-it-in-the-oven-and-forget-about-it sort of effort.  Plan to make them the day before you want to eat them with pancakes.  Use the leftover roasted strawberries (if you have any!) on top of homemade vanilla ice cream.

This pancake recipe is the best combination I’ve tasted of a nutty, grain-based pancake while still being extremely light and fluffy.

oatmeal pancakes with roasted strawberries

for the roasted strawberries:

2 pints (about 4 cups) strawberries, cleaned and hulled

4 Tbsp raw sugar

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Transfer to a rimmed cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Place in oven and roast for 4 hours.  Stir gently and occasionally to prevent from burning during the roasting process.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Store in refrigerator.

oatmeal pancakes:

1 cup oats (do not use steel cut)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp sucanate

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

1/8 tsp salt

1 cup nonfat buttermilk (use purchased buttermilk.  Don’t use homemade.  I’ve tried-it doesn’t work!)

2 Tbsp butter, melted

1 large egg

Pulse oats a food processor a few times until slightly ground.

Combine first 8 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk to incorporate dry ingredients.

Combine buttermilk, butter, and egg in a small bowl.  Add to flour mixture, stirring until just moist.  This batter is thicker than most other pancake recipes.

Heat a griddle over medium heat.  If using a cast iron griddle, you will need to melt butter to prevent your pancakes from sticking.  Make certain your griddle is sizzling hot before adding batter.  Spoon a scant 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake onto the griddle.  Turn pancakes over when tops are covered with bubbles.  Cook until bottoms are lightly browned.  Top each serving with roasted strawberries and, if desired, lemon maple yogurt.

lemon maple yogurt:  Combine 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt with 1 Tbsp of lemon juice and 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup.

Tip their mouths to the open sky…

“Tip their mouths open to the sky.   

Turquoise, amber,

the deep green with fluted handle,   

pitcher the size of two thumbs,   

tiny lip and graceful waist.”       -Naomi Shihab Nye

A quick post not of the usual food stuff…

I was poking about in my basement and came across this old pitcher.  My great aunt, who was quite artistic, made this.  She was an excellent painter, potter, and all around crafter.

At one time, this sat on top of a hutch in my kitchen and I’m not quite sure when I decided that it didn’t  fit the decor.  Everything old is new again, though, as vintage continues to be “hip”.  While I’m still not quite sure it fits, I’ve dusted it off and continue to wonder over its striking detail.

Thought I’d share…

sugar buns

A craving lately for a little something sweet with my 3 pm mug of afternoon coffee drove me to make these little treasures from the blog Seven Spoons by Tara.

I didn’t change much about the original recipe.  I switched around the flour types, using white whole-wheat flour instead of all-purpose and regular bread flour instead of whole wheat (because these were what I had on hand).  The next time I make them, I will add about 1/3 cup of chopped toasted walnuts or pistachios to the pastry before rolling and slicing.  The almond extract in the pastry dough and the orange zest mixed in with the spices give it a different sort of flavor than the traditional heavy cinnamon sugary bun.

sugar buns

dough:

¼ cup warm water
½ cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
A few drops almond extract, optional
1 ½ cup white whole wheat flour, plus extra for dusting
¾ cup bread flour
2 ¼ teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup (8 ounces, 2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small dice

In a small pitcher or measuring cup, stir together the water, milk, egg and almond extract, if using.

In a food processor, whisk together the flours, salt, sugar and yeast. Scatter the cubed butter across the flour mixture. Pulse until the butter is incorporated, but small chunks are still visible.Pour in the milk/egg mixture. Pulse again to combine the ingredients into a messy dough.  It will be very sticky.  Place in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.

filling:

1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for dusting
1/3 cup golden brown sugar
Zest of 1 orange
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch of kosher salt
6 tablespoons melted butter

Combine sugars, zest, spices and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

Brush the wells of a 12-cup muffin tin with a thin film of melted butter. Set aside the rest of the butter.  Coat the wells generously with granulated sugar, tapping out excess. Set aside.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough to an 8×20-inch rectangle. Brush the remaining browned butter across the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border on the long sides. Sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly atop the butter. Press the sugar lightly into the dough. Starting from the long side closest to you, carefully roll the dough into a tight log. Once completely rolled, pinch the seam to seal. Turn the rolled dough onto its seam and cut into 12 equal portions.  In her blog, Tara explains that she prefers to cut them slightly smaller and make 14 buns, rather than 12, to cut portion size.  Turn each slice onto one of its flat sides, and press down lightly to level. Place slices in prepared pan. Set aside to rise in a warm, draft free spot* until just about doubled in size, around 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat an oven to 375°F (190°C).

Bake the buns until puffed and golden, around 20 minutes. Immediately turn the buns out onto another sheet pan. Carefully flip buns right side up, cool until just manageable to touch, around 5-10 minutes. One by one, roll the hot buns in a small bowl of granulated sugar, coating completely but shaking off excess.

*I’ve explained previously my method for allowing dough to rise:  Turn oven on to lowest temperature (in my case, it’s 100 degrees farenheit).  As soon as the oven heats to that temperature, turn it off and place your dough in to rise according to recipe.