Pear Sauce

If you're an applesauce fan, I'm willing to bet you'd love this pear sauce. 

Just get your hands on six pounds of pears (got way more than that here),

chunk 'em up into a pot of water and lemon juice, then cook for 20 minutes or so before smashing everything up with a potato masher.  Then you add some sugar, vanilla, lemon peel, and salt, cook a bit more, and voila!  A lovely, chunky, lemony potful of pear sauce, which you can ladle into jars and freeze for later.  Yummy.

It is not always, easy, by the way, to tell when pears are ripe.  For those green ones, above, I usually just watch and wait until they turn golden.  But even that is not always foolproof.  Fun fact I found out today from the book Simply in Season (which is crammed with recipes for fruits and vegetables):  Pears are ripe "when the flesh surrounding the stem yields slightly to gentle pressure."  Good to know.

LEMONY PEAR SAUCE

6 lb. pears, peeled and chunked

2 c. water

1/4 c. fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons; save peels for grating)

1/2 c. sugar

2 1/2 t. lemon peel

1 T. vanilla

1/4 t. salt

Combine pears, water, and lemon juice in large pot.  Cover partially and simmer until pears are very soft, about 20 minutes.  Smash with potato masher. 

Stir in sugar, lemon peel, vanilla, and salt.  Cover partially and cook over low heat until mixture is the texture you want (not that long).  You can remove the cover if you want to cook off some of the liquid.  Cool slightly, spoon into jars leaving about one-inch of space if you're going to freeze.  Makes 4 - 5 pints.

 

Fyi, eating pears smothered with hot fudge sauce will help you forget about the other 50 pounds of pears you've got to do something with.  Just sayin'.

 

Lindsey's Brandied Cranberries

What am I doing, making cranberry recipes in mid-March, you ask?
Cleaning out this.

 Which, just a couple months ago, looked like this.

We are getting there, people.  To quote Gladys Taber, "We feel the secret softening of winter as the deep freeze gets nearly empty." 

Way back in spring and summer, while putting up all those orange jams, peach butters, and herb pestos, we were feeling mighty virtuous.  Now, as it's time to clear out last year's abundance in readiness for this year's, the feeling is more one of over-saturation.  We froze too much tzatziki sauce, let's face it.  And the frozen dill pickle spears just were not such a hot idea.

 

 Now, as Margaret Roach, author of The Backyard Parables:  Lessons on Gardening, and Life, puts it, we are on the freezer diet, "when the garden manages to provide anyhow, despite prevailing conditions." And we are down to just a jar or two (or three) of tzatziki sauce.  The end is in sight.  (Check out Margaret Roach's blog, A Way to Garden, here.)

 

Fortunately, nestled way back on one of those shelves was a lovely bag of cranberries, purchased in November.  And tucked away in my files of Thanksgiving Recipes to Try was this terrific recipe for Brandied Cranberries from our friend Lindsey, who says it's her very favorite way to make cranberries.  "This recipe is very quick, produces only one dirty pan, and is extremely yummy over turkey or vanilla ice cream!"  I heartily verify its yumminess, as we had it last night over slices of pork tenderloin, accompanied by Kahuna's first flush of 2015 garden goodness, tender asparagus and itty baby potatoes.

 

LINDSEY'S BRANDIED CRANBERRIES

1 12-oz package cranberries (mine were frozen)

1 1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. brandy

 

Place cranberries in microwave-safe 3-quart pan (a 9 x 13-inch glass pan works well, reports Lindsey).  Sprinkle sugar over cranberries; cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 12 minutes (that's right, 12 minutes).  Remove pan from microwave, stir mixture, and, while it's still hot, add brandy and mix well.

That's it.  The perfect sweet-tart combo, this is so good you will plan to buy extra cranberries next November just so you can chance upon them later and make this.

 

The Simplest Applesauce Ever

 

Mmm, organic apples bought at a local farm.  Tons of fun.

I sautéed 'em with molasses;

incorporated them into a stuffing and rolled it up in fish fillets (wowzer, these were fantastic);

made them into a delicious apple/sausage quiche.

But perhaps my very favorite apple experiment this fall was this one.  Baked applesauce.

Number of ingredients:  exactly one.
This recipe comes from the funny The Crabby Cook Cookbook by Jessica Harper, a book I would definitely recommend.
Here, then, are the instructions for the simplest applesauce you will ever make.

GOLDEN DELICIOUS APPLESAUCE
4 Golden Delicious apples

Cut apples in half vertically, cut out the core, and place, cut sides down, on rimmed baking sheet.  (Next time I'll put parchment paper down first, for easier clean-up.)  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 - 45 minutes, until apples are very tender when poked with fork.

See how well I follow directions?  Here I am, poking with a fork.  Take that, little apples.

Give the apples a few minutes to cool, pull off peels, and mash with a potato masher (or, alternatively, Harper says, you can whoosh them in the food processor, just 5 or 6 pulses).  That's it.  C'est tout.  Marveilleux.

So what's cooking in your kitchen these days?

Green Salad with Raisins and Pine Nuts

Aaah, it's good to be married to a gardener.

 

Today's salad comes to you courtesy of Kahuna's lettuce which, as you can see, is thriving.  This nice, simple salad is made with a variety of lettuces

picked just moments ago for your dining pleasure.
Make that MY dining pleasure.
With the simple addition of minced garlic, pine nuts, golden raisins, and Parmesan cheese, it's a winner.

(recipe adapted slightly from an old issue of  Better Homes and Gardens magazine; serves 4)
NUMMY SALAD
1 T. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced (I used the stuff in the jar)
1/4 t. coarse sea salt
1/4 c. golden raisins
2 T. pine nuts
12 c. lettuce
1 T. freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

In microwave-safe bowl, place olive oil, garlic, salt, raisins, and pine nuts.  Nuke for 20 seconds; stir and nuke for 20 more seconds.  Add lettuce and stir to distribute ingredients.  Top each salad with cheese.

What's cooking at your house?


Pineapple Curry Fried Rice

The tang of curry is wafting through the house.  I just ate the most wonderful fried rice sprinkled with the crunch of cashews, the bite of curry, the sweet juiciness of pineapple, and a touch of that most heavenly of herbs, fresh cilantro.  The recipe came from the book Gourmet's America, a beautifully photographed volume that I love to page through but, for some reason, have rarely cooked from.  Tonight was the night.  Based on the results, I'll do more than just drool over these photos in the future.

CURRIED FRIED RICE WITH PINEAPPLE AND CASHEWS
1/4 c. canola oil
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 1/2 T. curry powder
1 c. chopped fresh pineapple (I used frozen chunks)
1/2 c. coarsely chopped roasted cashews
1/4 c. minced fresh cilantro
6 c. white rice, cooked (I used my rice cooker)
3 T. water
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper (I just added a sprinkle of pepper)

If you don't have cooked rice lying around, get your rice going.  Pull out a very large skillet (at least 12 inches across, says the recipe, and I agree.  I cut the recipe down a bit and it still filled my large skillet).  Heat the oil on medium high until it's hot but not smoking.  (It'll start making little popping noises when it's hot.  You can also get your hand wet and fling water droplets into the pan and see if you get some snapping action; if you do, the oil is hot.)  Put onion in the oil and stir, cooking until golden.  Add curry powder and stir, just for about 5 seconds.  Add the pineapple, cashews, cilantro, and cooked rice.  Stir until well combined.  Add the water, the salt, and the pepper and cook for about a minute.

That's it.  Enjoy your rice, and the lovely after-smell.

Anyone else like fried rice?  What is your favorite thing to put in it?

Pears!

A happy August day

Canning these





and making some of this

and a little of this (roasted pears and red onions -- yum!). 

Aaaah.  Late summer contentment.  Sigh.
NOTE:  You'll find an informative article about how to know when pears are ripe from the Oregon State University Extension Service. 
You're welcome.

Eggplant Spread

This is less of a recipe and more of a food idea.

That's because this year's eggplant crop so far has yielded just three itty bitty little eggplants -- not enough for most eggplant recipes, which presume you are starting out with at least one of those volleyball-sized babies. 

One perk of a small crop, however, is that every morsel becomes all the more precious.  Which is why I wanted to do something special with these beauties, even though I really don't know what to do with food you can't knead or dip into chocolate.

Thankfully, famed cookery writer Elizabeth David came to my rescue.  What, you don't know who Elizabeth David is?  Check her out here.  And check out your library to see if they carry any of her books.  You won't be sorry, even if you don't cook from them but just enjoy them in that vicarious almost-as-though-you're-in-the Mediterranean-yourself staycation kind of way.  This idea comes from the book At Elizabeth David's Table:  Classic Recipes and Timeless Kitchen Wisdom.  By Elizabeth David, compiled by Jill Norman, preface by Ruth Reichl.

EGGPLANT PUREE

Cook your eggplant (!).  I had to google this to figure out exactly how to cook my eggplant; I baked it, skin on, at 400 degrees, until it was soft and kind of charred looking, only 10 to 15 minutes for these little guys.  I also thought, halfway through, "I'd better poke these things with a fork so they don't explode."
Once they felt pretty pokable, I took them out of the oven, cooled for a few minutes, then peeled.

Smash them up with a fork, add a dollop of plain yogurt and a dollop of olive oil; squeeze in generously some lemon juice, add salt, and there you have it.  Oh yeah, you can garnish with some chopped up fresh mint.  A truly delicious little eggplant spread that Elizabeth says you can serve as an hors d'oeuvre with bread, or with meat, "in the same manner as a chutney."  I had mine with leftover grilled steak.  Delicious.

Avocado-Roasted Pepper Salad

Mmmm.  Yummy salad. 

Make this. 

Official recipe title is Chopped Salad.  But that just doesn't begin to describe its numminess.

Recipe from the outstanding publication Nutrition Action Healthletter, which is filled with the latest scientific studies on healthy eating.

And we just won't mention yesterday's chocolate chip cookie dough ingestion.  'Kay?

The Cutest Cup in the World

This is the cutest idea I've come across in ages.

Start with your basic orange.  Score the rind around the center -- just the rind, not the fruit.

Drop the orange into a pot of boiling water.  Boil for five minutes, then remove orange from hot water and let cool a minute or two.  The rind should have separated a bit from the fruit.  Once it's cool enough to handle, carefully pull one end of the rind down (to form the bottom of your cup) and the other half up, to make the drinking part of your cup.

See?  How simple is that?  Would this not be darling for a little girl's tea party?  Or for a picnic lunch with your sweetie?  It doesn't get any "greener" than your own fruit providing the drinking vessel.

By the way, in case you're wondering . . .

. . . flaming cognac, even with  a pinch of sugar, a clove, a cinnamon stick, and served in the most darling cup in the world . . .

. . . is disgusting.  Absolutely disgusting.
Ugh.
If you have any cognac, just pour that stuff right down the drain.
My little handy hint for the day.
But the orange cup?  Priceless.  Next time I'm trying it with warm apple cider.

NOTE:  Idea from The Pyromaniac's Cookbook by John J. Poister.  A very fun book, even if I spit out  the cognac.

Apple Almond Rice Mix

We are only a few days into 2012, and it is shaping up to be a mighty fine food year already.
Mighty fine.

From the authentic Mexican restaurant seafood dish of shrimp and octopus cocktail topped with avocado, an oyster, cilantro, drenched in oyster juice (yum)

to the homemade mocha frappuccino which, turns out, can be blended most adequately at the bathroom sink of your basic Motel 6 room (do I love my happy frappies?  Indeed I do)

to the apple almond rice mix, which can be stirred up ahead of time and bagged for your pantry, ready to be simmered later with water, apple juice, and a touch of butter for a slightly fruity, crunchy, very flavorful side dish.

2012.  Oh yeah.  Bring it on.

NOTE:  I omitted the parsley flakes in this recipe because I didn't have any.  The recipe makes four bags of mix, but you can divide it your first time to see if you like it.  Recipe kindly provided by the USA Rice Federation.

Apple Yogurt Salad

Louise over at Months of Edible Celebrations has one of the most entertaining food blogs around.  Every post, she culls through old cookbooks, researches food holidays, tells her readers about historical events and magically connects them to food.  If you've never stopped in for a visit, you must go, and soon.  You are in for a treat.

When Louise posted her challenge earlier this month -- to try out a recipe from a cookbook you own that corresponds with one of the October food holidays she spotlighted on her blog -- I knew I had to give it a go. 

We've got an apple tree

and I happen to have a few cookbooks  . . . and October, according to Louise, is Apple Month. 

So just in under the October wire, here is my apple contribution.  Not the grated apple pie I made, not the baked apples with custard sauce, not the applesauce or apple and cheese platters -- though they were all yummy.  But the recipe I'd like to share for Louise's cookbook party is this humble apple yogurt salad.  It's easy, tasty, and healthy, passing my test for a recipe that's a keepr.
Taken from this book, one in my collection that I really ought to use more, this delightful little dish serves 6, at about 100 calories apiece.

APPLE YOGURT SALAD

1/4 c. walnuts, chopped
2/3 c. plain yogurt
1 T. lemon juice
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1 T. honey
2 large apples, peeled and thinly sliced
lettuce

Toast the walnuts at 350 degrees until lightly browned -- 5 minutes or so.  Stir together yogurt, lemon juice, cinnamon, and honey.  Toss sliced apples with yogurt mixture and serve on lettuce leaves.  Sprinkle with walnuts.

Panzanella

And to think, until a couple years ago, I'd never even heard of panzanella, also known as bread salad.  Thanks to the wonderful world of blogging, this is now one of my favorite quick summertime meals -- especially once the home-grown tomatoes are flourishing.

Which they are. 

One of the things I love most about this recipe is I usually have all the ingredients on hand.  It takes less than a half hour to throw together. 

And it is delicious.

Did I mention how delicious it is?

In the book Real Simple Celebrations:  Easy Entertaining for Every Occasion, author Valerie Rains suggests that rather than freezing those hot dog and hamburger buns left over from summertime barbecues, you use them in this salad instead.  Brilliant idea.

Here are the instructions based on the recipe from the book:

PANZANELLA (BREAD SALAD)

2 hot dog or hamburger buns, cut into 1-inch pieces

2-4 tomatoes, chopped

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

4 - 8 oz. crumbled feta cheese

1/4 c. thinly sliced basil

1/4 c. olive oil

1 T. balsamic or red wine vinegar

1/4 t. Kosher salt

1/8 t. black papper

Place cut up buns on baking sheet; bake at 375 degrees until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.  In large bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, cheese, and basil.  Add the oil and vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the toasted bread and toss.

So is anyone else swimming in tomatoes?