Klatch Kitchen's Fall Bounty

Fall is here. We've carved our first pumpkin. Drank the first cup of hot chocolate. Have been blitzed by acorns from our oak tree. And stocked the kitchen from Mom's and neighborhood Asian supermarket with cozy fall foods.

Not sure why anyone ever badmouths Brussels Sprouts. They must have only experienced them as overcooked bland mush. We roasted our first batch this weekend and Brussels Sprouts will most likely appear among Thanksgiving side dishes at our house.

Simplest and tastiest Brussels: quarter them, drizzle and mix with olive oil, sea salt, cumin, and coriander and roast at 375 degrees 30-35 minutes (just watch closely for golden brown, pulling out before they burn).  

 

This is no ordinary yam. Korean Sweet Potato (Goguma) is nutty and sweet, more akin to a chestnut's flavor than regular sweet potato.

 



Baked or roasted, Goguma is a tasty alternative to sweet potato with a unique flavor. Be sure not to undercook it, the texture is too firm and the flavor just isn't there until it is fully cooked.

 

We carved our first Jack-O-Lantern and toasted the seeds. Our kitchen is the coziest place in the world these days. Don't believe me? Come on over.

 

Pumpkin Seeds drying off before toasting.

 

Homemade spiced donuts getting some mileage out of my new donut pan! These are baked and GF (that's inside speak for Gluten Free). Kid folk was over the moon.

 

A year ago, I couldn't imagine making donuts at home. But it is surprisingly easy once you take the whole deep frying out of the equation. Donuts were especially good just out of the oven.

 

Chef Matt got me past my prejudice for beets but golden beets are a whole another ball game. For one, there is no staining to deal with. And they are so very pretty. Besides, aren't beets the trendy veg these days? Roasted and tossed in vinaigrette, excellent. 

 

 

 

Kabocha is a Japanese winter squash, rich in beta carotene, iron, and potassium. We've always stuck with butternut and acorn, how very dull. Until now (I mean a squash is a squash, right? How hard can this be?).

 

Kabocha awaits its fate in my kitchen.

 

A nod back to the summer, the makings of tomatillo salsa. Tomatillos, onion, lime juice, and jalapeno, into the food processor and done! Spicy tasty salsa to top off anything boring. I must say while the flavor was great, the texture of tomatillo was a turn off. Perhaps green tomatoes next time!

 

 

Happy Fall! Drop me a note and tell me what's cooking in your kitchen.

 



Tasty Little Pasty

Cornish Pasty is a delicious treat, full of steaming curried chicken or winter veg. We are lucky as there is a genuine pasty shop in the strangely charming ally off our main street. It is a respectable establishment with a Union Jack on the façade and gleaming wood. Pasty is just the thing on a Friday night when you don’t feel like pizza or cooking.

Behold. Though the photo does not do pasty justice (the flaky crust and steamy aroma are heavenly!).

My mind wondered, as it often does, and I am convinced that with the right recipe I can create pasties in my own kitchen. Though I am still searching for the right recipe to try (if you have one, do be so dear and send it my way), I learned some fascinating pasty facts along the way.

For one, humble pasty now has a Protected Geographical Indication status. Yes, as of this year only a pasty that originates in Cornwall and following traditional recipe can in fact be called Cornish. And Cornish pasty is in good company – other foods holding such European distinction are Gorgonzola, Parmesan-Reggiano, Cornish clotted cream, and Arbroath Smokies (Smokies I will have to learn more about!).  It is fitting as even Shakespeare is said to have referenced the very pasty more than once. 


Cornwall

Cornwall by all accounts is a charming seaside place.  Falmouth Docks photo by Andy Roberts from East London.

But pasty is not fancy, miners often took pasties with them since they were easy to reheat underground.  A true Cornish pasty is shaped like letter D and crimped on the side (NEVER on top). According to the authorities on the subject (Cornish Pasty Association) the filling must be “hunky, made up of uncooked minced or roughly cut chunks of beef (not less than 12.5%), swede, potato, and onion with a light seasoning. The pastry casing is golden in colour, savoury, glazed with milk or egg and robust enough to retain its shape throughout the cooking and cooling process without splitting or cracking." Chew on that or better yet go get yourself a wonderful little Cornish-style pasty!

Going to the country...

And, yes, we ate a LOT of peaches. On the same trip to Ohio we made a habit of picking up produce at Aufdenkampe Family Farm. This farm actually overlooks the farm, talk about going to the source. Without minding such silliness as organic production we just filled up our bags full of fresh corn, green tomatoes, and amazing, unbelievable, juicy, scrumptious peaches (the peaches were good!).

Here are a few photos:

Onions as l'object de art? Why not.

You can see the corn field just just behind the cucumbers and zinnias.

Freshly picked corn on the cob!

Aufdenkame Family Farm is an old-school operation, in the best possible way, but with modern day digital strategy.

Herbs, sunflowers, cucumbers, the bounty takes your breath away.

Dreaming of Tuscany

I confess, when it comes to cooking I am a fly-by-seat-of-my-pants sort of cook. When to my great surprise my herb garden continued to prosper, I needed inspiration to maximize the newly found bounty. The answer: Tuscan White Bean and Kale soup.

The name alone transported me to a place where Chianti flows freely….

…marks of Etruscan civilization are at every corner….

…villas are basking in glorious sunshine and names of towns, like Cortona, roll off the tongue…

Photo: Traveltuscany.net

But I digress. Back to the soup. After perusing Epicurious for inspiration, here is my very own version:

Step 1: Soak a bag of humble white beans in water for a few hours. Or overnight. Whatever works. Before cooking, rinse the beans well - trust me, that is an important step that should not be omitted.

Step 2: Sautee onions in a soup pot with some veggie oil, just to soften. (Carrots would have been nice here too, but I wasn’t about to go to the shops!) Add the beans and pour stock. It’s a soup so you will need a lot of stock, veggie or chicken. Homemade stock is nice, but any low-sodium stock will do the job. Bring to a boil and lower the heat. Add a bit of salt if needed

Step 3: Pour some Chianti or similar beverage (in a glass or a paper cup, not into the soup pot). Sip. Refill as needed.

Step 4: While the beans are cooking, it’s time to tackle the kale. Wash the leaves well, cut out the rough stems, and chiffonade the curly greens. Add kale to the soup when the beans are nearly cooked.  Continue simmering.

Step 5: Harvest some herbs from your garden and chop up the leaves. I used a lot of sage and oregano with just a tiny bit of lemon basil. Add the herbs to the soup towards the very end of cooking.

Now, slice up some crusty bread and serve! If the soup is only ‘meh’ and bland, add more salt and herbs. Or some lemon juice to brighten it. Or add some Chianti will rescue it (still in the cup, not in the soup). Simple peasant food at its best!