Thanksgiving Stories + Cooking After Thanksgiving + Some Squash Recipes

Thanksgiving Weekend is always a blast! Even though I don’t have family here, this holiday is never a lonely affair. Over the years, I have spent Thanksgiving dinners with my adoptive family and friends who have become family. I am thankful for all the good people who surround me, for their open minds and hearts, for their warm homes that have always made me feel welcome, and most of all, for their friendship and support.

Thanksgiving is also extra-special because it happens to be our anniversary. DFJ and I made this decision last year when we reminisced about how awkward our first Thanksgiving celebration was. To make a long story short, we were at a dinner where people without families got together at my friend’s house. Because we didn’t really know most of the guests, they assumed that we were married… Ummm, no we’re not and we haven’t even really talked about whether we are dating or not either… See, quite awkward, right?

 

This year we went to a gathering of good friends who, like us, do not have families in town. We have some people originally from the country, Pennsylvania (DFJ), Florida, and Colorado. The rest of us are from all over the world, Philippines (me), Trinidad and Tobago, Russia, Iraq, Iran, and Romania. Great company, interesting conversations, and wonderful food!

 

One of the best things about Thanksgiving is all the leftovers. Oh my, what a treat to not have to cook Friday and Saturday but still have a plate full of different kinds of amazing food! We finally ran out of leftovers yesterday, so I had no choice but to cook again. There were potatoes that started sprouting, Brussels sprouts left on a stalk, a head of broccoli, and kale begging to be cooked. Since I am still on a Tamar Adler kick, I followed her advice and roasted everything (except for the kale)! I washed everything first. Then, I proceeded to chop the potatoes in even sizes for even cooking, picked the Brussels sprouts from the stalk, cut the broccoli into batons, and tore the leafy parts of the kale from the stems.

All potatoes were then placed in one big roasting pan, the Brussels sprouts in a round pan, and the broccoli in another round pan. It is best to cook different vegetables in different pans, unless they come from the same family (all root vegetables, all leafy vegetables, all stalky vegetables can be cooked in one pan). The vegetables in each pan got a good douse of olive oil and generous sprinkles of salt. I also added some sprigs of thyme and rosemary in the potato pan. All the pans were placed in the oven, which was preheated to 400 degrees F, and cooked for half an hour.

When everything was done and completely cooled, I moved them into containers for storage in the fridge. Before washing the oily pans, I tore the kale into small pieces and rubbed the oil off of the pans with the leaves so as not to waste good olive oil. This way, I won’t have to use too much olive oil to sauté the leaves in. After the leaves were well oiled, I poured about two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan and heated the oil over medium heat. When the oil was hot, I sautéed a large clove of garlic (minced) until it was golden brown. The kale was then added by batch and cooked until wilted. With each batch of kale that I tossed in, a sprinkle of salt was added to season it.   

 

Tamar Adler gives the smart advice to cook everything ahead of time so we have a whole week’s worth of food at the ready. Let me tell you, the broccoli didn’t go too far because we ate them way too fast. See that small serving left in the bowl in the picture above? I had to use my will power not to eat them all right then. They were so good! Like delicious, salty, oily chips in the form of slightly burnt broccoli. The potatoes were just perfectly done and the Brussels sprouts browned on the outside the way I like them. Right now, I am not quite sure yet what to do with the vegetables. One thing I know for sure is that there won’t be too much hard work going on in my kitchen this week. Three quarters of my work is already done! Tamar Adler has plenty of suggestions in her book for what we can do with roasted vegetables. I will definitely let you know what we do with our roasted vegetables later this week.  

 

As for The Food Matters Project, I decided to forgo on this week’s recipe, Roasted Butternut Chowder with Apples and Bacon, chosen by Jen of Prairiesummers. I read the recipe and it sounds really good and fairly simple to make. If you want the original Mark Bittman recipe, visit Jen’s website. For other interesting spins on the recipe, check out the The Food Matters Project website to see what the rest of the creative members came up with. Sadly though, this is something that will have to be bookmarked for another time. Over the past few months, I have been on some sort of squash soup kick and since they were all so delicious, I would like to share those recipes again.

Last month, I made a really delicious Butternut Squash Tikka Masala that made me forget I was not actually sitting at an Indian restaurant.

 

 

Earlier this month, I made a hearty and savory Kabocha Squash Soup. 

 

I would also like to share something so amazingly good that I made earlier this year that has the butternut squash and apple combination, Roasted Butternut-Apple Pasta Sauce.

 

If you so wish, go ahead and click on the links for the recipes. They are all very good, I promise.   

 

Now it’s time to get back to the grind!

Christmas is just right around the corner, so hang in there friends!

Oyster Omelet

Making eggs is something that I’m really bad at doing… until Tamar Adler taught me how to respect eggs and make them fly. I am one of those people who buy fresh farm-raised eggs at the farmers markets. Or if those are not available, I get the organic and cage free eggs from the grocery store. The company that I support is Oakdell Egg Farms, they are generally nice to their chickens.

Factory produced eggs come from hens injected with hormones and antibiotics to speed up their growth process and increase their productivity. These cause them to become crippled because their bodies are developing too fast. They have never experienced running around outside, pecking on grubs, and basking in the sun. These hens just sit for the most part of their lives, unable to move because other than the fact that they are most likely crippled, they live in very cramped and restrictive dwellings. Terrible, right? This is why I do not want to support companies that treat chickens horribly and would rather spend some extra dollars on eggs that are produced humanely. Also, I do not like the thought of ingesting icky eggs in my body. That is so unappetizing! Eggs that come from hens that suffered their whole lives cannot be good for anyone.  

Back to cooking eggs though… I entrust this duty to DFJ, he really is better at making them than I am. Cooking eggs requires a watchful eye and some patience. When cooking eggs, these qualities escape from me. It’s probably because I am running late for work and rush the whole process so I can eat and head off to start a busy work day.

Tamar Adler says that she saves the egg making process for a time of the day when she is fully awake to be able to put enough thought into cooking them. For the past two weekends, I have been doing the same and the results were fabulous… in the form of delicious omelets. An omelet is just like a scrambled egg that you don’t scramble too much with some delicious toppings or fillings. It can be open-faced, folded in half, or rolled. You can fill it with anything! Yes, anything… omelets are not limited to the regular onion, tomato, ham, and cheese fixings. There are plenty other things you can put in or on your omelets. Explore the different options. You will be surprised to find out that the best omelets you end up eating are ones with freshened up leftovers from a few nights ago. Think leftover stir-fries, chopped up pieces of cooked meat, leftover roasted veggies… be creative!

 

Oysters and cauliflower on my omelet? Yup!

 

This was one delicious breakfast. It made me think of something that I would order at a seaside restaurant somewhere warm and exotic. This omelet just tasted of so many wonderful things and made me smile. Mornings should always start out with leisurely breakfasts like this. Eating a special omelet in our jammies with some DFJ almond latte and bagels.
 

Oyster Omelet

Filling/Topping:

2-3 teaspoons of the oyster oil from the can
1 large clove of garlic, minced (2 if the cloves are tiny, and more if you really love garlic)
1/8 of an onion, diced
¼ of a bell pepper, diced
¼ cup cooked vegetables, chopped (I used boiled cauliflower seasoned with oliveoil, salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese)
half of the oysters in the can (8-10 oysters)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
a big squeeze of lemon (about ¼ of a lemon)
 
Omelet:
3 eggs
a small splash of yogurt whey (the liquid stuff in yogurt) (you can also use heavy cream, milk, or water)
a big pinch of salt
dash of freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp chili powder (paprika or cayenne would be great too)
olive oil or butter for cooking
 
fresh basil, to sprinkle on top (fresh cilantro and parsley)
lemon wedges, to serve

Filling/Topping:
In a small pan, heat 2-3 teaspoons of the oil from the can of oysters over medium heat. Using this oil will give an additional oysterish flavor. When the oil is hot, sauté the garlic until golden brown. Add the diced onion and cook until soft, translucent, and slightly browned at the edges, about 5 minutes. Stir in the diced bell pepper and chopped leftover vegetables and cook for a minute. Add the oysters and cook for 2 minutes. Season with soy sauce and stir to make sure everything gets flavored. Turn off the heat, squeeze some fresh lemon juice into the pan, stir, and set aside.

Omelet:

Use a medium sized, non-stick pan to make your omelet. I like my omelets fluffier and the less they spread out, the fluffier they are. Pour just enough olive oil to form about a 4-inch diameter on the bottom of your pan. If you like to use butter, use a tablespoon (more or a little less, I prefer less, but it’s your call). Heat the oil over medium heat. As the oil is warming up, lift the pan and carefully tilt it from side to side so the oil coats the entire bottom and the sides of the pan.

While the oil is heating up, crack the eggs into a bowl and pour in the yogurt whey. A splash of liquid makes for fluffier eggs, so you can use a small splash of cream (for richer and creamier eggs), milk, or water, they all do the job. I use the yogurt whey for added flavoring so I don’t have to use as much salt. Add a big pinch of salt, a dash of freshly ground black pepper, and some chili powder (paprika or cayenne would be good too). Whisk or beat everything well together. 

When the oil is hot but not smoking, pour the eggs into the pan. Give it about 6 seconds to set. Using a flat-edged wooden spatula, nudge a section to the middle and tilt the pan to the vacant spot so the unset eggs flow onto the surface of the hot skillet. Allow it to set for a few seconds before you nudge different sides and let the remaining unset eggs cook. Do this one or two more times, until the runny eggs refuse to do anything more than a slight jiggle. You want to leave the top just slightly undercooked so the toppings will have something to stick on. Gently scoop the fixings evenly on top of the omelet and turn off the heat. Sprinkle with fresh herbs, such as basil, cilantro, or parsley for added taste. Serve omelet from the pan, with lemon wedges.

Have a blessed Sunday friends!

Boiled Cauliflower with Pasta and Leftover Meat

Cooking is really not as daunting as some of us think it is. The first step is simple and only requires you to walk a couple of steps and head to your kitchen. Once there, start with something basic like boiling water, even the best cooks do that. This is just one of the many things that I learned from Tamar Adler's An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace.

For the past two weeks, I have been devouring her book... Reading it slow, going back to previous pages, rereading everything until her cooking tips and recipes are etched in my memory, taking copious notes, and cooking everything that I thought was interesting (which is pretty much everything she talks about). Heck, she even makes boiled broccoli and cauliflower sound mouthwatering! So, I did those and was very pleased with the results.

Today I am going to share an incredibly simple recipe that took my breath away, literally, because I scarfed the food down so fast in the serving dish it was in... My competition was in the form of an adult male who just might eat everything the second I look away. On a more serious note, that meal was one of the best I have procured in our kitchen that left me and DFJ so impressed with its simplicity and goodness.

It all started with something so mundane as boiling water. In her book, Tamar Adler teaches us how to make a pot of boiling water go a long way. So, I did just that. Since I needed to cook some Brussels sprouts for Thanksgiving dinner, I boiled them first and reused the same water for the cauliflower and the pasta. The rules of thumb for making a pot of water go a long way are the following: #1: be generous with the salt, your water should taste like pleasant saltwater and #2: start boiling less starchy ingredients (like leafy greens) then use the same water to boil more starchy ingredients (like potatoes or pasta).

Remember the Whole Wheat Butternut Squash-Carrot Pasta that I made earlier this week? That was part of this dish. Even though I recommend you try making that or this, you can also just use store bought pasta, no biggie. Whatever you have on hand will work.

This dish also involved some great ingredients that would otherwise have been less than special when left on their own... leftover meat and discarded greens. We had some leftover ground beef from our dinner a few nights ago and some chunks of drumstick and thigh meat from a store-bought roasted chicken. I tore up the chicken chunks and heated them in the pan along with the ground beef AND then added discarded outer leaves from the Brussels sprouts and the leafy things that come with a head of cauliflower. So, if you have leftover cooked meat lying around, go ahead and chop 'em up then stir fry them with some wilting greens that you have in the fridge. You can then toss this meat and leafy green sauté in your pasta to make it special!

I love humble meals like this that satisfy your belly and your heart. It is really delicious too in a simple and honest way. It doesn't take too much time and effort but you end up with something really delicious and almost fancy! No one would ever know that you just saved leftover food from going into the compost or garbage disposal. *wink*

 

Boiled Cauliflower with Pasta and Leftover Meat

Inspired from Tamar Adler's An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace

water
salt
head of cauliflower, chopped into batons (save the cauliflower leaves and thick stalks... you can add these in the leftover meat stir fry below)
olive oil
freshly ground black pepper

pasta (I used my own homemade Whole Wheat Butternut Squash-Carrot Pasta)
Parmesan cheese or Pecorino Romano

leftover cooked meat
leafy greens and or stalks that are at the end of their lives, chopped (the greens and stalks from your cauliflower and/or kale, spinach, arugula, Brussels sprouts, beet greens, what have you... don't be afraid to toss them in)

Fill a large pot a little over half full of water. Cover the pot and bring the water to a rolling boil over medium heat. When the water is boiling, add a tablespoon of salt (more or a little less). If you have some non-starchy vegetables (i.e. artichokes, leeks, string beans, cabbage, and so on) that you want to cook, drop them in the water and cook until done. In my case, I had some Brussels sprouts that I cooked for about 12 minutes. When they are done cooking, move the vegetables into a bowl or colander using a slotted spoon. Make sure the vegetables are not piled too high to allow them to cool down without softening too much. Remember, you want to save the water, so don't throw it out. If you don't have any vegetables to cook beforehand, then go ahead and cook the cauliflower until tender when pierced with a dinner knife. Remove the cauliflower using a slotted spoon. Place in two large serving dishes to make sure that there is only one layer of cooked cauliflower batons. This allows the cauliflower to cool down without turning into mush.

Do not turn the stove off just yet, now it is time to cook the pasta. Place the pasta in the water and cook until done. If using fresh, homemade pasta, you will know they are done when they float. For dry pasta, cook according to the package directions or until al dente.

Back to the cauliflower, drizzle each dish with some olive oil while still hot, sprinkle a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper, grate a generous amount of Parmesan cheese on top, and give everything a gentle toss while also slightly mashing the cauliflower. Set aside close to the stove to keep it warm.

While the pasta is still cooking, heat leftover meat in a bit of olive oil in a large pan. When the meat is hot, toss in the leafy greens and chopped stalks and cook until wilted or tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

When the pasta is done, use a slotted spoon to scoop them from the water into the cauliflower dishes. If drops of water fall, that's ok, that bit of hot water will help all ingredients come together. Add the sautéed meat and vegetables into the dish. Toss everything together until well-mixed. Add more Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!
 

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration!

Whole Wheat Butternut Squash and Carrot Pasta Tossed in Stir Fried Vegetables

Making gnocchi requires patience, gentleness, and acceptance. None of which I had last night when I finally pulled myself together to make this right before bedtime. So folks, please do not attempt to make gnocchi right before sleeping. It is a project for a day when you have nothing else on your schedule but to make gnocchi. 

Patience and Gentleness:

When you stir in the initial ¾ cup of flour, stir gently but thoroughly. Do not rush the process and do not over knead. When you’re adding in more flour, do it a tablespoon at a time until the dough just holds together. The goal is to add as little flour as possible and to not handle it as much. I made the fatal mistake of not following these important directions and ended up adding 14 more tablespoons of flour, which ended up turning my supposed-to-be-soft-and-pillowy-gnocchi into whole wheat butternut squash-carrot pasta. It didn’t turn out so bad though. In fact, it was actually very good! But considering that my original intent was to make gnocchi, I failed on that account.

Acceptance:
Accept the fact that homemade gnocchi will look whimsical. It will turn out billowy when dropped in boiling water and won’t stay smooth and blemish-free, like store-bought ones. I usually prefer the rustic look over store-bought, but since I have never made my own gnocchi before, I thought it was supposed to turn out smooth. The dough was so freakin’ sticky and just stuck to everthing, so more and more flour was desperately added while the dough was gently kneaded until it finally came together. I then pulled off small chunks and rolled these into pieces of rope a bit at a time. It was the best way to do the job rather than rolling the whole dough into a rope.

To make a long story short, what originally started out as a plan to make gnocchi turned into butternut squash and carrot whole wheat pasta! Cooking is always a learning experience. Thank you Joanne for choosing this recipe for The Food Matters Project this week. I am already planning to redo this in the near future and make gnocchi, not pasta. If you want to learn how to make carrot gnocchi, for real, hop over to Joanne’s blog to see the original Mark Bittman recipe.

Now then, on to this delicious butternut squash and carrot whole wheat pasta tossed in a vegetable stir fry! The butternut squash-carrot combination is utterly good and using those two ingredients to make pasta is pretty amazing. This pasta is soft and sweet with a nice, nutty texture. All the vegetables that were tossed together in the sauté complemented each other perfectly… caramelized onions, flavorful shiitake mushrooms, and garlicky kale are the best of friends.

Let me tell you, this was heaven on earth, literally. Everything was so deliciously earthy, each bite felt like a celebration of all things good in life. This is why I love to eat healthy… because it just tastes so darn good!

 

Whole Wheat Butternut Squash and Carrot Pasta Tossed in Stir Fried Vegetables

Inspired from Whole Wheat Carrot Gnocchi, The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman

Whole Wheat Butternut Squash-Carrot Pasta:    

11 oz butternut squash
5 ½ oz carrots
salt
¾ cup whole wheat flour + 14 careless tablespoons (which means, the size was more or less a tablespoon)
¼ teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
 
Sautéed Vegetables:
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ tablespoon unsalted butter
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
½ of a large yellow onion, sliced
3 large shiitake mushrooms, roughly chopped
4 kale leaves, leaves sliced thinly and stems diced
salt
freshly ground pepper
about 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
generous amount freshly grated Parmesan cheese
 
1/3 of the pasta made above
½ cup of pasta water

Place butternut squash and carrot chunks in a medium sized pot. Add just enough water to cover the chunks and sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt. Turn the heat on to medium high and bring the water to a rolling boil. Uncover the pot, stir, turn the heat to medium low and partially cover. Allow vegetables to keep boiling gently until they are tender. The total cooking time is about 40 minutes. You will know the vegetables are done when the carrots pierce through easily with a fork. Drain well (save the water, this makes for good pasta water or soup later). Return the vegetables to the pot, uncovered, and turn the heat on low. Allow the vegetables to dry out for about 10 minutes, then turn the heat off. Meanwhile, sift the flour into a small bowl.

Mash the vegetables with a fork or potato masher thoroughly until all clumps are gone and the mixture becomes creamy. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mix well to make sure everything is well-combined. Add ¼ cup of the flour at a time and mix. Add more flour one tablespoon at a time if it remains super sticky. (Since, the mixture was so soft and ended up sticking all over my hands every time I touched it, I added a total of 14 more tablespoons.) Stop when it begins to hold together.

Lightly flour a clean, working surface. Pinch off a chunk of dough and roll into a thin rope. Keep repeating until all the dough has been rolled out. Cut pasta into 1 inch pieces and place in a flat container. Store in the refrigerator for at least an hour to give the pasta some time to set (in my case, I stored it overnight).

Pour the vegetable water (from the boiled butternut squash and carrots) into a medium sized pot and add a cup or more of water. Use your judgment to determine how much would be enough to cook 1/3 of the fresh pasta you made. Bring the vegetable water to a boil. When the water is boiling, add a very generous pinch of salt. Place just enough pasta to completely cover the bottom of your pot. You don’t want to pile them in the pot. Cover the pot and allow the water to boil again. Once it is boiling, the pasta will float on top. Leave the pot partially covered and let cook for another minute or two. Since the pasta is fresh, the total cooking time is only about 7 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.

While the water is boiling, sauté the vegetables. Start with heating the olive oil and butter in a large pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, sauté the garlic and sage until the garlic turns golden brown. Toss the onion slices and cook for about 5 minutes until soft and brown on the sides. Season with a pinch of salt. Add the mushrooms and kale stems and cook for about 3 minutes until the mushrooms pieces are shiny and fragrant. Toss in the kale leaves and let cook for about 2 minutes until it wilts. Season with a generous pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

Using a slotted spoon, move the pasta from the pot into the vegetable pan and half a cup of the pasta water. Stir and let everything cook together for about 3 minutes or until all the liquid has dissolved. Season with freshly ground nutmeg and a generous amount of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Stir well to make sure everthing is coated with the cheese. If you wish to, add more salt to taste and an optional small pinch of red pepper flakes for a little spicy kick.

Serve immediately and savor!

 

 

P.S. Don’t forget to check out what other FMP members came up with at our website!