November 28th - posole party

I have been wanting to make posole (a.k.a. pozole) since earlier this year. After enjoying it repeatedly at this fabulous establishment I became somewhat obsessed. I went so far as to pick up a couple packages of dried hominy and some New Mexico Chilies at Jungle Jim's, but when warmer weather (and the CSA, see my last post) came along I tabled the idea. Almost as soon as October was over, though, I looked at my calendar, as well as the date of the Greenacres pork harvest, and started planning.

After settling on a date (I knew it would be a project so Thanksgiving weekend seemed logical) and inviting friends I sat down and studied multiple recipes (see below). I started with the New York Times recipe as the base for mine. After a good half a day of posole-based internet research and synthesis I swung by Mazunte and picked some of the good stuff for Jonathan and me (for research purposes!).

Studying the dish in this light solidified what I already knew: posole is all about the broth. Mazunte's is a rich, thick, densely flavored broth that I just want to live in. After the broth it's all about the hominy and after the hominy I would venture to say it's all about the Mexican oregano. What it's not all about is the actual meat in the soup (pork in my case, chicken and pork in Mazunte's case).

This is my Mazunte copycat, and may not reflect other posoles, but I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! It is an all-day project (not including soaking the hominy overnight)!

Posole Rojo
Adapted from Simply Recipes, New York Times, Pati's Mexican Table, Homesick Texan, Culinate/Rick Bayless, and Food Network Kitchen (primarily)
Ingredients
Soup

• 1-11/2 lbs dried hominy (I used 30 ounces, which I think is a little too much), soaked overnight in water (I soaked for 11 hours) 
• 4 ounces dried red New Mexico chilies
• 4 lbs pork shoulder, most of the fat removed and cut in 1-inch chunks
• Kosher salt (plenty)
• 9 cloves garlic, peeled, divided
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 3 whole cloves
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tsp. Mexican oregano 

Garnishes - don't skimp!

• Lime wedges
• Roughly chopped cilantro
• Mexican oregano 
• Chopped/sliced avocado
• Thinly sliced radishes
• Tostadas (Note: I prepared mine by coating corn tortillas in canola oil with a brush, placing them in a single layer on a baking sheet, and baking at 350 for 5 minutes, then flipping and baking for 3 more minutes. They should crisp up.)
• Finely diced white onion, soaked in ice water (to mellow the flavor) (Optional) 

Directions

• Drain soaked hominy and place in a large (like 3-4 gallon) stock pot with 4 cloves of garlic. Cover with about 6 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Let simmer over medium-low heat for 2-3 hours with the lid tilted, until tender. The hominy may "bloom" (burst open). (Note: I noticed that my hominy cooked unevenly, but the next steps took care of this problem. Feel free to cook yours longer if you experience this). Allow the hominy to cool in the water until you are ready to add it to the soup (this was 4-5 hours for me). It will continue to soften.
• Pat the pork dry and season with salt. Brown in a couple tablespoons of oil in a large (like 3-4 gallon) pot over medium heat. Work in batches so as not to crowd the pork. Add 5 minced garlic cloves near the end of the last batch and cook for a minute, until fragrant. Add 5 quarts water, pork bone, 1 tbsp. salt, bay leaves, 2 tsp. oregano, onion, and cloves. Simmer, partially covered, until the meat in very tender and the broth is very flavorful, about 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Allow the meat to cool in the broth (I cooled mine for about 3 hours on the counter) and skim as much fat off the top as you can. (Note: I like to use a spoon to skim the fat into a glass, then I skim this glass into another glass and return the broth from the first glass to the pot). Remove meat from broth and remove any remaining fat from the meat. Remove bay leaves and cloves if possible.  
• Once the hominy and the broth are going toast chilies in a cast iron skillet in batches until just fragrant. Slit lengthwise and remove and discard stems and seeds. Put in a saucepan and cover with water brought off the boil. Weight with a plate or bowl to keep them submerged and allow to soak for about 30 minutes, until hydrated. Puree in a blender with 2 cups of the soaking liquid. Strain out the tough solids and discard.
• Combine broth, hominy, and chili puree, plus 2 tbsp. salt, and simmer for 3-4 hours or longer. Add salt (you will need a lot) and liquid (I added 2 cups hominy-soaking liquid) as needed. The broth should reduce and be very flavorful and the hominy should be tender and flavorful. If not, keep simmering.
• Add meat shortly before serving.
• Serve with the garnishes. Crumble the Mexican oregano between your fingers as you put it in the soup. Break up the tostadas. 
• Invite some friends/family to share posole, or freeze some for later! 

November 10th - squash curry soup

The realities of life after the CSA have really started to sink in this week; lingering CSA vegetables, like carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash, have hung around long enough for the transition to be gradual.

Life during the CSA was full of incredible culinary growth and palate expansion for me (and Jonathan), but included a lot of (albeit self-imposed) limitations. I bookmarked tons recipes I came across on which I couldn't justify expending cooking time and energy. I even hesitated at free meals that would mean consuming calories that weren't coming from CSA vegetables.

Thus, one of the positive aspects of life post-CSA has been a feeling of excitement stemming from the freedom to use my "kitchen energy" however I like. I have found renewed motivation from culinary possibilities, including an unhealthy obsession with pastry (though this could also be due to the approaching holidays). It's almost like a whole side of my culinary self was put on hold from June until now and that I am in the process of waking up. For example, I hadn't made traditional pizza crust since before the CSA (that changed last night), focusing instead on "alternative" pizza crusts that use CSA vegetables (see here and here).

The bad side of life post-CSA includes the obvious - greens from the grocery store really suck, our diets probably aren't as healthy and diverse, and we now have to seek out and pay for produce, which is just a pain.

The really difficult part, though, is the feeling of indecision and accompanying anxiety over the limitless choices I now apparently have in the kitchen. This, of course, stems from a lack of (albeit self-imposed) limitations. Therefore, to quell these feelings, I instituted "soup week" on Monday to limit my choices and keep myself from wavering between pizza, chickpea salad, quinoa chowder, jap chae, Indian vegetable fritters, etc., all on the same night. At the time I didn't articulate this reasoning to myself, but it became clear a few days in.

Soup week started off on Monday with Swiss chard and potato soup from the freezer, followed on Tuesday by a new recipe from Elise at Simply Recipes (below). Next came cabbage soup on Wednesday, and finally there was carrot coconut curry on Thursday

We celebrated the end of soup week by making pizza on Friday.

Squash Curry Soup
Adapted from here
Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (about 2 medium onions)
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 2 tsp. minced ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp. curry powder (I used my favorite SWAD Madras curry powder) 
• 3/4 tsp. ground cumin (preferably ground from whole seeds)
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander (I am wary of grinding this from whole seeds for some dishes as I can find it too pungent) 
• Pinch of ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 4 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 1/2 cups (2 15 oz cans) roasted pumpkin or winter squash (You can puree this ahead of time, but I never do for dishes like this since I am going to puree everything in the end anyway. Same goes for pumpkin pie and sweet potato pancakes.)
• 3 tbsp. heavy cream
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• 1-2 tbsp. lime juice (or lemon juice?) 
• Sour cream or yogurt for topping
• Toasted squash seeds for topping (optional)
• Naan or bread for serving (optional) 

Directions

• Melt butter in a large pot of medium heat. Add the onions and saute until they have some color, about 10 minutes.
• Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and salt and saute for a minute.
• Add the water/broth/stock, bay leaves, and squash. 
• Increase heat to high, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
• Simmer 10-15 minutes.
• Remove bay leaves. Puree the soup using an immersion blender or blender.
• Stir in the cream, black pepper, and lime or lemon juice to taste. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed (more salt will be necessary if you used water or salt-free broth/stock).
• Serve with sour cream or yogurt, toasted seeds from the squash, and naan or bread. 

CSA Week 22 - October 31st - sweet potato pancakes

Do you still have sweet potatoes? We have been LOVING them roasted (cubed and tossed with oil and salt then roasted at 400° F for about 30 minutes). This week I made a shortcut aioli to dip them in, which was delicious, but not necessary; they stand alone. But we still have a bit of a surplus right now from our own garden, including some small ones that were starting to go soft.

This morning I boiled them up and made sweet potato pancakes for Halloween morning brunch. We needed the nourishment as we put the finishing touches on our costumes; Jonathan had been crafting me a gavel out of chestnut from our yard and I had been helping him figure out where to glue the hair on his bald cap. What a great holiday.

I (with help from Josie and Jonathan) adapted this recipe for a program at work, using the seasoning blend that I use for pumpkin pie filling instead of just the nutmeg suggested in the original recipe.

This morning I subbed oat flour for the all-purpose flour. I love the added nutty flavor that oat flour gives to baked goods, but it is heavy, so if you are looking for very light and fluffy pancakes you may want to steer clear. Pancakes don't really rely on gluten to hold them together so as far as I know you are pretty safe to sub whatever flour you like. That being said, I did find these a bit more crumbly than the ones we made at work with AP flour. I made small pancakes (less than 1/4 cup batter for most) to account for this.

We topped the pancakes with homemade whipped cream and maple syrup. They were incredibly moist, bordering on gooey, in the best way possible. They tasted a lot like pumpkin pie and were more than a little addicting.

Sweet Potato Pancakes
Adapted from here and here
Serves 2-3
Ingredients

• 3/4 cup flour (whole grain oat flour is my favorite so far, see notes above)
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ginger
• 1/8 tsp. cloves
• 3/4 cup sweet potato, boiled whole until tender, peeled, and mashed 
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 tbsp. melted butter (plus extra if you like to cook the pancakes in butter like me) 
• Whipped cream and maple syrup for serving 

Directions

• Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl.
• Beat the egg in a medium bowl, then add the milk, butter, and sweet potato.
• Mix slightly, then add the dry ingredients and mix until moist. 
• At this point I like to use an immersion blender to puree the batter and take care of any lingering chunks of sweet potato, but you can continue to mix by hand or with a hand mixer. Maybe use a potato masher if the sweet potato chunks are giving you trouble. 
• Heat a skillet (I like cast iron) over medium-low to medium heat. Spray with cooking spray or melt some butter in the skillet (my preference), then add ~1/4 cup (see note above) of batter to make a pancake, flattening a little if needed and repeating until the skillet is full. 
• Cook for a few minutes, then flip and cook for a few minutes on the other side (these tend to brown pretty quickly, but they taste good browned - I think it's the sugar). 
• Transfer to a warm oven until ready to serve. 
• Top with whipped cream and maple syrup. Try not to eat them all. Or do, they're kind of healthy! 

CSA Week 22 - October 26th - pasta with anchovies, garlic, chilies, and kale

This recipe comes courtesy of Melissa Clark at the New York Times. It's a simple dish that packs a flavor punch from the addition of capers and anchovies, two ingredients to which I have been somewhat of a late arrival.

Pasta with Anchovies, Garlic, Chilies, and Kale
Adapted from here
Ingredients

• 1/3 pound pasta
• 2 tbsp. oil 
• Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. drained capers, patter dry to encourage browning
• 4 anchovy filets
• 1 bunch kale (not a good measurement, I know - I didn't use the whole CSA bunch for mine)  
• Black pepper
• Grated Parmesan (or Clark suggests Pecorino) (optional) 
• Squeeze of lemon (optional)

Directions

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta to al dente. 
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a very large skillet. Add the red pepper and a pinch of salt and cook 1-2 minutes, "until golden."
• Add the capers and anchovies. Let cook until the anchovies have "dissolved" into the oil, smashing them to help them along, about 3-4 minutes.
• Add kale and a splash of water.
• Saute until the kale is wilted, a few minutes. 
• Remove from heat and add black pepper.
• Serve with lemon and cheese (both optional). 

CSA Week 22

This is the final week of the CSA. The share includes sweet potatoes, onions, butternut squash, watermelon radishes, salad turnips, sweet peppers, kale, baby(ish) lettuce, tatsoi, spinach, carrots, a giant kohlrabi, parsley, and broccoli.

CSA Week 21 - October 24th - cabbage and sweet potato coconut curry

It wasn't a stellar week of CSA utilization, but I've been doing my best to make up for it this weekend. I've been making fajita salad, freezing peppers, experimenting with dehydrating radishes (post to come if results are positive), and making this - a warm, delicious, straightforward, coconut curry with vaguely Caribbean tendencies.

I had planned to make it with Madras curry powder, but I ended up picking up a jar of Jamaican curry powder (this one) at Jungle Jim's yesterday. I like the idea that by altering the particular curry blend (I have used Madras, Thai red curry paste, and Jamaican in various dishes) I can "push" a dish towards a certain part of the world or culinary tradition. The differences between them are going to vary by brand if you're not making your own blends and of course a lot of brands don't reveal all the spices they contain. That being said, even though the first four spices (turmeric, coriander, fenugreek, and cumin) listed on the Jamaican and Madras ingredient labels are the same, I know that the former contains allspice, whereas the latter does not. If my nose had to guess the Jamaican doesn't have Asafoetida like the Madras, either. Thai curry paste is a totally different animal. The first ingredient in mine is red chili pepper and it contains lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime. I also usually put a lot more of this one in a dish when seasoning it - I think the flavor is less concentrated. That being said, it would probably be equally delicious here used in the right proportions.

But let's be honest, it's really all about the coconut milk. Even without the curry coconut milk can perform magic. Coconut milk seeps into every corner of every ingredient, giving everything a luxurious flavor and mouthfeel. The spice blend just puts things over the top. Plus, the "flavor profile" of coconut curry is so adaptable (see here and here - both Thai variations).

As we were eating, Jonathan remarked that this would be good with some jerk chicken. Then we both recalled that our favorite Jamaican restaurant serves a couple of vaguely similar dishes - Mango Rundown Tofu/Salmon/Catfish/Shrimp, which has a similar flavor profile (though it's been awhile), and Mountain Boy Stir Fry, which is primarily cabbage, if I recall. Though this dish originally came from a site called, "My Columbian Recipes," I think I was on to something with the Jamaican thing.

Cabbage and Sweet Potato Coconut Curry 
Adapted from here
Ingredients

• 3 tbsp. vegetable oil 
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
• 2 small-to-medium or 1 large onion 
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin (I used pre-ground, fearing the freshly ground would be too intense for this)
• 1 1/2 - 2 tsp. curry powder (I used this, see above)
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 13.5-oz (or so) can coconut milk 
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 3/4 tsp. salt, or to taste (will depend on the saltiness of the tomato sauce, too), divided 
• 2 large sweet potatoes (I used 4 CSA sweet potatoes), peeled and cubed
• 1 large white potato (I used 2 yukon golds), peeled and cubed
• 1 head cabbage shredded
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1-2 tbsp. lime juice, or to taste, from about 1/2 lime
• 1 cup frozen peas

Directions

• In a stock pot, heat the oil over medium heat. 
• Add the onion and pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften. 
• Add the cabbage and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage collapses and maybe even takes on some color.
• Add the sweet and white potatoes, mix, and cook a few more minutes.
• Add the garlic, cumin, and curry, and cook about 1 minute, until fragrant.
• Add the broth, coconut milk, and tomato sauce, tomato paste, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low.
• Add the shredded coconut, then cover and cook about 30 minutes, until potatoes are tender. 
• Once the curry has been simmering about 10 or 15 minutes taste and add more salt if needed, I added another 1/4 tsp. during simmering.
• When potatoes are cooked uncover and stir in the peas and 1 tbsp. lime juice. Taste and add more salt and lime if needed. I added another 1/2 tbsp. lime.
• Grind or sprinkle with a little extra salt when serving, if desired. 
• Serve with rice (I used long grain cooked in the following ratio: 1 cup rice: 2 cups water: 1 tbsp. unsalted butter: 1/2 tsp. salt. You may want to increase the amount of rice by 50-100% to go with the amount of curry.)

CSA Week 20 - October 18th - bacon braised green beans

Our first frost set in pretty much right on schedule just ahead of week 21. That means we've continued to have a good supply of beans throughout the last weeks of the CSA.

This is a delicious and easy way to prepare them. Actually, it's my favorite way of those posted on this blog (here, here, and here). The beans turn out smoky, sweet and salty. They're not heavy or greasy as long as you drain most of the bacon fat (a change I made from the original recipe). The amounts of the ingredients are flexible (particularly the bacon), but I will offer one option below.

Bacon Braised Green Beans 
Adapted from here
Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. cooking oil
• 3 slices bacon, optionally diced before cooking, though I find it so much easier to dice it after cooking 
• 1 small-to-medium red or yellow onion, thinly sliced
• A couple pinches of sugar 
• 1 tbsp. thinly sliced garlic
• 1 pound green beans, trimmed
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp. salt 
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Directions

• Set a pot over medium heat and add the oil. Once the oil is hot add the bacon and cook, turning/stirring until browned. Remove the bacon and dice it if necessary. Drain off most of the fat, but save some to cook and flavor the remaining ingredients. 
• Add the onion and sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add the bacon, garlic, and green beans and toss to combine with the onions.
• Increase the heat to medium high and add the water. As soon was the water boils, place the lid on the pot and cook for about 6 minutes, lowering the heat if needed. 
• Remove the lid and add the salt. Continue to cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is evaporated and the beans are nicely glazed. Season with the pepper.