Thanks to Rhea Kennedy for this post. Rhea blogs over at You Are Delicious.
As a kid growing up in New York’s Hudson Valley, I learned a lot about the Iroquois, the group of Native American tribes indigenous to that area. I loved to hear about the stories, beliefs, language, and everyday practices that made up the traditional Iroquois way of life. But what fascinated me the most was, not surprisingly, their food. “They used every part of the animal,” I remember an elementary school teacher explaining to my class. “The meat, the hide or the feathers, the bones—everything!”
Now that I think of it, this was probably my first lesson in sustainable eating. And I was mesmerized. Those traditional Iroquois, as far as I was concerned, were the coolest thing ever.
More and recipes, below the jump…
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I used to not really get quinoa. I’m sure there are some of you nodding your head in agreement. It’s hard to get excited about something that has so little taste.
But that’s because I had only had it mainly by itself. Quinoa is so ubiquitous here in the Bay Area, that once my friend Dorit showed up at a potluck announcing “I brought the requisite Berkeley quinoa,” and we all knew exactly what she meant. A Berkeley Jewish potluck isn’t a potluck without someone making quinoa.
But I digress.
I have since come around on the neutral little seed. First of all, it has protein. Second, it takes on whatever flavor you put with it. It mixes well with other ingredients and doesn’t dominate. And, it cooks in only 15 minutes.
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Approx. 3 1/2 cups of pureed winter squash
3/4 cup apple juice or cider
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Juice of half a lemon
Combine pumpkin, apple juice, spices, and sugar in a large saucepan; stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened. Stir frequently. Adjust spices to taste. Stir in lemon juice, or more to taste.
Once cool, pumpkin butter can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for months.
To preserve:
Spoon hot pumpkin mixture into hot jars, filling to within 1/4 inch from top. Remove air bubbles; wipe jar rims. Cover at once with metal lids, and screw on bands. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Not only will these methods make your decorations serve dual functions (a help for small budgets in rough times), they’ll also reduce the amount of space in your house dedicated to storing boxes of tinsel. Write in with your own ideas for how to make your Sukkot bounty last all year.
Adapted from AllRecipes
Photo credit: Fat Free Vegan
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Make an infusion of 4 T dried or 8 T chopped fresh sage leaves and one cup of boiling water, simmered together for about ten minutes, uncovered. Strain through a cloth strainer for about ½ cup sage infusion.
Add to this:
3 ½ cups granulated sugar (I sometimes reduce the sugar in her recipes)
1 cup fresh apple cider
¼ cup lemon juice
As it comes to a boil, add:
½ bottle Certo (extra points for anyone who can come up with a non-Kraft product to substitute for liquid pectin)
Stir well again as it comes to a boil and boil for about one minute. Pour immediately into clean jelly glasses (five ounce canning jars), process and serve with roast meats or cheeses.
Recipe from Fine Preserving
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Cantaloupe-Jalapeno Gazpacho
This is an easy soup course or palate-cleanser. The flecks of green against the orange make for a lovely presentation.
1 medium cantaloupe, seeded, rind removed, and cut into chunks
1 cup seltzer
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1-2 jalapenos, seeded and finely diced (you may want to wear a plastic bag or latex glove over the hand that will come in contact with the pepper)
In a blender or food processor, combine cantaloupe, seltzer, and lemon juice. Puree, then transfer to serving bowl or individual bowls. Sprinkle with the diced jalapeno.
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Sassy Tomato Sauce
Adapted from Epicurious. Romas (aka plum tomatoes) work best for sauce, but any kind of tomatoes you come across this fall (or high quality canned tomatoes) will work. Use this sauce to make shakshuka for your Rosh Hashanah guests. The sauce keeps well in the fridge thanks to the peppers’ antimicrobial properties, and of course stays fresh even longer in the freezer. You can make a big batch of this, then freeze in glass jars (leave plenty of headroom!) to use through the winter.
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 fresh red cayenne peppers, with or without seeds removed, depending on how spicy you want your sauce, diced (wear a plastic bag or latex glove over the hand that will come in contact with the pepper)
3 tsp. dried herbs (mix and match oregano, basil, rosemary, marjoram or others)
2 lbs plum/Roma tomatoes (about 16 tomatoes), washed and tops cut off or scooped out with a tomato shark. You can also use 2 28-ounce cans canned tomatoes.
1 15-oz can crushed or diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1/2 cup dry red wine (optional)
Salt to taste
Skin the tomatoes by blanching them in boiling water for a minute or so, until the skin bursts. Remove from the water and, when cool enough to handle, remove the skins. Then chop the tomatoes, discarding the seeds and juice that will run off onto your cutting board.
Heat olive oil on medium in a large saucepan with a heavy bottom. Sauté onions until translucent, then add garlic and Serranos and sauté until the garlic is fragrant. Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how much time you have and how thick you want your sauce!
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Brown Rice Singapore Noodles
4 oz rice vermicelli noodles or buckwheat noodles
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1½ teaspoons Madras curry powder
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons peanut or canola oil
1 lb seitan
1 onion—finely chopped
1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
4 mushrooms—thickly sliced
2 cloves garlic—minced (crushed)
2 cups finely shredded cabbage
2 cups bean sprouts
1 scallion —thinly sliced on the diagonal
Cook the rice noodles, then rinse under cold water and set aside. Mix together the soy sauce, brown sugar, salt, curry powder and pepper in a small bowl.
Heat a wok or large skillet over a high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and stir-fry the seitan for 2 minutes. Remove the seitan from the wok and set aside on a plate. Heat the remaining oil in the wok and stir-fry the onion for 3 minutes. Add the cabbage and stir-fry for 2 minutes more.
Add the garlic, ginger, bean sprouts and mushrooms and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the noodles, seitan, sauce mixture and scallion and cook for a minute to thoroughly combine and heat through. Garnish with the reserved scallion.
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Scrambled Tofu w/ Leeks and Sauteed Greens
1 lb extra firm tofu
1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 tsp curry powder
3 big handfuls spinach leaves, stemmed
½ tsp fine grain sea salt, plus more if needed
Drain any water from the tofu and press it between a couple of paper towels to release excess moisture, then crumble into smaller pieces.
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat, add the garlic and onion and sauté for just a few minutes until they soften up. Stir in the curry powder and then the tofu. Cover and cook for 4 or 5 minutes, until the tofu is thoroughly heated. Add the spinach and stir for a minute or so, until it wilts and collapses, then stir in the salt. Taste and adjust the seasoning with either more curry powder or salt.
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Note: this recipe makes a very large pot of soup - if you are not feeding a large crowd you can half the recipe or freeze a few portions of the soup. Its great to have individual portions of soup you can pull out of your freezer and take to work, or to have a batch of soup you can just warm up for dinner after a long day!
Serves: 8-10 servings
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 medium onions
2 medium parsnips or turnips (or one of each)
1 medium potato
3 stalks celery
2 medium carrots
3 cloves garlic
1 one-inch piece ginger, peeled
2 cups red lentils, rinsed and drained
8 cups vegetable stock or water
1 cup canned diced tomatoes in juice, or fresh tomatoes peeled and chopped
1 tablespoons cumin (or more to taste)
1 tablespoons coriander (or more to taste)
2 cinnamon sticks or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 lemon
1 bunch flat leaf/Italian parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. Cut onions, parsnip and/or turnip, carrots celery and potato into small pieces, about ¼ - ½ inch. Mince garlic.
2. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add vegetables sauté until they begin to soften and lightly caramelize.
3. While vegetables are cooking zest the lemon with a zester or fine greater. Set zest aside in a small bowl. In a separate bowl squeeze the juice of the lemon and set aside.
4. Add ginger root, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and lemon zest to the pot. Stir until evenly combined. You should be able to smell the spices cooking in the oil.
5. Add tomatoes, vegetable stock or water, and lentils; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium–low, cover, and simmer. (if not enough liquid add additional water). Cook until tomatoes and lentils have broken down and soup has come to a smooth consistency.
6. Season with salt, black pepper additional spices, and lemon juice to taste.
7. Garnish with chopped parsley
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Bitter Green Salad with Roasted Pears
For the salad:
8 firm Bosc pears, peeled, cored and cut lengthwise into 8 wedges
11/2 Tblsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 sm. head chicory
1 sm. head escarole
1 sm. head radicchio
1 bunch watercress, coarse stems discarded
1 bunch mizuna, coarse stems discarded
1 sm. head romaine
For the dressing:
1 Tblsp. finely chopped shallot
21/2 Tblsp. cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. honey
¼ tsp. salt
¡ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
¼ c. plus 1 Tblsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Set the oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425? F.
Place the pears in a zip-close plastic bag and add the oil. Toss to coat, then arrange the pears in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper.
Roast pears, flipping twice, until they are tender and beginning to brown, about 20 to 30 minutes. Cool about 15 minutes.
While the pears roast, tear enough tender chicory and escarole leaves (discard tough ribs) into bite-size pieces to measure 6 cups. Tear enough radicchio, watercress, mizuna and romaine into bite-size pieces to measure 10 cups.
In a large bowl, toss the greens. Set aside.
To make the dressing, in a small bowl whisk together the shallot, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. In a slow stream, while whisking, add oil. Continue whisking until emulsified.
Just before serving, add the roasted pears to the greens, then drizzle with dressing and toss to coat.
Makes 10 to 12 servings.
Much of this salad can be prepared in advance. The greens can be washed and dried a day ahead, then chilled, wrapped in paper towels in a sealed plastic bag. The pears can be roasted four hours ahead and kept at room temperature.
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Kezach Bread of Wonder (not to be mistaken with Wonder Bread)
Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 package of dry yeast
1 (heaping) tbs. brown sugar
1.5 cups wheat semolina
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbs. olive oil
3 tbs. black cumin
1 tbs. kosher salt
Preparation:
- Combine water (warm it up first), brown sugar, and yeast in mixing bowl. Let sit for five minutes or until all yeast is dissolved and there is a foamy coating on the surface.
- Add wheat semolina, whole wheat flour, and cumin seeds. Mix well.
- Cover with damp dishtowel and let rise for one hour.
- Uncover after an hour and knead dough (if it is too gooey, add some extra whole wheat flour). Return it to bowl, cover, and let rise for 30 more minutes.
- Uncover and knead again, this time shaping it into a log-like form that fits your bread pan.
- Top with a sprinkling of kosher salt and cumin seeds, let rise for 30 more minutes while your oven heats up.
- Bake in oven at about 180 degrees Celsius until golden brown on top and sounds hollow when tapped.
Serve warm or cold, tastes great with butter, cottage, cream cheese, and more. Also great toasted.
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Braised Carrots with Olives and Mint
Serves 6
3 pounds carrots peeled
3/4 teaspoon whole coriander seed
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 large sprig of mint plus mint leaves for garnish
11/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons honey
3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
1, 2 inch piece cinnamon stick
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup oil cured black olives, pitted
1. Quarter the carrots lengthwise and cut into 1 inch lengths
2. Combine the carrots in a sauce pan with coriander, cayenne, mint sprig, lemon juice, honey and water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat.
3. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes until the carrots are tender. Discard the mint sprig and cinnamon stick.
4. Transfer the carrots with a slotted spoon to a serving dish. Pour back any juices into the pan. Set the pan over high heat and boil until reduced to 3 tablespoons.
5. Stir vinegar and olive oil into the reduced pan juices.
6. Toss the carrots with the pan juices. Stir in the olives and season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with chopped mint.
Roasted Asparagus with Garlic
Serves 6
2 bunches thick asparagus
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1 lemon, squeezed
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Trim away the bottom 1/2-inch or so of the asparagus stalks.
3. Arrange the asparagus on a baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with the oil, garlic, salt and pepper and toss to coat.
4. Roast in the oven for 8-10 minutes until crisp tender.
5. Arrange on a platter and sprinkle with lemon juice to taste. Serve hot or at room temperature. Can be prepared up to a day in advance.
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Salad of Bitter Greens with Lemon Vinaigrette
Serves 6
2 bunch watercress
2 heads frisee (French curly endive)
1 Belgian endive cored and sliced
1 green apple, cut into julienne, or very thinly sliced
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
9 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1. In a large bowl whisk the lemon juice, honey and Dijon mustard. Whisk in the oil until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Toss in watercress, frisee, endive and apple. Sprinkle with chives and serve.
