Pumpkin and Black Bean Chili

Pasta is my default entree, my go-to for dinner. I can tear into a baked ziti, a mac-n-cheese or a lasagna like nobody's business. But I'm starting to see that I have a culinary weakness--  I don't have a large non-pasta, main-dish repertoire. And I need to branch out. Indian and Ethiopian cuisine are two great ethnic choices to draw from. But at the end of the day I'd rather do take-out because the Indian restaurants in our neighborhood are actually quite good. And as far as Ethiopian food goes, I mean who can really compete with Meskerem, which is only a few stops away on the B train. For a few bucks and a subway ride, I've got 8 delicious Ethiopian mezes...all without even messing up a pot. But I've come to the point in my life where I have to start making great mains that aren't Italian pastas. This is me taking a stab at it. And the verdict? Well let's just say, mission accomplished. 

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Pumpkin and Black Bean Chili is seasonal, flavorful, spicy, easy to make, packed with protein and it will warm you up on a cold night.  This was my first attempt at making chili at home and it was a total success. 
Getting the 'pumpkin meat' out of the shell was a fun little exercise that had me heating the pumpkin in a 450 degree oven for a few minutes, then wrapping it in a towel and smashing it on the ground until the shell completely opened.  What a great way to get out stress or extra energy! When I googled "how can I cut through a pumpkin shell/skin" I kept on getting advice that required me to use a microwave. Well, I don't have one.  So after calling a friend and using my smarts, I got to the pumpkin meat by the method described above. It was pretty easy. I also used a habanero sauce I got in Belize, which infused the chili with more great heat.  

Pumpkin and Black Bean Chili 
Adapted from Good Food, Good Wine and a Bad Girl, 
by way of Saveur Magazine, January 2010
1 small pie pumpkin
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (28 oz) plum tomatoes.  (The original recipe calls for chopped tomatoes, but I ran mine through the blender really quickly because I am not a fan of super chunky tomatoes.) 
2 cans (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 bottle (300 ml) stout (such as Guinness or Dragon) OR (this is my adaptation) 200 ml of Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout.  It wasn't sure it would work, but it was a really nice pick and/or gamble. 
2 tbsp brown sugar or maple syrup
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp each cinnamon and oregano
1 individual chipotle pepper, finely minced 
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped 
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 pinch of Ancho Chili Powder (I added this and it gave the chili some nice, smooth heat.)

I added a few drops of Marie Sharp's Habanero Pepper Sauce. Pop!

For garnish: a tablespoon of chopped scallion, a dollop of sour cream, and a bit of good cheddar cheese. (All optional, but really the way to go.)

Directions
Using a sharp paring knife, cut the pumpkin into 1/2" cubes.
Pour the olive oil into a large heavy-bottomed pot set over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and squash, and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, or until onion is golden. Stir in tomatoes, beans, beer, brown sugar, spices and chipotle peppers.
Bring the chili to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. Stir in red pepper and corn, and continue simmering for another 5-10 minutes or until corn is bright yellow and peppers are soft.
Optional: Add a pinch of Ancho Chili Powder and/or Habanero Pepper Sauce.  Adjust heat and seasonings to your liking.
Serve piping hot with your favorite chili toppings. 

Lentil Overload: Side and Soup

The word legume is derived from the Latin word legumen which is believed to come from the verb legere "to gather."  Well-known legumes include peas, beans, lentils, lupins, carob, soy, and peanuts.  For almost 6,000 years of human civilization, legumes have been an important source of protein and used when meat sources weren't available. Being a vegetarian, legumes are a great addition to my diet.  These two recipes are wonderful. The first comes from the Williams Sonoma Vegetarian cookbook.  We just got a boat load of red onion and red peppers in our CSA share, so this zippy little lentil salad is perfect for this week.  I also have left over feta cheese from the Pumpkin-Feta Muffins I made a few days ago.  Perfect! I'm a huge fan of the vinaigrette that coats the lentils.  Oh, it is yummy.  This side dish is also versatile: Baby Otis loves the lentil salad when it is pureed into a soup.  The lentils can also be added to noodles for a flavorful pasta salad.  You can try small white (navy), pinto or black beans if you want to change things up.  Fresh goat cheese can be substituted for the feta if you are craving something more creamy.  The second recipe comes from Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa series).  One of our closest friends Andrew's sister-in-law recommended this recipe and I can see why.  It's flavorful, rich and (as an added bonus) it uses our CSA leeks, onions, carrots, garlic and celery.  Like the Lentil Salad, it can be pureed if you desire a smoother consistency. It is also an easy protein-rich baby food...you know, if that's your thing.  Lentil Salad with Red Pepper, Mint and Feta (Courtesy of Williams Sonoma Vegetarian) 1 cup (7 oz) dried lentils 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 5 tablespoons red wine vinegar, plus vinegar to taste 2 cloves minced garlic 1/2 teaspoon of cumin salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 small red onion, diced 1 red bell pepper, seeded, deribbed and finely diced 1/4 cup (1/4 oz) chopped fresh mint, plus mint sprigs for garnish 6 oz feta cheese, crumbled Directions Rinse the lentils and drain, then transfer to a saucepan and add water to cover by 2 inches.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the lentils are tender, 15-20 minutes.  Remove from the heat, drain immediately and place in a bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, the 5 tablespoons of vinegar, garlic, cumin and salt and pepper to taste.  Add to the warm lentils and toss together to coat evenly.  Add the onion and bell pepper and gently.  Let stand for 20 minutes at room temperature. Season to taste with more salt, pepper and vinegar, if necessary.  Add the mint and toss to mix well.  Add the feta (save a bit for garnish). Transfer to a platter or individual plates.  Garnish with mint sprigs.  Enjoy! Serves 6 ***

Ina Garten's Lentil Vegetable Soup (Courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa) Ingredients 1 pound French green lentils 4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large onions) 4 cups chopped leeks, white part only (2 leeks) 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves) 1/4 cup good olive oil, plus additional for drizzling on top 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried 1 teaspoon ground cumin 3 cups medium-diced celery (8 stalks) 3 cups medium-diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots) 3 quarts vegetable stock 1/4 cup tomato paste 2 tablespoons red wine or red wine vinegar Freshly grated Parmesan cheese Directions In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain. In a large stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions, leeks, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are translucent and very tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for 10 more minutes. Add the vegetable stock, tomato paste, and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until the lentils are cooked through. Check the seasonings. (I had to add a little bit more salt.) Add the red wine and serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan.  Serves 8-10.

Pumpkin-Feta Muffins

This weekend I am baking Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting for a Rally to Restore Sanity Cousin's Party. I am also making a Pumpkin-Black Bean Chili for Saturday night dinner. And now I'm using pumpkin to make savory muffins instead of sweet ones. It's safe to say that no one in my household is going to have a Vitamin A deficiency.
(I also made these muffins with butternut squash, but I think the pumpkin is much better.  The photos are of the butternut muffins.)
This recipe comes from the Martha Goes Green cookbook and was featured on 101 Cookbooks. The cookbook was written by Rosie and Ruth, two vegetarians from Australia. I figured if I didn't change my recipe sources soon, I was in danger of becoming Julie-and-Julia, but more like Batya-and-Ina. So here we go, mixing things up a bit.

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Post-baking note: These came out a little bit more dense than I thought they would be.  They are more scone-like.  I adapted the recipe (less flour and more squash/pumpkin) and next time I will add 1 tablespoon of olive oil or melted butter and a bit more salt.
I really like the originality of the ingredient combination.  I hadn't thought to put pumpkin with feta and spinach or to use sunflower seeds in a savory muffin.  If you are able to figure out how to make these a wee-bit more fluffy and moist, do let me know.  Until then, happy baking and have a great Halloween weekend!

Post-post baking note: Okay, I spoke with someone who bakes quite often.  She said that if you sift the flour (as per instructions) that will help with the 'lightness' and will make the muffins less dense.  I didn't do this.  Instead, I slowly introduced the flour using a fork (from a measuring cup). I don't have a sifter, but I'm going to get one this week.  Next time I will sift!

Pumpkin-Feta Muffins
(Adapted from the Martha Goes Green cookbook by Rosie Percival and Ruth Friedlander)
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 cups  cubed pumpkin, diced into 1/2-inch cubes (as an alternative, use butternut squash)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large handful of baby spinach, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 tablespoons sunflower seeds (kernels)
3/4 cup / 1 oz  freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 cup/ 3.5 oz cubed feta
2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup  milk
1 3/4 cups flour (The original recipe has 2 cups of flour, but I thought that made it a bit too dense.)
4 teaspoons aluminum free baking powder
1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
Preparation
Preheat oven to 405F, with rack in the top third.  Butter (grease) a 12-hole muffin pan and set aside.

Sprinkle the olive oil and some salt and pepper over the squash. Toss well and turn onto a baking sheet or roasting pan. Arrange in a single layer and bake for 25 - 35 minutes or until cooked through entirely (my oven heat isn't great, so it took me 40 minutes). Set aside to cool.

Transfer two-thirds of the squash to a large mixing bowl along with the spinach, parsley, sunflower seeds, Parmesan, the feta, and the mustard. Gently fold together. In a separate bowl beat the eggs and milk together and add to the squash mix. Sift the flour and baking powder onto the squash mix.  Then add the salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Fold together just until the batter comes together, be careful not to over mix.
Spoon the mixture into a greased 12 hole muffin tray.  Top each muffin with a few cubes of squash (it looks really nice).  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the tops and sides of the muffins are golden, and the muffins have set up completely. Let cool for a couple minutes then turn out onto a cooling rack.
You can serve as is or with a little pat of butter.
Makes 12 muffins.

Martha's Macaroni and Cheese

This is the best macaroni and cheese I've ever made.  I love it.  I make it once a month or so.  It's absolutely perfect for a chilly, late-autumn night and you know those are coming...

Thanks Martha!

Martha's Macaroni and Cheese (Adapted from Martha Stewart)
Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for casserole
2 3/4 cups milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons coarse salt, plus more for water
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (plus)
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 ounces grated sharp white cheddar cheese (I like to use a Dubliner Irish)
1 cups (about 4 ounces) grated Gruyère or 1/2 cups (about 2 ounces) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/2 pound elbow macaroni

3/4 to 1 cup of Panko or bread crumbs (enough to cover top layer)

Directions
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. 

In a high-sided skillet, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat.  When the butter bubbles, add the flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.
While whisking, slowly pour in the hot milk a little at a time to keep mixture smooth. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick, 8 to 12 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cheddar cheese, and  Gruyère (or Pecorino Romano)*; set the cheese sauce aside. 

[*Save some of the hard cheese (let's say 1/2 cup) for the top layer.  Sprinkle it on right before you add the panko or bread crumbs.]
Cover a large pot of salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook the macaroni until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well.  Stir the macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.
Pour the mixture into the prepared dish.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese and the breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until golden brown, about 40 minutes (time may vary depending on your oven heat). Transfer the dish to a wire rack for 5 minutes; serve.

Serves 6 (double recipe for 12)

Storm King (Revisited) and Italian Caesar Salad Polenta Croutons

Once again, the Northeast had an incredible autumn weekend.  This season we've gone apple picking and leaf picking. We had plans to go pumpkin picking (or is it gathering) at a local patch, but our friends wanted to go to Storm King and I was more than happy to go back even though I was there last weekend.  I only got to see half of the sculpture garden on my original trip (it is hundreds of acres) and knowing that the leaves change colors from week-to-week, I was looking forward to another visit...

It was a beautiful afternoon and perfect weather for a picnic. We purchased sandwiches at the Storm King Cafe (very reasonably priced) and I made French Potato Salad and an Italian Caesar Salad with Polenta Croutons. This recipe is from Giada de Laurentiis, though I was first introduced to it when we went to Jenni and Ori's place for dinner. While I normally do not go gaga for sundried tomatoes, in this salad they are delicious and essential. I love the flavor from the toasted pinenuts and the originality of using polenta as croutons instead of bread. It's more labor intensive than your average salad, but I had a bit of time and I wanted to try something new. I made the polenta and vinaigrette the night before. I toasted the pinenuts in advance too and put them in a small container with the shredded parmesan.  The romaine was washed, spun and chopped the night before as well. All I had to do prior to our departure for Storm King was sliver some sundried tomatoes and lightly panfry the polenta.  I adapted this recipe slightly and made it vegetarian by omitting the anchovy fillets. I also skipped the step that required me to grill the lettuce. It was fine without this method of preparation, but try it both ways if you have the right equipment. Unless you are having company, you can cut this recipe in half.  It will still make 4 salad apps. Enjoy!

Italian Caesar Salad with Polenta Croutons 

(Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis)

Ingredients

Dressing:

• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Polenta Croutons: 

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 cups Basic Polenta, recipe follows
• Vegetable oil, for deep frying

Salad:

• 3 small heads (or 2 large heads) romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
• 1/2 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, cut into thin strips
• 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1 1/2 ounces shaved Parmesan

Directions

To make the dressing: Finely chop the garlic.  Using a blender or food processor (I used the whisk attached to my immersion blender) mix in the lemon juice and mustard. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season the dressing, to taste, with salt and pepper.

To make the croutons (How to make Polenta? See below "Basic Polenta"): Spread the olive oil over a small baking sheet or oven-safe baking dish. Transfer the hot polenta to the baking sheet, spreading evenly to form an 8 by 5 by 3/4-inch-thick rectangle. Cover and refrigerate until cold and firm, about 2 hours.

Cut the polenta into 3/4-inch cubes. Pat the polenta cubes dry with paper towels. Add vegetable oil to a heavy large frying pan so that it coats the pan. Heat the oil over high heat. Working in batches of 10, carefully add the polenta cubes to the oil 1 at a time and fry until golden brown, stirring to keep the cubes separate, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the polenta croutons to a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil.

(If you make the croutons and have leftovers, you can refrigerate them and then rewarm them on a baking sheet in a 350 degrees F oven before serving.)

To make the salad:  Cut the lettuce into bite-size pieces.

On a serving platter, mound the grilled chopped lettuce. Decoratively scatter the sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts. Drizzle with enough dressing to evenly coat. Sprinkle Parmesan and scatter the warm polenta croutons over and serve immediately.

Basic Polenta: 

3 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a heavy large saucepan. Add salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 12 to 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the butter, and stir until melted.

Lightly oil a half sheet pan. Transfer the hot polenta to the prepared baking dish, spreading evenly to 3/4-inch thick. Refrigerate until cold and firm, about 2 hours.

Yield: 2 cups polenta

CookTime: 15 minutes

Inactive Prep Time: 2 hours