A Holiday Essence

Just to clarify and make sure you don't think we've became a vegetarian blog (although there are quite a few I read and regularly enjoy) I thought I'd share a dish that perhaps illustrates best the approach that we're taking to what Daniel mentioned in his previous post. I've titled the post just the essence because it shows how little of something we can use and still find a delicious and satisfying tribute to the holidays. 

The idea for the dish was a little bit of an accident. I was making myself dinner one night during the week when Daniel had to work and thought I was thawing some leftover soup. As a finished thawing and warming it up, I realized that what I had accidentally thawed instead was the remnants of the turkey stock we made after Thanksgiving. I decided to keep it in the fridge for a day, hoping to come across a use for it that would provide a veggy heavy tribute to holiday indulgences. While looking across our newest cookbook, Peter Berley's The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen, I came across a recipe for an Autumn Quinoa Risotto with Pumpkin and Sage. Obviously, its no longer autumn, but I decided a winter squash or butternut squash might work out okay.

To my delight, not only did the squash substitute work out perfectly, but the addition of the quinoa in the risotto made the dish exceptionally filling without becoming too starchy. The balance between the protein rich quinoa and the arborio rice, combined with the squash, turkey broth, and sage flavors made the dish a satisfying reward for a long January day. 

Quinoa Risotto with Butternut Squash adapted from The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen

 4-5 Cups Stock
Olive Oil to Coat the Pan
1/2 Cup Leek finely chopped (white part)
2 Cups cubed butternut or winter squash
1/2 Cup Arborio Rice
1/3 Cup Quinoa
2 Tbsp Mirin
4 Finely choopped Sage Leaves
Salt & Pepper
Toasted Pumpkin or Large Squash Seeds

1. In heavy saucepan, bring stock to boil and reduce heat to simmer.
2.In saucepan over medium heat, warm oil and saute leek for 2 minutes. Add squash and saute another 3-4 minutes. Add rice & quinoa grains and suate, stirring for 2 minutes until grains are fragrant.
3. Add mirin and sage and cook until dry. Ladle in broth or sotck 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until the liquid has been absorbed before adding each subsequent 1/2 cup. Repeat until grains are tender and creamy 20-25 minutes.
4. Remove from heat. Add salt & pepper to taste. Plate with toasted pumpkin or squash seeds to garnish.

Something to Warm the October Chill

This is the first official cold weather soup post. I thought it may be important to mark the occasion, as I'm quite sure there will be many many more to follow. I just hope that some of you enjoy soup as much as I do. Even Daniel gets pretty tired of my automatic response to "what would you like for dinner" when its cold, although he continues to kindly oblige with soups and stews to keep us warm. I'm not sure if I could tolerate somewhere much colder than it is hear, although I suppose once you adapt its not so bad.

So, the story of the soup. After trying a chicken and rutabaga concoction Daniel had made a few weeks ago, I'd decided that the smoky and spicy taste of chipotle peppers in adobo would make a delicious addition to a soup or stew in the not so distant future. Since it has been rather chilly the last week or so here (at least in my book, but take that for what you will), I thought this would be the perfect opportunity.

I think besides the warming effect, one the things I love about making soup is the type of freedom you feel knowing that you can freely combine a few key ingredients and spices and end up with something warm and comforting. So, opening the fridge, I see that we have some Spanish chorizo Daniel picked up earlier in the week. Spanish chorizo can be less spicy than Mexican chorizo because its seasoned with paprika and dried peppers whereas Mexican chorizo typically uses more chili powder. I decided that the smokiness of the chorizo would work well with the chipotle peppers, so I combined the two, a little bit of tomato paste and some canned tomatoes. Once I finished, I decided that on its own the soup somewhat lacked an appropriate consistency, so I added a little bit of quinoa to obtain a nice stew-like texture.

Overall, the soup was perfect for the chilly evening, a little bit spicy but not overpowering thanks to the tomato base and the quinoa, and warmly satisfying for the beginning of what I'm sure will be a long and cold few months.

Chipotle Chorizo Tomato Soup with Quinoa

Approx 4 Ounces Spanish Chorizo, casings removed.

1/2 Small Onion

1 Garlic Clove

1/2 Tsp Paprika

Peppers from 1/2 Can of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce; Diced

1 Small Can Tomato Paste

1 Large Can Whole Tomatoes

4 Cups Water

1/2 Cup Quinoa  

1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil (if needed)

Salt & Pepper to Taste

1. Cook chorizo in heavy saucepan over medium high hat, using oil to coat pan if needed, but be aware that chorizo can render a higher fat content than some sausage. Once sausage begins to cook and render some of its juices, add onions and garlic and saute together. Once cooked, carefully drain excess oil, leaving approximatley 1 tbsp (should be bright red/orange colored). 

2. Add tomato paste and paprika and stir evenly for approx one minute over medium heat. Add can of tomatoes including juice and chipotle peppers. Bring to a simmer and begin gently crushing tomatoes with back of spoon.

3. Begin adding water. Bring to a simmer and allow soup to reduce slightly for approximately ten minutes.

4. Rinse quinoa in warm water. Stir rinsed quinoa into simmering soup. Allow soup to simmer for 15-20 minutes until quinoa grains begin to separate.

5. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Serve warm with optional garnish of cojita crumbles.

Patience+Local Ingredients=One Tasty Pig

Dawn and I went to the North Market in the Arena District the other day to look at the cheese shop, the outside farmers market, and we refrained from some of the most incredible ice cream in the world (Jeni's). I had a pork loin brining the refrigerator that I was unsure of how I was going to cook before we went on our adventure. Call me crazy but there is some kind of last minute instinct in me concerning cooking that makes the composition of a meal fascinating . To think that the small amount of salt and vinegar with water can seal in the juices of a pork loin so well. Each element working like a collage and then topping the collage off with whole grain mustard to roast.

The mustard caught my eye as I was looking through their case for their assorted cheese curds that make me happy. On the top of the clear plastic container was written in permanent ink Pommery. I suspected this was some region of France with their mustard infatuation. I later learned after a short conversation that French Pommery mustard is typically made in Meaux. They refrained from telling me if this particular mustard was made locally or actually in Meaux, but it looked and tasted incredible, so it made no difference to me.

We also had some gorgeous golden beets and many other alliterations to go with the meal. The kind fellow at the local farm where we purchased the beets told us they purchased a planter that allows them to plant the golden beets when already partially germinated. Why does this matter you might ask? Golden beets have a much longer germination period which disallows them to be harvested at the same time as red beets if at all here in Ohio. Enough beet factoids, though and on to the recipes.

Cider Brined Pork with Pommery Crust

1- 2 1/2 # pork loin roast

1/4 C Pommery or similar whole grain mustard

6 C. Water

3/4 C. apple cider vinegar

1/4 C. white vinegar

5 T. coarse kosher salt

6 garlic cloves halved

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

Place pork loin in large bowl and submerge in water combined with vinegars and salt. Let sit covered in refrigerator for at least twenty-four hours up to seventy-two. Remove from brine and pat dry. Cut small incision in roast just large enough to insert garlic cloves. Rub with oil and cover roast liberally with pommery mustard. Pour brining liquid into roasting pan and place roast on rack inside pan and cover with aluminum foil. Make sure liquid is not touching bottom of roast. Roast at 400 degrees for approximately an hour or until thermometer registers 150 degrees. Let roast rest for about fifteen minutes before slicing.

Warm Golden Beet and Quinoa Salad

3-4 Medium Sized Golden Beets; Stems Removed; Unpeeled

1/2 Cup Red Quinoa; rinsed

1 Cup Water

2 Cloves Garlic; Chopped

1/2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 Lemon

1 Tbsp Fresh Dill

1/4 Cup Goat Cheese Crumbles

1. Preheat oven to 400. Wash beets and wrap individually in foil. Once preheat, place beets on baking sheet or in roasting pan and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until can easily be pierced with a fork.

2. After removing beets from oven, allow to rest until cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, add olive oil to heavy saucepan and saute garlic over medium high heat until beginning to brown. Add quinoa and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cover. Allow to simmer until grains begin to separate; approximatley 15 minutes.

3. While the quinoa is simmering, remove beets from foil. Peel, and cut roasted beets into bite-sized cubes. 

4. Once quinoa has completed cooking. Remove from heat. Add cubed beets and quinoa to serving dish stirring lightly. Squeeze juice from half of a lemon over salad. Add chopped dill and goat cheese crumbles. Salt & pepper to season as desired and serve immediately.