Not My Grandmother’s Cranberry Sauce

My Grandma Bryson was a terrific cook, who (as my cousin, Mike Bryson wrote) “routinely prepared elaborate meals singlehandedly in her miniscule kitchen.” Both she and her mother (my great-grandmother Hicks) spent a lot of time with me in the kitchen during family visits, teaching me how to cook and bake. My favorites were her chocolate sauce (which I wrote about last year), cole slaw, and cranberry sauce.

For years, I looked forward to being served her whole-bean cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving. I was convinced it involved complicated preparations and a long-standing family recipe. (Secret family recipes are not, in fact, unheard of in our family.) I don’t remember when I finally asked her to show me how she made it, but I do remember my shocked disbelief when I found out she just used the recipe on the back of the bag of cranberries: 1 bag of cranberries, one cup of water, one cup of sugar, and boil until the cranberries pop.

I’ve continued to enjoy this easy, traditional cranberry sauce but in recent years I’ve also played with new preparations for cranberry sauce and cranberry relish. (My favorite cranberry relish is the one that NPR host Susan Stamberg manages to recite every year - as she says it sounds terrible and tastes terrific, at least if you like onions and horseradish.)

This year, I decided to try a spicy, less sweet, grown-up version of whole-bean cranberry sauce. As usual, I worked with what I had on-hand. I replaced sugar with (a smaller amount of) local honey, then replaced the water with pure unsweetened cranberry juice and red wine. I’d been given some nice jalapeños from a friend’s garden and since I like the combination of sweet and spicy, I chopped up a few and added them to the sauce, seeds and all.  Finally, I cut some fresh mint from the pots on my patio and added a broken-up cinnamon stick.  It was quick and easy, especially since I didn’t bother to seed the jalapeño and just tossed in whole sprigs of mint (then fished them out after the sauce had cooled and the flavor had infused). Any of the proportions can be varied according to your taste – this is a relatively tart sauce with just a hint of heat from the peppers, and a subtle taste of cinnamon and mint.

In a large saucepan combine:

• 1 12-ounce bag fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed and picked over
• 2/3 cup honey (preferably local)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cranberry juice (not cranberry juice cocktail)
• 2/3 cup red wine (use whatever you have on hand and don’t mind drinking)
• 2-3 jalapeños, roughly chopped (remove seeds and ribs if you want the flavor but not the heat – I didn’t remove them)
• several large sprigs of fresh mint (I used about a handful)
• one 6-inch cinnamon stick, broke into pieces

Bring to a boil, stirring frequently and keeping an eye on it to be sure it doesn’t boil over. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer about five minutes until the cranberries have popped. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Remove the mint sprigs and pieces of cinnamon stick. Store in the refrigerator.

Glazed Apples with Bourbon and Ginger

Last fall I had dinner at Busboys and Poets in Washington DC, where I enjoyed a terrific cocktail made with hot apple cider, bourbon and ginger-infused syrup. When I came home, I created my own take on that cocktail and it became one of my favorite cold-weather treats.

The other night, the temperature dropped and I was thinking about that cocktail as I prepared dinner. This was on my mind as I tried to come up with a new, simple side-dish to have with my dinner. I had fresh local apples and just tossed them in lemon juice, cooked them on the stove-top in a little olive oil with honey, cinnamon, bourbon, and ginger liqueur.  Once the liquid had reduced, the apples were starting to get soft and coated in a thick, tasty glaze.

In a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat over medium heat until shimmering:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil

Carefully add to the pan, being careful of spatter from the juice:

• 2 apples, cored, sliced about 1/4-inch thick and then slices cut into thirds, tossed in:
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the apples start to brown a bit, then add to the pan:

• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1/4 cup good-quality bourbon (I like Buffalo Trace)
• 1/4 cup ginger liqueur (I use Domaine de Canton; you substitute another liqueur, but I’d suggest something sweet so you wind up with a caramelized sauce)

Cook for 10-15 minutes, until the liquid is thick and reduced to a syrup and the apples are just starting to get soft.

Autumn Quinoa Salad

I love the start of fall, not only because I get to dig out my blue jeans and jackets and can get a long run in without getting up at the crack of dawn, but because I love how the produce changes with the seasons. I knew fall had arrived when I saw stands of pomegranates on display at the grocery store, along with loads of local apples. When pomegranates went on sale for $1 each, I stocked up and started thinking about what I could make.

I wanted to make something where the flavor and texture of the pomegranate seeds would shine through. Pairing it with quinoa for a protein-rich vegetarian salad seemed like a good idea, but I’ve struggled sometimes with my quinoa retaining a nice texture when I use it in a salad. The dressing can overwhelm it, and turn the texture mushy, which is one reason I’ve started using wheat berries and beans more than quinoa. I was happy to find an easy solution to this problem in a New York Times article. It passes along a suggestion from Martha Rose Shulman (who does the NYT “Recipes for Health” column) to simply reduce the ratio of water to quinoa from two to one (twice as much liquid as quinoa) to 1.5 to one, and then reduce the cooking time as well.

That seemed like a good start, but I still worried about the texture softening too much after adding dressing, especially since when I cook I plan on leftovers that I hope will last for at least a day or two. Usually by the next day the dressing has absorbed into the quinoa, which makes it flavorful by decidedly soft.

I thought a bright lemon-based dressing would work well with the pomegranate, so it seemed a good idea to simply cook the quinoa in a lemon juice mixture and forego dressing all together. Since I planned to skip the dressing I wanted the quinoa to be as flavorful as possible. To accomplish this I started by toasting the quinoa (which brings out some nice nutty undertones), and adding a little white wine (and salt) to the cooking liquid.

My last decision involved what else to add to the salad. I like to combine textures, so I wanted something crisp and seasonal. I settled on chopped apple (tossed in lemon juice for flavor and to keep it from turning brown) and toasted pumpkin seeds. The end result was a simple lunchtime salad, with very few ingredients, but plenty of leftovers to enjoy tomorrow.

To start, rinse well in a fine-mesh colander:

• 1 cup quinoa

Drain, then place in a 1.5 quart sauce pan. Heat over medium-high heat and cook, stirring very frequently, until it is dry. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring constantly to prevent burning, several more minutes until it is a little toasted and fragrant.  You’ll probably hear some of the quinoa seeds popping while you’re toasting it.

Carefully add to the pan (being careful of steam):

• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp. salt

Return to high heat until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Steam for 15-20 minutes until all of the liquid is absorbed (check after 15 minutes, which will probably be enough time). Remove from heat, place a clean towel on the pan, then replace the lid and let sit for 15 minutes. After this, fluff with a fork and allow to cool.

Put cooled quinoa in a medium bowl, then add:

• Seeds from one pomegranate. (this site has a terrific explanation of how to remove the seeds easily)
• 1 medium apple, cored, thinly sliced, and chopped (I used a honey crisp apple), tossed in 2-3 Tbsp. lemon juice – add both the apple and the juice to the quinoa
• 1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds (I buy them raw, in bulk, and toast them myself in a dry pan)

 

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

It’s been a long week, and tonight I wanted the comfort of time in the kitchen. I wasn’t sure what to make, so I took stock of what I had on-hand. I had leftover baked sweet potatoes in the fridge, and a small butternut squash – this seemed the perfect start to satisfying autumn soup (and assures me of leftovers that I can share or enjoy over the next few days).

I don’t care for summer squash (to put it mildly), but love almost all winter squash. Butternut is one of my favorites, and I never like it more than I do in soup. I’ve cooked a lot of variations of butternut squash soup. For tonight, I opted for a purely vegetarian version that combined the sweetness of the squash and sweet potatoes (along with a little bit of honey) with some kick from smoked Spanish paprika. I wanted a really creamy soup, so I used one of my favorite substitutions: nonfat evaporated milk instead of heavy cream.

Preparing the squash is pretty easy. You steam the (cut) squash first, which makes quick work of cutting away the outer skin.

Start with :

• 1 small butternut squash.

Cut into quarters, then scrape out the seeds and membranes (reserve these). Cut each quarter into two more pieces (for 8 pieces total).

Warm a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, then add:

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

Sautee, stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, then add:

• 1 small sweet onion (I use Vidalia onions when they are in season), chopped

Reduce heat to medium then cook, stirring frequently, for another 3-4 minutes until the onions are starting to get soft, then add to the pan:

• reserved seeds and fibers from the squash
• 1 tsp. salt (I use kosher salt or sea salt)

saute another 3-4 minutes, then add to the pan:

• 6 cups liquid; I used half white wine and half water, but you can use just water if you prefer.

Bring to a boil, then insert steamer basket into the liquid and add squash pieces to the basket. Cover, reduce heat, and steam for 20 minutes or so, until the squash is tender. Remove from heat, and remove the squash from the pan until cool enough to handle. In the meantime, strain out the solids and return the cooking liquid to the pan.

Once the squash is cool enough to handle, use a sharp paring knife to cut the flesh from the thin outer skin. Return the flesh to the pan. Add:

• 3/4 pound baked sweet potato, peeled – steamed sweet potato would be fine also.

Puree the broth, squash and sweet potato until smooth. You can do this in the pan with an immersion blender, or transfer it in batches to a food processor or blender. Over low heat, add:

• 3/4 cup nonfat evaporated milk
• 2 Tbsp. honey

I prepared a nice sauce of yogurt and smoked paprika to go with  it. Just stir together in a small bowl:

• 1/2 cup nonfat or low-fat plain greek yogurt
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika

Serve the soup with a dollop of the yogurt sauce, and (if desired) dusted with ground white pepper and nutmeg.

Spaghetti Casserole with Fresh Greens and Feta

I’m less than two months from my next marathon (Space Coast Marathon in Florida), so a lot of my life is consumed by carbs. Last year, I gained several pounds while training for Marine Corps Marathon. I expect at least some of that weight came from my weekly trips out for pizza to carb up for my long weekend runs. While I’m not obsessed by my weight, I’m aware that extra pounds equate to extra effort while running, so I’ve tried to put more thought into carb loading and how I can manage it at home without loading up on too many refined carbohydrates and cheese. (Though I’m still treating myself to my favorite thick-crust pizza before some of my long runs.)

With that in mind, when the Atlanta’s high temperatures dropped into the 60′s I started thinking about casseroles. One of my good friends makes a terrific spaghetti casserole, but I thought I could try a new spin on it. I added a bunch of fresh vegetables, replaced the meat with fresh greens, and used feta cheese (which has such a strong flavor that very little is needed). When I went through my stock of produce, I noticed that I had some ripe avocados. I’ve read in several places that combining avocado and tomatoes increases the absorptions of the good nutrients in tomatoes, so I added them to the casserole.

You could use store-bought tomato sauce for this, but making your own is really easy. It takes a little time to simmer but the active time (chopping vegetables and stirring) is minimal. Use whatever you have on hand. I had onions, garlic, red bell pepper and mushrooms. Other combinations would work equally well. For the greens, I almost always have Organic Girl Super Greens in my fridge, but any fresh greens would work well. I used to steam my greens before adding them to lasagna. For this, I added them fresh and let them cook slightly while the casserole warmed. They were still a little crisp when it came out of the oven, which I thought was a big improvement (and easier, too).

For the sauce, heat in a large Dutch oven:

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

When shimmering add:

• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Cook, stirring constantly, for about one minute. Then add:

• 2 medium sweet onions, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Cook, stirring frequently, over medium-high heat until the vegetables start to soften (about 10 minutes). Add to the pan:

• 8 ounces mushrooms (I use baby bella mushrooms), thinly sliced

Cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add to the pan:

• 3/4 cup red wine
• 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes (I use Muir Glen organic fire-roasted tomatoes)

Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 10-15 minutes while cooking:

• 1o-12 ounces spaghetti (I use brown rice spaghetti)

In the meantime, set aside the remaining ingredients:

• 4 ounces fresh greens
• 2 avocados, thinly sliced
• 4 ounces good quality feta cheese
• About 1 ounce pecorino romano or parmesan cheese, shredded (if desired)

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees, and lightly oil a 9×13 baking pan. Put about 1/3 of sauce in a thin layer in the bottom of the pan. Then layer:

• 1/2 of spaghetti
• 1/2 of greens
• 1 avocado (sliced)
• 1/2 of feta
• 1/3  of sauce
• 1/2 of spaghetti
• 1/2 of greens
• 1 avocado (sliced)
• 1/2 of feta
• remaining sauce

Bake until warmed through (about 15 minutes). If desired grate pecorino romano cheese on top, then return to oven for another 5 minutes. Allow to sit about 5 minutes before serving.

Back After a Break

It’s been a while since I’ve posted any of my recipes. There has been a lot going on in my life the last few months, and while I’ve been jotting notes as I’ve cooked I haven’t made the time to get online and update my blog. I’ll see how much sense I can make of my notes. In the meantime,  I’m continuing to cook and experiment in the kitchen, so I hope that I’ll start posting more regularly again.

Over the past few months, I’ve increased my focus on unprocessed foods and significantly reduced my consumption of meat. I’ve been having fun working with more beans and whole grains, and working out new food combinations that are satisfying and also provide  good, balanced nutrition. I’m also running a lot these days (training for another marathon in less than two months) so I’m working on ways to incorporate good carbs into my diet (without resorting to going out for pizza every weekend before a long run).

It’s not a major change in focus (and the recipe I’m about to post isn’t that far off the sorts of things I’ve posted in the past), but has kept me interested and engaged in the kitchen over the past few month.

Basil Poblano Pesto

I received a nice bunch of basil in this week’s vegetable box, and was tempted to make pesto, but wanted to do something different with it. I was really stuck for an interesting idea until shopping today at Whole Foods when I spotted the poblano peppers. Why not make a latin-infused pesto with basil and poblanos? I thought I’d stick to the other ingredients in my recipe – pecorino romano cheese, pine nuts, olive oil and lemon juice – but when I started making dinner I realized that I didn’t have any pine nuts. I almost gave up at that point, but then I spotted my one-quart mason jar half-full of pumpkin seeds (pepitas). Substituting them for the pine nuts seemed to fit perfectly with adding poblano peppers, so I was set.

Place in a food processor, blender, or large bowl with steep sides (if using an immersion blender, which is what I use):

• 2 cups fresh basil, measured after packing tightly in the measuring cup
• 2 poblano peppers: roasted, peeled, and seeds removed (I just roasted them over the burner of my gas stove-top until well-charred on all sides, placed in a brown paper bag to steam as they cooled before removing the clear translucent skin and seeding)
• 1/4 cup toasted pepitas
• 1/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Pulse until the basil and poblanos are pureed and the pesto has a smooth consistency.

Because of the lemon juice this will store better then most pesto without discoloring. That said, if refrigerated I try to use it within a day or two. If I’m going to keep it longer than that I put the pesto in a small jar (4-ounce mason jars work well), covered with a thin layer of olive oil, then freeze.

Pesto is traditionally served with pasta, but I used it as a topping for grilled bison flank steak and thought it was terrific! Tomorrow I’m going to try turning some of the leftover pesto into a salad dressing for fresh local tomatoes. If it works out, I’ll make another post.