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Pumpkin Pancakes

I just created this recipe sort of by accident, and my flatmate and I just gobbled down a whole batch.

The pancakes are based on a South African recipe (sort of - my flatmate, who is South African, says the texture comes out different when her mom makes them), but I thought this version was great. It is dairy free!

To start, you must have some leftover roasted pumpkin. We had roasted pumpkin for dinner last night, so we had about 2 cups leftover. I mashed this up.

Then I added:

1/2 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 T sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch nutmeg (optional - I didn't do this, but I think there may have been some on the pumpkin when it got roasted)

I blended this with the electric mixer till it was fluffy.

Then I separated:

2 eggs

I added the yolks to the batter, then beat the egg whites till fluffy. Then I folded in the egg whites.

Initially, I tried frying them in some oil (like I would a potato pancake), but this proved unnecessary, as the batter had a consistency much more like an American pancake. So I ditched the oil, and just used a hot skillet with no oil, and they came out great. They were really light and fluffy, with a great pumpkin flavor. We ate them with maple syrup and butter.

YUM

Sadly, it wasn't until after I consumed the last one that I thought about taking a picture. Oh well.

So, if you are ever roasting pumpkin, make sure to roast some extra to make these pancakes the next day!

Miriam's quick-fix pasta

I recently became friends with a half-Malaysian, half-Italian lesbian. She made me dinner one night:

• Hot oil in pot/pan
  
• Add in garlic
• Add in shrimp (frozen is okay)
• Add in anchovies
• Cook until anchovies melt
• Mix in pasta

Serve! (Feel free to sprinkle some salt at some point during the process.)

Sweet and Sour Pork (or Chicken or Tofu)

In China, I learned how to make a very simple sweet and sour pork recipe. We often think of "sweet and sour pork" as a very goopy, bright red American Chinese food, but it doesn't have to be that way at all. A good sweet and sour sauce is super easy and very tasty.

Ingredients:

a few cloves of garlic, diced
shredded pork (or shredded chicken, or pre-fried tofu, or anything you want)
soy sauce (for color)
sliced wood mushrooms (optional)
vinegar (black Chinkiang vinegar, or red wine vinegar, or even white vinegar or rice vinegar)
sugar (white, brown, etc)
fruit jam or syrup (optional)

Heat wok to high heat, once the wok is smoking, add oil. If you are using mushrooms, stir fry these first until they are mostly cooked. Then remove from the wok. Heat wok again, then add garlic - stir fry for a few seconds, then add the meat. Cook until meat begins to turn color, add a spoonful or two of soy sauce to give the meat a nice browned color. Continue to cook and stir, then add about 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar, and about the same amount of sugar. Adjust to taste, depending on how sweet or sour you like the meat. If you have a fruit syrup or jam, especially one on the more sour side, add a teaspoon of this as well to give the dish a fruitier flavor. Or add a bit of sliced tomato if you want it to be more like a tomatoey sweet and sour sauce.

Continue cooking, add salt if needed, then serve with rice! Very easy and delicious.

Tonight I made sweet and sour chicken, and it came out well too. I used Chinkiang vinegar, white sugar, and a bit of sour cherry jam. Cherry syrup would also work well, as would a mango chutney (or other less sweet chutneys)

If making this with tofu, I think it would be better to fry some cubes of tofu first so they are crispy on the outside, then stir fry them with the garlic and the other sauce ingredients. Yummm

Cabbage Minestrone With Chick Peas

I somehow ended up with an obscene amount of red cabbage in my fridge. Here's what I made last night with part of it. Original recipe from the New York Times— I adapted it to what I had on hand.

Cabbage Minestrone With Chick Peas

1 heaped cup chick peas, washed and picked over, soaked for 6 hours or overnight in 1 quart water (channy: i used 1 can of chickpeas)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped (i didn't have an onion)

1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped (didn't have this either)

Salt to taste

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes, seeded and chopped, with juice (i did't quite use 28oz. I had some leftover- probably 14oz)

1 1/2 pounds cabbage, outer leaves removed, cored and coarsely chopped (about 1 medium cabbage)

2 1/2 quarts water ( i used about a liter? look at me, all metric. anyway, mine came out more stew-y than soup, so it could use more liquid)

A bouquet garni made with 1 Parmesan rind, a bay leaf, and a few sprigs each parsley and thyme (i just used parsley and the parmesan rind)

Freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup elbow macaroni or small shells (orzo)

Freshly grated Parmesan for serving

(in the absence of onions and celery, i added 1 slice of bacon. mmmmmm)

1. Drain the chick peas and set aside. Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy soup pot and add the onion, carrot, and celery. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the mixture is fragrant and the vegetables tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in half the minced garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute or so, until the garlic begins to smell fragrant. Add the tomatoes and their liquid and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down a bit. Add the cabbage, stir together for a minute, then add the drained chick peas, 2 quarts water, and the bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 1 hour, or until the beans are just about tender.

2. Add the remaining garlic and salt to taste, cover and continue to simmer another 30 minutes to an hour, until the beans are thoroughly cooked and the soup very fragrant. Add a cup more water if it seems too thick. Add pepper, taste and adjust salt. Remove the bouquet garni.

3. Add the pasta and cook until the pasta is cooked al dente, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve, passing the Parmesan at the table for sprinkling.

Yield: Serves 6 to 8

From the amazing food blog smittenkitchen

Warm Butternut and Chickpea Salad with Tahini Dressing
Adapted from Orangette, who adapted it from Casa Moro

Yield: 4 servings

For salad:
1 medium butternut squash (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoons ground allspice (I skip this)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (1 1/2 cups)
1/4 of a medium red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

For tahini dressing:
1 medium garlic clove, finely minced with a pinch of salt
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons well-stirred tahini
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to taste

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

In a large bowl, combine the butternut squash, garlic, allspice, olive oil, and a few pinches of salt. Toss the squash pieces until evenly coated. Roast them on a baking sheet for 25 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the oven and cool.

Meanwhile, make the tahini dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic and lemon juice. Add the tahini, and whisk to blend. Add the water and olive oil, whisk well, and taste for seasoning. The sauce should have plenty of nutty tahini flavor, but also a little kick of lemon. You will probably need to add more water to thin it out.

To assemble the salad, combine the squash, chickpeas, onion, and cilantro or parsley in a mixing bowl. Either add the tahini dressing to taste, and toss carefully, or you could serve the salad with the dressing on the side. Serve immediately.

Orange Pan Glazed Tempeh

this is from my favorite recipe blog, 101 Cookbooks

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (3-4 large juicy oranges)
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 teaspoons tamari (or soy sauce)
1 1/2 tablespoons mirin
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 small garlic cloves, crushed
roughly 10 ounces of tempeh (or extra-firm tofu)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lime
a handful of cilantro (coriander) leaves

Put the orange juice in a small bowl. Squeeze the grated ginger over the bowl to extract the juices, then discard the pulp. Add the tamari, mirin, and maple syrup, ground coriander, and garlic. Mix together and set aside.

Cut the tempeh (or tofu) into thin-ish, bite-sized pieces, and if working with tofu, pat dry with a paper towel.

Put the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the tempeh and fry for 5 minutes, or until golden underneath. Turn and cook the other side for another 5 minutes, or until golden. Pour the orange juice mixture into the pan and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to a lovely thick glaze. Turn the tempeh once more during this time and spoon the sauce over the tempeh from time to time.

Serve the tempeh drizzled with any remaining sauce and a squeeze of lime, with the coriander scattered on top. I ate this over jasmine rice with some rainbow chard sauteed with garlic and olive oil, with a splash of rice vinegar.

Serves 2-3