Almond-Cinnamon Granola

I’ve been on a big granola kicker lately. This post is about my latest variety that is pretty basic flavor profile, but it’s really awesome and easy to make.

This particular variety has been the most popular among my roommates. It’s not too sweet, maintains a crunchy aspect through milk and yogurt, and has a great cinnamon flavor.

I didn’t have sliced almonds when I was making this, but please feel free to use them instead of the hand sliced ones that I used. This will create a larger garnish and more texture than this picture depicts.

You can also substitute any nut (for almond) and any spice (for cinnamon) to create your own unique granola. I suggest the following: walnut-honey, coconut-coconut oil, chestnut-maple, pistachio-agave, macadamia-orange blossom honey, and cashew-raw honey.

I’ve also found myself adding more nuts, dried fruit, coffee beans, and chocolate to the mx to make a grab-and-go trail mix.

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 2-3 hours

Ingredients:

2 cups oats

½ cup quinoa

3 Tablespoons flax seed

3 Tablespoons hemp seeds

1 cup sliced almonds

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2/3 cup maple, honey, or agave

2 Tablespoons **apple butter**

2 Tablespoons vanilla extract

½ cup butter

1 Tablespoon Himalayan or sea salt

Directions:

1. Combine: oats, quinoa, flax seed, hemp seed, and almonds in bowl.
2. Preheat oven to 225°F
3. Combine: cinnamon, sweetener, apple butter, vanilla, butter, and seasalt in a sauce pan. Heat until butter is melted
4. Pour warm mixture over dry mixture. Mix until incorporated.
5. Transfer to a sheet/cookie tray lined with foil.
6. Place in oven for 2-3 hours, until tips of some items become slightly brown.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
8. Store in an airtight container in a dry space for up to three months. 

Garlic Confit

I recently had the opportunity to clean out my pantry and, much to my surprise, I ran into some old garlic that was going bad. Now, I hate to throw things out, so I decided to preserve them further.

In restaurant’s we have many processes that we use to both save and utilize multiple applications of the same product. The most obvious for me in this situation was to confit it.

The process of confit means to preserve in oil, or it’s on fat (when pertaining to animals). This will extend the shelf life up to a month, even if you’re working with old garlic.

If you are facing the same issue I was, simply cut the bad garlic out of the bulb when you remove the skin. Trim down any brown pieces off any cloves so the flavor won’t transfer into the oil.

This cooking process will yield you two products: garlic infused oil and slow-cooked garlic. Both of these products are really great to utilize in the kitchen. The cooking process mellows out the garlic flavor and makes it very rich and savory – not pungent at all.

I would use the oil in salad dressings and as a base in soups. My favorite thing to do is sauté my veggies in it before I add it to rice or pasta. You can also drizzle this on some bread and roast, sear, or press it to make garlic bread. Make it super garlicy and spread some of the confit garlic on there as well for good measure.

The actual remanding cloves of garlic will be light brown, a slightly roasted color. You can use this as a thickener and flavoring agent in spreads, sauces, and soups.

Fold the garlic in with some cream cheese or mascarpone cheese with onions, shallot, citrus, and herb; and you have a fantastic stuffing for a chicken or ravioli.

You can also blend this up with some marinated artichokes, sautéed spinach, and garlic oil to make a simple chip dip. Extra points if you add some chive, tarragon, and crab!

Prep time: 10-20 minutes (depending on amount)

Cook time: 20-30 minutes

Ingredients:

Garlic cloves

Fat (olive oil, grape seed oil, coconut oil, blended oil, or avocado seed oil)

Directions:

1. Trim the rough ends off the garlic; as well as any brown or green parts.
2. Place trimmed garlic into a sauce pot.
3. Pour enough fat into the saucepan to cover the garlic by at least a quarter inch.
4. Place pot on the fire and bring up to a simmer.
5. Allow to simmer until garlic is tender and slightly brown.
6. Remove from heat and allow to cool
7. Strain garlic from oil by pouring into a colander or fine mesh strainer. Make sure you have a container below the strainer to capture the oil.
8. Store oil and garlic separate in refrigeration. 

Philadelphia's first Secret Supper

A few weeks ago, I had the great pleasure and opportunity to attend Philadelphia’s first Secret Supper with Chef Barbie Marshall which was hosted by the ever-entertaining Dish CrawlPhiladelphia organization and Tap Room on 19^th in South Philly.
If you haven’t had a chance to stop by and check out the place, please do as soon as you can! Their simple-pickup-style cocktail selection is sure to please any cocktail lover, or someone just looking to get into the scene (I suggest their cider and whiskey!); they also have a phenomenal beer selection, of which I sampled the aged pale ale (which was the most perfect balance of sour I have ever had).
I was able to spend a lot of time talking to the Mixologist (Ross Maloof) and the General Manager (Craig Steel) about the drink selection and both were very excited about their pairing for the night.The first three courses were paired with cocktails, followed by a Yards IPA and a 2010 Merlot from Ostancia. Dessert was paired with “Lucky 7” from Evolution Craft Brewing Co.
First up was an Amuse of chicken and waffles. This first course was meant to wow all the guests, and Chef Barbie nailed it. This little two-bite wonder left everyone chanting for more – I think if she had just served chicken and waffles all night everyone would have been happy! The juicy deep fried chicken paired perfectly with the cast iron cornmeal waffles. I will have to confess there were a few extras left over…. And I ate them all.Course one came out as a cold dish. The fennel and citrus wintergreen salad was quite a surprise. Chef explained that this particular variety of wintergreen was more sweet than bitter; and paired with a citrus fennel dressing, it just got sweeter. This dish was paired with a cocktail composed of Bison Grass vodka, Crème de Violette, and tarragon. With all these dainty green notes floating around the semi-bitter radicchio, you could really explore the finer points of the local wintergreen.Course two was one of my favorites. A light puree of Padanna squash soup which was garnished with Pickled Neck Pumpkin and black pepper cream. There were also some pepitas thrown on top for a further enhancement. This dish was paired with a house-made cider and whiskey in a mug. Personally, I love the combination of squash and apple so having both items be locally sourced was just a far out experience.Course three presented itself as a trio risotto balls with Arancini and Tallegio. Displayed on a bed of basil flower tomato sauce these little bundles of joy were accented with local saffron (yes, local saffron!). Chef Barbie explained that the local variety isn’t as potent as the imported ones, but that just means you can use more! This was paired with a white whiskey ginger accented with a burnt orange garnish – which was my favorite course by far.The cocktail with orange and ginger was able to cut through the fattiness of the risotto and cheese perfectly. The result was experiencing the dish for the first time, every time. Simply put “fantastic.”Course four  was a real authentic Pennsylvania dish paired with one of the most popular local brews. This was really PA to the core. If you’ve never had the opportunity to have a Lancaster “Pot Pie” you have missed a treat! Unlike your traditional pot pies, the Lancaster variety contains no roux or any actual pie for that matter. It’s a fresh pasta-based dish with poached chicken, served with braised greens and without a pie crust. This was a totally different experience for me, but a profound one to say the least. The combination was so light and joyful and the Yards IPA that it was paired with added the weight it needed to feel satisfactory. If anything, this was more like a chicken noodle soup with some amazing local greens than a pot pie – but I could eat it ALL day.Course five  wound up being a seasonal meatloaf paired with a Merlot. HOWEVER, this isn’t your ordinary beef loaf, no my friends, this was nothing less than the great American turkey! That’s right; Chef Barbie took some local turkey and turned it into this incredible delicatessen. The loaf was served with a simple cranberry chutney, glazed carrots, and mashed root veg.
What really brought this dish together was the root vegetable blend, which contained something I’ve never experienced – Parsley Root. So, imagine the aromatics of a parsley stem and a parsnip together with the starchiness of a carrot. This was local comfort food to a tee! As I looked around the room, I was hard pressed to find a face that wasn’t smiling with satisfaction.



Course six, the last course, was of course dessert! Chef Barbie flexed her culinary muscles a bit and explored the world of cheesecake. The thick slice of cake came out with a hickory nut brittle covering the top, set on a basic caramel sauce. Chef Barbie also went on to explain that hickory nuts represent fertility. She explained that the Pennsylvania Dutch chose to settle in this area based on the healthy abundance of hickory trees. This fact really spoke to her as she was building her dishes. I will have to say that pairing that with a smoked porter was fantas-tic-al! Sweet and Smokey are one of my favorite combinations in the food world and it was a good end to the menu progression. 





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Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

Hi all!

Sorry I haven’t been posting as frequently as I usually do. Life gets the better of me every now and again; but I’m back with more delicious pumpkin recipes.

This dish is about as seasonal as it’s going to get at the moment. I hope you can also see that I’m linking thing’s I’m using with previous recipes so that you can follow along with my fridge. The idea behind this is to show you how much easier you can make your food and how much better it can be by simply setting yourself up and knowing how to use what you have on hand.

I’ve become a big fan of sweet and spicy combinations and I think this soup is a great introduction to the flavor combination. The soup itself is pretty simple to make, but I chose to serve it in a modern fashion where the soup is poured into a pre-garnished bowl; as opposed to having it on top. So if you want to skip the garnish, it’s really easy.

The soup is pureed at the end, so uniform cuts aren’t really important here at all. All these specifics of slices and dices are there for your understanding. Just know that you want to keep them all the same size so they cook evenly – that’s the key here.  

This is a great way to serve soup to guests! However, if you want to skip all the fanciness, just serve it straight with some fresh hearty bread and it will be sure to please.

Squash and sweet potato soup

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

Squash and sweet potato soup

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 large Spanish onions (sliced)

2 large carrots (diced)

1 stalk celery (diced)

3 cloves garlic (sliced) or 2 T minced garlic (jarred)

1 Thai chili (or jalapeno) (diced)

1 tsp siracha

¼ tsp vanilla

1 Quart butternut squash (diced)

2 Quarts pumpkin (diced)

1 Apple (diced)

1 pinch celery seed

1 tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp dark chili powder

2 quarts stock (vegetable or chicken)

4 sweet potatos (diced)

Salt

Pepper

Apple Ricotta

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 Tablespoon apple butter

1 tsp olive oil

2 leaves sage (fresh) (chiffonade)

Pepper garnish

1 Tablespoon pickled Anaheim pepper (diced)

2 Tablespoons pickled red onion (diced)

¼ cup sweet and salty pumpkin seeds (chopped fine)

½ Tablespoon parsley (chiffonade)

1 tsp olive oil

2 teaspoons dried cranberry (diced small)

Directions:

Squash and sweet potato soup

1. In a large pot over medium heat, sweat off carrots, onions, and celery until the onions are almost translucent; add the garlic and chili pepper until onions become clear.
2. Add vanilla and siracha and stir until incorporated.
3. Add your squashes and apple; stir occasionally until they begin to give off steam and begin to caramelize.
4. Add celery seed, sweet paprika, chili powder. Stir in until it coats everything.
5. Add your sweet potatoes and stock.
6. Allow to come to a boil and then bring the heat down to a simmer.
7. Cook soup until potatoes are fork soft (about 1 hour).
8. In small batches, blend in a blender until smooth and carry through a strainer to remove any fibrous strands that remain.
9. Once the entire mixture is blended, add back into the pot on low heat and season to taste.

Apple Ricotta

1. Push ricotta cheese through mesh strainer before using.
2. Add remaining ingredients and mix until incorporated
3. Hint: use your tabletop mixer paddle attachment to make this more fluffy and smooth.

Pepper Garnish

1. Combine all ingredients and mix until incorporated
2. Hint: Do a really fine chop on the seeds, or substitute with pepitas. 

Pumpkin Hummus

Hummus is one of my favorite things to make. It’s perfect for almost every kind of situation and by simply creating a seasonal blend; you can really “wow” your guests with different variations. Simply provide some fresh bread/pita or some nicely cut vegetables and use it as a dip. It’s quite filling and satisfying.

Hummus goes great in flatbreads, sandwiches, purees, and dips. With the combination of seeds and nuts in one element, I lean heavily on making hummus as a go-to simple dish that is sure to please everyone.  I suggest toasting some bread, pita, or naan with chive oil and cutting some fresh veggies down. I’d also accent this with a garnish of toasted seeds/nuts or pickled veggies. 

Traditionally this dish is based off chickpeas, but I’ve found restaurants all over the place using any legume and then calling it a hummus. I would not call this a classical dish at all. I cook American cuisine and it’s a melting pot of local cuisine influenced by an influx of immigration.

This will really be something unique for you to enjoy so do so irresponsibly with an adult beverage. Cheers!

Pumpkin Hummus

Prep time: 5-7 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1 can cannellini beans

8 Tablespoons pumpkin puree

1 juice and zest of lemon or orange

2 Tablespoons Tahini

1 clove roasted garlic (or half clove raw, 1 teaspoons garlic powder)

Salt and pepper

Stock

Smoked paprika

ground cinnamon

sweet and salty pumpkin seeds

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients (except salt, pepper, and stock) into a blender
2. Begin to blend.
3. Slowly add stock and thin until you reach your desired consistency.
4. Season to taste.
5. Finish with smoked paprika, sweet and salty pumpkin seeds, and cinnamon

Pumpkin Puree

This is a great recipe to add to anything and make it “Thanksgiving” themed. I’ve been using this in a lot of my recipes, and will be used in my next 4 installments. It's a really great thing to have around in the house as well, think of it almost like canned tomatoes and you'll be surprised of where your creativity takes you. 

Pumpkins are a really awesome flavoring agent because it’s kind of sweet and savory, combined with the spices in the puree, it adds a great complexity to any dish.

You can also use this as a soup easily by adding a few quarts of stock and 1 cup rice and 1 cup black beans to the base recipe. Finish it with some cheese, drizzle of sour cream, herb, and toasted squash nuts. You will need to season this to taste. I’d suggest using some orange juice or apple cider as well.

Add eggs, cream cheese/mascarpone cheese, and sugar; and turn it into a pie. Put it on a cookie crust and top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of ginger powder and cinnamon. 

You’re possibilities are endless with this great flavor base. Use it for an equal substitute with canned pumpkin in any recipe to make it your own.

Pumpkin Puree

Prep time: 10-15 minutes

Cook time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

2 quarts diced pumpkin

¼ stick butter

1 bay leaf

1 stick cinnamon (or 1 Tablespoon ground)

1 clove (or 1/4 tsp ground)

½ tsp nutmeg (ground or fresh grated)

¼ tsp coriander

1 Tablespoon fresh grated ginger (or 1 1/2 T ground)

Directions:

1. Put a medium pot over the fire on medium heat
2. Melt the butter down with the spices
3. Once the butter starts to brown and the spices infuse, add the pumpkin.
4. Switch the temperature to medium-low
5. Stir mixture occasionally until squash breaks down like this
   
   
   
   
   
6. Transfer mixture to a blender and puree until smooth
7. Pass through a fine mesh strainer to make sure product is smooth
8. Return to the pot and allow reducing until it starts caramelizing (turning brown)

Sweet and Salty Pumpkin Seeds

Happy Halloween!

It’s that time of year again to pick out the most ridiculous thing in your wardrobe (easier for some than others), throw it together with some spooky accessories and douse yourself in fake blood – all while overindulging in your favorite chocolate or candy. So what’s an alternative to these sugary/salty snacks that will infiltrate your life for the next week to a month?

Chances are you are planning on carving a pumpkin tonight, or already have; and you will have a decent amount of seeds leftover. These (along with any other squash seed) are a huge source of nutrients and helps fight cancer cells, as well as aide your autoimmune system. So I’m suggesting utilizing this natural hand-food into something delicious.

I’ve found these little guys make one of my favorite snacks! In this recipe, I roast the seeds for about an hour and a half at 225; however, after doing a bit of research I found that you shouldn’t roast them longer than 20 minutes or so because it starts to break down the fat molecules. I haven’t noticed a huge difference in this personally and I prefer the seed to be more crispy/crunchy than anything else.

Here’s what I really wanted to get at in this post.  I recently discovered a trick of the trade when it comes to removing the seeds from the squash pulp, and I want to share it with you. Ok, its pretty simple, but so much easier.

Simply place your seeds in a container, and fill with water. Let it sit for an hour or so to really hydrate the pulp.

At this point, you will be able to easily pull the seeds away from the pulp without getting your hands coated in that squash residue. 

Place the seeds and pulp in separate containers. You can keep the pulp if you want and add it to a puree, or use it in your stock. Take the seeds and place into a strainer to allow remaining liquid and water to drain.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 1-1 1/2 hrs

Ingredients:

Pumpkin seeds (drained)

olive oil (enough to lightly coat seeds)

Favorite spice blend or use the following simple jerk seasoning 

1 Tablespoon sea salt

2 Tablespoon brown sugar in the raw or maple sugar

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp cumin (ground)

1/2 tsp dark chili powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon (ground)

1/2 tsp thyme (dry)

Directions: 

Toss pumpkin seeds in olive, avocado seed, or coconut oil (just enough to lightly coat)

Place on sheet tray and put into an oven at 225 for 1-2 hour or until crispy/crunchy

Once cooled, toss in your favorite spice blend and store in a cool, dry place.