Sugar Pie Pumpkins, oven or pressure cooker

My CSA box has brought lots of lovely goodies to my door, and since it's customizable I was able to add a second pumpkin to this week's delivery. I thought it would be a great chance to play around with different ways to prep them and see what works for me. Sugar pie pumpkins are the kind you want to buy to eat, as opposed to the giant Jack-O-Lantern kind. Ironically, they're not as sweet as, say, a butternut squash, which explains why those are so much more popular. Each of these was about 2 lbs and yielded about 1 lb of edible pumpkin. Summary of directions at the bottom. 

I decided to try oven roasting and my electric pressure cooker. 

To oven roast, I first started pre-heating the oven to 425 (it didn't set off the smoke detector today--woo hoo!) and quartered the pumpkin. You have to have a VERY sharp knife for this and do it carefully. Don't try to cut through the stem because it's extremely hard. Put the tip of the knife in just below it and cut down from there, then turn the pumpkin over and complete the circular cut. Pull the two halves apart. 

With a big spoon, scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff. Separate them, tossing the stringy stuff in the compost and saving the seeds to roast later. Yumma yumma. 

Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly oil the foil. You can use cooking spray, but I think it tastes funky. I just drizzle on a little olive oil and spread it around with my fingers. You can use a neutral tasting oil if you're going to use the pumpkin for pie or another dessert, but I'm going to make a savory soup. 

When the oven reaches 425, put in the pan and set a timer for 20 minutes. After that time, turn the pieces over and put them back in the oven. Set the timer for 10 minutes and start checking the pumpkin for doneness at that point, adding 5-10 more minutes at a time if needed. It's done when the skin get soft and a fork goes into each piece very easily.

Remove from the oven when done and let cool before peeling, or serve as is as a side vegetable. I hated winter squash as a kid but learned to like it eating it just simply roasted like that. Puree if you want to use it for desserts, or cut in chunks for other things. 

For the electric pressure cooker: set the rack in the inner liner and add 1 cup of water. 

Put the whole pumpkin on the rack--yep, the whole thing--and set the steam program for 12 minutes (more time for a pumpkin over 2 lbs, less for smaller or a pumpkin cut in half). Secure the lid. After the 12 minutes are up, let the pot cool down for another ten minutes and then carefully release any remaining 

When you open the lid, voila! Let it cool down before you try to peel it. 

Peel the pumpkin and remove the seeds and stringy stuff from the middle. As above, cut up the pumpkin in chunks and serve with your favorite seasonings or puree for other recipes. Here are both after they were cooked:

 

So, which method did I prefer? I really enjoyed the pressure-cooked one more. The texture was better and the flavor wasn't any less sweet than the roasted one, even though that technique is supposed to caramelize the natural sugars. HOWEVER, the seeds that were removed before cooking were a lot easier to separate from the yucky stringy stuff, so next time I'll cut it in half and remove them before using the PC...I'll cut back the time to 7 or 8 min. For other squashes like butternut and spaghetti, I'll keep cooking them whole. 

Homemade Ricotta

...an Electric Pressure Cooker recipe made with my Instant Pot Duo's yogurt button, yields about 2.5 cups ricotta, takes 30 minutes to an hour depending on how long warming function takes, but no babysitting it. 

I was a little confused when I first found out that you can make ricotta in a pressure cooker, until I figured out that you don't put it under pressure, you just use the yogurt setting to bring the milk gently up to a safe temperature to make the cheese. This is technically not a true ricotta, the name of which means re-cooked because it's made from the whey left over from making mozzarella, but it's delicious and it fits wherever a true ricotta would. 

This is one of my current favorite things to eat, although I think I like it better with a pear instead of an apple. Diced fruit, a teaspoon of honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg...perfect as a snack or dessert, or add toasted nuts for a fall version of Ina Garten's breakfast ricotta. Use it in lasagna or cannoli--anywhere you'd use ricotta from the store. You can, of course, make ricotta using a pot on the stove or even a microwave.  I like this option because I don't have to worry about scalding the milk with one of the other techniques. 

All you need are these few ingredients...instead of white vinegar I've tried using lemon juice, but kept having to squeeze more lemons because the ones I had weren't very acidic. I've tried using white wine vinegar, but the kind I can afford left a funny taste in the cheese. You can also use just whole milk, but the texture is better with a little cream. 
Into the Instant Pot or other multi-cooker with a yogurt function, put 

• 7 cups whole milk and 1 cup heavy cream (or 6 c milk and 2 c cream, or 1/2 gallon whole milk).

Lock on the lid and press the "Yogurt" button. The display should say 8:00, and then you press "Adjust" once so it says "BOIL". Once it comes up to 180 degrees, it will beep and the display will say "YOGT".

 Press the cancel button twice so the display changes to "OFF". Open the lid and use a wooden, plastic or silicone (not metal in a metal bowl) to stir in 

• 1.25 tsp sea salt

Then slowly add, stirring wi 

• 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) distilled white vinegar--I use the Tablespoons so I make sure I stir in a little at a time

As the vinegar starts to transform the milk into curds and whey (yup, just like Little Miss Muffet), you won't see the curds but they'll start forming. 

As you stir in the last of the acid, the curdling will become more visible. Let sit for a couple of minutes while you set up the strainer. 

To strain, you can use two layers of cheesecloth or a nut milk bag, both available online or at Whole Foods (other markets should at least have some cheesecloth). 

Set the cheesecloth or bag in a fine mesh strainer set over a deep bowl. This bowl wasn't deep enough, so I had to dump some of the whey into another bowl. Oops! 

Let the curds strain for 5 minutes for softer ricotta, 15 minutes for drier ricotta for making lasagna or gnocchi, or up to an hour for something harder and more paneer-like. 

Enjoy as you would store-bought ricotta, although you might not enjoy that anymore! 

Every time I do it I feel sad that so much whey comes off, but the good news is that you can use that whey in place of water in baked goods and smoothies. It's much more palatable and less acidic than the whey that comes from making Greek yogurt, so you can actually sip some of it if you like. Kinda tasty! 

Weeknight Meal: Beans, Greens, and Sausage in the Electric Pressure Cooker

You know how on Thursdays there's no parking near the good burrito place and a line out their door? Same goes for the cheap Chinese takeout spot, the one with the good chow fun. That's because everyone is tired of cooking, out of groceries, and/or behind on the dishes by Thursday. 

This is one of my go-to meals in that situation, when the only  place I can find parking is at the market or on the weeks that I've actually thought things through and shopped well on Sunday. You can do  it on the stove, of course, but using the electric pressure cooker speeds things up a smidge and lets you take care of emptying that dishwasher while it cooks, since you don't have to babysit it. 

These few ingredients plus half a lemon or a little vinegar are all you need. You could use olive oil, of course, or another kind you like.  Prep time: 5 min. Cook time: about 20 min including saute, coming up to pressure and time under pressure. 

Ingredients: 

• 8 heat and eat sausages you like, be they field roast, chicken or pork
• 1-3 Tbsp olive or avocado oil (use just 1 if using higher fat sausage, use all three if low fat)
• 1 large shallot (two bulbs, about 1/2 cup), diced small
• 2 cups (1 can is OK) cooked garbanzo, cannellini or Great Northern beans
• 1 10-12 oz package of chopped, cleaned kale, chard or mustard greens
• 1-2 tsp lemon juice or wine vinegar
• a teensy bit of salt
• optional: a few drops of hot sauce

Make little cuts in two sides of the sausages to allow a little of the juices to come out, then turn on the browning or saute function on the electric pressure cooker (mine is an Instant Pot). Put 1 Tbsp of the oil into the pot and, when it's hot, add half the sausages and brown them on one side. Remove those and brown the remaining sausages. If the sausages are pre-cooked, only brown them on one side so you get some good flavor but don't overcook them. If they're uncooked, go ahead and brown them on two or more sides so they cook through. 

Remove the last sausages. If there isn't much fat in the pot, add 1-2 Tbsp more oil. If there's a ton already, leave it in there. It's yummy! Add the diced shallots and stir to coat with the oil, then let soften for a minute or two. Add the beans, 1/2 cup water or bean cooking liquid, a tiny sprinkle of salt, the lemon juice, the greens, and the optional hot sauce. Give it a good stir and lay the sausages across the top. 

It's OK in this case if the stuff in the cooker comes a little over the Max line because the greens will really cook down. 

Turn off the saute or browning function and seal the lid on the pressure cooker. Set it on high (manual on the IP) for just 5 minutes. When it beeps, do a quick release of the pressure, being super careful not to touch the steam as it escapes. Plate it up and chow down! Top with sour cream if you're so inclined and have a little fruit and chocolate for dessert. 

Ginger Scallion Sauce

I discovered this magical condiment at a little restaurant in San Francisco's Chinatown called Joy Hing BBQ Noodle House. I'm pretty sure the owners are from Hong Kong, but the restaurant is best known for its Pho Ga, the magical elixir that is Vietnamese chicken noodle soup. Yes, the broth is delicious. Yes, the poached chicken is tender and perfectly seasoned. But what makes people go crazy for the soup at this particular restaurant is the Ginger Scallion sauce. I always ask for extra when I go there, but now I'm making it myself. I might have to make a double or triple batch next time. 

The sauce is Cantonese and usually served with poached chicken, but you can put it on tofu, rice, scrambled eggs, or just about anything else. It takes just a few minutes to make and a few more to steep. 

Ingredients: 

• about 1 oz ginger (a 3 in by 1.5 in knob is about right).
• about 4 oz scallions, aka green onions, washed. The ones in this pic were pretty big, so I just needed 4. You'd usually need more like 5 or 6. 
• 1/2 cup peanut oil (not the roasted peanut kind) or some other unflavored oil like avocado or grapeseed--peanut is more traditional, but avocado is probably better for you if current research is correct
• 1/2 to 3/4 tsp fine salt--use less if you're sensitive to salt or don't like things salty, more if you love it like I do

For food processor:  

1. Peel the ginger and cut into roughly 1/2 inch pieces. Forward this video of Martin Yan to about 0:45 to see how to do it with a spoon, and keep watching to see some mad knife skillz!
2. Cut the scallions into 1 inch pieces, cutting off only any blackish bits. The rest can go in. 
3. Toss the ginger into the food processor and blitz it until it's finely minced but not yet pureed. This won't take long, so don't walk away!
4. Remove the ginger and do the same with the scallions. You don't have to wash out the food processor bowl in between since it's all going in the same bowl. Yay! 
5. Put the ginger and scallions in a bowl that is heatproof and will hold at least four cups, maybe more. It's important to use a larger bowl than you think in case the oil bubbles up a lot when you pour it in. Please don't hurt yourself! 
6. Stir the salt in with the scallions and ginger.
7. Put the oil in a small pot and heat it just until a small piece of scallion sizzles when you put it in the oil. 
8. Carefully pour the oil over the ginger scallion mix and stir well. Let sit for about 15 minutes to cool and blend the flavors together. 

By hand: 

1. Peel and mince the ginger very finely.
2. Keep showing off your amazing knife skills by mincing the scallions very finely. 
3. Pat yourself on the back and see steps 5-8 above :)

Macaron Class at Bonbini SF

For a while, I've been interested in making macaron, those delightful little cookies made with almond flour and meringue, sandwiched with ganache or buttercream...yes, you can get some frozen at Trader Joe's that aren't so bad, or some refrigerated ones from Costco that are actually quite good, but you know, I like to try things out. They're rather technical, though, so I decided to look for a class one day and found that the lovely Thip of Bonbini SF offers them every Sunday in San Francisco! I've been practicing at home like a good student, much to the delight of my coworkers.

The class was capped at 8 people, cost $85 for three hours, and included hands-on participation as well as some demos. Chef Thip organized the time very well, starting right on time and leaving time for tasting at the end.

She had pre-measured amounts of almond flour, egg whites, confectioners' sugar and food color so that we could work in pairs to learn the proper folding technique after watching her demo. Had I not learned from her that it's OK to really smear it in this case, I would have struggled for much longer with it when trying at home and messed up a few extra batches.

We then learned how to make an Italian meringue, and I definitely benefited from the demo from a professional even though it was something I'd done before. She also explained why it was preferable to a French meringue for macarons, despite the macaron being a French cookie. The great pastry chef Francois Payard is also of this opinion, and now I understand why. Sign up for the class to learn! I still covet her powerful KitchenAid, much as I love my smaller one.

We got to work with our partners to fold in the meringue until achieving proper macaronage, pipe out the macarons and put them together with different flavors of ganache. My partner and I got the tastiest one, in my opinion, lemon poppyseed. These last few steps left my hands a little too sticky for taking photos, but Thip's instructions (and recipes for cookies and fillings) left me with the confidence to give it a try at home. Plus, a very generous snack on the way to my next stop for the day! If that wasn't enough, she was gracious enough to tell us to email her with questions and pictures, and I have taken her up on her offer as I work on my technique.

Pictured: Raspberry Rose, Chocolate Mint, Lemon Poppyseed, and Salted Caramel flavors.

Roasted Broccoli

I signed up recently for a CSA box, mostly because I'm too lazy to get up and to to the farmers' market on weekend mornings! I got one that I can customize from farmfreshtoyou.com, but this week I forgot to click "save" after I made my changes. Oops! That meant a third box in a row with a giant head of broccoli. I promised a coworker that I'd give it to her if I didn't get it cooked this weekend--sorry, Alicia, but I found the time!

Now, I do love broccoli. It's just that it's hard to feel inspired by it, and it really needs to be prepared correctly, which means some careful peeling I don't always want to do at the beginning of the semester. With the first bunch, I tried making a chicken and broccoli casserole, which felt like cooking a foreign dish since I'm not from a family that makes a lot of casseroles. It was OK, but not terribly exciting. Roasting it seemed like a much more modern take on the classic veggie.

Preheat the oven to 450. All you need is the following for four to six servings:

• 1 1/2 pounds broccoli
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste (start with 1/4 tsp salt and add more after roasting if you're afraid of over salting)
• a pinch of chili flakes if you roll that way

You can use florets, but if you get whole broccoli, be sure to use the stem as well as the top. Slice the florets of 1 1/2 lbs broccoli into even sized pieces, 1/3 to 1/2 inch wide. They won't all be even, but get them as close as you can. Remove the tough peel from the outside of the stem AND from the sliced florets. You'll need a paring knife or a good sharp peeler to peel the stem. You can peel with your fingers from the bottom of the floret slices or use a paring knife again.

Slice the stem into sizes about the same thickness as the others, or a smidge thinner. Cover a baking sheet (or two) with parchment or aluminum foil and pile the broccoli in the center. Drizzle the olive oil and seasonings over the broccoli and toss them for a minute with your (clean) hands.

Spread them out evenly on the pan. Pop them in the 450 oven and set a timer for 7 minutes. After 7 minutes, pull them out and flip the pieces over. A pair of tongs will work better than a spatula, but the spatula will work if that's all you've got. 

At halfway, some pieces will be browning and others will be blackening. You can taste a piece to see if it needs salt. Pop them back into the oven for another 7 or 8 minutes. Take them out and serve with Green Tahini Sauce or just lemon and butter. I made some hummus with Kalamatas today, so that's how I served them this time. 

Green Tahini Sauce

This sauce seems to be taking the world by storm...Trader Joe's carries its own version now, but they've also started carrying tahini, so you could even get the ingredients to make this there. Between this and making my own hummus, I've been buying tahini at least once a month. 

It's also a very versatile sauce that you can make your own. I've made a simple version with just parsley for the green part, but you could use a mix of cilantro and parsley if you love cilantro, or you could even add a jalapeno or some green hot sauce if you wanted it spicy. To use mainly as a dip, reduce the water by about a third. I'm planning to use more of this on some roast chicken tomorrow--alas, Whole Foods was out of all but the BBQ marinated birds, so I'm seasoning one in the fridge to cook myself. 

This is all you need for the basic recipe. You can also make it by hand, with a whisk and a little elbow grease. Do people still say elbow grease? Upper arm strength, if you will. 

Zest two or three lemons and set the zest aside for another use, or add a little to the sauce if you don't quite get enough juice out of them. Add 1/3 cup lemon juice to a medium bowl or a food processor bowl. 

Peel and mince 3 small or 2 large garlic cloves. You can use a garlic press, but I use my little mortar and pestle to just crush it up and let the food processor do the rest. I don't recommend throwing them whole in the food processor unless you REALLY like chunks of fresh garlic! Add 3/4 tsp fine salt to the mortar and pestle or to the bowl. 

Whisk or whiz together the above ingredients with 1 cup tahini paste and 1 cup water (or 2/3 cup water for a thicker dip). Rinse and pat dry 1 cup parsley leaves (bits of the tender parts of the stems can go in, just not the tougher parts) and mince finely if mixing by hand or toss into the food processor. Mix well and serve as you like.