Pumpkin Bread with Hazelnuts and Golden Raisins

From Orangette

1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp baking powder
1/3 cup water
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
6 Tbs unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup pumpkin purée (or cooked, puréed—until very smooth—winter squash, yams, or sweet potatoes), at room temperature
½ cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts
1/3 cup golden raisins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease (with butter or cooking spray) a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan.

Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and baking powder until thoroughly blended. In another bowl, mix water and vanilla extract. In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy, about 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, and beat on medium speed until lightened in color and texture, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add pumpkin purée, and beat on low speed until just blended. Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the water-vanilla mixture in two parts, beating on low until smooth and just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary. Fold in hazelnuts and raisins. Pour batter into pan and spread evenly across the top.

Bake about one hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a rack for five or ten minutes before unmolding to cool completely on the rack.

Note: You’re not obligated to use a loaf pan, of course. You could make muffins, for example; for a standard-sized muffin, bake 18-20 minutes. And this bread freezes beautifully.

Soft Cakey Pumpkin Cookies

From Poppytalk

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

pinch of nutmeg

2 large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup canola oil

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Heat oven to 325F.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg together. In another bowl, mix together the beaten eggs, sugar, oil. Beat vigorously until well combined. Stir in the pumpkin and vanilla until well incorporated. Pour in the flour mixture and stir until combined. Split the batter into 2 bowls if you want to have 2 separate kinds of cookies - add chocolate chips and half the pecans in one bowl and the butterscotch chips and the rest of the pecans in the other. Stir until combined.

Line 2 baking sheets with silpat mats or parchment paper. Drop batter by the spoonful, spacing the cookies at least 2 inches apart. Flatten cookies slightly. Bake for 15 minutes or until the tops feel dry and the cookies feel spongy. Cool on a wire rack & store in a covered tin. Makes about 24 cookies.

Braised Short Ribs

from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 8 whole Beef Short Ribs
• Kosher Salt & Pepper To Taste
• ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
• 6 pieces Pancetta, Diced
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 3 whole Carrots, Diced
• 2 whole Shallots, Peeled And Finely Minced
• 2 cups Red Or White Wine
• 2 cups Beef Or Chicken Broth (enough To Almost Cover Ribs)
• 2 sprigs Thyme
• 2 sprigs Rosemary

Preparation Instructions

Salt and pepper ribs, then dredge in flour. Set aside.

In a large dutch oven, cook pancetta over medium heat until complete crispy and all fat is rendered. Remove pancetta and set aside. Do not discard grease.

Add olive oil to pan with the pancetta grease, and raise heat to high. Brown ribs on all sides, about 45 seconds per side. Remove ribs and set aside. Turn heat to medium.

Add onions, carrots, and shallots to pan and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in wine and scrape bottom of pan to release all the flavorful bits of glory. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes.

Add broth, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Taste and add more salt if needed. Add ribs to the liquid; they should be almost completely submerged. Add thyme and rosemary sprigs (whole) to the liquid.

Put on the lid and place into the oven. Cook at 350 for 2 hours, then reduce heat to 325 and cook for an additional 30 to 45 minutes. Ribs should be fork-tender and falling off the bone. Remove pan from oven and allow to sit for at least 20 minutes, lid on, before serving. At the last minute, skim fat off the top of the liquid. (Can also refrigerate mixture, then remove solid fat from the top.)

Serve 2 ribs on bed of creamy polenta, spooning a little juice over the top.

Rosemary Chicken

from Saveur

4 whole skin-on chicken legs

Kosher salt and freshly ground


 black pepper, to taste

1⁄2 cup flour, for dredging

1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup white wine

3 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 fresh bay leaves

Juice of 1 lemon

1. Heat oven to 425˚. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper. Put flour on a plate and dredge chicken in flour to coat, shaking off excess. Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, turning once, until browned, about 10 minutes. Add wine, rosemary, and bay leaves. Return pan to heat and cook until wine reduces by half, about 2 minutes. Add 1 1⁄2 cups water and bring to a boil.

2. Cover skillet, transfer to oven, and cook until chicken is tender, about 45 minutes. Uncover and let chicken skin crisp, 5 minutes. Remove chicken from the oven; stir in lemon juice. Serve chicken with the pan sauce. 


Roasted Autumn Vegetable Chowder

from pinch my salt

3 small russet potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut in chunks
1 small head of cauliflower, cut in chunks
1/2 head of broccoli, cut in chunks
2 leeks, white part only, rinsed well and sliced
1 onion, cut in chunks
3 large garlic cloves, peeled

Put all of the vegetables in a roasting pan and toss with:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
large pinch of kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper

Pour in:

one cup of vegetable broth
1/2 cup of white wine

Roast at 400 degrees, stirring occasionally, until veggies are tender and slightly browned (about 30 minutes).

In a large saucepan, heat two tablespoons of butter over medium heat, then add:

1/2 onion, diced
one carrot, diced
one celery stalk, diced

Cook, stirring for about five minutes or so then add the roasted vegetables, making sure to scrape out all the liquid with a spatula. Next, add three more cups of vegetable broth. Bring to a simmer, then puree with and immersion blender, leaving it just a bit chunky.

Add one cup of milk and one cup of defrosted frozen corn, and heat through. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Finally, add a tablespoon or two of hot sauce, to taste (I used Cholula).

Cassoulet with Lots of Vegetables

from Mark Bittman

Makes: 4 to 6 servings
Time: 40 minutes

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound Italian sausages, bone-in pork chops, confit duck legs, or duck breasts, or a combination
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 leeks or onions, trimmed, washed, and sliced
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths
3 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium zucchinis or 1 small head green cabbage, cut into
1/2-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups chopped tomatoes, with their juice (canned are fine)
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley leaves
1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
4 cups cooked white beans (canned are OK), drained and liquid reserved in any case
2 cups stock, dry red wine, bean cooking liquid, or water, plus more as needed
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the meat, and cook, turning as needed, until the meat is deeply browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat.
2. Turn the heat to medium and add the garlic, leeks or onions, carrots, celery, and zucchini or cabbage; and sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, their liquid, the reserved meat, and the herbs and bring to a boil. Add the beans; bring to a boil again, stirring occasionally, then reduce the heat so the mixture bubbles gently but continuously. Cook for about 20 minutes, adding the liquid when the mixture gets thick and the vegetables are melting away.
3. Fish out the meat and remove the bones and skin as needed. Chop into chunks and return to the pot along with the cayenne. Cook another minute or two to warm through, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary and serve.

Slow-Cooked Cassoulet. Start with dried beans. After browning the meat in Step 1, leave it in the pan and add 1/2 pound dry white beans (they’ll cook faster if you soak them first) and enough water or stock to just cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for about an hour. Meanwhile, in a separate pan with another 2 tablespoons of olive oil, cook the vegetables as directed in Step 2. Add them to the pot of beans along with the tomatoes and herbs. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle bubble and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, adding more liquid as necessary to keep them moist. This will take anywhere from another 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the age of your dried beans.

Porch Crawlers

from the Bitten Word

• 1 handle of very cold Skyy Vodka
• 18-pack of light beer (Scott recommends Keystone Ice)
• 4 to 8 cans of lemonade concentrate

Into a large cooler, pour the vodka and beer. Add 4 cans of lemonade concentrate. Stir and taste. Continue adding lemonade concentrade until you're pleased with the taste. Serve over ice.

If you'd rather serve the drink straight, you can also pre-freeze water in freezer bags, and then drop those bags into the cooler to keep the drink cold.