Thayer in the Kitchen

The color of this soup is tawny gold because of the combination of yellow split peas and orange squash as opposed to most split pea soups which are green. This soup also gets it flavor bang from the curry powder which can be adjusted to taste. I've served it to guests who asked for the recipe. 2 tablespoon olive oil 1 large onion, finely chopped 2 celery ribs, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, minced 1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder (more or less depending on how spicy you would like the soup) 7-8 cups water, you can add more water if the soup seems too thick 1 1/2 cups winter squash (more is fine, I used all of 1 small squash) 2 cups yellow split peas (1# bag) 1 bay leaf 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste 1 teaspoon sugar 1 tablespoon tomato paste (I forgot to use this and it was still delicious) chopped parsley for garnish Heat olive oil in large soup pot. Stir in the onion and celery and saute until tender. Lower the heat and add the garlic. Saute for 30 seconds

Roasted Butternut Squash, Rosemary and Garlic Lasagna Recipe 3 lbs. butternut squash, quartered, seeded, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 9 1/2 C.) 3 T. vegetable oil 4 C. milk 2 T. dried rosemary, crumbled 1 T. minced garlic 1/4 C. butter 1/4 C. all-purpose flour 9 7 x 3 1/2-inch sheets dry no-boil lasagna pasta 1 1/3 C. freshly grated Parmesan (about 5 oz.) 1 C. heavy cream 1/2 t. salt Preheat oven to 450°F. and oil a large shallow baking pans. In a large bowl toss squash with oil until coated well and spread in one layer in pan. Use 2 pans if you don't have one that's large enough. Roast squash in oven 10 minutes and season with salt. Stir squash and roast 10 to 15 minutes more, or until tender and beginning to turn golden. While squash is roasting, in a saucepan bring milk to a simmer with rosemary. Heat milk mixture over low heat 10 minutes and pour through a sieve into a large pitcher or measuring cup. In a large heavy saucepan cook garlic in butter over moderat

This is a very yummy bread pudding which is good either for dessert or brunch. 3 eggs 1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk 1 3/4 cups hot water 1/4 cup butter, melted 1 tsp. vanilla 1 tsp. cinnamon 3 cups chopped apples, peeled (OK to leave the on the peels if you don't mind them--I do) 4 cups cubed bread (preferably whole grain or multi grain)--this is a good place to use up your bread ends 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or spray a 9x13" baking dish. Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Blend in the condensed milk and then the hot water. Add the butter, vanilla, and cinnamon and mix well. Spread the apples and bread cubes in the baking dish. Pour the egg mixture over the bread and apples. Press down the bread into the liquid. Sprinkle the nuts on top and bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes, until golden brown and no liquid remains. Adapted from Penzey's

I know I posted a similar recipe last summer. Now I'm not sure which one I prefer so I'm going to post this one too. Arthur thought this soup was delicious. 1 Tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon sunflower oil 1 small onion, sliced 1 pound sunchokes, peeled and sliced 8 ounces carrots, sliced 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2-1/2 cups chicken stock 1-1/4 cups milk 6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) Gruyere cheese, shredded (note I'm sure Gruyere cheese would be delicious in this soup but I didn't have any. I used a combination of Cedar Grove reduced fat cheddar cheese and a white cheese; I'm not sure what it was--I think what I'm saying is use what you have) 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 2 green onions, chopped In a large saucepan, melt butter and oil, add onion and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add sunchokes and carrots. Cook 2 minutes. Add flour, then gradually add stock. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Blend soup with an immersion blender or food processor fitted wi

Sweet Potato and Pear Latkes 1 lb. sweet potatoes 1-2 pears, depending on size 1/2 medium onion 2 eggs 1/3 cup whole–wheat bread crumbs 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/4 cup dried cranberries 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts Salt to taste Canola oil spray Sour cream or Unsweetened applesauce Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place two nonstick baking sheets in the oven. Peel the potatoes; core the pears. Grate each using a food processor. Grate the onion. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, bread crumbs, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the potatoes, pear and onion. Stir in the cranberries and nuts. Mix until coated. Remove the hot baking sheets from the oven and spray thoroughly with canola spray. Spoon latke mixture onto sheets, forming 2-3 inch patties. Bake until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes per side, turning once with a spatula. Watch closely so they don't burn (a few of mine did). Serve with sour cream and/or warm applesauce. Adapted from American Institute for Cancer Res

This dish reheats well and may convince eaters who think they don't like turnips that they do. 3 pounds turnip--I used the Scarlet turnips that came in our CSA box 2 eggs 2 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons flour 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt ½ teaspoon white pepper Pinch nutmeg ½ c panko or dry bread crumbs 2 tablespoons melted butter Peel the turnips and cut into roughly equal-size quarters. Cook in boiling salted water until soft. Mash the turnips in a large bowl with a mixer. Add the eggs, butter, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, pepper and nutmeg and combine well. Transfer to a buttered casserole dish. Combine the crumbs and butter and sprinkle evenly on top. Bake at 375 until lightly browned on top, about 30 minutes if starting from room temperature. Adapted from Kitchen Parade/A Veggie Venture http://kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com/

It must seem as though we eat a lot of soups (we do), but I think its a great thing to do with winter storage vegetables in particular. This one helped use not only some of our parsnips but our apples too. It is seasoned with Indian flavors which both of us are very fond of. 2 tablespoons butter 1 lb parsnip, thinly sliced 1 lb apple, peeled, cored, & sliced 1 medium onion, diced 1 teaspoon brown sugar 2 teaspoons curry powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1/2 teaspoon cardamom seed 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 2 garlic cloves, minced 4 cups chicken stock 1/2-1 cup cream (or fat-free 1/2 & 1/2) salt and pepper parsley Melt the butter, add the parsnips, apples, onions and sugar. Sauté till soft. Add the curry powder, spices and garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring well. Pour in the stock slowly, stirring until well mixed. Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes, until the parsnips are tender. Taste for seasoning. Blend with a hand b

I found this new recipe that uses sunchokes. As I've mentioned before they're not one of my favorite vegetables, but this was a dish that they worked well in. Arthur and I both liked it and would make it again. For those not familiar with quinoa, the World Healthiest Foods gives a good description. "Although not a common item in most kitchens today, quinoa is an amino acid-rich (protein) seed that has a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture and a somewhat nutty flavor when cooked." This is a link to their article that tells about all the health benefits of quinoa: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=142 To prevent any hint of a bitter taste: While the processing methods used in the commercial cultivation remove much of the soapy saponins that coats quinoa seeds, it is still a good idea to thoroughly wash the seeds to remove any remaining saponin residue. An effective method is to run cold water over quinoa that has been placed in a fine

This is a super easy recipe to use some of the cabbage that has been gathering in my refrigerator. The last cabbage recipe I made didn't turn out well so of course I didn't post it. Although I think the problem was the defective mangoes that Arthur bought at Woodman's (our local mega grocery store) and not Brennan's (produce & cheese shop) or Whole Foods. It was a recipe for Mango Coleslaw. If I am successful in producing a recipe we like, I'll post it. Bacon seems to be able to take a recipe from ordinary to yummy, even if you don't use much. This recipe is a testament to that thought. Alsatian Cabbage 1/8 pound of meaty bacon, chopped (this is about 2 slices of the bacon we get from our farmers) 1 small onion, chopped fine 1 cabbage (about 1- 1 1/4 pounds), trimmed, outer leaves and core removed, sliced thin (I used my food processor's thick slice blade and it really made fast work out of the cabbage) 1 1/2 teaspoons caraway Salt & pepper In

Italian Meatballs with Kabocha Squash Sauce This is an unusual version of basic Italian-style “red sauce” replacing the tomatoes with roasted winter squash. Herbed meatballs are the highlight. I served the meatballs and sauce over rotini. SAUCE 1 medium kabocha squash, or any variety winter squash 1 medium onion 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (taste and add more if desired) 1 bay leaf 1/2 – 1 teaspoon salt MEATBALLS 1 pound ground meat or poultry 1 egg 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon olive oil 1/2 teaspoon each: dried, thyme, oregano, basil Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the squash in half, scrape out the seeds and place face down on a sheet pan. Slice the onion in half lengthwise and cut the root end off. Place the onion halves face down onto the pan. Roast for 45 minutes and r

Winter Squash and Carrot Soup This is an enjoyable soup with a pleasant kick to it from the jalapeno and other spices. Arthur said it was a definite keeper. The original recipe which appeared in the Chicago Tribune called for a butternut squash. I just so happened to have festival squash from our CSA. According to the winter squash glossary: "most winter squash have soft flesh that can be used interchangeably in recipes." 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion, roughly chopped 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (if you want a bit of heat, leave in some of the seeds) 2 festival squash (picture on the right) about 1-1/2-2 pounds 3 large carrots (about 12 oz.) peeled and coarsely chopped 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon paprika 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin 3/4 teaspoon each of turmeric and ground coriander 4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth 1-2 fully cooked chicken sausage, sliced (I used 1 from Trader Joe's) yogurt or sour cream for

This is an excellent recipe that I found on Epicurious. However, I believe the directions need considerable revision. The original recipe instructed you to cook the raw rutabaga and carrots in the stew for 1/2 hour. Guess what I found at the end of the half hour? Very hard vegetables. I'm going to record the recipe the way that I think it should be made. 3 lamb shanks (about 1 pound each)--the original recipe called for 6! 1 tablespoon olive oil 4 medium onions, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices 3 large garlic cloves, minced a 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, chopped, with juice 4 cups water 1 bay leaf 2 cinnamon sticks 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 3/4 teaspoon dried orange peel or dried lemon peel (I didn't have any orange) 2 teaspoons salt 1 medium rutabaga (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces 6 carrots, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves Accompaniment: cooked brown rice Preheat oven to 350°F