hiatus

currently a little overwhelmed with work — i’m taking a break from posting, but will have some great things going when i’m back! stay tuned.

The problem with pomegranates

These fruits are just so beautiful…

but a common conundrum is, how does one peel into it??

Here’s what I found to be easiest — use a sharp paring knife to score the skin all the way around first.  You can also just cut the entire thing down the middle.  It’s OK, you might pop a few of the seed casings, but there will be plenty more. Just make sure to do this part in the sink.  Then submerge the whole thing in a bowl of cold water (who wants to eat warm fruit?) and use your thumbs to break it into two halves.  Starting with one half, break it into smaller chunks still attached to the outer skin (keep it underwater), and once you have a piece that’s a more manageable size, just gently brush at the seeds until they detach.  By doing this underwater, the seeds will sink and the white (bitter) pulp will float, making it much easier to separate.  Just skim the pulp off the top of the bowl and dump everything into a strainer or colander — and all those little seeds will be perfectly clean and ready to eat, or toss on top of a salad or delicious pork loin.

Smoked turkey soup

Maybe you have some leftover turkey in your freezer from last Thanksgiving.  In my case, we had a smoked turkey (just the drumsticks, since we’re not huge white meat fans) but there were so many other good things to eat that we didn’t finish the “main course”.  Nothing’s easier than just throwing the leftovers into a pot with some fresh veggies and letting it all simmer down in a warm, comforting broth.  Perfect for a cold day when you’d rather stay inside.

These days, you can get all kinds of fruits and vegetables at the supermarket… even out of season.  For example, I’m pretty sure tomatoes are a summer fruit, but there they are, week after week, still appearing in the produce section:

Smoked turkey soup

Ingredients: 3 cups turkey or chicken stock + 1-2 cups water (to taste), 2 vine-ripened tomatoes (chopped), half a bunch of asparagus (cut into 2-inch pieces), 1.5-2 cups smoked turkey chunks, a handful of button mushrooms (quartered), half teaspoon of Italian spices (anything you have in the pantry should do)

Procedure: Bring the stock and water to a small boil, add in the other ingredients.  Reduce heat and simmer on med-low until flavors blend together and the asparagus is softened, about 15 minutes.  Add salt and pepper or more stock if necessary.  *Tip: this tastes even better the next day — just refrigerate overnight and bring back up to a boil before serving.

Before and after: Brussels sprouts

These things get a bad reputation on TV, comics, and children’s books… but are actually quite delicious if you cook them to be that way.  If you eat them plain, they can have a bitter sort of aftertaste, especially if just boiled or heated in the microwave from one of those frozen food aisle packages.  But who says you have to eat them plain?  Saute them lightly in a frying pan along with some bacon or sausage (yes, including the fat), onions, garlic, maybe even some mushrooms!  The flavors will develop more deeply when you take this alternative to boiling.  Of course, fresh is best, but if you only have frozen sprouts, defrost or blanch them briefly first, then cook them in a medley of complimenting flavors.

before:

after:

(They’re also a bit more manageable to eat if you cut them in half before cooking.  This will also help with even cooking.  All those layers of Vitamin C-, folate-, and iron-rich leaves can get in the way of the heat if left whole.)  Be sure not to overcook these guys, otherwise you risk perfuming your kitchen with a sulfurous odor.  I’d say cook the accompanying ingredients first, then saute the sprouts on med-high for no more than 8-10 minutes… just until they turn bright green and are slightly soft, but still crunchy.

candied ginger

I found some of this at the farmer’s market a couple of weeks ago, and wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. It looked pretty.  Big chunks of ginger are a bit intimidating, but the sparkly, sugary coating makes them a bit more enticing.

I decided to revamp my Pumpkin Bread Plus recipe and make it Pumpkin Bread Plus Plus!  Just chopped up about 1/3 a cup of these spicy morsels and threw them in the batter

Of course, they’re delicious on their own, if you like ginger.  The sugar coat sure is festive!

Merry Christmas eve!

Before and after: cauliflower

Cauliflower.  Most people probably walk right past this odd-looking veggie.

Before:

But wait!! There’s just something about the flavor when roasted or sauteed — a deep, nutty essence that’s a far cry from what you get when you eat it raw.

After:

Pan-roasted cauliflower with bacon and garlic

Ingredients: 1 head of cauliflower, 1 clove of garlic (minced), olive oil for the pan, 1/4 cup cooked and chopped bacon, dash of balsamic vinegar, salt and red pepper flakes to taste.

Procedure: Heat the oil in a pan on medium-high heat.  Wash and dry the cauliflower, cut into florets.  Add the garlic to the oil and cook until fragrant and light brown.  Add the cauliflower (careful of splashing hot oil!) and saute until a nice, golden brown (maybe about 7 minutes).  Add the bacon, red pepper flakes, and balsamic vinegar and stir until incorporated.  Salt if needed.

Before and after: Bartlett pears

I wandered into the farmer’s market a couple of weeks ago, looking for inspiration.  I stopped in front of the sausage and meat case.  Savory apple and pork sausage!  What else could I ask for?

As this bubbles away on your stovetop, your whole kitchen will fill with the most delicious smell!

Sausage with fall fruit

Ingredients: 1 small onion, 1/2 lb. of pork and apple sausage (or some variant), 1 Gala apple, 1 Bartlett pear, 2 T apple cider vinegar, 1 T sugar, pinch of ground nutmeg

Directions: Chop up the onion and gently saute in a little olive oil until soft and slightly brown. Cut the sausage into half-inch chunks.  Chop up the apple and pear coarsely, you can leave the skins on for more texture and flavor.  Stir all the ingredients in a covered saucepan over medium heat until the sausage is cooked through and the fruits are soft, about 20-30 minutes.  Add some water to the pan if it starts to dry out to prevent scorching.