Beef pumpkin stew

You guys. This rich, warm, comforting wintry stew was SO GOOD for a cold January night. I just kind of riffed on what we had in the kitchen, so will try to render as accurately as I can remember! Definitely making again.

• 200g beef (I only had mince in the freezer but stew chunks would be even better)
• You could for sure make this vegetarian by using thick flavorful mushrooms here
• 1 smallish Hokkaido pumpkin, cut into large chunks. (You don't need to peel Hokkaido.)
• Maybe a dozen (?) small, firm potatoes, cut into spoon-sized chunks
• Sizable chunk of ginger, about the size of half a computer mouse, chopped
• 1 onion (I used a small red onion but any sharp onion would surely be good), sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• A few tablespoons of oil or butter for sauteeing (I prefer clarified butter)
• 1 can chopped tomatoes, drained (Stephan drinks the leftover juice. #italian )
• 2 tablespoons coriander seeds (crushed) or powdered coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• A handful of chopped parsley (dried is fine)
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• Lots of salt
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• Splashes of red wine
• Splashes of apple cider vinegar
• Crème fraîche for topping

Brown the beef (or mushrooms) in a bit of oil/butter/ghee. Turn down the heat and throw in the sliced onion, sauteeing until nearly soft; add ginger and garlic plus a bit more butter. Don't let the garlic burn! 

After about a minute, add the tomatoes and spices (not yet the salt). Let simmer together for a bit before you pour on about a liter of water.

Add the potatoes and bring to a boil. Add salt. Turn down and let bubble for about ten minutes before you add another liter of water and the pumpkin chunks. Let bubble for another ten minutes.

As it all starts to soften and blend together, add the brown sugar and a few splashes of wine and vinegar for flavor. Taste and see if it needs more of any of those three (or more salt).

Let the whole thing simmer for at least 30 minutes more. Resist the aromas in the kitchen. Resiiiiist theeemmm... Maybe pour yourself a glass of that red wine while you wait.

Serve topped with a dollop of crème fraîche and sprinkle with more parsley to look pretty. 

(Trust me on the crème fraîche. It adds a whole new dimension.)

Snarfle!

Oh yes, and we had an arugula salad while we were waiting. With some parmesan flakes, it was perfect.

Gingerbread pancakes

These came out *perfect*: tall, bouncy, richly spiced, crisp on the edges. I adapted them a bit from the New York Times Cooking blog. If you don't have fresh ginger, then first of all, that would be a shame (it's really great in this recipe) but second of all, just double the powdered ginger. However, do make sure you have lemon zest, as it simply makes this recipe!

Mix wet in one bowl:

• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 1/3 cup dark molasses (but not blackstrap)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger (I mean *really* fine. Biting into a chunk of ginger is great in soup but jarring in pancakes)
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (seriously, do this)

Mix dry in another bowl:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves

Pour the wet into the dry and stir until just combined. You don't want to overblend; it's okay if there are some lumps in there.

Drop batter by the 1/4 cup onto a preheated, thickly buttered skillet (it should sizzle a little). Fry them up like usual. They'll inflate to towering cakes, mmm! Keep finished batches on a plate in a warm oven until it's all cooked up.

Serve with whatever (butter, quark, cream cheese, syrup, all of the above) but be sure to top it with cinnamon! Some orange slices make the plate look pretty, too.

Brownie truffles

Batch of brownies come out less-than-ideal? Turn them into these delights:

Ingredients:

• One batch of ho-hum brownies, cooled
• Heavy cream
• Shakes of rum (optional)

The magic:

1. Mash up the brownies with a pastry cutter, or slash at them with knives, or whatever it takes to turn them into a crumbly pile.
2. Add several shakes of rum and splashes of cream until it's a thick, sticky mass the consistency of cream cheese.
3. Use a cookie scoop to form dense, evenly sized balls (really pack it in there) and roll each ball in cocoa powder. 
4. Place truffles into the freezer for 30 minutes to set. Voilà!

Note: The cocoa powder will eventually get moist and disappear into the truffles. 

Variations: Try rolling them in cinnamon, powdered sugar, sprinkles, coconut flakes, or a shimmery decorative topping. Instead of rum, try whisky, brandy, or cointreau.

MMM...Meatloaf

I've been making meatloaf all my life. I ran across this recipe online a few years ago and decided to try it. So much better than anything I had ever made before. I'm not sure why. There is no "secret ingredient". It's just uh-mazingly good! It's the only meatloaf recipe I will ever use from here on. 

Servings: 8 

Ingredients: 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1 onion, grated on large holes of a box grater (I don't use a whole onion) 
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 
• ¾ cup ketchup 
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar 
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar 
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• ¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth 
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley 
• 2 large eggs 
• ⅔ cup fine breadcrumbs 
• ½ cup finely grated Parmesan 
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt 
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 2 pounds ground beef (15% fat) Preparation: 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. 
2. Heat oil over medium in a small skillet. Cook onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. 
3. Meanwhile, bring ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, and cayenne to a boil in a small saucepan, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Transfer 2 tablespoons ketchup mixture to a blender (just a large cup is fine); add broth and parsley and blend until smooth. Set remaining ketchup mixture aside. 
4. Add broth mixture, eggs, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, salt, and pepper to onion and garlic; mix to combine. Add beef and mix well with your hands to combine. 
5. Transfer meatloaf mixture to oven-safe pan (Nik, we know you have a good meatloaf pan!). Spread reserved ketchup mixture over top. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 165°, approx. 90-100 minutes. 
6. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing. 

Don't forget to save some for next day meatloaf sandwiches!

Cocktails: Classic Negroni

Winter, spring, summer, or faaaall... this cocktail sure has it aaaaall!

Equal parts:

• Campari
• Sweet vermouth (red or white)
• Gin

Shake everything together in a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour into old-fashioned glasses over ice with a twist of orange peel. Tip your hat at passersby while waiting for the ferry to Capri.

Cocktails: The Man o' War

 A delicious cocktail that manages to be both bright and rich at the same time.

• 2 parts bourbon or rye
• 1 part Cointreau
• 1/2 part sweet white vermouth
• 1/2 part fresh squeezed lemon juice

Shake everything up in a cocktail mixer with ice until nice and cold. Serve in martini glasses and garnish with a twist of lemon peel or even a maraschino cherry.

Cocktails: Boulevardier

Or known in some circles as: The Boo-Boo.

Equal parts:

• Bourbon (for a rounder flavor) or rye (for a richer, spicier note)
• Sweet red vermouth
• Campari

Shake everything up in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake, shake, shake. Pour over ice in an old-fashioned glass with a twist of orange peel.

 

Cocktails: Gimlet

The freshest summer cocktail *chef's kiss*

Ingredients

• 2 parts gin

• 1 part freshly squeezed lime juice

• 1 part simple syrup

Combine everything with ice in a cocktail shaker and shake shake shake till nice and cold. 

Pour into a champagne coup or martini glass and garnish with a lime twist or spring of rosemary.

Grünkohl, a.k.a. the greens that are better than dessert

Believe it or not, this is so simple yet so delicious I postponed eating dessert so as to polish this off!

Ingredients

• Big bushel of fresh Grünkohl (curly kale, I believe)
• Butter
• Salt & pepper
• Cinnamon
• Squeeze of fresh lemon

Method

1. Wash the kale.
2. Pick the green leafy parts off the stems, tearing the greens into pieces. Discard the stems.
3. Put a chunk of butter into a warm pan and pile on the torn-up greens. It’s fine if they’re still a bit wet from the washing; in fact you want some drops of water in there.
4. Add shakes of salt, pepper, and cinnamon.
5. Let it all kind of wilt over medium heat until the kale is softened, stirring to distribute the spices and butter.
6. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon.
7. Eat seconds and thirds.

Egg nests

Easy, satisfying, and nutritious!

Ingredients

• Six eggs
• 2 packages frozen spinach (around 800g total)
• Chopped garlic & onion
• Herbes du provence
• Salt & pepper
• 1 package feta cheese
• Chili flakes, if desired

Baking it up

1. Thaw the spinach in a pan until there's no longer enough water in it to pool. It should be juicy but not "wet". 
2. Push the spinach to the side and sautee the chopped garlic & onions in the middle. Once soft, mix it all up and add the herbs, chili flakes, salt, and pepper.
3. Spread the spinach mixture in a baking dish. With a spoon, whittle out six evenly-spaced indentations. Carefully crack one egg into each nest.
4. Crumble the whole feta cheese over the top.
5. Bake at 180 Celsius until the eggs are how you like them. The time really varies; sometimes it's 30 minutes, sometimes 45. Just keep checking on it and giving the pan a shake to see how much they wiggle.
6. Serve with crusty bread.