Roast Butternut Squash and Vegetable Soup

Posted on October 21, 2012 | 3 comments

The weather is definitely changing, even here in Southern California. I’m craving hot herbal tea, which I haven’t made in forever, and soups. I made this roast vegetable soup last night. It was perfect for lazy cooking on a chilly day. Most of the work is done by a hot oven and time. High heat converts the starches in the vegetables to sugar and the browning in the oven adds a complexity to the overall flavor.

I used a butternut squash in this recipe, along with other autumnal vegetables and fruit. But feel free to substitute anything you have on hand. I didn’t have parsnips, but they would also be great. This recipe is based on “orange soup”, what we called a curried squash soup my mom used to make when we were young.

Roast Butternut Squash and Vegetable Soup Recipe

  • 1 medium butternut squash
  • 1 yam or sweet potato
  • 1-2 large carrots
  • 1 onion
  • 3-4 large cloves of garlic
  • 2 apples
  • 1 quart of chicken or vegetable stock or broth
  • salt, pepper
  • cumin, curry powder, ginger powder, coriander, garam masala, etc.
  • a tiny touch of cinnamon (don’t use too much or it will taste like pumpkin pie)

Optional garnishes:

  • cilantro, basil, or other fresh herb
  • toasted squash seeds (recipe follows)
  • coconut yogurt, kefir, coconut milk, or creme fraiche
  • black lava salt or truffle salt

Preheat oven to 400-425° F. Prep the vegetables: cut the butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Reserve the seeds for toasting. Roughly chop the carrots and onion. Cut and core the apple. Skins can be left on everything. Leave the yam or sweet potato whole. Don’t peel the garlic.

Roast in the oven until tender, approximately 40-45 minutes. (I usually put the garlic in a little later as it cooks faster.)

When cool enough to handle, peel the skins off and transfer to a large pot. Add the quart of stock or broth, plus any water as needed to cover the vegetables. Bring up to a boil and then down to a simmer. Add the salt, pepper and spices to taste. Simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until all the vegetables are very soft. Using a stick blender, puree until somewhat smooth.

Serving suggestions: Top with coconut yogurt or something else creamy. Sprinkle on the toasted squash seeds. I paired the soup with toast spread with avocado. A green salad would also be nice.

 

Toasted Butternut Squash Seeds

Pumpkin seeds are the most famous squash seeds for toasting. Perhaps because pumpkins are so big the yield is “worth it.” But really any squash’s seeds can be toasted and eaten. We found the butternut squash seeds to be delicious!

Preheat a toaster oven or an oven to 325-300° F. Since I was roasting the veggies at high heat I used the toaster oven for the seeds. My toaster oven is also easier to see into, which is important for keeping an eye on the seeds.

Separate the seeds from the strings and flesh. Let them sit in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes to help rinse them off. Dry with a clean dish towel. Spread the seeds on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with a good amount of salt. I also used cayenne and black pepper.

The seeds will be done when they are done. Sorry. It could be 5 minutes, or it could be 20. Check them and give them a stir periodically. The should be turning darker and getting crispy.

Serve over the squash soup, salads or (our favorite) just snacked on!

 

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Posted in Food, Healthy Recipes, Recipes for the Whole Family, Recipes from the Garden

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Rick Bayless’ Tres Leches Cake

Posted on October 18, 2012 | 1 comment

One benefit of living in San Diego, or Tijuana Norte, is our proximity to great Mexican food. And it’s impossible to attend a few birthdays (Mexican or not) without eating the ubiquitous tres leches. Pastel de tres leches, or “three milk” cake, is usually a sponge cake drenched in 1. evaporated milk, 2. sweetened condensed milk and 3. heavy cream (or half and half). It’s moist and sweet and lighter than you would expect.

Planning our Bebe’s first birthday party, I was content keeping the menu simple and having Whole Food’s catering make sandwiches. But I wanted to try my hand at making dessert. Since her party had a strawberry theme, I wanted something with strawberries, whip cream, and cajeta, of course.

It may not be a beauty, but it turned out delicious!

Tres Leches Cake Recipe

MAKES A RICH 10-INCH CAKE, SERVING 12 TO 15

Adapted from Pastel de Tres Leches from Rick Bayless’ Mexican Kitchen (Simon & Schuster)

For the cake

  • 3/4 cup, (about 3 ounces) almond meal or ground, toasted almonds
  • 1 cup, (3 1/2 ounces) cake flour – sifted before measuring
  • 10 tablespoons, (5 ounces) unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons, pure vanilla extract
  • 6 large eggs at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons, sugar
  • the finely grated zest (colored rind only) of 1 orange

For the “soaking” mixture and frosting

  • 2 cups, heavy (whipping) cream [divided use]
  • 3/4 cup, evaporated milk
  • 2/3 cup, cajeta (goat-milk caramel), either store-bought or homemade (can substitute sweetened, condensed milk)
  • (optional) 1/4 cup, orange liqueur (such as triple sec, Cointreau or Grand Marnier)

TO MAKE THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 2-inch deep, 10-inch round cake pan or springform pan. Line the bottom with a round piece of parchment paper, then grease the paper and flour it all – pan and paper.

In a small pan, melt the butter over medium heat, stirring and swirling until the butter is nut brown – about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, swirl to allow it to cool a little, then stir in the vanilla. Set aside until needed later.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer (you will need a heatproof bowl, preferably stainless steel), combine the eggs, 3/4 cup of the sugar and the orange zest. Select a saucepan that the mixer bowl will fit snugly into without the bottom of the bowl touching the bottom of the pan. Add to the saucepan about 1 inch of water and bring to a simmer. Set the mixer bowl over the simmering water (you’ll need to regulate the heat so the water no more than simmers), and whisk for several minutes, until the mixture in the bowl is very warm to the touch and foamy, and the sugar is completely dissolved. Transfer the bowl to the electric mixer and beat the warm egg mixture for a full 5 minutes (the mixture will be as thick as whipped cream that almost holds peaks).

Lower the speed, and now, with the mixer on the lowest speed, add the almond meal and flour a couple of spoonfuls at a time, letting one addition just disappear before adding the next. Thoroughly mix 1/4 cup of the cake batter into the butter/vanilla mixture. Then, in 2 additions, use a whisk to fold the butter mixture into the remaining cake batter.

Immediately and gently scoop this batter mixture into the prepared pan and bake until the cake feels slightly springy on top and the sides just begin to pull away from the pan, about 35 minutes. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack and cool completely.

TO MAKE THE “SOAKING” MIXTURE: Mix 3/4 cup of the cream with the evaporated milk and the cajeta in a small bowl. Slowly brush or spoon half of the mixture over the cake while on the cooling rack. Carefully invert your serving plate over the cake and flip the two. Remove the cooking rack from what is now the top and slowly brush or spoon on the remaining mixture. (Soaking the cake will take 10 to 15 minutes, letting each addition soak in before adding more.)

TO FROST THE CAKE: With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the remaining 1 1/4 cups of the cream with the remaining 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the orange liqueur until very stiff. (I skipped the liqueur as I had a few friends at the party that do not drink alcohol.) Spread the whipped cream over the sides and top of the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve. I topped it with fresh strawberries.

Notes:

The cake layer can be made several days in advance, wrapped in plastic and refrigerated; it may be wrapped and frozen for up to 3 months. The cake can be soaked a day ahead, but do not frost until the day you are serving.

Do not attempt to make a double recipe in a standard size mixer. I learned the hard way that the sponge really grows!

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Cajeta Recipe: Step by Step with Pictures

Posted on October 17, 2012 | 1 comment

Before living on the Bird Family Farm in a quiet part of San Diego, I lived in the neighborhood of North Park. Well, my side of the street was North Park, but across the street was City Heights. Also across the street was a small, family run Mexican market. They had fresh tortillas and Mexican canned goods, cheeses and candies. I love caramel, and was buying these round candies labeled “cajeta” for a while before I figured out that the picture of a goat on them probably meant that it was made with goat milk. It was too late to be grossed out as I was already a fan. The slight tang from the “goatiness” balances out the sugary sweetness better than cow’s milk can.

Fast forward to this spring and with my first surplus of goat milk from our co-op I knew I wanted to try making some form of goat milk caramel. I found a recipe for Rick Bayless’ cajeta caramel sauce and haven’t turned back. I’ve been a fan of Rick Bayless ever since I saw his show on PBS. If you are not familiar with him, he is a white American guy who makes Mexican food look authentic and delicious. I remember that in the first show I saw he was featuring a recipe called Chiles en Nogada and I was dying to try it. (I’ve since had it here in San Diego and in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico.)

Pronounced “ka-HEY-ta,” cajeta is traditionally made from goat milk and sugar, slowly reduced and caramelized. Think of dulce de leche meets sweetened condensed milk. It is often served as a syrup over pancakes and cakes or stirred into coffee. I like to add a vanilla bean to the recipe. Not only are the black flecks beautiful, it adds an almost custardy taste to the cajeta.

This is NOT a “quick and easy” recipe. Plan on the cooking taking an hour and a half. You do not need to stir constantly until the very end, but during most of the cooking you do need to stir periodically, scraping the bottom and the sides with a heat proof spatula. The only tricky part is feeling confident on when to stop cooking it. But no worries there! It’s just a matter of preference. Reduced less time it will be more syrupy, and cooked longer it will be thicker, almost pudding like when chilled.

Cajeta Recipe: Step by Step with Pictures

Recipe adapted minimally from Rick Bayless’ Cajeta  •  Makes about 3-4 cups

  • 2 quarts goat’s milk or a combination of goat’s milk and cow’s milk—or even with all cow’s milk (use whole milk in all cases)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 of a cinnamon stick
  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

1.  Simmer the cajeta.   In a large (6- to 8-quart) pot, combine the milk, sugar and cinnamon stick and set over medium heat.  Stir regularly until the milk comes to a simmer (all the sugar should have dissolved by this point). Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the dissolved baking soda—it’ll foam up if the goat’s milk is acidic. When the bubbles subside, return the pot to the heat.

Adjust the heat to maintain the mixture at a brisk simmer (too high and the mixture will boil over; too low and the cooking time will seem interminable). Cook, stirring regularly, until the mixture turns pale golden, more or less one hour.

Now, begin stirring frequently as the mixture colors to caramel-brown and thickens to the consistency of maple syrup (you’ll notice the bubbles becoming larger and glassier).  Stir regularly so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. Test a couple of drops on a cold plate: When cool, the cajeta should be the consistency of a medium-thick caramel sauce.  If the cooled cajeta is thicker (almost like caramel candy), stir in a tablespoon or so of water and remove from the heat; if too runny, keep cooking.

2.  Finish the cajeta.   Pour the cajeta through a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl or a wide-mouth storage jar.  (Or simply fish out the vanilla pod and cinnamon.) When cool, cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.  Warming the cajeta before serving makes it extra delicious.

Notes:

Cajeta keeps for a month or more in the refrigerator.  Keep it tightly covered to keep it from absorbing other flavors. I have also frozen it, although for only a month, and the defrosted cajeta was just as good.

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Posted in Backyard Goats, Food, Home Dairy, Preserving and Canning, Step by Step with Pictures

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Anasazi Bean Hoppin’ John

Posted on October 6, 2012 | Leave a comment

My mom is from the South and got me started making black eyed peas every New Year’s for good luck. Sometimes we make a spicy bean dip, but often she makes a traditional Hoppin’ John with sauteed onions.

After work the other day I set a cup of Anasazi beans to boil, not really sure the direction dinner would head. After that Baby Bird wanted to be held. Inspired by Hoppin’ John, I put a little brown rice in the rice cooker and threw the cooked beans together with the leftovers of the simple tomato sauce from this post. Post baby, I have a new definition of easy recipes: cooking one handed!

Anasazi Bean Hoppin’ John Recipe

Rinse and pick through the beans. Place in a large pot and add at least four cups of water. Add the bay leaves, cumin and epazote. Boil for about one hour until the beans are tender, adding water as needed to keep the beans covered. Drain.

While the beans are cooking, prepare rice in a rice cooker, or as you like.

Once the beans are done, rewarm the sauce with the cooked beans, just until heated up. Serve over the rice, accompanied with avocado, cilantro, lime, etc.

If you don’t have sauce, simply sauté some onions and garlic and add to the cooked beans.

Growing Tips

A subscriber to the Baby Bird’s Farm Facebook Page asked for more information on growing beans. Papa Bird likes to “direct sow” most beans meaning you can place a dried bean directly in the ground without sprouting. Plant an inch and a half deep and two inches apart. Thin to four inches apart. He generally recommends researching plants and selecting one that is appropriate for your zone, and they are traditionally grown in the Four Corners region, but he just kind of winged it with the Anasazis. Papa Bird also recommends researching whether the bean you have selected is a bush or a climbing vine, and planning accordingly. He shared that he felt like Anasazis were somewhere in between a bush and a vine in our garden, although supposedly they are vines.

For more info on growing check this article out.

About Anasazis

Please check out my first post on Anasazi Beans. Personally, it is one of my favorite posts. The beans can be bought locally in San Diego at the Hillcrest farmer’s market, on Amazon or from our “Store” page on this site.

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Posted in Healthy Recipes, Recipes for the Whole Family, Recipes from the Garden, Urban Homesteading

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Baba Ganoush

Posted on October 6, 2012 | 8 comments

Perhaps our baby bird is a rare one, but she absolutely adores eggplant. She gobbles down the soft roasted vegetable faster than I can cut it for her. But she loves it best made into a garlicky baba ganoush.

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I’ve found that the easiest way to prepare eggplant is to stab it once or twice with a fork and stick it whole in a hot oven for an hour. If you don’t puncture the skin, steam within the eggplant may cause it to explode in your oven. (Yes, it can really happen.) Roasting–or grilling–whole, there is no need to cut or salt it to reduce bitterness, or to use oil in order to make the flesh tender.

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The eggplant is done when it gets soft and easily can be mushed in. After cooling, it looks wrinkly and is easy to peel. One more reason why I love this preparation is that it becomes easy to separate the tentacles of flesh from the seed pods with your hands. I personally prefer not to eat the seeds.

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Easy Roast Eggplant Dip: Baba Ganoush Recipe

  • 2 medium to large eggplant
  • 1/4 cup of sesame tahini
  • 1/4 cup of olive oil
  • 2 or more cloves fresh garlic
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • smoked paprika and cumin
  • (optional) 1 T. of toasted sesame seeds
  • (optional) paprika, zatar and/or olive oil for garnishing
  • (optional but delicious) pomegranate seeds for garnishing

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place eggplant in a baking dish. Pierce the skin of each eggplant with a fork or knife. Bake for about 1 hour, until the skin is easily indented and the flesh feels mushy. Allow to cool. Once cool enough to handle, peel and discard the peel, stem and seeds. (Eggplant can then be stored for later use. Try roasting an extra eggplant for baby food or other recipes.) Reserve any liquid with the flesh.

2. Put eggplant flesh and liquid, tahini, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cumin and sesame seeds in a blender. Note: quantities are all suggestions. Blend until smooth. If the blender struggles, try adding more oil or liquid. Taste and adjust the ingredients to your liking.

3. (Optional) Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika, zatar, fresh pomegranate seeds and/or a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with pita chips, pita wedges or crudites (aka veggies). Also great in pita sandwiches.

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Tips for Feeding Baby:

Our baby has loved this as a puree starting at 9-10 months. Before that I pureed the roast eggplant with other vegetables, starting at 8 months. Small cut bites of soft roasted eggplant make excellent finger foods for baby led weaning. She also likes baba ganoush mixed with rice, either eating it with her hands or practicing her spoon skills.

Our baby has never had any digestive issues from eggplant, but her skin does turn red when she applies baba ganoush topically, perhaps from the eggplant, but definitely from the lemon juice and garlic, too. She loves to rub her food into her face and hair, so I try to keep it out of her eyes.

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Posted in Healthy Recipes, Homemade Baby Food, Recipes for the Whole Family, Recipes from the Garden

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