Sensuous Sweet Potato & Squash Soup

The other night it actually got cold. The temp dipped down into the 40’s before 10pm and put me in a cozy kind of mood. See, here in North Carolina fall teases us. October can offer an 80 degree day while the next is in the 50’s. It’s a wacky area of the country, climate wise that is, so when we actually get some real autumn weather I head for the stove, get a pot out and make soup.

I looked in my produce bowl and saw I had one sweet potato and one small winter squash and wondered if this would make enough for two. I scrounged around the produce drawer in the fridge and spotted a little clementine. “Orange soup it is!” I thought, and as it turned out, it was the perfect compliment to a bottle of Spanish wine we had just purchased from our friend Craig at

Warming, luscious and topped with a bit of buttered & candied hazelnuts and crispy sage leaves, it completely said ‘Fall’ to me.

It’s a beta carotene Party!

Saute all the veggies in a bit of olive oil until slightly browned.

Add veggie broth.

Fall spices I love…

After you add the spics to the pot add some water so that all the veggies are covered. Simmer on low heat until softened, about 15 minutes.

While the soup is simmering I melted a few dabs of butter and heated some hazelnuts in a sauce pan.

Then I added a bit of brown sugar to coat the nuts.

I added a touch of balsamic vinegar as well.

I also crisp fried a few sprigs of sage from the garden. I have to say, one thing I LOVE is crispy sage leaves.

Back at the soup pot, I added the juice of one clementine.

Then I pureed the soup until smooth. I also LOVE my stick mixer.

I then added a bit of half and half. You could use soy creamer as well. I seasoned with salt and pepper to taste and plated it up with the wine.

Although the days are getting shorter and winter is close to follow; soups like this make an evening’s dinner cozy and warm.

Gamja Jeon – Korean Potato Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 egg
5 tablespoons cornstarch
1 hot red Korean pepper OR 1/4 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 hot green Korean pepper OR 1/4 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced
4 pyogo (shiitake) mushrooms, finely diced
2 scallions, white and pale green parts only, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 pounds russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
pinch of salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Crack the egg into a large bowl and beat lightly. Add the cornstarch and mix until thick and smooth.
2. Add the red and green peppers, mushrooms, scallions, and garlic and mix well.
3. Using a box grater or food processor, grate the peeled potatoes. Add the grated potatoes to the peppers and mushrooms. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fold together all of the ingredients only until evenly distributed.
   
4. In a cast iron or nonstick skillet, heat about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat just until a wisp of smoke appears.
5. Use a spoon to drop mounds of batter on the skillet, about four at a time. Gently flatten each mound into rounds about 3 to 4 inches wide. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side, until crisp and golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter and oil.
6. Serve the potato pancakes as a side dish or appetizer with a bowl ofcho ganjang (vinegar soy sauce dip, recipe follows) .

초간장 – Cho Ganjang
Vinegar Soy Sauce Dip

makes 1/2 cup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons cheongju (Korean rice wine) OR vermouth
2 tablespoons rice vinegar OR apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
a pinch of salt

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped pine nuts OR toasted sesame seeds
a pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Mix together the soy sauce, wine, vinegar, sesame oil, lemon juice, and salt.
2. Add the pine nuts or sesame seeds and ground black pepper just before serving. Store leftover sauce in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to a week.

Chicken Potato Dish

Ingredients: 450 grams small potatoes, 100 gram dices bacon, 1 chicken breast, salt, pepper, rosemary, 100 ml white wine,

Number of persons: 2

Bake the potato on medium heat golden brown. Bake in a different pan 100 gram diced bacon crisp. Add when the bacon is crunchy 1 diced chicken breast and cook the chicken breast golden brown. Add the chicken breast and bacon to the potatoes. Bring the potatoes to taste with salt, pepper and rosemary. Take 100 ml white wine, bring to the boil to evaporate the alcohol. Let it simmer 10 minutes on low heat. Serve with green beans for example. Enjoy!

Marrowfat Peas Potato Dish

Ingredients: 250 gram diced bacon, 450 grams potato slices, 1 onion, 200 grams marrowfat peas (jar), salt, pepper,

Number of persons: 3

Bake in a hot wok 250 gram diced bacon crispy. Meanwhile cut 450 gram potato slices into smaller pieces. Add the potato slices with 1 chopped onion to the bacon. Bake the potatoes brown. Drain the marrowfats and add to the potatoes. Bring to taste with salt and pepper. Stir fry briefly on high heat and then lower the heat and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato & Avocado Sandwiches

I know you’re thinking, sweet potato and avocado? What? But yes, they do go together and quite well I might add! We have typically made these regularly between two slices of nice crusty wheat bread, but tonight we’d though we’d break out the panini maker. The result? Just as delicious! (You know when you get a new toy and it becomes your new favorite thing for the next day/week/month? That’s the panini maker. Makes a darn good sandwich!)

Sweet Potato and Avocado Sandwiches

The dressing is key to these sandwiches. I’m not a mustard fan but honey mustard is a whole other story. The recipe originally called for boiled sweet potatoes; we found them bland, so we brushed them with oil and honey and oven-roasted them. Delish. Not to mention good for you too.

INGREDIENTS
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 tbsp plus 2 tsp honey mustard
1 tbsp light mayonnaise
1/4 tsp poppy seeds
4 slices whole wheat bread
4 red onion slices, cut 1/8-inch thick
1/2 avocado cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
4 tomato slices, cut 1/4-inch thick
1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional)
1/2 cup baby lettuce or herb salad mix

DIRECTIONS
Toss sweet potato slices in a few tablespoons each of olive oil and honey. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook slices in oven until tender, about 15 minutes, flipping slices half way through.

Whisk together honey mustard, mayonnaise, and poppy seeds in a small bowl.

To construct the sandwiches, first spread half the poppy seed mixture on 2 of the bread slices, then place half of the onion, avocado, and tomato slices on top of each slice; sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Add a layer of sweet potato slices, cheese and lettuce. Top with remaining bread. Slice each sandwich in half, securing each half with a toothpick. Serve with sliced dill pickles and a handful of baked chips.

BLT Panini with Lemon and Herb Potato Salad

The BTL’s weren’t great… putting them in the Panini maker wasn’t the best idea (hot, wilted lettuce=not so good). But, the potato salad was excellent. Next time we’d reduce the dill (we’re not huge dill fans), but the vinegar and lemon really add a nice kick to the potatoes. Mmmm.

Creamy Potato Salad with Lemon and Fresh Herbs

Makes 8 servings. Recipe from Bon Appetit.

INGREDIENTS
3 pounds baby red potatoes
3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 medium green onions, thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
11/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel

DIRECTIONS
Bring potatoes to boil in large pot of water. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 17 minutes. Drain; let stand until cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes.

Cut potatoes into 3/4-inch pieces. Place 1 layer of potatoes in large bowl; sprinkle with some of vinegar and salt and pepper. Continue layering potatoes with vinegar, salt, and pepper. Add all remaining ingredients; toss. Season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and chill.

Potato and Kale Spanish Tortilla

I was afraid this recipe would be too omlette or fritatta like, and I’m not a huge fan of either. But the proportion of potatoes to egg was just right… just enough to hold it together but not so much that it tasted like an omlette. We topped it with parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of paprika, and it was quite good. Next time, we’ll add a bit more spice to the tortilla itself.

The best part of this dish? You can eat the leftovers for breakfast.

Potato and Kale Spanish Tortilla

Makes 6 servings. Recipe from Epicurious.

INGREDIENTS
1 lb boiling potatoes
1 cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 lb kale, center ribs discarded
7 large eggs

DIRECTIONS
Peel potatoes and cut into 1/3-inch dice (2 1/4 cups). Heat oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then reduce heat to moderately low and cook potatoes, onion, and 1 teaspoon salt, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Blanch kale while potatoes cook:
Cook kale in a 4- to 6-quart pot of boiling salted water until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately transfer to a bowl of cold water to stop cooking. Drain again, squeezing handfuls of kale to extract excess moisture, then coarsely chop.

Add kale to potato mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender, about 5 minutes. Drain vegetables in colander set over a bowl, reserving drained oil, and cool 10 minutes.

Lightly beat eggs in a large bowl, then stir in vegetables, 1 tablespoon drained oil, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Add 1 tablespoon drained oil to skillet, then add egg mixture and cook over low heat, covered, until sides are set but center is still loose, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 15 minutes.

Shake skillet gently to make sure tortilla is not sticking (if it is sticking, loosen with a heatproof plastic spatula). Slide tortilla onto a large flat plate, then invert skillet over tortilla and flip it back into skillet. Round off edge of tortilla with plastic spatula and cook over low heat, covered, 10 minutes more. Slide tortilla onto a plate and serve warm, cut into wedges.

Aloo Gobi with Potato and Cauliflower

Here we go again, making side dishes for meals. Add some spiced chicken to this and you’d have yourself a full on meal. I’m not a huge fan of cauliflower… something about the texture, but Taylor loved the flavors in this dish and gobbled it up. If you’re a fan of Indian food, you’ll appreciate this one.

We added a sweet potato to this, along with the regular potato and cauliflower. A great addition to the flavors of the dish.

The mix of spices that went into this was as beautiful as it was flavorful. We managed to find the fenugreek at an International food store… it’s sort of a coarse spice, almost like split peas that have been pounded, and bright orange in color. Not like anything I’ve ever tasted before.

Aloo Gobi with Potato and Cauliflower

Makes 4-6 servings. Recipe from RecipeZaar.

INGREDIENTS
1 head cauliflower (flowerets cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
2 medium boiling potatoes (3/4lb, cut into ½ inch cubes)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1-2 dried hot red chili pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon garam masala

DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a large 12 to 14 inch skillet. When the oil is smoking, scatter in the fenugreek, fennel, cumin and red peppers. Stir once and add the cauliflower and potatoes. Stir lightly until coated with spices and oil.

Turn heat down to medium. Add turmeric, ground coriander, salt and pepper. Sauté for 8–10 minutes.

Add ¼ cup water and cover immediately. Turn heat very low and steam vegetables for 7-10 minutes (until tender). Sprinkle the garam masala over the vegetables, stir once and serve.

Sweet Potato & Shiitake Tofu Scramble

T: What are we cooking tonight?
L: We don’t have anything planned for dinner, and we don’t go to the store until tomorrow.
T: What do we have?
L: *inspecting the eerily empty refrigerator*
L: a sweet potato, some shiitake mushrooms, a zucchini and some tofu.
T: What a combination.
L: *does a quick google search for “tofu shiitake zucchini recipe”… Prints off the first recipe that happens to pop up (which also includes, by the way, a sweet potato).*
L: Let’s try this.
T: *very skeptical of recipes from anything but a cooking authority*
T: Ok then…

30 minutes later, we had what looked like a glorified tofu scramble. We modified the recipe a bit (this was the day before grocery day, remember). And you know what? It may have been the best thing we cooked all week. Go figure.

By the way, props to you if you can form this into patties. I think it would taste even better that way. But, after one crumbly attempt at a patty, and some very rumbly tummies, we tossed the whole bowl into the pan and cooked it like a big hash brown.

Sweet Potato & Shiitake Tofu Scramble

Makes 4 servings (or so). Recipe from here, with modifications. :)

INGREDIENTS
1 sweet potato, cubed
1 package extra-firm tofu
1 zucchini, shredded
2/3 cup green onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ginger, grated
1 teaspoon sesame oil
5 shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons corn starch
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 carrot, grated, for garnish

For sauce:
1 cup water
2 teablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons corn starch
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon seasame oil
3 shiitake mushrooms, diced

DIRECTIONS
Boil sweet potato cubes until fork tender. Drain well and mash, set aside.

Press and drain tofu. The more moisture you can get out of it the better. Mash in tofu with the sweet potatoes.

Heat a small non-stick skillet and add the sesame oil, zucchini, green onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook until the zucchini softens, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add to tofu-sweet potato mixture.

Add mushrooms, sriracha, salt, and corn starch and mix thoroughly.

Attempt to form the mixture into patties. If you can, pan cook in a lightly oiled pan for 3-4 minutes per side, or until browned. If not, dump the entire mixture into a large pan and let sit (no stirring!) for about 5 minutes or until bottom is brown and crisp. Toss mixture with spatula and again let sit until bottom is brown. Repeat until mixture is evenly browned.

To make sauce, mix all ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until mixture boils, becomes translucent, and thickens. Drizzle over patties (or scramble mixture), garnish with grated carrot and sliced green onion

Moroccan-style Potato and Egg Sandwiches

Taylor LOVED these sandwiches. We made way too much, but he ate them for 3 meals in a row. I agreed that they had a good flavor and texture, but I thought they needed something more. Like a ‘cooling’ type of sauce. Next time I’d add maybe a cumin/honey/lime/yogurt sauce, even something like we used for the Fish Tacos. I think with all the bread and potato and egg the sandwich felt a bit dry to me, and a yogurt sauce would moisten it. Maybe the Harissa that the recipe mentions (that we couldn’t find) does just that? Who knows! This is definitely one we’ll try again!

Moroccan-style Potato and Egg Sandwiches

Makes 4 servings. Recipe from Epicurious.

INGREDIENTS
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1/2 lb Italian frying peppers, cut into 2- by 1/4-inch strips
1 large onion, halved lengthwise, then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
3/4 lb boiling potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 Portuguese, challah, or kaiser rolls (about 4 inches in diameter)
extra-virgin olive oil
harissa (spicy North African condiment) or cayenne (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Cover eggs with cold water by 1 1/2 inches in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan and bring to a rolling boil, partially covered. Reduce heat to low and cook eggs, covered, 30 seconds. Remove from heat and let eggs stand in hot water, covered, 15 minutes. Rinse eggs under cold water 5 minutes to stop cooking. Peel eggs and quarter lengthwise.

Meanwhile, toast cumin seeds in a dry 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant and a few shades darker, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool, then grind to a powder in grinder. Transfer to a small serving bowl.

Cook peppers, onion, potatoes, salt, and pepper in oil in same skillet over moderate heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are browned and very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Cut off an end of each roll and pull out some of bread from center to form a wide deep pocket in each roll. Put 2 egg quarters in bottom of each pocket and fill with vegetable mixture. Top filling in each sandwich with 2 of remaining egg quarters and sprinkle with some of cumin.

Serve sandwiches with remaining cumin and oil and harissa for seasoning.

Grandma’s Potato Latkes

Happy Hannukah to all who celebrate!

This is my favorite time of year, if only because it means latke season. While I can never seem to make them as good as grandma does, they are still an anxiously awaited treat. The time spent making these golden gems is well worth it. Served with sour cream or applesauce (we found a jar of delicious blackberry-apple sauce!), you could justify eating these for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Not to mention that reheated under the broiler, they make great leftovers, so don’t worry about making too many!

Just a tip: we’ve found that starchier potatoes make crispier latkes. While we always get yukon gold or red potatoes for everything else, good ol’ boiling potatoes are best for this recipe.

Grandma’s Potato Latkes

Makes 8 servings. Recipe from grandma Elaine (hi grandma!).

INGREDIENTS
6 large potatoes, peeled and finely grated
6 tablespoons matzo meal or flour
1½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 small onion, grated
cooking oil
3 eggs, well beaten

DIRECTIONS
Squeeze the grated potatoes inside a dish towel to remove the moisture. Place in a bowl. Add eggs, onion, flour or matzo meal, salt, and pepper and combine.

Heat ½ inch oil in skillet over medium high heat. Drop potato mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls into hot oil and flatten slightly. Cook until edges are crisp. Flip and brown other side. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Serve with applesauce or sour cream.

Note: These can be frozen and reheated for several minutes at 400ËšF on an ungreased baking sheet.

Potato Leek Pancakes with Red Onion-Apple Compote

Another recipe discovered while ogling the images over at tastespotting…

If only potato pancakes didn’t take so long to cook, I’d make them every week. Every day even! But seeing as the act of cooking dozens of hockey-puck size pats of potatoes takes upwards of an hour and a half, we’ll save these for the rare occasions when we make the conscious decision to stand in the kitchen for that long.

That said, these were well worth the extra effort. They are a ‘twist’ on the typical latke – with leek instead of onion, and a sweet and sour compote that becomes beautifully pink.

Potato Leek Pancakes with Red Onion-Apple Compote

Makes about 15 pancakes. Recipe from Marcias Kitchen.

INGREDIENTS
Compote:
1 large Granny Smith apple
1 small red onion
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
splash of brandy

Pancakes:
3 large Idaho (russet) potatoes, scrubbed, peeled, and shredded
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, trimmed, cleaned, and sliced very thin
1 egg
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2- 3/4 fresh ground black pepper
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS
To make compote:
Slice the onions as thin as you can, Core, but don’t peel the apple. Chop it into a small dice- about 1/4 inch.

Melt the butter in a medium sauté pan. When it starts to bubble add the onions. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes until limp. Add the apples, liquids, and sugar. Continue to cook for a couple minutes until the apples start to caramelize a bit. Will keep for several days in the fridge.

To make pancakes:
Put the shredded potatoes into an (old) dish towel. Wrap and squeeze all the water out of the potatoes. Combine in a large bowl with everything but the oil and butter. Mix very well.

Heat a griddle or sauté pan over med high heat and add enough oil and butter to coat the pan.

Working in batches, place small portions, about 2 tablespoons of the potato mix onto the hot griddle. Flatten the pancake with the back of a spatula. Repeat. Add more butter/oil as needed. Cook until bottom is golden, then flip.

To serve, add a little finishing salt and a grinding of pepper- then place a small dollop of the red onion-apple compote on each pancake.

Roasted Chicken with Sweet-Potato Risotto and Cranberry Sauce