Curried Pumpkin Soup

 Fall!  Pumpkins!  Soup!  Curry!  These are a few of my favorite things...

Light, complex, spicy, smooth and filling.  Deceivingly filling.  You'd be surprised how little soup you need to sate an appetite after an afternoon raking leaves.  And perfect for a gathering when many hungry hands may be idling.  This soup can be made ahead, chilled and re-heated when ready to serve.  Or, transferered into a slow cooker to linger and warm for whenever pepple are ready to eat.

I prefer the slightly sweeter and smokey flavor oven roasted pumpkin lends to recipes, so I opted to replace a portion of the originally recipe's canned pumpkin with my own roasted variety.  The spices are easily modified to accommodate any palate  And the soup does play well with heat...so feel free to add more red pepper or a dash or too of hot pepper sauce to liven up the tongue a bit.

adapted from Epicurious

serves 16-18

The Ingredients:
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 Tbsp oil
3-4  garlic cloves, mince
2-3 -inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cardamom
2 tsp salt
1 small pie pumpkin (2-3 lbs)
1 - 15 oz can pumpkin puree
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 - 15oz can  coconut milk

The Process:
Preheat the oven to 450.  Slice the pumpkin, scoop out the seeds and place cut side down on an oiled baking sheet.  Bake for 45-60 minutes,or until soft and beginning to carmelize, flipping cut side up halfway through.  Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Scoop out the softened pumpkin flesh.  Mash slightly for a smoother soup, or leave as scooped for more texture.  

Meanwhile, heat a large heavy bottomed saucepan over medium high heat, and sautee the onions until soft, about 3-5 minutes.  Add the ginger and garlic, sautee 1 minute longer.  Stir in the cumin, coriander, cardamom and cinnamon, mixing until the onions are well coated*.

Add the pepper flakes, salt, canned pumpkin, fresh pumpkin, broth, coconut milk.  Bring to a simmer and let cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.   For a smooth soup, puree in batches with  food process, or process with an immersion blender, or serve as is.  Thin with additional broth, if desired.

* in lieu of the individual spices, you can substitute 1 Tbsp of your favorite garam masala.

Ginger Cardamom Chicken Marinated with Pumpkin Ale

This recipe was served alongside yesterday's curried squash as part of a beer paring assignment.  While the curry was stellar on its own, I rarely turn up the opportunity to actually COOK with the beer.  Upping the ante a bit for the homework, I incorporated the beer of choice directly into the recipe.

Brooklyn's Post Road Pumpkin Ale:

The beer has a wonderful spice aroma that I wanted to play up in the chicken.  As the poultry was paired with a curry for dinner, I opted to keep the spice palate fairly tight.  Instead of using  broader more complex flavor of the garam masala blend used in the curry, I choose to focus on the cardamom and ginger.  The beer does not contribute much flavor, but played a key role in tenderizing the meat.  In the end the flavor was fairly simple...only a subtle hint of spice with a warmth from the ginger...but it was by far one of the juiciest and most tender boneless, skinless chicken breast recipes I've tried to date.

I used whole cardamom pods in this recipe, but feel free to substitute the ground spice instead.  Start with 1 1/2 tsp and adjust to your liking.

the recipe is my own

serves 4-6

The Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 - inch knob of fresh ginger, minced
1 black cardamom pod
6-8 green cardamom pods
2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
10 oz pumpkin ale

The Process
Dry roast the caradmom pods in a small skillet over high heat, until lightly toasted and very fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Once cool, coasrely crush with the side of a knife or with a mortar and pestle.  Combine all of the marinade ingredients into a gallon-sized zip-top bag.  Add the chicken.  Refridgerate and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour (mine bathed in the beer for almost seven).

Preheat the broiler or grill.  Remove the chicken from the marinade, discard the marinade.  Grill the chicken for 10-15 minutes, or until no longer pink, turning once (internal temperature should read 170F).  Serve.

Curried Squash

This past week I was tasked with pairing a meal with a harvest beer.  I'm not quite sure they realize the potential monster they released with this charge...

At our last beer session, we were treated to five samples.  The one that struck me the most was Weyerbacher's Imperial Pumpkin Ale.  As with most pumpkin ales, a heavy spice hit the nose first.  I braced myself for another cloyingly sweet, wannabe pumpkin pie concoction and was humbled and shamed by what I actually tasted.  First the spice hit my tongue, but not the typical pumpkin pie spice...it was warm, and familiar.  The flavor lingered and danced on the tip of my tongue, toying and teasing...not quite being placed. Another sip in...cardamom.   Oh, cinnamon and nutmeg joined the pas de trio, but the cardamom was star.  Supported by a dry, malty backbone, I was in pure heaven.  And had a serious craving for curry.

Thus this recipe was born.

Sadly, Weyberbacher was not to be had.  However a similarly spiced and not overly sweet ale found its way into it's place...Brooklyn's Post Road Pumpkin Ale.



I had many squash on hand to choice from.  A buttery and tender acorn squash.  Robust, but mild pumpkin.  Slightly sweet butternut.  Nutty and melt in you mouth red kuri...

As fall seems dominated by pumpkin and butternut, and as I did not want the sweeter notes these to squash tend to lend, I chose the red kuri and a smaller acorn to create the dish.  The result was buttery and nutty, with a hint of sweetness from the coconut to balance the dryness of the inspiring beer and a complex dance of warm spice from the garam masala.  The ginger lingered in the back.

Served on its own, or with a hearty piece or two of naan to sop up the sauces, this dish makes for a wonderful fall meal.

the recipe is my own

serves 6-8

The Ingredients:
2 Tbsp vegetable oil or ghee
1 red onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2" knob of fresh ginger, minced
2 Tbsp garam masala
1/2 vegetable or chicken stock
1 - 15 oz can coconut milk
8 cups dished squash (pumpkin, acorn, red kuri, butternut and delicacta ...)
salt and pepper to taste

The Process:
Heat the oil or ghee in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat.   Add the onions, garlic and ginger.  Saute until until soft and fragrant, about 5-7 minutes.  Add the garam maslam and stir until well combined.

Add the cubed squash, broth and coconut milk.  Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, cover and reduce heat.  Simmer on low for 30-40 minutes, or until the squash is tender.  Uncover and simmer and additional 10 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.

 Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Twice Baked Cardamom Sweet Potatoes

As a child, my only exposure to sweet potatoes came in the form of a marshmallow and pecan studded mush swimming in brown sugar, honey and butter.  My young mind was agog to see such a sickly sweet side dish served up as a vegetable during the holidays.  For years, this was the only way a could fathom preparing the bright orange spud.

Then the spell was broken.  Sometime late in college I was introduced to the baked sweet potato.  Grated this first deviation from the holiday norm was also swimming in butter and brown sugar.  But the scales had fallen from my eyes.  Sweet potato fries with garlic cracked the facade even further.  Savory with sweet?  No brown sugar and cinnamon?  I needed more.   Sweet potato gnocchi with brown butter and thyme, cheesy scalloped sweet potatoes,baked sweet potatoes topped with chili, sweet potato soups and stews, sweet potato pancakes...the doors had suddenly been flung wide open...

Now I use sweet potatoes far more regularly than russets, Yukon and even baby reds.

This recipe is a simple twist and a classic twice baked potato.  Indian spices remain one of my favorite pairings with this beautiful root vegetable.

the recipe is my own

yields 4 side servings

The Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes
1 russet potato
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin, ground
1/2 tsp cardamom, ground
1/2 tsp salt



The Process:

Preheat the oven to 400. 

 

Pierce each potato in several places with a skewer the tines of a fork.  Place the potatoes directly on the rack in the center of the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Rotate the potatoes and bake an additional 30 minutes, or until tender. They should yield slightly when pressed.  Remove potatoes from the oven, and turn the reduce the oven heat down to 350.

Allow the potatoes to rest until cool enough to handle.  Slice the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise.  Scoop out the flesh of the potatoes, leaving a 1/4-inch shell.  Reserve the flesh. Set the sweet potato shells aside in a baking dish.  Remove the flesh from the russet potato, reserving with the sweet potato flesh.  Discard the skin.

In medium bowl, combine the potato flesh, yogurt, salt, cumin, and cardamom.  Mix until well blended.  Spoon the mixture into the potato shells, mounding slightly. 

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minute or until the potato skins begin to crisp and the top a lightly golden.  Serve with a dusting of cumin or cardamom powder.


The Review:
Savory, sweet and slightly salty.   The potatoes were a huge hit with our dinner guests, despite the lack of presentation.  Sweet potatoes do seem to have an elevating effect on the whole meal...

The cardamom is a warm spice that most people can't quite place.  It hinted at cinnamon, particularly when paired with the sweetness of the potato, but the flavor is so distinct.  Slightly exotic.  But again, so familiar.  It is a great substitute for cinnamon whenever I want to push people slightly out of their culinary comfort zone.

The garlic and cumin heated things up a bit and took the dish out of the realm of the typical sweet potato prep.  No brown sugar and marshmallows here!

Stone fruit jam with cardamom

Growing up, I remember small jars of rich red-colored jam sealed with paraffin wax nestled in our refrigerator door. My grandmother made pints of plum jam every year and shared the bounty with the family. At first the tree in her backyard provided all of the fruit she needed. After the tree withered away, she continued the tradition by hunting down that specific variety of plum. Sadly, the recipe passed away with her.

In her memory, I wanted to concoct a stone fruit jam of my own. While I vividly remember how her cheery, wax-topped jars looked, I barely recollect the flavor. So I am on my own... However a generous pile of plums, apricots, nectarines and one lone peach remained from a recent family BBQ. I squirreled these summer gems home and created this heavenly jam in hopes of beginning a jam tradition of my own

the recipe is my own

yields approximately 4 one pint jars.

The Ingredients:
10-12 assorted stone fruits (about 8 cups chopped)
I used about 6 small plums, 2 nectarines, 3 apricots, and 1 peach
1 stick of cinnamon, about 4"
2 black cardamom pods
6 green cardamom pods
6 whole cloves
6 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice

The Process:
Wash and rinse the fruit thoroughly. Do not soak. Remove stems and pits from the fruit and dice. Measure into large saucepan. Add sugar, lemon juice and whole spices.

Over medium high heat, bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Continue to boil until mixture thickens and the temperature reaches 220 on a candy thermometer. Test the jam's consistency by spooning a little onto a cold saucer and chill for a few minutes in the fridge. If adequately set it should wrinkle and feel firm.

Remove saucepan from heat and skim off any foam. Remove cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and cloves. Fill sterile jars with jam, leaving 1/4-inch head-space. Gently stir to remove air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars clean and top with lids, screwing them finger tight (not TOO tight). Submerge filled jars in a water bath of boiling water and boil for 5-7 minutes (process times may vary by elevation).

Remove from water bath and allow to cool undisturbed for 12-24 hours.

If properly processed the jam will remain good for several months, though the flavor will diminish after a year.

The Review:
The spicy aroma that filled my kitchen as the jam bubbled on the stove top was absolutely divine! The warm spices of cinnamon, cardamom and clove turned out to be the perfect flavor compliment. I could barely wait until the next day to try the jam on a batch of freshly baked biscuits. Pure heaven for breakfast! I had to restrain myself from eating the jam straight from the jar.

The stone fruit jam gelled up much better than my first peach jam attempt. While I prefer my jams and jellies slightly soft and soupy, those preferring a more solid spread may want to add pectin to their saucepans full of fruit.

This jam may not be grandma's, but I'm sure she would approve. And now I have four rosy jars of summer to see me through our cold, snowy winters.