ode to a pumpkin

Ode to a Pumpkin

Oh Pumpkin, Oh Pumpkin, how great thou art

There are all sorts of recipes of which you're a part

Your orange globule presence is everywhere

In magazines, on doorsteps and the food blogosphere

It must be the season for your merits to be shown

We all want to claim you and make you our own

In muffins and cookies and casseroles and soups

You must use a pumpkin to remain in the loop

Oh Pumpkin, Oh Pumpkin, you're a glorified gourd

But frankly, I admit you're making me bored

So here is my recipe, I've had my fun

I've cooked with a pumpkin and now I am done

Pumpkin and sweet potato puree
with orange and thyme

from Fine Cooking Magazine Oct/Nov 2010

Online here

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 Tbs. unsalted butter; more for the baking sheet
1 small (1-1/2 lb.) Sugar Pie pumpkin
1 medium (2- to 2-1/4 -lb.) Sugar Pie pumpkin
1 large (14- to 16-oz.) sweet potato
2 Tbs. light brown sugar
1 tsp. finely grated orange zest
1 tsp. minced fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F.
Generously butter a rimmed baking sheet. Cut the small pumpkin in half lengthwise and put it cut side down on the baking sheet. Cut a 1/2-inch lid from the stem end of the medium pumpkin and put both pieces cut side down on the same baking sheet. Cut the sweet potato in half lengthwise and place cut side down on the same baking sheet.

Cover the vegetables tightly with foil and bake until the sweet potato and halved pumpkin are very tender, and the larger pumpkin is tender when pierced with fork, about 1-1/2 hours. Let stand until cool enough to handle.

Scoop the seeds from the halved pumpkin and discard. Remove the skin and put the flesh in a food processor. Peel the sweet potato and add it to the processor, along with the butter, brown sugar, orange zest, and thyme. Purée until smooth and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Scoop the seeds from the larger pumpkin, leaving the shell and flesh intact. Season the inside of the pumpkin lightly with salt and pepper. Transfer the purée to the pumpkin shell and top with the lid. (If you can’t fit all the purée, put the remainder in a small baking dish, cover, and bake alongside the pumpkin.) Put the pumpkin on the baking sheet and bake until the pumpkin and purée are heated through, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate and serve, spooning the purée from the pumpkin.

Notes:

1. I added Rosemary and garlic to this recipe because I am on a Rosemary kick right now and garlic is a must.
2. I have nothing against pumpkins or those that choose to cook with them.  I was just taking note of how many pumpkin inspired recipes there are right now.  A lot.

rouladen - regional recipes Germany

Our next stop on the Regional Recipes tour is Germany.  Joanne from Eats Well With Others chose Germany this month for obvious reasons.  Yes, Oktoberfest.  Can you imagine? An entire festival dedicated to drinking beer, eating hearty food and singing oompah pah at the top of your lungs.  Barbaric! Fun!

 
The whole premise of Oktoberfest actually sounds like a meeting of the Starfish Club.  These "meetings" usually involve lots of food, free flowing beer or wine and definitely a whole lot of singing.  Our mantra: Sing like there's nobody listening............or looking, as the case may be.  A picture is worth a thousand words.  Need I say more?

Rouladen
Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients
2 lbs beef moose round steak, cut and pounded into thin slices
1 medium onion, chopped fine
5 slices bacon, chopped fine
3 large dill pickles, chopped fine
1/4 cup Dijon mustard or grainy German mustard
1 cup beef stock
1/2 cup red wine
4 tbsp flour

Directions
Cut round steak into thin slices and if necessary use meat tenderizer to pound meat to an approximate 1/4 inch thickness.  To minimize the mess, cover the meat with plastic wrap before you pound it.

Saute bacon and onion until onion is translucent, approximately 5 minutes over medium heat.  In a small bowl mix onions, bacon and pickles.

Spread a thin layer of mustard over each slice of meat, followed by a thin layer of the bacon mixture.

Roll each piece of meat into a "log" and secure with a couple of toothpicks.

Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into a large skillet and place the rolls of meat into the skillet.  Brown the meat over medium to high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low and add the beef stock and red wine.  Cover and simmer for a few hours.  Add a little water to the pan as necessary.

Remove meat rolls from the pan and make a gravy with the remaining juices by adding a flour and water mixture, ensuring that the flour is mixed into the water well to avoid lumps.  Increase heat to medium high and add flour mixture to pan while stirring with a whisk.  Continue stirring until the gravy has thickened to the desired consistency.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon gravy over the meat rolls and serve with mashed potatoes or spaetzle. Guten Appetit!