Household Blog

This is a tried and true winner at the Purple House. I started making it one or two winters ago, and whenever I tell Damon that’s what’s for dinner, he gets excited. This is a lovely fall/winter dish, and as an added bonus, it goes together pretty quickly, just chop, mix, bake, and boil some pasta. I adapted this from a Rachael Ray recipe actually (for some reason I keep getting the magazine. I never ordered it. It’s weird. But whatevs.) I adapted it to make it gluten free obviously, and also to reduce the amount of pasta in the finished product—more veggie goodies!

So for the bulk sausage, we’ve tried and enjoyed hot sausage as well as sage sausage, both of which we buy from local farms—pork or lamb sausage. If you’re vegetarian, this would work fine with a marinated tempeh. Also, if fennel is hard to come by, you might try it with celery or even coarsely chopped cabbage—just be sure to let me know how it is!

Gluten Free Pasta with Fennel and Sausage

• 0.75 to 1 pound bulk spicy sausage (or sage)
• 1 large bulb of fennel, sliced
• 1 large onion, sliced in half circles
• 3 or 4 carrots, sliced on an angle
• 2 Tbsp safflower (or other high heat) oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 10 to 12 oz (2 to 3 cups) quinoa pasta elbows (0r other GF pasta)
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• Parmesan, optional garnish

Preheat oven to 425. Combine first 6 ingredients (through salt and pepper) in a 9 x12 casserole, tossing to combine, being sure to break the bulk sausage up into bite-sized pieces. Cook 30 minutes or till the carrots and fennel are tender.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in salted water. Drain, shock with cold water, and set aside.

When sausage mixture is done baking, toss with the pasta and parsley. Serve hot, with a light sprinkling of parmesan or other hard cheese.

I love risotto, and beyond the obvious loving to eat risotto, I love to make risotto. Let me be clear: making risotto is not hard, but it takes a long time. It is a labor of love. If you cringe at the idea of standing in front of a stove for an hour or so, this recipe is not for you.

If you’re like me, however, and the thought of sauteing mushrooms, stirring slowly in mindful meditation, sipping on a glass of red wine, breathing in the rich scent of slow-cooked butter and the forest floor, this is for you. Put on some good music (we played Sigur Ros this time, and I’ve enjoyed Over the Rhine in the past, but any warm mellow music will work), prep all your ingredients, pour yourself a glass, and get cooking.

Making risotto is not a chore that we have to do sometimes. Making risotto is something we get to do, when we have the time, when we have the right mindset. It’s a little mini-vacation in the kitchen. A labor of love.

NOTES: Homemade broth is best (vegetable, chicken, lamb—oh lamb would be great!). I make my broth in big batches and then freeze it for future use. If you’re doing this, be sure to thaw it and bring it to room temperature before using, and I find it helpful to have my stock close by in a quart jar for easy measuring. Also, yes, butter is necessary—accept no substitutions. And finally, most risotto recipes call for arborio rice. I personally love using brown rice, have also made it with red rice, a wild rice blend, and quinoa. You might want to follow the recipe straight the first time till you get the hang of it, but after that, feel free to experiment! Plus then you can play with the name—quinotto, milletto, etc. (I haven’t tried this yet with millet, but I would love to! I also wonder if oat groats might hold up to it… if you try it, let me know how it goes!)

Mushroom Risotto

• 6 Tbsp butter, divided
• 14 oz. fresh crimini mushrooms (or your favorite fungus), sliced
• 2 4-inch sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 1 small onion or half a large onion, diced
• 1 1/2 c. long grain brown rice
• 1/2 c. red wine (see, some of it even makes it into the food!)
• 4 c. good-quality stock  (I use chicken)
• 1/2 c. parmesan
• salt and pepper to taste

Prep all ingredients in advance—you will thank yourself later while you placidly stir, humming along with your music of choice. If you don’t prep, you will not enjoy the process quite as much :)

Heat a broad-bottomed deep skillet over medium. When it is hot, add 4 Tbsp of the butter and melt. Add the mushrooms, stirring constantly, about 8 minutes. At first they’ll soak up all the liquid, but then as they cook the juices will come out and become nice and brown and bubbly and smells oh-so-good… Use a slotted spoon to remove the mushrooms from the pan, leaving the juice. Set mushrooms aside.

Add to the skillet the remaining 2 Tbsp butter, then the garlic, onion, and rosemary. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes till the onion is softened and starting to turn translucent. Add the rice and stir, coating it with the butter, for 2 or 3 minutes—the rice will become shiny and semi-translucent. Add the mushrooms back in, and add the wine. Stir to combine.

Add 1/2 cup of broth at a time, each time waiting until the prior addition has been mostly absorbed before added more. Stir constantly. This will take a while. Settle in, relax, enjoy it. Continue adding and stirring until the rice is just softened but still has a touch of firmness to it  (Snoopy said, “It ain’t over till Al says ‘Dente!’”). This was at exactly four cups of stock for me, but if it takes less, it takes less. If you need more liquid, add more water from a teapot or wine or stock if you have it on hand. You get the picture.

Once the risotto is just about done, remove the rosemary sprigs, then stir in the parmesan. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper (I don’t think I’ve ever had to add salt, but fresh ground pepper is great). Garnish with grated parm and maybe some fresh parsley.

Serves 4 as a main course, 6 to 8 as a side dish.

What’s your favorite risotto combination? brainstorms? favorite moody cooking music?

Snoopy (Snoopy is Damon’s nickname) proved himself my urban gardening hero once again last night. Arriving home from a busy and stressful day, he brought it to my sometimes-clueless attention that with the spate of cold weather and frosts we’ve gotten this week, it’s probably a good time to harvest what we can from the fall garden. Good thinking, Snoopy. I’m glad one of us doesn’t his head up one’s proverbial bum :)

So while my better half brought in broccoli heads, cabbages, a few straggling turnips, and the less cold-hardy variety of kale, I was on KP. The curly kale and collards we left in the garden—they seem to be the rockstars of the winter—and we left the roots of the harvested plants intact and well mulched with straw, in hopes that they’ll give us a head start in the spring. The cabbage will be made into sauerkraut, the extra broccoli and greens will get blanched and frozen. Yum.

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, I was faced with a gorgeous 2+ pound cabbage and a hungry tummy. Based on a recipe from MarthaStewart.com, this is one meal that I couldn’t not share (sorry for the shabby picture). It’s simple, so perfect for the season, and was a cinch to adapt as gluten free. Ohhhh, you’re going to love it, guaranteed. It’s got the Snoopy seal of approval.

Cabbage and Sausage Spaghetti

• 1 lb bulk sausage—I used a sage sausage from local Keenbell Farm
• One 2+ lb head of cabbage, sliced thinly
• One large yellow onion, sliced thinly
• 8 oz gluten free spaghetti (I like Tinkyada)
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 1/2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• Fresh-ground black pepper and Parmesan for garnish (optional)

Cook and drain pasta.

While the pasta cooks, heat a deep skillet or stock pot over Medium-High. Cook sausage, breaking it up as it browns, once cooked, remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving the drippings in the pan.

Add to the hot pan drippings 2 Tbsp water, the onion, and about half the cabbage. Add a sprinkle of salt and a liberal amount of pepper. Stir, then cover, stirring occasionally. Once the cabbage has started to soften, add the rest of the cabbage and continue to cook it, covered, stirring occasionally, until the onions and cabbage is soft. Remove from heat.

Add the cooked sausage and spaghetti to the cabbage mixture. Add vinegar and salt to taste and mix well. Serve hot, garnished with a bit of parmesan and a generous amount of black pepper.

Serves 6

As Snoopy (Damon) said, the word of the day (or rather the weekend) is “apples.” I picked up a bushel of apples this week from a local farm, and I’ve been in the kitchen all day today and yesterday preserving the bounty, and as an added bonus, filling the house with warmth and apple-scented goodness!

Already completed are 17 pints of apple sauce, 14 8-ounce jars of chutney, and the apple butter is still bubbling along as I write this, getting thicker and richer with every passing moment.

And how easy is all this? First off, canning itself is not hard, but you need to know how to do it properly. For general canning instructions (and recipes, resources, etc.), click here. For those of you who have already canned in the past, for the apple sauce, peel and chop your apples to fill a big pot, cook over medium low till the apples are mushy (technical term, there). Use a potato masher or immersion blender to make the sauce smooth, then process in a water bath canner for 20 minutes (for pint jars).

For the apple butter, I filled my slow cooker with apple sauce, added a cinnamon stick, and am currently cooking the heck out of it, until it is rich and dark. Process in water bath canner 5 – 10 minutes. Nope, no sugar. Nope, no pectin. I’m actually surprised at how many apple canning recipes call for pectin—especially since apples naturally contain a large amount of pectin. Huh.

But the real jewel in the crown of this year’s preserving festivities was the chutney. Oh so good, so simple, so richly flavored… so many future variations already seeding themselves in my brain. We enjoyed this last night on veggie burgers, but I think this is going to be a constant condiment on our table—sweet, savory, spicy, tangy, and deeeeelish.

Future variations? I could have done with this being a little hotter, so I might add more hot pepper or red pepper flakes next time. Different sorts of dried fruit: apricot, mango, etc. Some diced sweet bell pepper might be nice. Alternative vinegars? You get the idea.

Curried Apple Chutney

• 4 to 4 1/2 pounds apples, peeled and diced
• 3 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
• 10 oz. (1 1/4 pound) raisins
• 3 c. brown sugar
• 2 to 3 inch knob of ginger, peeled and minced
• 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 t. sea salt
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 2 small hot red peppers, finely chopped
• 4 t. sweet curry powder (good quality, like Penzeys)
• 2 T. dijon mustard

Set slow cooker to high. Place all ingredients in slow cooker—this may need to be strategic, as it just filled to overflowing my 4-quart crockpot, and it took some pushing, stirring, and cooking-down for me to get all of it in there :)

Cook covered for 3 hours or so, till apples and all are well softened. Once they are soft, use a potato masher to start breaking up the chunks and giving you that chutney consistency. How chunky you leave it is entirely a matter of taste—I like some chunks in mine, as you can see in the pictures.

Once your chutney is the consistency and flavor you desire, process in 8-ounce jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes. Make sure the lids all pop down (showing a good seal) and label and date your jars. And… enjoy.

Yield: about 14 cups.

This dish is so good I made it two nights in a row, the first night with just eggplant, then again last night I used eggplant, zucchini, sweet bell pepper and onions. I could easily see this being adapted for fall and winter veggies too. So easy. Just chop, stir bake, and serve over rice, millet, quinoa—your grain of choice.

You can substitute your favorite hot sauce for sriracha or use honey instead of agave nectar, just do so to taste as they have different potency.

Spicy Summer Vegetables

• 1.5 pounds vegetables, chopped into largeish bite-sized pieces
• 6 oz. (3/4 cup) tomato paste
• 1 to 2 Tbsp. Sriracha (depending on your heat tolerance)
• 2 Tbsp. agave nectar
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 heaping Tbsp. dried oregano, or 3 Tbsp. minced fresh oregano

Preheat oven to 400. In the bottom of a large bowl, combine everything but the veggies. Add vegetables and mix well. Spread mixture onto a cookie sheet and bake until fork tender. Serve over your grain of choice—rice, millet, quinoa, buckwheat, etc. Garnish with sesame seeds. Rub your belly for joy.

Serves 4 as a main course, 6—8 as a side dish.

It may not be the prettiest dish in the world, but it is probably on my top ten list of favorite meals, and on the top five list for sheer nostalgia. I grew up eating Cajun’s Delight – apparently one of my dad’s patients gave him the recipe once upon a time. So hearty, warm, it satisfies all the tastes, and the textures, oh the textures! Crunchy, smooshy, gooey, firm… this is the definition of comfort food to me. And it’s pretty good for you, too. Shoot, when I was vegetarian I probably ate this at least twice a month. Now I’ve made a few alterations, improving in my opinion the taste and nutritional value. Got a picky vegetarian in the family? Give this baby a whirl…

Cajun’s Delight

• 1/3 c. dry lentils
• 1/3 c. dry lima beans
• 1 c. dry rice (I like a wild rice blend, like Lundberg’s)
• 3/4 c. celery, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 c. pecans
• 2 T. sesame seeds
• 1 t. sea salt
• 2 T. barbecue sauce (gluten-free)
• 3 T. oil
• 1 c. tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 t. sriracha!! (I’m sorry, I just can’t say/type sriracha without shouting gleefully :)
• 6 to 8 oz. sharp cheddar, shredded

For the beans and lentils, I prefer them sprouted, in which case, start them the day before (a post on sprouting will be coming soon). If you’re not sprouting them, soak them for 2 to 8 hours before you start preparing dinner.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cook rice. Cook beans and lentils (it’s okay if the limas are still a little bit firm, it adds a nice texture). Drain if necessary and pour into a large mixing bowl. Add all other ingredients, but reserving about a third of the cheddar cheese to the side (for topping later). Mix well.

Pat mixture evenly into a 9-inch square casserole. Bake on center rack for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle remaining cheese evenly over the top, then bake for another 10 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving, if you can stand it. I usually end up burning my mouth in my eagerness, so fair warning.

Serves 6 to 8. Enjoy!

Off the radar for a while, I know. I spent the warm season writing a weekly featured recipe for Agriberry CSA, a fabulous local all-fruit CSA organized by the irrepressible Ms. Anne Geyer. I’ll be posting the “best of” those recipes in the near future, but for today, a welcome to Fall—my favorite time of year. Let us eat well, digest what’s past, and prepare ourselves for the next.

Chunky Pumpkin & Kale Soup

• 1 pie pumpkin
• 1 large bunch kale
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 large shallots, chopped
• 4-6 cloves garlic, chopped
• Whole dried hot pepper (# depends on hotness of peppers – I used one medium-hot pepper b/c the curry paste will also add some spice)
• 2-4 T. finely chopped fresh ginger
• 2 yellow peppers, chopped
• 1 c. dried white beans (cranberry, cannellini, etc.) soaked for a day ahead OR 1 can of same
• Fresh thyme – a lot
• 6 c. chicken broth (about 3 cans)
• 1 can coconut milk
• 4-5 t. Thai red curry paste
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Butter
• Scallions for garnish
• Zatar for garnish

If using dry beans, soak your beans for 12 – 24 hours ahead of time (I loved the big white cranberry beans in this, but I might try it with red lentils next time). Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer to soften right before preparing the soup. Drain before adding.

Preheat oven to 375. Cut your pie pumpkin (or other pumpkin variety or butternut squash) in half, scoop out the seeds, and rub all of interior with some butter. Place face down on cookie sheet and bake in oven until softened, about 30 – 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add 2 sprigs of time, chopped onion, shallots, garlic, a sprinkling of sea salt, and whole dried hot pepper. Saute until onions are softened. Add yellow pepper and ginger. Add chicken broth, coconut milk, and Thai red curry paste,  then stir in the drained & rinsed beans. Mix well and return to a boil, adjusting heat to maintain a simmer. When pumpkin is softened, remove from oven and use a spoon to scoop chunks of flesh out – add to soup mixture.

Clean kale and chop coarsely – I like longer crinkly pieces so I just chop it once laterally. Add to soup but do not mix it in – cover the pot and allow the kale to steam and soften. Then stir the soup, add lemon juice and additional salt or curry paste to taste. Garnish with a sprinkling of zatar seasoning and chopped scallions. Dee-lish!

I love this time of year. Just got whomped last weekend with an unexpected twelve inches of snow, and today, five days later, it’s set to be 80 degrees out. If you don’t like the weather in Richmond, wait five minutes.

Spring Fever, for me, means cleaning house, acting like a lunatic, getting outside as much as possible, gardening, and cleaning out the pantry while relishing the first fresh spring produce. La.

Here are a couple of my faves from this past week.

Pantry Pilaf

I love rice, not the bland white stuff, but the chewy, nutty blends of black, brown, and red rices, take a little longer to cook but the flavor is lovely. So you can cook this with any kind you like, but you know how I feel.

1 c. rice, uncooked
1/2 t. sea salt
1/2 onion, chopped (I used yellow, but I think I’ll try red next time)
1/3 c. dry sundried tomatoes, chopped
1 T. oregano (preferably fresh)
olive oil
juice of one lemon
pepper

Place your chopped sundried tomatoes (I prefer to use the dried ones, not the ones packed in oil) in a small bowl or ramekin. Add the lemon juice, pepper, oregano, and just enough oil to give it a  nice gooey mix. Stir well and set aside to soak – do this first – the longer it soaks the better. In skillet, heat a bit of oil and saute the onion just until tender. Set aside.  Cook rice with a half teaspoon of salt and two bay leaves and the requisite amount of water. One rice is fully cooked, toss in the sundried tomatoes and onion. Top with sunflower seeds if desired, and serve.

Braised Greens & Garlicky Beans

1/2 c. dried white beans (I used Rancho Gordo‘s Mayacoba – their beans are marvelous)
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bunch fresh spinach, washed and de-stemmed
lemon pepper
salt

Soak the beans in a liberal amount of water for 4-6 hours. Closer to dinner time, cook beans until tender (this takes a while – I use this as good kitchen meditation time – prep other ingredients, read a book, listen to music, drink some wine, you know – warm things up). Once beans are fully tender, drain them and set aside. Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium. Add garlic, saute about a minute, then add the beans. Mix well (try not to smoosh the beans as much as possible) and continue to saute another couple minutes. Add spinach leaves (do not mix in yet) and season with salt, lemon pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Cover the skillet and allow the spinach to wilt. Just before the spinach is fully wilted, remove the lid and toss to mix the greens and beans together. Remove from heat – do not overcook – that beautiful spinach green with the white beans, like the last winter snow melting away. You know, if winter snow was bean shaped and tasted like garlic *grin*. Enjoy!