Kiss Fall Goodbye

This fall, my husband and I took a trip up to upstate nyc during the fall for some hiking and relaxation. We stopped off at a local farm stand and bought some delicious local produce, including a small sugar pumpkin. We used it as decor but my intent was to make something tasty with it at some point. But there it sat. And sat. And sat some more. Until I decided that my cut off was December and I had to use it before then.

I followed this recipe from Dorie Greenspan. I have to say, it completely blew my expectations and tasted amazing. Now I wish I had a few more pumpkins hiding somewhere so I could make it weekly! You could have this as a side dish (serves 4) or a main course (serves 2). We had ours with the rest of our Thanksgiving dinner, which paired perfectly. It also would be good with a nice simple green salad on the side.

Savory Stuffed Pumpkin

1 pumpkin, about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds

4 ounces stale bread, sliced thin, then cut into 1/2-inch chunks (**I used GF bread)

4 ounces cheese, (She recommends Gruyere, Swiss, Blue, or Cheddar; I used a combo of monteray jack and gouda which was excellent) cut into 1/2-inch chunks

2-4 cloves garlic (to taste), peeled, germ removed and coarsely chopped

About 1/3 cup heavy cream

Freshly grated nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. I used a Dutch oven to bake the pumpkin in. Just add a little vegetable oil to the bottom of it so it doesn't stick too much. Try to use a nice looking one because then you can bring it all right to the table. You could also use a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.

2. Using your pumpkin carving skills, cut a cap off the top of the pumpkin. (You know, just like how you carve a jack-o-lantern.) Clear away any seeds and strings from the cap and hold it aside while you scoop out the seeds and filaments inside the pumpkin. I saved the seeds and roasted them. Season the inside of the pumpkin with salt and pepper and put it on the sheet or in the Dutch oven.

3. In a separate bowl, toss the bread, cheese, garlic, salt, pepper and nutmeg together then add it to the pumpkin. The filling should come to near the top of the pumpkin (you can add more or less filling as needed.) Add the cream right to the pumpkin; it should come about 1/4 or 1/3 of the way up--no more than that. You don't want the ingredients to swim in cream, but you do want to get a feeling that they're moistened.

4. Put the cap back in place and bake the pumpkin for about 2 hours. Take the cap off the pumpkin the last 30 minutes so it gets nice and brown on top. The flesh should be tender and you should hear the insides bubbling away.

5. I brought the crock pot right to the table, used a sharp knife to cut the pumpkin into wedges. I think next time I will add a little precooked bacon and some sage. The garlic gets nice and mellow and wonderful.

Guest Post: A Brisket, a Tasket

Guest chef Dusty here with a recipe for mouthwatering brisket that will make you cry.

Braised Brisket With 36 Cloves of Garlic
from Epicurious

Ingredients:

About 36 fat unpeeled garlic cloves (1 2/3 to 2 cups) or an equivalent amount of smaller cloves, plus 1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
A first-or second-cut beef brisket (about 5 pounds), trimmed of excess fat, wiped with a damp paper towel, and patted dry
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade or good-quality low-sodium purchased
3 or 4 fresh thyme sprigs, or 2 teaspoons dried leaves
2 fresh rosemary sprigs, plus 1 teaspoon chopped leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 325.

Peel all that garlic. You can boil it for 30 seconds and that makes it easier.

Heat the olive oil in a large roasting pan, then add the brisket and brown on both sides. Don't overdo it though, because you don't want it to develop a crust. Transfer the brisket to a platter and set aside.

Pour out all but about 1 tablespoon of the fat left in the pan. Add the garlic and cook over medium heat until the little suckers are tinged gold. Then add the vinegar and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Add the stick, thyme, and rosemary, and reduce heat to a simmer.

Salt and pepper the brisket on both sides, then put it in the pan, fat side up. Spoon the garlic cloves over the meat.

Place the brisket in the oven, cover with a lid or foil, and cook until the meat is tender, about 3 hours. Baste that meat every half hour, and if the liquid is boiling, lower the oven to 300.

This isn't necessary, but if you can leave the house for like, 20 minutes, then come back, you will realize how amazing your place smells with this dish in the oven.

Once the brisket is done, take it out and let it rest. It's very tired from becoming delicious. While it's resting, scrape the fat off the top (without waking it, if possible).

To make the gravy, pour the braising mixture through a strainer. Save the garlic, toss the herbs. Skim as much fat off the liquid as possible, then puree 1 cup of it along with half of the cooked garlic (you can toss in all the garlic if you want it really smooth). Pour the pureed mixture into a skillet, add the rest of the braising liquid and garlic, along with some freshly chopped rosemary and lemon zest. The recipe says to add more minced garlic but I was like, really? More garlic? So that's up to you. Boil this down over high heat.

Slice the brisket then rewarm it.

Place it on a platter, pour gravy all over it, then eat it while moaning in ecstacy.

Guest Post: Dusty's Crusty Must-Eat Tilapia Salad

Did you know that in terms of sustainability, Tilapia is one of the best fish you can eat? That's because it's an herbivore. Most of the overfishing that goes on these days revolves around tasty predator fish like Tuna. While Tilapia may not be the most flavorful fish in the world, it does absorb whatever you cook it in, making it a versatile and potentially yummy little fish. In this case we mix it up with some cornmeal for a little crunch then let it take its last swim in a big beautiful salad.

Cornmeal-Crusted Tilapia Salad
from Cooking Light

Ingredients 4 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch strips
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon chili powder, divided
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon onion flakes, crushed
4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
7 teaspoons canola oil, divided
6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 1/2 cups chopped red bell pepper (about 1 large)
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup preshredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425º.

Place tortilla strips on a baking sheet lined with foil; lightly coat tortilla strips with cooking spray. Sprinkle strips with 1/2 teaspoon chili powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bake at 425º for 10 minutes or until crisp, and set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, cornmeal, onion flakes, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon chili powder in a shallow dish. Sprinkle fish with 1/4 teaspoon salt; dredge in cornmeal mixture.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned and fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

Combine romaine and next 4 ingredients (through cilantro) in a large bowl. Combine juice, mustard, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add remaining 4 teaspoons oil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Drizzle juice mixture over lettuce mixture; toss gently to coat. Place 1 1/2 cups salad mixture on each of 4 plates; sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese. Place 1 fish fillet on each salad; top with 5 tortilla strips. Eat while feeling good about yourself for saving the ocean food chain, even though you're still destroying the Earth with your continuous consumption of its finite resources. Bon Apetite, from the guilty eco chef!