Sarah from Scratch

Mushroom and Feta Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Sarah — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 04:54:19 +0000

Quick and easy meals that look fancy are awesome. And pork tenderloin, even stuffed pork tenderloin, is exactly that. It’ll roast in less than half an hour, tastes great, and looks like it took way longer than it really did. And another bonus: you can prepare the tenderloin the night before or in the morning, pop it in the fridge covered with saran wrap, and bake it when you get home in the evening.

You really can stuff a tenderloin with whatever strikes your fancy. For this recipe, I basically opened my fridge and used different ingredients that I already had on hand. A good general rule of thumb is a combination of: a fruit or vegetable (anything from mushrooms to apples to figs), a soft or semi-soft cheese (be it goat cheese, feta, bleu cheese, etc), and whatever herbs and nuts sound appealing.

A stuffed pork tenderloin is a great (and relatively fool-proof) way to have fun and experiment in the kitchen!

Mushroom and Feta Stuffed Pork Loin

pork tenderloin, approximately 1 lb, butterflied and flattened to 3/4 inch
1 Tablespoon parsley
1/2 cup crumbled Feta
2 cups mushrooms, coarsely chopped
3-4 shallots, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tablespoons sliced/slivered almonds
toothpicks or twine
salt and dried herbs, to taste

Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Place butterflied and flattened pork loin on a foil-lined baking sheet (the kind with sides). In the middle of the loin, spread parsley, feta, and almonds. Over medium heat, saute mushrooms (salted and peppered) and shallots. Once the mushrooms have reduced to between half and a quarter of their original size, remove the mixture from heat. Spread in middle of loin. Roll the stuffed loin, securing with twine or toothpicks every 1-2 inches as necessary. Brush with olive oil, and sprinkle salt or herbs as desired (I used dried thyme). Bake tenderloin for 25-30 minutes, until meat is no longer pink. Allow the meat to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Sarah — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 07:01:07 +0000

Winter squash is a wonderful thing. And an added bonus: seeds. Any winter squash seeds can be roasted, but pumpkin seeds are a fall classic. So the next time you carve a pumpkin (or make homemade butternut squash fries), take ten minutes to separate the seeds from the strings (do not rinse), combine with 1 Tablespoon oil for each cup seeds, season as desired (I like different gourmet sea salts), and bake in a 250 degree oven for approximately 1 1/2 hours. Yum!

Red Onions with a Mandarin Orange and Rosemary Reduction Sauce

Sarah — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:05:12 +0000

I have been terribly remiss in writing new posts, and I apologize (to my mother and boyfriend, aka my fan club). One of the things that I love about spending time in the kitchen is the spontaneity and freedom that a cook has with different ingredients and preparations. And to be honest, trying to develop five recipes a week is really crimping my style! The other day I told someone I was writing a food blog. “For fun?” she asked. And then I realized that I had been avoiding writing because it was no longer fun. This isn’t to say that I like the fact that I’ve been shirking my work, but having fun and learning was my impetus in writing Sarah from Scratch in the first place! So let’s try this again–this time keeping my original intentions in mind.

I developed this recipe based on a cold salad in The Best Recipes in the World that incorporates rosemary, orange segments, and red onions. Soak the sliced onions in lightly salted water for approximately 10-15 minutes to reduce sulfur compounds, then rinse and drain. I used mandarin oranges because they have a rich sweetness, and the fresh juice doesn’t become bitter like navel orange juice. You could, of course, substitute any orange juice.

This would go well with simply roasted beef, pork, or chicken.

Red Onions with Mandarin and Rosemary Reduction Sauce

1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
Approximately 1/2 cup orange juice
2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary, or 1 T dried
salt and pepper, to taste

Soak sliced onions in lightly salted water for approximately 10-15 minutes, then rinse and drain. Meanwhile, heat rosemary and orange juice over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it becomes a thick, bubbly syrup. Once it’s a syrup, remove from heat and combine with the sliced red onion. Serve warm or chilled.

Herb-Roasted Cipollini

Sarah — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:18:26 +0000

Cipolla translates to onion from Italian. So to say Cipollini Onions is a little redundant. The term is, however, used in modern parlance to indicate a small, flattened onion from Verona.

They are sweet onions, and their small size makes them convenient to roast whole.

I like to serve these onions with crackers or bread, a la roasted garlic. They emerge from the oven with a rich sweetness and melt-in-your-mouth smoothness.

Herb-Roasted Cipollini

1/2 lb cipollini
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T fresh herbs (I used a combination of Rosemary and Thyme) (or 2 t dried)
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. In small mixing bowl, drench cipollini with olive oil. Arrange cipollini on a baking sheet, sprinkle with herbs, salt, freshly ground pepper. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake 25 minutes. Remove aluminum foil, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Continue to bake until onions are soft and browned, approximately 25 minutes more.

Onions

Sarah — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 04:58:49 +0000

“As they are one of the most versatile seasonings in a cook’s repertory, it pays to know your onions”

(The Joy of Cooking, 389).

I spent most of my youth hating onions. I thought they were evil crunchy bits that were out to ruin all my meals. My mother would run spaghetti sauce through a food mill to take out even the tiniest pieces. And then, all of a sudden, I discovered that onions are actually quite delicious. I can’t remember exactly when this life-changing revelation occurred, but it was definitely sometime during my freshman year of college. I started using onions in everything. My creation of the aptly-named “sausage and onions” became one of Ian’s favorite meals.

Onions, as well as garlic and leeks, are members of the genus allium. The sulfurous qualities of the onion, intended as a natural defense mechanism, can be manipulated by the strength and duration of heat. “Cooking transforms this chemical defense into a deliciously savory, almost meaty quality that adds depth to many dishes in many cultures” (On Food and Cooking, 310).

Because of the strong presence of sulfur in onions, it is best to soak cut onions in lightly salted water before serving raw. After soaking for about 15 minutes, rinse and drain. This will ameliorate the sulfur flavor. The salt water soak method will be employed in a recipe later this week, Red Onions with Rosemary-Mandarin reduction sauce.

There are two main categories of onions: spring onions and storage onions. This week, I’ll be focusing on storage onions. Most onions in the grocery store are of the storage variety, including yellow, white, and red onions. “The second major kind of market onion is the storage onion, grown through summer and harvested when mature in the fall, rich in sulfur compounds, drier, and easily stored in cool conditions for several months” (On Food and Cooking, 312).

In addition to being delicious and easy to store, onions have myriad health benefits. Inulin, one of the components of an onion’s dietary fibers, has been shown to reduce risk of heart disease and diabetes.

And although onions occasionally get a bad rap for causing stinky breath, the browning enzymes that we found so annoying during apple week can reduce that. “Many raw fruits and vegetables are effective at this, notably pome and stone fruits, grapes, blueberries, mushrooms, lettuces, burning burdock, basil, and peppermint” (On Food and Cooking, 270).So eat your apples and veggies!

This week we’ll be looking at many different onion preparations, from basic caramelization and roasting to the slightly more impressive. So even though I know that none of these recipes will be served on my parents’ dinner table, I can assure you that onions truly are quite delicious.

Spaghetti Squash Served Three Ways

Sarah — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 08:10:10 +0000

The aptly named Spaghetti Squash is one of the most versatile of winter squashes. Its buttery-yellow strands, while lacking in flavor, lend themselves to many preparations. Much like pasta, Spaghetti Squash lets its accompaniments steal the show. This is not to say that Spaghetti Squash is a substitute for pasta (regardless of what dieters and “healthy living” advocates may claim), but it does deserve recognition on the basis of its own merits.

In this post, there are three recipes that play on the Spaghetti Squash’s affinity for sauces. Spaghetti Squash with Tomato and Basil is straightforward red sauce, which can be made with fresh ingredients or pantry staples. Spaghetti Squash with Shrimp and Scallions is a light cream sauce, loaded with flavor and texture. And Spaghetti Squash with Herbs and Butter is a basic preparation of, well, Spaghetti Squash, Butter, and Herbs.

Serve any of these with bread and salad for a light dinner. As with pasta, allow ~1 cup per individual.

Spaghetti Squash with Tomato and Basil

1 Spaghetti Squash, halved and seeded
1 cup water
approximately 2 lbs tomatoes (chopped), or a 28-oz can of tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup torn basil (or 1 Tablespoon dried basil)

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Pour water into a roasting pan. Place the squash halves, cut side down, into the pan (slightly raised if possible). Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake approximately 45 minutes, until tender. After the squash cools slightly, take a fork and gently scoop out the flesh. It will come out in medium-length strands, resembling spaghetti.
Run chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper through a food processor, until few chunks remain. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic. Cooked until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes. Stir until the sauce bubbles gently. Remove from heat. Add torn basil leaves. Stir the sauce into ~4 cups Spaghetti Squash. Garnish with basil, if desired.

Spaghetti Squash with Shrimp and Scallions

1 Spaghetti Squash, halved and seeded
1 cup water
1 Tablespoons butter
4 scallions, chopped
2 Tablespoons flour
2 cups milk (not skim)
~20 frozen shrimp, thawed

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Pour water into a roasting pan. Place the squash halves, cut side down, into the pan (slightly raised if possible). Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake approximately 45 minutes, until tender. After the squash cools slightly, take a fork and gently scoop out the flesh. It will come out in medium-length strands, resembling spaghetti.
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, stirring until fragrant and the butter is lightly browned. Stir the flour into the butter and onions; allow to cook ~30 seconds. Stir milk into the pan. Lower heat to medium. Allow the sauce to boil gently until thickened. The sauce should be thicker than milk, thinner than a cream sauce. Add the thawed shrimp, allow to warm through. Stir the sauce into ~4 cups Spaghetti Squash.

Spaghetti Squash with Butter and Herbs

1 Spaghetti Squash, halved and seeded
1 cup water
1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) butter
1/2 cup chopped herbs (I used Italian Parsley and Basil, but any soft herbs will work)
salt and pepper, to taste
parmesan

Butternut Squash Flan, or: A Lesson in Failure

Sarah — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 21:40:01 +0000

We’ve all been there. You have a stroke of culinary genius. You do the necessary research. You consult your trusty cookbooks. You troll the internet for relevant recipes. You spend hours in the kitchen. And then arrives your moment of glory. You remove the dish from the oven and discover…utter disaster.

This week I found a recipe for Pumpkin Flan, but decided to substitute butternut squash. When I pulled the custard out of the oven and flipped the ramekin over to plate the flan, I found…goop. At least it was a test run, and five people weren’t about to arrive for dinner. Still, failure in the kitchen is rarely welcome. But undesired results can lead to new ideas and discoveries.

But, as they say, when life gives you liquid-y flan, make butternut squash milkshakes. I just mixed one of the failed flans with about 1 1/2 cups of ice cream. It wasn’t bad; the milkshake reminded me of some of those pumpkin concoctions that fast food chains have been pushing recently.

I also froze one of the flans. It wasn’t bad. And if I had been expecting a dinner party, I think this would have been a decent quick fix.

Of course I would have preferred a soft, custardy, successful Butternut Squash Flan. But my failure was hardly the end of the world. Sometimes a culinary screw-up does a cook some good and creates new possibilities!

Chicken and Orzo Stuffed Acorn Squash

Sarah — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 22:34:10 +0000

Last week I was at an open-air produce market near the University District, and encountered a pile of perfect acorn squash. They were small and firm, heavy for their size, and had a dull finish. So I picked up a green acorn squash for a savory dish and a white acorn squash for an apple-stuffed dessert. Although I originally had visions of a chilled orzo-and-squash salad, I encountered a cheddar-and-orzo stuffed squash recipe and decided that a baked casserole of sorts would be perfect for a chilly fall evening. To make it a satisfying meal, I added chicken for body and almonds for crunch. I also used nutmeg, which enriched the white sauce and added flavor.

Acorn squashes are perfect as serving vessels. They’re small and adorable. Their yellow-orange flesh is sweet but rather bland, so it serves as a good background for its filling while not overpowering it. The texture is lovely, especially with the combination of crunch from the almonds and richness from the cheese. It’s the perfect meal to warm and fill you on those early autumn nights.

Chicken and Orzo Stuffed Acorn Squash

This recipe is designed for two, but it can be easily doubled (or tripled or quadrupled…!)

1 acorn squash, halved and seeded
1 cup water
2/3 cup orzo (or any other small pasta, like mini conchiglie or meloni)
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
1 chicken breast, shredded
3 Tablespoons slivered almonds
Tabasco, to taste
salt, pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
1/4 cup parmesan

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Slice a thin strip from the bottom of each acorn squash half, so they will be able to stand as serving dishes. Fill a roasting pan with 1 cup water, place the squash halves cut side down in the pan (slightly raised if possible). Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake approximately 35 minutes, until squash is tender. Remove from oven and maintain oven temperature. Salt and pepper the cut sides.

Boil water and add the orzo. Cook for approximately 5 minutes (half the required cooking time). Drain. Return orzo to pot. Add milk and chicken broth. Boil approximately 5 minutes. Add the cheddar, chicken, almonds, tabasco, and nutmeg. Stir as the mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Fill the acorn squash halves with the mixture. Divide the parmesan, sprinkle on the two halves.

Bake an additional 25 minutes until browned. Enjoy!

Stripetti Squash Gnocchi

Sarah — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 23:01:49 +0000

I must begin this post by stating a fact: I am from a family of meat and potato eaters. The most foreign dish that ever graced our dinner table growing up was spaghetti and canned ragu. And to be honest, it’s still one of my favorite meals. So when I met Ian, my Italophile boyfriend, during Freshman year of college, I was shocked to find a whole new world of pasta. And topping his list of favorites is gnocchi, a doughy potato dumpling pasta. Over the years I’ve worked with packaged gnocchi, but I’ve never made my own. So when I encountered Pumpkin Gnocchi and did some research on gnocchi recipes, I decided to try my hand at this 14th century tradition. Although it didn’t turn out perfectly, it was darn good. And as Mark Bittman writes in The Best Recipes in the World, “Perhaps not on the first try, but by your second or third, you will be making the best gnocchi you have ever eaten” (478). And the greatest wonder of all: I actually got Ian to help out in the kitchen!

Gnocchi, which translates to “lumps” in Italian, originated in the 14th century. With the introduction of the potato, gnocchi became synonymous with potato dumplings. The pasta is a simple combination of approximately 1 cup of flour for each pound of potatoes used, as well as various spices and occasionally eggs. Older potatoes are considered to be better because they have more starch and less water. The less liquid in the vegetable, the less flour needed to form a dough, which yields a lighter-textured pasta. Because winter squash has a dry, sweet flesh, I’ve replaced the potatoes with baked Stripetti squash.

Stripetti squash is a cross between the sweet Delicata and the Spaghetti squash, though it isn’t as stringy. Its flavor is reminiscent of sweet potatoes, and it can be used in its place in recipes.

Gnocchi is a time-consuming project, but I like to think of it as a labor of love. The raw pieces store well in the refrigerator if you’ll use them in the next 12 hours, or in the freezer if you’ll use them in the next month. Simply freeze the uncooked gnocchi in a single layer on a baking sheet and transfer to a freezer bag. Add one minute to the cooking time if preparing frozen gnocchi.

Baked Stripetti Squash

1 Stripetti squash (or other winter squash), halved and seeded
1 cup water
Large roasting pan

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Halve the squash lengthwise (see the winter squash section of recipetips.com for detailed descriptions and photos), and remove the seeds and strings. Fill the roasting pan with 1 cup water, and set the squash halves, cut side down, in the pan (slightly raised if possible). Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake approximately 35 minutes, until the squash is tender. Use a spoon to remove the flesh.

Stripetti Squash Gnocchi

2 lbs baked Stripetti Squash meat (or other winter squash)
2 eggs
~2 cups flour
salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste

Boil 16 cups of water in a large pot. Meanwhile, use a fork to mash the squash meat and the eggs in a mixing bowl. Add desired spices. Slowly begin adding the flour until a soft dough has formed. Knead gently until flour has combined. Break off a small piece of dough and drop into the boiling water. Allow to cook approximately 2-3 minutes, until the pasta floats to the surface. It should have retained its shape. If not, add a bit more flour until the dough passes this test. Once your dough is ready, begin rolling small dumplings in your hands. Run a fork along one side of each piece. Drop into the boiling water (if planning to eat immediately. If not, set on a baking sheet to refrigerate or freeze.). The pasta has a short cooking time (2-3 minutes) and will float to the surface when ready. Use a slotted spoon or strainer to remove the gnocchi and keep in a buttered dish while the rest are cooking. Serve with butter and parmesan, and sage if desired.

Pumpkin Pie

Sarah — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 20:59:28 +0000

“Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.”

-Jim Davis

Apple week has come to an end. So this week I’m focusing on another fall favorite: winter squash. The most ubiquitous of all winter squash is the pumpkin, so pumpkin pie seems to be an appropriate introduction to the merits of the winter squash.

Pumpkin Pie is a serious undertaking in our household. My boyfriend, Ian, doesn’t have birthday cake–he has pumpkin pie. I remember the first time I made his favorite dessert, and he informed me that it wasn’t as good as his mother’s. Although I wouldn’t usually be responsive to (or tolerant of) that sort of criticism, I knew how important pumpkin pie was to him, so I called his mom and got her recipe.

Ian’s Pumpkin Pie

unbaked 9″, deep dish pie crust shell
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups peeled, cooked, mashed pumpkin (13 oz can)
1/3 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add the remaining ingredients and beat thoroughly. Pour the mixture into the 9″ deep dish pie shell. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 40-45 minutes.

Basic Pie Crust (adapted from a recipe in Old Fashioned Pie Recipes)

1 1/2 cups (all-purpose) flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup fat (butter/shortening)
approximately 1/4 cup ice water

Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Cut the fat into the flour mixture using a pastry blender (or two knives). Slowly add the icy water, work into a ball. (I work the dough with my hands while I’m adding the water to get a better sense of the texture and moisture of the dough.) The dough should be just moistened-it is important to maintain bits of fat in the dough. Refrigerate the dough, covered with a tea towel or plastic wrap, for approximately an hour. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface.

Although I usually use canned pumpkin, I decided to go the whole nine yards in honor of winter squash week. The result was very good–the pumpkin pie was airier in texture, and it had a richer brown sugar/carmel flavor because I twice baked the pumpkin before pureeing.

Topped with homemade whipped cream, the pie was delicious. And most important, it got my biggest pumpkin pie critic’s seal of approval!